"I don't know." Lyra shrugged. "He isn't comfortable without them. Neither is the mare—the girl. I think it's a racial thing . . . like, how only the lowest-status Diamond Dogs go without a vest. I'm pretty sure they show tribal alliance by the patterns of clothing they wear. All of Ka-th-rin's herd wore matching blue clothing. But it’s hard to figure out. Dale wore different colors each time I saw him."