Blackbeak Bluff And I'll never be alone

Sequoia was surprised—although she should not have been—to learn that most creatures wanted nothing to do with her. In her young mind, she was the Most Important Person in the world. She imagined that every scary thing was out to get her, and everything else in the world was there to help her in some way. Idly, she wondered what things she might do to provoke a snake or a cat. Look at them wrong? Get to close? Call them a “toot?” There were so many ways she could think of to provoke them, she wondered if she had already done it without realizing. She certainly knew how to provoke her siblings into a frenzy when she really wanted to.

Wraen’s story about her mother’s suggestion delighted Sequoia, especially since it fed right into her “I’m the center of the universe” world view. It hadn’t really occurred to Sequoia until now that adults had mothers and fathers, too. Did that mean her own parents had a Momma Portia and a Daddy Dio out there somewhere? This was quite a puzzling question, as she had not heard them mentioned that she could recall. Maybe she just hadn’t been paying attention at the right time.

Does your momma live nearby? she asked. Sequoia had seen one of her sisters leave, and she wondered if Wraen had left her momma, too. Suddenly the thought of recruiting her seemed much sadder. Would that mean that Sequoia was taking her away from her family? Is that why Dalia had decided to leave? Would she want to leave someday if somebody asked her to? Those were tough questions, and Sequoia was definitely not ready to answer them.