Lost Creek Hollow no good deed

For @Terance!

He'd returned to the valley in time to watch the sun rise, and imagined what it must be like to the wolves of Easthollow in the company of their stones. The beauty would be lost to Tulimaq, who did not cater to such vanity, but he did wonder if there was a power to the stones. Perhaps the dawn would awaken it — perhaps the stars. Before long he had overshot his intended destination (meaning to gather Merrit for further lessons) and was trailing east, to the hollow which had been Tulimaq's doorway to the wilds.

The scents had grown more complex. Before, having followed the plush girl Aerasha to the territory's fringe, he had found many fresh scents. They seemed to have become ingrained to the soil. There were fresh marks among some of the trees, and with each new layer to these scents that he found, the more Tulimaq's curosity — and desire to push the limits — grew. He was keenly aware of the territory's edge, of the claim that lay before him. He wondered what sort of beast inhabited this previously empty vista. Would they be worthy of their prize?