Bearclaw Valley they are the force between

Astara’s blood dripped onto the earth. Aventus watched it fall in the split second when his mother readjusted her grip, just before she hoisted it up enough to slam it down. It was a move designed to scramble the brains of larger animals, and to utterly obliterate smaller ones. He watched and learned from the efficacy of her tactics.

She would watch Nyra perform the same on him in two weeks’ time.

The wolverine’s brain must’ve rattled in its skull, for it blinked dopily and appeared unable to move. Aventus fell upon it, bunching his hindquarters as he gathered the vulnerable wolverine in his slender arms and dug his jaws into the back of its neck. Several mauling bites and a vicious shake of his head later, it gave up its last shuddering gasp and slumped to the ground.

Aventus relinquished his grasp and stepped back, licking his nose, before he extended his small neck to sniff at his mother’s battered, bleeding muzzle.