Wheeling Gull Isle Now I'm begging for footnotes in the story of your life

Never asked his name, snorted Wylla, not much in the business of acquainting myself with little snots like that, but that sounds right. She didn't want to give the boy much credit—he had only mentioned the island, and she doubted his reasons for doing so were entirely selfless. Folks like that always had a private agenda; hell, even regular old wolves had their own agenda most of the time.

Which brought them back to Wylla's agenda. She made a snap judgment that Huā and Aiolos were probably decent wolves, and it wasn't like they had any other prospective homes lined up. She'd learned her lesson about offering her undying loyalty to any pack, but she could offer services in return for board whether she trusted the local populace or not. Plus, it would be nice to be by the ocean again, even if the charm of it had worn off.

Skills such as? she wondered, then clarified, I led for a time and am a proficient guard, and I've raised children and consider myself a decent teacher. She didn't make mention of her typical tough love methods. She would be naive to think it wasn't the reason that zero of her three children would choose to be with her, and she knew it might not go over well with more protective parents. There was no telling which sort Huā and Aiolos were, if they were parents at all.

Long story short, Stag— she gestured to Stag and smiled at him as he drew up, and I are looking for a place to stay that will allow us to visit our family back home regularly. He can protect you and yours, as well. I trust him with my life. It didn't necessarily mean they would give theirs up for Yuèlóng—after Sagtannet, that kind of trust felt impossible—but she was never one to back down from a fight to protect her home. At the very least, this leader was a woman, and while Wylla's track record with other women wasn't very good, in some respects, they'd hurt her far less than most men had.