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I continued glaring at hi back to the hide, hefted it up and started beating at it again, hard, all the while ood life I was nice If I saw soive it to thear, I’d give theht my eye, I’d suys, I kept my mouth shut and then let them cry on my shoulder when that stupid shit bit the Okay, so I didn’t tell on Jenny Linklater when I saw her cheating on that test in sixth grade but I didn’t cheat I’ve never cheated I’ve never done anything wrong enough to land uy What did I do to deserve this?”

Salem whinnied and I didn’t knohat that meant

I looked at hiree”

He jerked his snout up

“Daathered the hide tounder the eyes of a glowering Noctorno and I did it only wincing a little at how ot to oodstupidly, Take that, assle

He wouldn’t care if I slapped the hide closed but it made me feel better

Hours later, the hides opened and Noctorno strode in

I looked up froht on sweeping

“Gods, what the bloody hell?” he h h , belatedly, the error of my ways as I went about athered all the bones in the dirty bowl, carried them to the mouth of the cave and tossed them as far away as I could throw them I had also beat out the sheepskins as well as the cowhide I had also trudged (again) through the sharp stone of the main cave, back and forth (four times), to replenish the wood supply This meantto be bored out of ive myself the headspace to fret about my calamitous circumstances

No I was not

I didn’t have any le to da

So, when I saw the dried grass was filled with dead insects (ick), yes, you guessed it, I trudged right back through the cave (knowing big guy and his sweet horse watchedblades of grass that grew close to thethem up outside the antechamber we slept in Then I inspected the entirety of the cave and its cave cha to buildthe bristles at the top with a blade of grass and attaching it to the stick withti out the old, dry, dead insect-ridden grass (as well as whatever else hht here,” I replied

“Stop”

“No, I’ the big pile toward the pelt curtain, “just a bit –” The broom was suddenly yanked clean out of my hands and my head snapped up to see Noctorno had it “What are you –? Oof!”

Clatter went the brooain

“Putet theot ers closed around my ankle and he yanked it up

“Hey!” I yelled as he bent low and to the side to inspect the bottom of my foot

“Bloody damned… hell!” he roared and I jerked my ankle from his hold partly because I didn’t want my ankle in his hold and partly in a reaction to his scary roar

“What –?” I started but stopped when he planted his hands at his hps and scowled at ht