Swiftcurrent Creek but the days are cruel and mean

The shadows had gone—Akavir’s search for any of the prior gang that had tried to take the creek from them had come up empty and so he had to place trust in the newcomer that she was not affiliated with them.

So when he followed a path he had taken many mornings before, he was still slightly surprised when the thin woman prowled after him, pausing as sparse snowflakes spotted his ebony pelt and allowing his eyes to study her for a moment, the silence stretching between them.