Swiftcurrent Creek but anything is preferable to the pain

Nothing, Aventus grimly thought, keeping his eyes fastened in the distance.
One day, he might have to come clean about things. He had prayed to the bear spirit and the bear spirit had answered, directed its child to do his bidding; that was all. Whatever mysterious voice Merrick could hear whispering to him was silent for Aventus. Before the bear and Evien, he was not sure he believed in it at all.
Now he certainly did, but how to tell the dragon of Ursus that he could not hear? Better to lie than to fess up and be stripped of his newfound authority, especially when it benefited him so.
Ursus will prosper, he said, keeping intentionally vague about precisely how. Our enemies are few, and weak.
That much was true, he thought. The Saints were no concern, having not shown their faces in some time. Easthollow was scattered. Aventus did not know the status of the other pack, the one living in a valley not unlike Bearclaw, and decided he would soon find out. They could be taken care of now that their closest ally was gone, if they remained at all.