Dragoncrest Cliffs partita

She typically obeyed Étienne- but on the odd occasion she didn’t obey him, she followed him. Quietly, carefully, relying on her nose to lead her in the right direction by following his trail. Typically, he ranged toward the borders or went searching for food. Today, though, their mother had been summoned. And if Mama would be there, then it had to be safe for her and Étienne to go too. 

He had a knack of knowing when she followed too close, so she hung back, but closed the gap when he came to a standstill. She crept forward when she saw her brother facing a dark man, with bright eyes. Étienne seemed mildly tense, so she moved forward, staying directly behind him but peering out at the stranger from behind her brother’s flank.