Swiftcurrent Creek A walk around the world to ease my troubled mind.

Kaskara had never been very tactful, and the glimmer of guilt that shadowed Paar's voice and crossed her face when Kas said Shadow's name made the beta feel guilty for even bringing it up. After all, he was not the only threat this winter, and although he was the most recent one, he was far from the harshest: winter could do that all on her own. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up. It's not your fault he never learned the meaning of no."

But after that, she let it drop. Paar was uncomfortable speaking about it and she wasn't about to make the pregnant woman squirm even more than she probably already was. It wasn't in her nature to do that to others, especially wolves she considered friends. The conversation turned to her trip to Duskfire and Kas nodded, smiling. "It wasn't as harsh as I thought it would be, but then again Falwasi and Kieran went with me. It would have been a long and lonely road without them."

Paarthurnax and Kaskara spent the next few minutes talking of trivial things, and Kas wasn't going to bring up the subject of Shadow again. So she smiled and simply let the subject lie. Later she would bring it up again if necessary, but for now Kas bid her friend farewell and promised to return in a few days to check on her again.