"Sturdy ones," Hild said, immediately agreeable to the idea. Her mind immediately clicked over, shifting from considering the beauty and quaintness of the house to how defensible it was. In the country, she imagined they would have less disturbance than, say, the middle of town, but they had to be prepared.

"And dogs." Her lips curved in amusement at the idea. "Big ones." She could see them running madly in the large fenced off space, helping round the sheep, defending their humans. "Though we can think of that later."