Ouroboros Spine The dojo.

As the pack's resident cock block, Towhee patrolled both the exterior and the interior. Inevitably, she thought of children. She thought of her own and wondered where they were and what they were doing. Were they safe? Did they have food and shelter? Were they happy? Were any of them working on the next generation? Meerkat wasn't the only one who might bear her grandchildren this spring, after all.

Her thoughts drifted to Moonglow's youths as she walked around the perimeter of Anik Lake toward the coppice. She knew about Cowstep and her twin, though she'd seen others in passing. She wondered if any of them needed a mercenary mentor. It had been many years since her last attempt at a boot camp, yet Towhee warmed to the idea.

The temperature dropped noticeably under the shade of the evergreens. Towhee threaded between their rugged trunks, finding a patch of weak sunlight beside the water's edge. She moved toward it and took a seat, orange eyes peering across the loch.