Bramblepoint red-hawk for dinner

Though the reticence annoyed him, Aureli supposed that it probably would be best — simplest — if he just examined the boy himself. So he mustered a dignified, "Please," and gestured for Leto to lead the way when she bade him follow.

He walked in her pawsteps, dearly hoping he was not being led into some sort of cannibalistic trap. It seemed unlikely; cannibals had a particular scent he was now well acquainted with.

"Hello, dearheart," he called quietly when Moke poked her head out of the foliage up ahead. He hoped that this greeting would convey to Leto that the cat was not on the menu, nor seeking to eat her son. "Ignore her," he advised the pale shewolf, just in case.