spread our ashes round the yard

When the sharp summons rang through the air, Naga slipped out from a small cavern she had discovered and claimed as her den and began the treacherous climb up the ridge, towards its rainforest. Winter had made an already steep climb worse, for ice and snow caught and glazed normally secure footholds—but as a Kesuk-Nereides, she was no stranger to cliffs and the way their moods changed with the seasons. When she reached the flat surface of the ridge, Naga's sides heaved only slightly harder and faster than usual. She wasted no time in approaching the rainforest.

Perhaps five or ten minutes after her pack mate's song had pierced the seaside, Naga came upon the white female and offered a small whuff of greeting. Although they were half-sisters, no recognition lit the Kesuk-Nereides' features—Jinx Kesuk was a wolf she had heard of, but never met. As far as she knew, that wolf still reigned over a place called Shearwater Bay.

She noted there were no others in their presence, and she did her best to dispel her disappointment. Though Lysianassa knew how to hunt and was approaching her first birthday quickly, she was perhaps not the aid that her pack mate was looking for. She had seen the tracks left by a small herd of deer, could taste them in the air—this was likely why the white woman had called, and the almost-yearling remained quiet so as not to alert the creatures to their presence.