Bruce felt something warm in his chest that was not the essence of any beast.
"That's a good choice," he said.
"It's a smart choice," Kael said, with the air of someone pretending not to be moved. "Stop being thoughtful or you'll embarrass us, Theron."
The stall keeper retrieved a third small ring. Theron paid. The ring went on his finger. The binding settled.
The three of them stood for a moment at the stall, each with a ring on their hand, each with their first piece of real possession in this realm. The stall keeper watched them with the patient quiet expression of a person who had sold rings to hunters for many years and knew exactly what this moment felt like for them.
"Good hunting," she said, when they turned to leave.
"Thank you," Bruce said.
He meant it.
