Bearclaw Valley I've often seen a cat without a grin

tough crowd.
merrick had forgotten for a moment that his son and arielle were not yet committed to pain. perhaps they suffered even as his flesh did not. the bearwolf lived in the mortal and the present.
her face showed her displeasure.
no more attempts at humour. he would leave off it for now.
"i want to remake them. they're my niece and nephew, you know. i need them to — drop laurel."
he licked his jaws. "what do you think, bruin-heart?" she was as much a part of this as anyone else. merrick held still as she washed and covered the stumps where his foot had been mangled. "i had considered, also, killing them both."