FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

MHO chapter 33! Finally gearing up for some action~

-Llox

___________________________________________________________________________________

"Ugh, were you chewing on my head last night?" Kuna groaned, then sipped from his cup of water, squinting against what dim lighting was present in the lodge. Thankfully, Clara had been kind enough to keep the closest window slats shut, knowing that some hangovers were likely that morning. Lykou and a few of the lepne that were still lingering around seemed less than comfortable as well, but the sereva was definitely faring the worst. Still, at least it wasn't as bad as his previous experience.

"Mmmnope," Lykou replied, also squinting a little. He took a bite out of the salted meat he'd pulled out of his bag. While he'd appreciated the lepne's hospitality and even enjoyed some of their food, the lack of meat was starting to get to him, compounding the effects of his otherwise weaker hangover. "'s is the only thing I'll be chewing on today, too."

"Sorreh ah dinnae hav' more food tae yer likin', Lykou. Not exactly accustomed tae folk lik' ye aroond here," Clara said, handing him a fresh cup of water.

The canid shrugged and smiled a little. "S'okay, I appreciate everything you've done for us. That stuff is good, I just wish I could live off of it long term. Would certainly make some things easier."

"Aye, ah kin imagine. Tatties dinnae run away from ye," Clara replied, then snickered. "Bit ye are whit ye are."

After Kuna finished eating, he sat in the darkest corner he could find and continued sipping on water in silence. Meanwhile, Lykou struck up a conversation with the lepne. Around mid-morning, Rhagnaid returned with instructions to bring Kuna to Moyra. The sereva had mixed feelings- on the one hand, he certainly enjoyed his time with the druna the previous day. But on the other, he dreaded going out into the daylight, let alone having to socialize. Upon seeing his expression, the guard smiled sympathetically and walked over to help him up. "Ah ken tha' look. Trust meh, if ye jest brave th' walk there, she kin gi' ye somethin' that'll mak' ye feel right as rain when ye get there."

With a heavy sigh, Kuna quickly drained the rest of the water from his cup, then set it down and stood up with Rhag's help. "Thanks..."

"Aye, nae problem. We all bin there," she said with a chuckle.

Kuna paused to give Lykou a hug before he left, which the canid happily reciprocated. "I guess I'll see you a bit later..."

The konuul patted and rubbed his friend's back. "Enjoy your 'druna' time, Ku. I'll be waiting here for you when you're done."

The sereva nodded as he reluctantly separated from his friend. "Hopefully it won't be long," he said, then followed the guard out. The sun made him squint even harder and he tried to keep his gaze turned down, holding a hand up to shield his eyes.

"Ye git blootered lik' tha' often?" Rhag casually asked.

Kuna shook his head slightly. "Mm-mm. S'only the second time I've even had stuff like that. Well, I guess third, but the first time it was watered down to the point where I didn't even realize it had those kinds of... effects," he explained.

"Ach, realleh?" Rhag said, then chuckled. "Tha' explains it. Dinnae worreh, ye'll get used tae it and learn yer limits o'er time."

"I'd say there won't be a next time, but I said that before, too," Kuna grumbled.

"Aye, ah imagine it halps wi' certain thin's," the guard commented. She gently rubbed the sereva's shoulder. "Jest dinnae git too dependant oan et fer tha', ye ken? Th' comfort is fleetin' and dinnae solve anythin'."

Kuna shrugged. "Probably not going to have it as an option very often on this journey anyway."

"True."

The two walked in silence for a couple minutes before the guard spoke up again. "Yer a brave lad, fer overcomin' whit yet hav'. Ah've ha' some tussles wi' nasty beasties and real radge bandits, bit ah kinnae imagine fightin' whit ye've whupped."

Kuna smiled weakly at her. "Thanks," he said, then sighed. "Still... can't exactly believe I told everyone about that stuff, though," the added, rubbing his arm a bit before wincing and shielding his eyes again. "Damn drink..."

"Ach, et's guid fer ye to acknowledge et."

"Yeah, s'what Lykou said. Still feels a bit weird, just... letting a bunch of people know all that stuff," the sereva continued. "Not exactly experienced with feeling so... I don't know, vulnerable in a way, I guess." He took a breath, then smirked faintly. "Then again, I guess I'm just not used to, you know... talking to people in general."

"Ye'll get there, lad. Jest takes time."

