A moment before, Woola had been sound asleep in front of the fire. At the mention of his name, he appeared at Dejah's elbow, grinning happily. (Somewhere a waitrat was having minor coronary at the whirlwind he'd almost collided with.)

When Shephard spoke to him, he sat and clapped his jaws shut, virtually vibrating at the knowledge that were going on another adventure.

"No," Dejah laughed, resting a hand on the beast's massive head. "No, I'm sure he'll want to do some exploring of his own. As long as he can keep us in earshot, he can keep up."