‘Autumn is over, and winter comes on. We must decide what is to be done. The plain we sit on is bereft of game and shelter. We have heard the ferals shrieking in the night; they close on us. We cannot stay.’
She looked over the assembled canini. They heard her in silence. ‘Our dens are destroyed. All are gone. There is no returning.’
At this, there was some muttering among them. A few pups whimpered and were quietened. Tinashe continued.
‘The scouts report new formations that may suit us—some of us. There are but a few. We hope for more, enough for every pack, but these places may be far from our known plains. The scouts have learned the new watercourses. There is water enough, but we must travel to find it.’
‘And hunting grounds?’ asked one of the matriarchs, crouched near the foot of
