Otter Creek You would have to be half mad to dream me up

She could have told him that some big bald eagle paid her fifty rat carcasses to join Ursus as a joke and he still would have softened and smiled at how she ended it. He had seen so many wolves come and go from Ursus in his time on earth. The only constants had been Merrick and Astara. Many underestimated the savagery of the bear cult and fled when they realized the price of it all. But not Arielle. She marched to war with them. She was exactly where she was meant to be. Aventus dared a quick touch then, just a little tap of his nose to her chin in camaraderie. It sent a little electric thrill into his nostrils.

Then his pulse began to pound in his ears again when she lobbed the question back at him. Dare, he whispered. Truth was the easier one, except there were many things he kept to himself that he wasn't sure he wanted to say out loud. And the way she looked at him made him feel bold.