*****

Back at the lodge, Lykou was chatting with the lingering members of the caravan that weren't milling about the village- mostly consisting of Gavin, Finlay, and Effie. "So what's it like being a trader? I take it you're not tied to any particular village?"

"Na realleh. Each village belongs tae a clan, bit us caravan folk are technically clanless, tae keep th' peace," Gavin explained. "We travel fra village ta village, bringin' things one has extra of and swapping things they need fer 'em. Keeps us on th' move pretty regular."

"S'nice, always seein' diff'rent folk 'n' places," Finlay chimed in.

"So ya dinnae hae much trade back hame?"

"Not really. Just the visitors from the one tribe up north. I guess we're just lucky we pretty much have everything we need where we're located. Kind of a shame though, in a way. Would be nice to have some other tribes around to be friends with," Lykou replied with a shrug. "I always used to envy them when they visited. Always wanted to see more of the world outside that little valley," he said, then rubbed his neck thoughtfully. "Just didn't expect to ever experience it so unexpectedly."

"Aye. 'n' ye miss yer folk, ah imagine," Gavin replied.

Lykou nodded. "Even more than I would have guessed. Especially because by this point they've probably assumed I'm... well, dead, or something."

Effie hopped over to the stool nearest the konuul and patted his leg. "Ye'll jest gi' them all th' better a surprised when ye git back, then."

Lykou smiled down at her. "Yeah. That's what I have to keep reminding myself. I just wish I could somehow get a message back to them. Let them know I'm okay, you know?" He sighed. "I can only imagine how Nai, or Nezha, or Mom and Dad are taking it."

"Ah'm sure ye'll see them soon, lad," Gavin said, patting him on the back.

"I hope so," the canid said. He took a deep breath after a moment and shook himself slightly, as if to shake away the gloominess. "No sense dwelling on that right now, though. So what's with these, uh... 'bandits' you guys have to deal with?"

"Ach, thaes mawkit bastards," Gavin said with a frown. "They jest try to tak' stuff fra' easy targets. Its how there'snae many lone travelers these days."

"Luckily they bin gi'en up ever sin' we stairted groupin' up intae caravans. Been a while sin' they tried anythin' wi' us."

"Prolly sin' we skelped their arses guid th' last few times they tried," Effie chimed in. "A guid arrow where the sun nae shine es bonny convincin'."

Gavin laughed. "Aye, especially as guid as yer aim es, lass."

Lykou smirked. "You guard with a bow, huh? I never could get the hang of those, I always hunt by spear myself. Or knife, when that fails. My sister's good with just about any kind of weapon, though."

"Aye, she, Dougal, 'n' ah keep watch wi' bows a' th' ready while the others pull th' carts. Jest aboot everyin' kin fight if it come daen tae it, tho," Gavin explained.

"Sometimes ah help wi' th' watch if the load's light," Finlay added. "Glad es rarely needed anymore though. Fightin's dreich bi'ness."

"Well, in the off chance that there's any trouble on the trip up to Whitlan, I'm happy to help deal with it," Lykou offered. "It's the least I can offer for all you've done for us. And Kuna can help patch anyone up if they get hurt."

"Ach, thas class o' ye, Lykou. Hopefully willnae be necessary, bit es appreciated."

*****

Kuna immediately appreciated the comparatively dim lighting in Moyra's home after he stepped inside. Almost immediately, she pressed a cup of warm tea into his hands, though it smelled different from the kind he'd had before. "Thanks," he said, then tasted it experimentally. "...what's in this one?"

"Somethin' ta halp yer headache," Moyra said with a knowing smirk. "Got a wee bit mad wae it las' night, ah ken?"

"Yeahhh," he replied with a sheepish grin, then took another sip. "Lykou insisted I tell our story, so Clara brought me some... 'liquid courage', as she put it, and, well, I guess I need plenty of it talk to that many people at once," he said, then looked down thoughtfully. "Especially about... certain things..."

"Ah kin imagine," the druna said, rubbing his shoulder softly. "Ah've heard some of the chatter aboot et. Includin' some... amusin' bits aroond th' end o' the night," she added with a grin.

Kuna blushed and took a long, slow sip of the tea as he tried to avert his gaze.

Moyra chuckled. "'nuff said, ah s'pose. Drink brings oot th' silly in all o' us."

"Yeah, you can say that again," the sereva said, blushing. "Mm, I think this stuff is already starting to help a little. Thanks again. I hope you'll show me what's in it, I could really use something like that in my medicine bag."

