Northstar Vale Appangik

Out of the corner of his eye, Veteran caught Heda ducking away, suppressing a snicker. A smirk flashed across his face; he was very much a young boy and therefore his proudest moments were those in which he was able to make his age-mates laugh. 

The adults moved on, oblivious of (or more likely, ignoring) the antics of the children. Veteran found himself engrossed in the story that Germancus told. His eyes widened as the man described the swift, decisive victory in which his valiant forces crushed the camp of evil cowards. This was exactly what Veteran pictured for his own future as a soldier. He had never met a real, live war hero before, and he was mesmerized.

By the time Veteran snapped out of it and remembered to check on the tadpole, it had gone still. Huh. Guess it didn't like the snow. Veteran swept a pawful of snow over the little creature, providing it an honorable burial.