"That's a beautiful name, Irel." Medes blinked twice. "Do you want to meet my friend Peppermint? She's a fox. A white fox."
Irel nodded, her cheek still pressed against Kier's leg. She'd stopped crying.
Medes jumped up and flapped his wings as he turned in mid air. "Mint," he said once he landed, "Irel wants to meet you."
The fox came out of the shadows, crouching and sniffing at the air. Irel giggled. Mint raised her ears to turn them towards Irel, then approached her at a trot. The girl stroked Mint's head, and the fox sat so the girl would know she liked that.
"Are you lost, then, little cannibal?" Kier asked.
Irel shook her head, always looking at Mint's light blue eyes. "I'm alone."