Bramblepoint red-hawk for dinner

Yes, of course it was her son. Aureli guarded his expression when she failed to say what was wrong with him. He thought he could guess, but just in case he was wrong about her motives, he probed a little further:

"Your son requires a physician?"

His nose twitched. He identified the scent of the boy on her pelt, but nothing jumped out at him as wrong.

His gaze dropped just briefly to the rabbit, and he understood at once what she meant by the question. He was not in the habit of taking payment — especially when he was not sure what kind of work he would be expected to do. The healer gave a swift shake of his head, both denying payment and attempting to convey that his services were entirely free.

"What ails him?" he asked, his brow furrowing.