Bearclaw Valley goldclaw

a gift from merrick. he had done nothing yet to warrant kindness, if that was what this was, and karst doubted the offering of a meal was just that; everyone needed to eat and karst had not left the hollow to feed himself since being assigned to it. a utilitarian move, then. checking in on the boy while making sure he did not drop dead — karst could appreciate that at least.

he stared down at the bird and then gradually coaxed it closer with a hook of his paw, drawing it in to the dark of the storehouse and against the wall where it would sit in the dust. karst did not want to eat in front of merrick; he had an aversion to it without knowing why.