Herbalists' Cache κ

---

in truth, skorpa was neither hungry nor did he wish to dine, but he wanted these reindeer-wolves to see the worth of hospitality. and so he made a show of it, swaggering after the woman to crouch in opposite, filling his mouth with meat, licking offal and blood from his claws with relish.

"faust, blackfell of darukaal come to mountain. beg for fighters. darukaal saying that sun eater start war, hurt blackfell wife. but blackfell tell me twotime he — chal-lenge — your chieftain." skorpa watched the pair, eyes shifting. "darukaal come back. back. demand. saying things of fool. breaked peace with winsook."

words, heavy, final, an axe stabbed into a tree.

another strip of caribou stuffed into his jaw. "i am ayovi husband, skorpa. ayovi offer — green leaf. skill. to saatsine. but chieftain wife also say her husbondi start war." a pause. "she say he mad."

skorpa belched. "winsook not fight. any leave stjerneberg for blood not returning."

---