The Pred radiated self-assurance as he poised upon a flat stone mid-stream, clad in nothing but breeches and bronzed skin. Tupper had never seen someone with so many weapons—matched daggers, gleaming spear, and all those claws. Squatting on the broad, pebbled bank, the boy watched with undisguised awe.

—MEADOWSWEET by C.J. Milbrandt