Lost Creek Hollow We will stare at the stars and think what life could be

The way Ashlar saw and described the world, simple and wonderful, appealed to Gannet immensely. He shook a bit with a small, silent laugh as Ashlar growled at him in a fair approximation of a grumpy badger. Big teeth, he answered, nodding. When you are big maybe you can meet one. But not when you are small. He did not talk down to him, but stated as it was, as usual.

Sina? It took him a moment to know what he had said, but he sorted it. One of Liffey's pups. Unaware of her enmity towards him (luckily), he was simply glad Ashlar was making friends. If he'd known... well. He didn't.

Water like with mom? he asked, a little alarmed to think that the puppy might have found the creek alone. It was highly unlikely, especially since Liffey's weren't quite old enough to go so far. But he felt his fear quicken as he remembered being forced along beneath the surface of the ice.