Sleepy Fox Hollow honey in the rock and the sugar don't stop

Vhat, vhat, vhat, the man said. The questions just wouldn't stop. Dusty Rose recalled an equally frustrating conversation with Esma, possibly the dumbest child (bless her) he'd ever met. Except her questions had been vhy, vhy, vhy and hadn't the wolves around here ever heard of a little back-and-forth? 'Cause he could be real charming, given half the chance, and it was a damn shame no one seemed willing to give it to him.

"His paws were tore up the last time I saw him," said Dusty Rose, patiently, because he was a whole fucken saint or something. "And feelin' a little down. I don't like to think of him that way, y'know? So I thought I'd stop in and be sure he was shaping up."

The concern the other man showed was sweet, really. Dusty Rose gave him a lil bit of credit, just for that. But if he didn't know Etienne had been hurt at all, all that credit would be quickly wiped away.

Unless Etienne was hiding it from him. Which would be stupid, but the healer had already proven to have a this-guy-shaped hole in his brain.