and therefore in line for the throne. Obviously we should each have a private cave.”
“That would defeat the purpose,” Sunny said cheerfully. “Living together is part of the school’s mission of getting to know each other. Believe me, the SeaWing queen’s daughter is here, and she’s sharing a cave, too.” With a lot less grumbling about it, I might add, her mind observed, but she kept that to herself. “Besides, we haven’t expanded far enough into the mountain for everyone to have their own cave.”
“I don’t mind,” Qibli said. “I mean, I don’t mind the scavenger. His owner is the one I might be allergic to.”
Moon tilted her head at Qibli. Sunny had given him an easy way to get out of sharing Winter’s cave, but he wasn’t taking it. He actually wanted to be Winter’s clawmate, although she couldn’t see why. It wasn’t quite that Qibli liked him, but it was a little bit that Qibli wanted Winter to like him , and he also kept thinking of a pair of big bad-tempered SandWings (his brother and sister?) in comparison to Winter. In addition, he seemed to be teasing Winter on purpose, as a kind of maneuver to make friends with him. All she could really figure out was that Qibli was more than a little complicated on the inside.
“Don’t cause trouble,” Sunny reprimanded him, sweeping one of her wings up to stop Winter from lunging at his clawmate.
“I’m not!” Qibli protested innocently. “Someone should probably mention that the scavenger’s not going to last very long, though. It looks like it’s wilting. Hey, what if it has some kind of disease or something?”
“It doesn’t!” Winter growled. He held Bandit up and poked him gently with one claw. Bandit whimpered and flopped to the side. Don’t die! Winter thought in a panic. He glanced around and caught Moon’s eyes again. She tried to look away, but he was already leaning toward her urgently.
“What were you going to say before?” he demanded. “About feeding Bandit?”
“I — I just — I think I read somewhere that they prefer to cook their meat — is all,” she stammered. “Have you given him anything besides raw meat?”
“If he’s hungry, he should eat anything,” Winter said grumpily.
“I think she’s right,” Sunny said. “I have a —” She paused, and her mind went, Friend? Former jailer? Dragon who nearly got me killed? She settled for, “I know someone who kept a scavenger for years, and I think he cooked all her meat for her.”
“Well, how am I supposed to cook anything for him?” Winter demanded angrily. IceWings had frostbreath instead of fire — Moon knew all he could do was freeze the scavenger’s food.
“Someone will help you,” Sunny said. “That’s one of the many great things about making friends from other tribes.”
Ha, Winter thought bitterly.
I would help you, Moon thought, if you’d let me.
“You could give him fruit instead,” Kinkajou suggested. “Here.” She scampered over to the fruit pile and came back with a talonful of berries and a banana.
“Fruit?” Winter said, wrinkling his snout. “Disgusting.”
Kinkajou took a blueberry, which was about the size of one of the scavenger’s paws, and poked Bandit’s nose with it. “Here you go,” she said. “Mmmm, blueberry. Eat that.”
Bandit blinked and rubbed away the blue juice on his face. He glanced up at Winter, then over at Kinkajou, then reached out and took the blueberry in both his paws. He stared at it for a moment, then bit into it.
He’s relieved , Moon realized. And wary, but too hungry to care.
“Ha,” Kinkajou said, giving the scavenger another blueberry. “See? Moon was right. He’s hungry.”
Moon shivered as both Winter and Qibli turned to stare at her. Winter’s eyes were even more suspicious than before.
“How did you know that?” he demanded.
Oh, Mother, Moon thought anxiously. It’s only my first day, and I’m already making mistakes all over the place. How am I
“That would defeat the purpose,” Sunny said cheerfully. “Living together is part of the school’s mission of getting to know each other. Believe me, the SeaWing queen’s daughter is here, and she’s sharing a cave, too.” With a lot less grumbling about it, I might add, her mind observed, but she kept that to herself. “Besides, we haven’t expanded far enough into the mountain for everyone to have their own cave.”
“I don’t mind,” Qibli said. “I mean, I don’t mind the scavenger. His owner is the one I might be allergic to.”
Moon tilted her head at Qibli. Sunny had given him an easy way to get out of sharing Winter’s cave, but he wasn’t taking it. He actually wanted to be Winter’s clawmate, although she couldn’t see why. It wasn’t quite that Qibli liked him, but it was a little bit that Qibli wanted Winter to like him , and he also kept thinking of a pair of big bad-tempered SandWings (his brother and sister?) in comparison to Winter. In addition, he seemed to be teasing Winter on purpose, as a kind of maneuver to make friends with him. All she could really figure out was that Qibli was more than a little complicated on the inside.
“Don’t cause trouble,” Sunny reprimanded him, sweeping one of her wings up to stop Winter from lunging at his clawmate.
“I’m not!” Qibli protested innocently. “Someone should probably mention that the scavenger’s not going to last very long, though. It looks like it’s wilting. Hey, what if it has some kind of disease or something?”
“It doesn’t!” Winter growled. He held Bandit up and poked him gently with one claw. Bandit whimpered and flopped to the side. Don’t die! Winter thought in a panic. He glanced around and caught Moon’s eyes again. She tried to look away, but he was already leaning toward her urgently.
“What were you going to say before?” he demanded. “About feeding Bandit?”
“I — I just — I think I read somewhere that they prefer to cook their meat — is all,” she stammered. “Have you given him anything besides raw meat?”
“If he’s hungry, he should eat anything,” Winter said grumpily.
“I think she’s right,” Sunny said. “I have a —” She paused, and her mind went, Friend? Former jailer? Dragon who nearly got me killed? She settled for, “I know someone who kept a scavenger for years, and I think he cooked all her meat for her.”
“Well, how am I supposed to cook anything for him?” Winter demanded angrily. IceWings had frostbreath instead of fire — Moon knew all he could do was freeze the scavenger’s food.
“Someone will help you,” Sunny said. “That’s one of the many great things about making friends from other tribes.”
Ha, Winter thought bitterly.
I would help you, Moon thought, if you’d let me.
“You could give him fruit instead,” Kinkajou suggested. “Here.” She scampered over to the fruit pile and came back with a talonful of berries and a banana.
“Fruit?” Winter said, wrinkling his snout. “Disgusting.”
Kinkajou took a blueberry, which was about the size of one of the scavenger’s paws, and poked Bandit’s nose with it. “Here you go,” she said. “Mmmm, blueberry. Eat that.”
Bandit blinked and rubbed away the blue juice on his face. He glanced up at Winter, then over at Kinkajou, then reached out and took the blueberry in both his paws. He stared at it for a moment, then bit into it.
He’s relieved , Moon realized. And wary, but too hungry to care.
“Ha,” Kinkajou said, giving the scavenger another blueberry. “See? Moon was right. He’s hungry.”
Moon shivered as both Winter and Qibli turned to stare at her. Winter’s eyes were even more suspicious than before.
“How did you know that?” he demanded.
Oh, Mother, Moon thought anxiously. It’s only my first day, and I’m already making mistakes all over the place. How am I
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