Bearclaw Valley Parents sometimes show love through velocity

Merrick's dark face, kiln-lit as if by his single eye, mirrored Aventus, which traced chaos across his wrinkled gums and cold silver gaze. Duskfire Glacier, a beacon in the north, and woefully short on defenders, if the display he witnessed was any indication. A more enticing target had not presented itself since Easthollow, with its elders for leaders and frightened lambs for followers.

Duskfire would defend itself more fiercely than those soft-bellied stone dogs, but there was only so much they could hope to do. Only so much time for Ursus to prepare, and unbeknownst to either of them, Merrick would find a reason to depart long before they could launch their raid upon the ice wolves.

Two sentinels, he shared, neither aware of the intruder in their midst until they heard him blustering at me. The stranger remained a source of curiosity for Aventus. Surely he must be a skilled stalker if he was able to infiltrate pack territory for days on end, but the man was crude in his arrogance. How could that be?

Ashlar must come, Aventus said, licking idly at one fang. Too long he has cowered in these walls. He must see. And we must have you, also, father. Perhaps Arielle, if things go awry? He had no reason to believe they would. Vesta was also an obvious choice, but Vesta wore blood in the name of Ursus. The other two were made of softer stuff and could do with some whetting, just as Aves himself could.