A new story arc in the Bravelands series introduces three young animals cast from their clans: a cheetah, a buffalo, and a hyena.Three plotlines only begin weaving together by the opener's end: Cheetah Stride finds himself on his own after a star-crossed relationship with a beautiful prospective mate ends in tragedy; as the buffalo begin their annual migration under a new leader who gains his position through treachery, young Whisper loyally stays behind with the dying former leader; expelled from her hyena family for weakness in the midst of a turf war with a pride of lions, Tailgrabber heroically kills a lion and then meets a mysterious white vulture. Meanwhile other creatures, notably an enigmatic honey badger named Stonehide, trot into view, and ominous visions portend impending disaster for the Bravelands that even the wise elephant Great Mother Starlight may be powerless to prevent. For all that the cast is composed of named, talking animals, there's nothing cute or fuzzy about life on the grassy plains, where predators ruthlessly stalk prey and death comes suddenly or with agonizing slowness to cubs and adults alike. Still, along with feral values and behaviors, displays of sibling attachment, courage and cowardice, and deeper thoughts and feelings run through events in ways that young human audiences will easily recognize and understand.Only a start, but a strong one. (map) (Animal fantasy. 11-13)