Porcupine Ridge And someday

"aha!" muskrat shouted, whirling to strike warrior's poses as lynx girl circled her. "first i watch a camp for long hours. maybe days. count fighters. see who leader. see where patrols go and where they come."

"then," she went on, pretending to snap the air near nutu yikruk's small face, "i come back. gather warriors. we strike weak place on camp. not taking things. steal meat," she added, demonstrating how to dig up a cache. "but we take — wolves. children first. can be made raiders. if more men, take women. if more women, capture men. important no one follows."

she lunged low then, intending to trip nutu in a controlled way. "kill who try kill us. hurt first. wound leader. break them. that way we come again, they run and not fight."