Chapter 2 Summary

About two miles north of the house at Hawk's Hill is an irregular outcropping of rock. One rock appears to separate itself from the others and move slightly. It turns out to be an animal made of flesh and blood, instead of stone. She is a very large four-year-old badger. The creature is low to the ground with soft, draping grayish-brown fur that nearly conceals her legs. She has a black head with three white stripes running from nose to shoulders. When the badger rises to her hind legs to look around or sniff the air, she looks a bit like a fierce but miniature bear.

The badger is preparing for the birth of her litter. She digs a burrow about a mile from a large colony of prairie dogs. The small rodents will provide a plentiful source of food, important when the...