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Arayne paused, surprised at his ill temper, then laughed quietly. "Then please forgive me for wondering what a young pup is doing alone in a blizzard." She lay down at the opposite edge of the cave, giving the moody boy his space. "You just don't look old enough to be adventuring out on your own, that's all." She began licking and chewing at one of her front paws, trying to work out the chunks of ice caught in the fur and pawpads. "Especially in killer weather like this. Did you have a fight with your parents or something?"

She had been a rather obstinate child herself, especially with her royal upbringing. Still, as she had grown up, she had matured, making friends outside the nobility and finding them far more kind than the girls of her own social statues. They were weasels and backstabbers, who'd smile when you walked by and talk behind your back as soon as you were gone.