Silvertip Mountain turnkey blood

no word from aventus.
astara had gone to ground, searching for asperas through her fever, no doubt. apophis did not yet hear the word of the bear.
merrick went down to the fine new borders of ursus, brooding.
it was only @Avicus, then, to whom his mind could now cling, and like a limpet, it did so. he had no doubts in his son. 
but neither did merrick know that this self-same den of valley wolves had marked and maimed his red-girl.