(--)
Vasiliy is by me!
Just the roster of names was enough to give Vasiliy over to furious blinking, though he squinted his eyes and nodded occasionally, trying to absorb all Skye was saying. If only he had a piece of paper and something to write with, he might be able to take notes and remember it all. Of course, his notes would be near useless to anyone else -- as it was, he could only write in Russian, and his lessons had only been half-complete upon leaving Sobirat'sya. Some things he made up as he wrote, in a phonetic sort of way even a Russian might have trouble comprehending.
Whew, he said, when she was finished. So many damn packs, he said, shaking his head. When he realized he'd cursed -- however mildly -- in front of the leader, he winced. Sorry, Vasiliy added, wagging his tail in appeasement. Mine mouth no good sometimes. But -- that is so many! And not even all, he marveled, shaking his head. Is much land like this? he inquired. Perhaps this was simply the way on this continent: cluster groups of packs together on good land, leave the bad lands in between for the Loners to scavenge over.
It had been similar in his homeland -- with a key difference or two. Sobirat'sya was more community and coalition than the packs here, and loners had an advantage or two. While the great northern forest was the hunting lands claimed by Sobirat'sya, their territory was unmarked and undefended. Loners were free to take what they would of the great forest, for there was so much and so few wolves, it never made any difference in the hunting done by Sobirat'sya canines. The life of a lone wolf so far north was no easy thing, and was therefore a rare choice.
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