Blacktail Deer Plateau I am no upstart demon, scrabbling in the dirt of the soul.

Nieve couldn't help shrinking back a little when Reyes' glare fell upon her. She knew it wasn't really for her, but her brother's anger swept through her all the same. It was enough to push Nieve back a step. Not out of fear. Not because she was worried he would hurt her. It was more like just giving him space.

You don't truly mean that, she thought, but wisely kept to herself. How could any wolf who was raised with the sea want to be anywhere else? She couldn't imagine not returning to the ocean, even though right now it railed against its bonds and smashed the shore that shackled it in a frightful fury. Unlike her brother, Nieve believed the ocean was angry and the land was shaking because of that ... what little she truly knew about how the world worked.

I know, she said, reaching out to nose at his flank and nudge him reassuringly. Rosalyn's and Scarab's absences were keenly felt. I miss them, too. Licking her lips, the girl tilted back her head and snuffled at the air. The scent of salt was there, but extremely faint.

Hey, she prompted, blinking at her brother. D'you find it hard to sleep here? It's too quiet, isn't it? Compared to the roar of the waves that had always accompanied them in the Sound, Blacktail Deer Plateau was practically silent when the wind wasn't blowing.