Dragoncrest Cliffs if you can't feel me?

regaining her typical flat affect, sobeille waited until the stranger managed an answer.

without responding, she disappeared. it was bold of her to leave the borders unattended, to give this woman an excuse to traipse her territory -- perhaps she wished her to try.

perhaps she hoped for a reason-- any -- to make the serpentine emotions coiling within her justifiable.

when she returned, it was with a peltskin bulging with contents. in there, twitch would find three large leaves broken into quarters. a strip of seal fat. and finally, three dried stems of yarrow.

it had taken all of her strength to not slip some other herb in there, too.

she placed the napsack at twitch's feet. dis is what i be givin' you. de aloe -- she motioned. den, a strip of fat an' three twigs of yarrow. a sparkle of something -- perhaps resentment -- in her gaze when she spoke next. do not be eatin' de yarrow. it is poison. when de pups are weaned, mash de yarrow an' de fat together until it becomes a paste. i be usin' stones for dis. it will keep for weeks as long as de fat is mixed in well.

there it seemed sobeille was done talking, but against her more violent side, she spoke again.

oh. one more t'ing. the gleam in her eyes resurfaced. i 'ope you be knowin' dat aloe is poisonous, an' any puppy dat nurses on a tit rubbed wit' it will die. off you go.

idiots, she thought savagely as she escorted vanja away.

she should have said nothing at all.