He heard the crunch and slither of her boots on the straw and the faint, light patter as she set Kyssha down beside her.

There was noise outside, someone shouting, the faint patter of rain on canvas.

As though to mirror the mood inside, the day turned overcast early on, and before midday, the faint patter of rain began hitting the roof and windows.

He heard the faint patter of Slasher's boots, the shortened lapses between footfalls, and he knew that the tway was accelerating across the office, coming at him from the rear.

And beyond the hedgerow off to his right, he heard the faint patter of footsteps.

The forest whispered to itself, the faint patter of rain on the leaves blending with the subdued rustle and rub of leaf and branches.

A faint patter of boots sounded in the corridor, wan and ineffectual.

Then there was a faint patter of receding feet.

An almost soundless crack and a faint patter of shattered glass on the carpet were the only noise it made as it came toward her.

He had barely vanished when he heard the faint patter of rubber-soled shoes.