Hideaway Strath What profit will we gain if we kill our brother and cover up his blood?

Wolves often utilized avian companions, finding a synergy with the scavengers, but Gilead did not see the value of it; they could not be trusted utterly, could not be expected to work without some transaction taking form. They were greedy soulless things—heralds of the Shade, some have said—and when the hidden form of one such creature spotted him, called to him, Gilead was visibly startled.
He saw only darkness when he glared upon the trees; then the shards of silver ice—two pale eyes set in to a masculine face, dark as pitch. He thought for a moment the bird was an acolyte of the unholy Shade and that it had become a more recognizable form to speak with him; yet it was silent, cold, and watching.
Your pet? Gilead queried of the wolf, his jaw setting firmly as he gathered his wits.