an elk,torgar answered quietly.
he lay down to die. i kept watch until it was over.he pulled the pelt from his shoulders, spreading it in the snow.
see. he has two coats. this one,of thinner brown hairs, coarse to feel,
and this one,a much softer underguard of thickly layered fur, more grey than anything.
together it keeps the animal warm and the -- snow from melting on top.
running his own paw to encourage that gradient of color in revelation, torgar found that he could not find a smile. the elkhide would have been a fitting gift for -- no. no. no. it was meant for its den, where its warmth in sleep would remind the boy of the patience he had given to get it. in this same vein, he relinquished the thought. amused or not, he was still interested in how he had overlooked anyone.
then again, he had hunted away from their territories for a long while now. a den search would ground him for some weeks.
i am torgar eiversson,volunteered the young hunter.
i was put among the Power fighting-class,he added, in case this said something else to the girl across the pelt from him.
heartbreak brought his eyes back to the hide, but in silence this time, thinking again of his long vigil and the surrender inherent in those hours.




