Question for Ms. Emshwiller

Could you explain why Charley is so emotionally attached to Little Master? I cannot remember any of the other mounts from the book feeling so attached to their Hoot masters. What makes Charley and Little Master's situation different? Even when given a chance to escape from Little Master's control when the two are in the wild, Charley chooses to stay with Little Master. If Charley is indeed a captive of Hoot society and culture and is unable to give up that way of life when given the opportunity, is Charley then a captive by choice or by force? This reminded me of the behavior of many victims of Stockholm Syndrome. Did you intentionally write the book this way, or was this behavior a byproduct of other compounding circumstances within the novel?

Thanks!
Meredith