The Dog Lord softened a cube of black curd in his fist.

With no black curd in his mouth, he worked up a dose of saliva by jabbing his tongue against his teeth.

Outside a bare dirt yard fenced with ocotillo and a round clay oven caved through where black curd trembled in the light within.

Orwin Shank wrung sweat from his shammy, and Ballic the Red took a handful of black curd between his callused hands and squeezed them flat.

"Some of it." Vaylo pushed a cube of black curd between his lips.