Porcupine Ridge When the chips are down

throughout, muskrat's eyes seemed to glow more brightly, luminous as tousaint offered one sweet after another. that viskani thought less of her had not only been an assumption, but mutually felt. yet to hear it assured brought a faint smile to her lips, one which deepened in open amusement to hear that the vale woman meant to raid — them?

weaknesses of underestimation were how muskrat plied the strength in her smaller frame quite well. self-assured was her laugh then, gentle in the night, holding an ice that marvelled almost admiringly at viskani's daring.

"stupid woman," the warrior said at last, "to trust fox." stupider woman to devalue tousaint.

claws clicked as she flexed her paws against the stony earth and considered. muskrat held no fear of viskani, and if tousaint was an example of what loyalty the montagne woman commanded, it would be no hard thing to break the vale.

sunflower eyes glowed. he had no loyalty to them. why did he spill viskani's unsaid things before her now in pretty baubles? what did he want? "where you go now?" muskrat asked, testing to see if tousaint's want was a place among the ridge.