Dragoncrest Cliffs If you could read my mind, love

Out of the four children, Étienne and Theo seemed more interested in their surroundings. They might be the first, she thought, to push the boundaries once they were big enough to race. Requiem solemnly snuggled against her side, and little Suzu pressed against him. 

She reached up and grabbed a long, trailing branch from the willow. It was dead, and was hanging on by mere threads, so she plucked it from the tree. By now, its bark was dry and crunchy. Any medicine in its pulp would be less. Willow bark could be used for pain relief, but when it was dead like this, blanched by the sun, it would be a perfect playtoy.

She bit through the slender branch in two places- making three slender twigs, and one by one, she tossed them out into the short grass- the area approved for her puppies to play in. She hoped they might take an interest when they had a toy to chew on.