"As lang as ye dinnae use et as an excuse tae overdae it more often," the druna warned with a raised eyebrow.

Kuna quickly shook his head. "Like I told Raghnaid, I don't think I'll have many opportunities to do that on this trip, anyway. And anyway I need to stop embarrassing myself," the sereved mumbled into the cup. "So not that I'm complaining, but was there something particular you wanted to see me about? I'd love to swap magic tricks again, but I think I'm out of things I can repay you with, heh..."

Moyra sighed and shook her head. "Unfortunately es nothin' sae light," she said. "'n' ah hate tae even bring et up, bit ah hae nae ither options, 'n' et'll involve ye two soon anyway ef nothin's doon aboot et."

The sereva lowered the cup and looked at her with concern. "Oh?"

The druna took a moment to gather her thoughts. "...Faergus 'n' ah hav' stumbled on a plot. Them bandit bastards were tae quiet fer too lang, 'n' it turns out mah worries were right. He foond oot they're plannin' somethin' real serious. Somethin' tae dae wi' ambushin' the caravan 'n' makin' it look lik' guards fra' anither clan."

Kuna brought his hand to his mouth, his eyes widened. "...shit," he said after a moment. "I... take it there's a reason you haven't talked to Kerney's guards about this?"

"Aye. Some o' 'em are in on it. At least three we ken, 'n' possibly more. We'd clype 'em oot, bit then th' rest wid run oof 'n' probably try it again anither time, only more careful."

"Well f-fuck," Kuna said, then covered his mouth again sheepishly. "Er, s-sor-"

"Ach, nae, fuck es right. Na need tae mince yer words wi' me," she replied with a brief smirk. "Tae realleh stop 'em, we need tae find thir camp and find oot who else es involved. Particularly thir leader. Faergus wants tae follow 'em efter their meetin' tonight out in th' hills, but I dinnae want him goan alone, ye ken?"

Kuna stared for a moment, then slowly nodded. "Right... s-so you want Lykou and I to go with him."'

Moyra frowned. "...aye, if yer willin'. Ah hate tae bring et tae ye, 'n' ye ken yer under nae obligation. Es a lot tae ask, but ah dinnae ken any other options noo."

The sereva stared down into the cup for a minute, then took another big sip. "Of course we'll help," he said after taking a deep breath to steady himself.

"Are ye sure?" she asked. "Ah'd hate ta endanger ye two-"

"You've been so kind to us, and it's the least we could do," Kuna replied. "Besides, while it's been very nice not constantly being on guard the last day or so, I guess Lykou and I need to keep sharp for our journey."

The druna gently laid a hand on his arm, noting his anxious demeanor shift. "Ye sure yer na tae nervous aboot et?"

"Of course I am. I'm always a bit terrified of dangerous situations," Kuna said, shivering slightly. "But I've been trying to do better about facing my fears. And Lykou's pretty inspiring about that anyway." He smiled at her, even if somewhat uncertainly. "So yeah, as f-far as I'm concerned, I'd be happy to help. And knowing Lykou, he'll probably jump at the chance."

Moyra eyed him for a moment, then embraced him tightly. "Thank ye, lad. Yer doin' us a mighty favor."

Kuna hugged her back. "Of course. Just let me know where Lykou and I need to be, and when."

"Faergus will come fetch ye tonight. He'll be leadin' ye, o' coorse. Ah jest need ye to keep 'im safe, tha's all. He kin do the spyin' work."

"Sure thing," Kuna said, nodding. "Heh, it'll be nice seeing him again. Haven't gotten to speak to him since he brought us here."

"Aye, ah'm sure he'll be happy ta see ye two agin. Shame 'es bin sae busy at night, ah'm sure he'd love tae hear yer stories."

"Well, maybe after this is over with, we can tell him. Or rather, Lykou can, mostly," Kuna replied with a sheepish expression. "I'll... pass on getting silly again so soon."

"That'll be nice. Ah've bin tryin' tae get 'im tae tak' a break fra th' night watchin' fer a while noo, mibbie this wull finally convince 'im after thae mess es done wi'," she replied with a smile.

"You two good friends, I take it?"

Moyra smirked. "Aye, 'n' more. Druna tend tae live a bit... weel, celibate, as an unspoken rule. But ah figure if it isnae spoken, naebody kin blame me fer breakin' it," she explained, then winked.

