Tsornin's nostrils showed red, but his ears were as alert as ever, and occasionally he would rub his nose gently against the nape of her neck, just in case she was momentarily not thinking about him.
Robin McKinleyHe grunted; she recognized it as relief that she wasn't going to nag him further about Tor the Just, who probably wasn't that boring if he could hold off the Notherners for nine days and melt a hole in the hills.
Robin McKinleyTell me who you are. You need not tell me your name. Names have power, even human ones. Tell me where you live and what you do with your living.
Robin McKinley