***
“Had to have been a couple of hundred,” Redd, the father, had told Inuktuk when he had raced back to their summer encampment. The mountain lion had been completely forgotten.
“Are they heading east towards Talboton?” Inuktuk asked.
The man shook his head. “They were heading due south, I think doing their best to stay hidden as long as possible.”
“It has to be Ft. Lufkin,” Inuktuk said.
“Will we help them?” Redd asked.
“No, there is nothing to be gained there but the death of our people.”
“If the fort falls…”
“I know what it means, Redd. All that will stand between us and the Lycan is Talboton. This is not an easy decision, but I will not smash Landians against the rocks of futility. Ft. Lufkin was lost before it ever started. Get word to them of the impending invasion and invite them back here.”
“We do not have the resources,” he told her.
“I’d rather go to bed hungry than with the loss of those people on my mind. Go now, I need to get word to the Red Witch.