Hideaway Strath lacrima

Valiria walked alongside her father, her attention partly on him and partly on their surroundings. It was good to have work to do again—meaningful work with a beginning and an attainable goal. She thought the Strath a perfectly fine territory to claim, and it felt refreshing to devote herself now to protecting it and securing a future for herself and her family here.

She did remember Towhee, which she indicated with a nod. She found it odd, his statement. She did not connect the woman his father had taken to mate and abandoned with the Redhawks right away, but her memory told her vaguely that there was a connection there. In any event, she was growing used to her father mentioning this wolf or that family or pack and claiming they ought to keep their distance. It seemed Germanicus had very few friends left in these Wilds—a problem they would perhaps need to work on at some point if they ever wanted allies.

Before she could say a word, a call rose over the trees from the North. Her ears lifted, but she did not recognize the voice. She turned to look at Germanicus, ready to follow his lead should he decide they ought to attend.