Stone Circle "Swing for the fences, son." he must have told you once.

"Indeed," Merrit said, as the serpent herded the young child away. My mother is in Ursus, the boy had said - which meant, to Merrit, that his father was not. That his father, then, could not be this Deceiver -- though, being the offspring of the devil's servant was no better a hand to be dealt, than the son of the devil himself. Merrit had seen how the child's face twisted at the description of Easthollow, and how the snake had shoved him aside. His mother had never dealt so harshly with him, and neither had he seen Keen nor Arlette nor any of her offspring after receive such treatment, either, even when they had disobeyed her.

"It is good to leave home, see the world around you, learn from wolves who are not kin," and though he looked at Merrick, he pointed his words to the child behind him. The snake was beyond saving, and would find his end at the jaws of Moonspear, or Easthollow, or some other beast seeking blood vengeance - but he still had hope for the child. And indeed, the child was his only restraint, for if he crushed the serpent's head now -- well, how would the boy respond to that? Would he himself swear vengeance, and raise an even greater monster in the serpent's stead? No, Merrit could not afford the risk, not only for the Wilds, but also for the sake of this boy's soul. "I often find that seeing... unfamiliar things can help you see what is right and what is wrong about the familiar things you are used to."