Duck Lake illusion; diverted

kill. be ready for anything.

sound advice for the parents, but to a wolf still wet behind the ears like aventus, astara wondered if his inexperience would lead him astray. youth had a way of polluting common sense -- even she often felt her impulse get the better of her.

she had no idea aventus' mind had turned to evien in such a light. and even if she knew, would the crazed nightshade stop her son? perhaps merrick's beargods whispered to him, planting the seeds of tender growth in his brain. to kill, to be ready for anything --

to trust ones' intuition.

a powerful thing, that confidence.

astara remained still, studying the faces of her family in quiet thought.