SUST
VENKA
What a baby, baby! Wendy outdid herself on the little thing. Big liquid
gold eyes and those tiny little hands playing with Kavhi's hair! I can't
believe that Rayek would have still go ahead with his plans if he had seen
her as a toddler. Little wonder the thought of her death was enough to
push Rayek over the edge.
CHEIPAR
We only see him for one panel, and that one panel is enough to break
our hearts. How could you create him just to kill him? It would have been
so obvious to just pop him in wrapstuff until springtime. "Living death"
be damned. This is a two week old baby we're talking about here!
RAYEK
No one can possibly say they read Hidden Years 9 and still feel nothing
for him. You can so see what kind of person he'd grow into from his time
as a cub. His harsh father, the hard times in the village, and the fact
that Leetah was his only agemate, it all adds up. It's enough to make you
go back in time and give him some much-needed cuddles.
CHITTER
Strongbow and Moonshade's baby girl made her first appearance in Searcher
and the Sword, but somehow in the 96 pages, she never got herself a
tribe name. Not that it stopped her from turning the local men-folk to
mush. Three elf years later, she has herself a name and an attitude, and
is the bane of her parents' existence. Hyperactive, loud, and as grammatically
talented as a Preserver, Chitter insists her father speak to her
aloud, and runs so ragged, Moonshade struggles to keep in her tatters.
I predict Chitter's teenage years will be hell, but hopefully she'll have
a few quiet lulls somewhere in there.
SKYWISE
And his first memory is of his mother leaving him on the river. His
first memory! What a cub!
SUNTOP
Cutey :) He's so quiet and soulful, whether he's five or fifteen. I
always thought Cutter never appreciated his enigmatic son. I got really
annoyed by Cutter's crack about Suntop's "Sun Village" ways in the novelization
of Book Two. This little boy is Timmain's chosen pupil after all, and the
eventual conduit through which all elves will communicate (ie his triumphant
debut as Sunstream in "Full Circle"). Bow before the might of your son,
Cutter! Like the ancient gods, you have been overthrown!
EMBER
A bit more of a hellion than any child has a right to be, but still
a cute little dandelion. I like how she's all lanky as a teenager. Watching
Nightfall grow bounteous bosoms at fifteen was a little disturbing. Ember's
scrawny leggy look is perfect for a rough-an'-tough tomboy who spents all
her time sprinting through the forest. Still, my favorite image of Ember
the tot is that panel of Rayek shoving a snowball
down her shirt.
STUBTAIL
He's the cutest little cat to grace the World of Two Moons. And he
loves his Papa Pike.
TEIR'S
PUPS
We don't know their names. We don't know who they are. Teir's wolves
seem to be having cubs every five minutes to keep up with the demand. But
they're always there, following the Wolf-Father around everywhere he goes.
