Moonsong Glacier be the moth to my flame

The panther prowled, searching for Sulukinak. The shadow girl was often close — and Dutch preferred that. Preferred to have her under his eye.

As it happened, he saw the striking stranger before he saw his girl. His nostrils flared; he took in her scent, and then spied Sulukinak's bristling form. Whatever works were spoken before were lost to him, but he heard the woman's question before he came out into the open, coming to stand beside Sulukinak.

"We've had many strangers at our borders, lately," he said, perhaps a little pointedly. He was not sure why Sulukinak bristled at her, but given the season, he did not think she needed a reason beside the fact that this stranger was a woman. That did not mean Dutch had the same opinion of her — but it did warrant consideration.

She was pretty, and sharp-fanged, and that made the panther a little less critical of her small stature. He might not have thought so much about it if he hadn't so recently spoken to Eira, who had a similar build.

"What brings you this way?" he asked her.