Bearclaw Valley the beautiful know they have power

nunataq did not speak, but merrick watched her expression carefully as she inspected what he had found. the set of her jaws around the odd thing; her subsequent dismissal of the growth altogether — the boy was fascinated. when she had marked and scratched behind her, the child leapt to do the same.
the tall girl had said nothing, still, but now the set of her body changed. he too had caught the scent of wolf, familiar but muffled. nunataq's features gathered a note of impishness, and merrick was quick to follow, mimicking her careful, stealthy tread.