Wapun Meadow bloodgrand

Dutch found no rest. He was wary of being tracked down by the bear or its harbinger, and his ears swiveled uneasily each time the wind clattered through the naked branches above. A chill had snaked its way into his blood, and curled into an uncomfortable ball and then shivered still by his lonesome.

What kept him up, though, was the bitter taste of failure. The more he thought about it, the angrier he was with himself for allowing the man to get away. And it made him angrier still that he couldn't decide what he should have done differently. Someone needed to be blamed, and despite his pique, Dutch knew that it was not Chakliux. Perhaps it was not him, either, but the barbs of his fury sought the closest available target.

Long hours seemed to pass. The panther watched, listless, as the world beyond the thicket blurred white and blue. He blinked when a red-dashed figure appeared out of it, and then thumped his tail against the ground when he saw that it was indeed his seal hunter.

"I send you out to find food, and you come back smelling of women," he said, annoyed and amused and just a little bit scandalized. "And you did not even bring any back for me!"