Verdigris Ravine the road goes ever on and on

The preyscent of fear made her whiskers tremble as she drew near; the coyote reeled back, and she tamped down on the instinct to grab at the smaller creature. She'd never yet harmed one since making her life with them, but the desire to do so was always there behind her eyes.

"It would be silly not to fear me, at first," she said, her voice gentle, "but you will learn that I am a good ally to have — and a pleasing companion for all who are pleasing to me."

A feline smile and a shake of her tail belied her soft words. Though she was a dancer first, always, the huntress in her enjoyed this fear. She drank it in willingly, knowing it might not always be there for her to savor.

"I am called Balarina. Dancer," she replied. "Tell me, Sah-ree, what you are. You say that you are from a people of culture. Wares, songs, stories — which of these is your specialty?"