After hearing the news from the chief, Neve made a decision.
He was not going to think about the dragon.
He was not going to think about the king of beasts, or the name Vaelthorn, or the warm mark sitting around his neck that apparently belonged to someone who could smell mates from a distance and decided to mark them without saying a proper hello first.
Not thinking about it. Done. Moving on.
He picked up the bamboo from the floor where Cael had dropped it and turned it over in his hands. Dry enough. Good. The split piece was exactly what he needed. He set both pieces on the mat and looked at the rabbit.
"Can you skin that?" he asked Cael.
Cael looked at the rabbit and looked at the bamboo. He then looked at his father, still sitting on the mat, processing whatever he was thinking.
"Yes," Cael said, and picked up the rabbit.
The chief watched Neve settle on the floor with the bamboo pieces and said nothing for a moment. Then — "What are you doing?"
"Making fire," Neve said.
