Fishblight Mire Blot Out the Moon, Pull Down the Stars

A noncommittal shrug was the girl's answer; she was nearly always ready for a meal, but hunger was not currently her most pressing concern. She and Brave could hunt tonight or in the morning. And now that she thought of it, fishing lessons might be a little less nerve-wracking with her brother watching as well.

Journey's ears pricked in interest when Soleon declared his next pursuit: her. "Oh!" she said again, and immediately forgot everything about herself. There was a beat of bemused silence before she found the answer to his question. ". . . Round Valley," she replied, her tail beginning to wag once more. "I lived there with my mother and my father and my brother and a whole lot of cousins, and aunts and uncles, too. But we've got family here in this area, so my brother and I are looking around for them. Last we heard, everyone was real scattered. It made aunt Spot sad, so I thought I'd see what I could do about it."

It was a lofty response coming from such a small girl — but despite her somewhat unimpressive size, she was confident in her ability to help bring the family back together.

"Where are you from?" she asked. "Do you have a big family? What's your mom's name? Mine's name is Lavender."