R Bet prowled the village dumps and howled outside the night sheds where docile sheep hid.  Everywhere in Caledonia, townspeople filled cracks around their windows and doors; they banked the outside walls with snow and replenished their rapidly diminishing woodpiles. Neeve remained within the walls of Fort Faustina, and ventured out only to take a few mapping assignments along the arterial road.  It was her concession to Vectis.  He no longer wanted her to map in the northern sectors, and she willingly complied.  She could more easily send her information to Taranis from the southern sectors.  With the advent of winter winds and sudden snowstorms, Neeve had begun to use a village contact near the arterial road.  The arrangement worked well but Neeve missed seeing her brothers.