"Ohhh," Kuna said after a moment, grinning and blushing slightly. "Is it... kind of secret, then?"

"Aye, na tha' folk wid see us together often anyway though, sin' we always meet at night."

"Makes sense."

"Whit aboot you, then, Kuna?" Moyra asked, studying his reaction.

"Hmm?" asked, sipping some more tea.

She arched a brow, grinning. "Yer... 'friend', Lykou? S'tha' really as far as tha' goes?"

Kuna blushed hard and spluttered for a moment. "N- I mean yes! I-" he stammered, then rubbed his head for a moment, smiling bashfully. "I mean, I do find him attractive, but yes, we're just friends. He's my best friend, and honestly the only one I've ever really had. But that's it."

The druna chuckled and rubbed his shoulder. "Ah'm jest messin' wi' ya lad. Ah guess ah struck a nerve tho, aye?"

The sereva rolled his eyes slightly, albeit still grinning. "I mean... don't get me wrong, I... do feel... things around him sometimes. But I think that's just me being extra clingy because of our circumstances and the fact that he rescued me and stuff," he continued, then sighed and shrugged. "He's just a big sweetheart and the first person to seem to genuinely care about me outside of... well, family." He smirked and looked away, folding his ears down. "And like I said, he, well..."

"Gies ye flusterin' private thoughts?" the druna teased. "He is a braw lad, ah'll admit. Fer a... whit wis it, 'con-ool'?"

Kuna's blush intensified as he pointedly took a big sip of tea before replying. "Y-yeah, if you put it that way," he replied with a bashful look. "And yeah, konuul. Ironic, considering how we first met, I guess." He quickly shook himself and ran his hand through his hair. "Let's... get back to the subject at hand, though. Much as I know people apparently enjoy seeing me get flustered, it seems like the wrong thing to focus on right now."

"Aye, fair 'noof," Moyra agreed, patting him on the back with a small chuckle. "Lik' ah said, Faergus wull fetch ye tonight. If ye need it, ah can gi' ye baith somethin' tae halp ye stay awake 'n' alert."

"Oh really?" Kuna asked, curiously. "Might not be a bad idea, especially for Lykou. I've kind of gotten used to being up later than him anyway, but a little extra help would be nice. What is it, another kind of tea?"

"Tis a mixture o' herbs 'n' berries ah grow tae help both Faergus 'n' mahsel' stay awake fer langer on occasion. Ye kin mak' tea wi' it, but ye can also jest chew it up. Th' trick es a kind of berry thas a bit hard tae find aroond here, bit ah learned as much as ah could about the bush they came fra, so ah kin grow 'em when ah need ta," she explained, then picked up a small lump of something from a stack on a nearby table, showing it to him. "Ye cook 'em up and mash 'em together, then dry 'em oot real guid efter makin' wee lumps lik' thae. Takes a lot fer each one, bit tis worth it when ye need it. Ah kin show ye the herbs and berries in mah garden, if yer heid's up tae it?"

Kuna thought for a moment, then quickly downed the rest of the tea. "Yeah, that sounds good. This stuff really helps," he said, smiling at her. "I should start experimenting with things a bit more, knowing I can use my magic to grow what I want."

"Aye. O' coorse, findin' things growin' natural is probably still th' best, especially until ye learn ta get 'em jest right, but tis useful tae sproot up whit ye need in a pinch," the druna explained, leading him out into the garden.

*****

Back at the lodge, Finlay was showing Lykou his instrument, which he called a 'pridlin'. The konuul had always enjoyed music and loved any chance he could play with an instrument, but he'd never really specifically learned how to use one properly- other than some simple drums, back home. Still, when the lepne gave him a chance to pick at the stringed instrument, he showed a slight knack for it, learning the basics pretty quickly, much to the group's mutual delight.

"Where did you get it, anyway?" Lykou asked after eventually handing it back to its owner. "Someone make it for you, or did you make it yourself?"

"Built wi' mah ain two hands," Finlay replied proudly. "If ye want tae mak' music thas pure personal, ye hav' to ken the tools ye use tae mak' it through 'n' through. 'n' th' bes' way tae dae tha', is tae mak' 'em yersel'."

"Ye should try makin' yin yersel' sometime, Lykou," Gavin suggested. "Ye clearly hav' an ear fer choons."

