Moonspear Fattening Up.

To his surprise, there was disagreement. He didn't feel good about the beast on their land, even if it only meant to sleep away the winter here. It was too close for comfort, in his opinion—but when Sialuk spoke, he held his tongue, eyes cutting toward Alaric—

And then to Nashua, who chimed in with a surprising development.

The bear. . .talked to you? Killdeer asked the boy, head tilting in puzzlement. And you understood it—uh, him?

He'd never heard of such a thing, and wondered if this was only the fancy of an imaginative young man. But Nashua had no reason to lie, especially in a matter like this, and he wondered at the strangeness of it. Perhaps a unique gift, instead of whimsy.

If it's safer to let him be, then I suppose we let him be, he reasoned with a shrug. Don't like it, but. . .here we are.