Dragoncrest Cliffs This place is all he's ever known

Oh, she’d misunderstood. Swordfish had been calling himself a slug, giving recognition to the fact that he liked to go at his own pace. He might have corrected her, but she gave him a reaction that brought a smile to his snout. Suzu was something else, he’d concluded. If the world wasn’t careful, she’d take it by storm. Even though he possessed none of it, the young redtail admired her spirit and the light that shone from within her.

At being called a bloated sealion, the boy groaned into his mouthful of tree. The log was heavy. The feeling of it strained down both sides of his neck and into his legs. He thought he might drop it. Fearful that he wouldn’t be able to help her tote it across the beach, Swordfish breathed heavily while remaining perfectly focused on their task.