Verdigris Ravine (M) And wrens have begun to sing an old song in the mouth of your kettle.

S’ari had not realized anything was wrong at first. She was grinning from large ear to large ear at her friend as they closed the gap, and then—

And then something was very wrong.

S’ari saw the pain on Towhee’s face, saw her body stiffen, and then a horrid, godsawful smell made her gag. Of course, she was heavily pregnant, so instead of just gagging, she threw up all over the sand. Breathing raggedly, seeing the blood beneath Towhee’s body, she tried not to vomit again and said, You must… come inside the Ravine. Come with S’ari now. Can you walk? All she could think was that if her friend was going to die, or expel her womb, or whatever was happening, she could not let the wolf do it out here in the hot sand alone. Zoug and Candle’s thoughts on wolves be damned. She would tear them apart if they hurt Towhee.