It is easier than he thought to let the story spill off his tongue. In some ways, it is like dreamwalking his way through the forest. The memories that every rest drags him through rise sharply to mind—nearly to his waking vision—as he speaks them to Remara.
Naeed sits on the chilly stone ramp long after he fails to persuade Remara to talk to him. Subdued, Na’Stra sits on his lap, quietly grooming her hide and fiddling with Naeed’s fingers.
And that was the end of it, for a time. The new name sat in his mind as the temperature rose and life burst from every burrow, nest, and branch. The new name settled like a blanket of snow over the old one, and he came to be grateful for the replacement that covered over his old life.
Getting to Overheader’s Patch requires a lengthy walk. Half an hour takes them to the edge of Underscoop, and Alleyu tells him that another hour past it will take them to the field in question.
As the memory ends, Naeed stirs his limbs under a hefty quilt. A sharp squeal rings out nearby, followed by the sound of small feet slapping stone.