"Aye, 'n' playin' is a crackin' way tae mak' a lang trip more enjoyable," the musical lepne added.

Lykou rubbed his chin and grinned. "That does sound like a great idea. Never made an instrument myself before, though," he said, then looked over the pridlin' again. "Can you tell me a bit more about how you made yours?"

"Gladly, lad!" Finlay said, then began showing the canid the specific details of the different parts. He spent a while explaining what he used in its construction, what each part was for, and occasionally going off on tangents about the trial-and-error he went through to get it sounding just right. Lykou enjoyed it all, tangents included, and made mental notes in hopes of starting a similar project of his own the next chance he got. He remembered Kuna still had one more gourd in his back, and figured it might make a decent start for such a thing, once it was opened and had its insides... consumed.

After a while, Kuna returned to the lodge. Despite some lingering anxiety about the coming night's 'adventure', he couldn't help but smile a bit at seeing the canid so enthused over the instrument. He greeted the group when they noticed his presence, then waved Lykou over.

The konuul excused himself, then walked over to the sereva and wrapped an arm around him, already anticipating the hug he knew was coming. "Welcome back, Ku. How's druna business?" he teased lightly.

"Good," Kuna replied, returning the hug eagerly. "She showed me some herbal things that I hope I can recreate. One helped with the headache- like, really, really helped. And then also something that might come in handy for us in the future," he said, then leaned in and lowered his voice. "And I need to talk to you in private for a moment."

"Oh?" Lykou asked, arching a brow. Then he turned and smiled apologetically to the lepne. "Sorry, shy-boy needs a moment alone with me, I guess. We'll be right back."

"Aye, lads, na need ta explain," Gavin said with a chuckle. "Drunas aye hae guid reasons fer a bit o' hush-hush."

Kuna nodded, "That's right. Should only take a few minutes," he said, then pulled his friend off to the storage room. Even once in side, he made sure all the slats that could close up were closed as much as they could be.

"What's this all about?" Lykou asked curiously, growing concerned as the smile faded from the sereva's expression.

"Moyra and Faergus need our help," Kuna finally began explaining, keeping his voice low. Once he made sure it was as discrete as possible, he moved close to minimize how loud he had to speak.

"Oh? What with?" With the place as sealed off as it was, not much light could get through, save for a sunlight near the roof. It made the whole thing that much more conspiratorial, unsettling the canid mildly.

"The bandits Faergus mentioned, they're up to something big. He's been spying on a group of them that have been meeting at night out in the hills, and it sounds like they're planning to ambush the caravan after it leaves, and make it look like a clan from a different village is behind it."

"Shit!" Lykou said, eyes widening. "Well shouldn't we g-"

Kuna shook his head and shushed him. "Not too loud!" he said, gently holding a hand up to his friend's mouth for a moment. "Apparently, some of the guards are working with them," he explained, then narrowed his eyes and frowned. "And that 'Dougal' guy is, too. So it's hard to know who's trustworthy. And Moyra doesn't want to risk just going after the ones we know about, because then the rest will run off and just try to do it again at a later time, maybe somewhere else."

"Damn, sounds like a real mess," Lykou admitted. "So what do we do about it?"

"Faergus wants to follow some of the others after their little secret meeting tonight, to find out where their hidden camp is and see if we can figure out who's behind it, and hopefully more details about the plan. But Moyra doesn't want him going alone."

Lykou nodded. "So they just need me t-"

"Us, Lykou," Kuna insisted, placing a hand on his arm with a determined expression. "Not just you."

The canid smiled a bit, arching a brow. "You sure you're up for that?"

"As much as any other shit we've dealt with," the sereva said, then shrugged. "Which is to say I'm a bit scared and I just know I'll probably end up mostly useless if a fight happens, but I want to try and help anyway," he said with small smirk. "If nothing else, I'm sure I'll be able to do something with my magic, especially if either of you get hurt. All we have to do tonight is help watch Faergus's back."

Lykou nodded and crossed his arms. "Alright then. So when do we meet him, and where?"

"He'll come by here after the others are in bed, and we'll head out after that."

"Alright, sounds good. So... is it just the three of us and Moyra that know about this?"

"As far as I know, yeah. Like I said, she doesn't want to risk one of the conspirators finding out we're onto them."

"Makes sense. So... I guess we just lay low until Faergus comes by?"

"Yeah. Maybe even nap a bit so you're ready for tonight, if you want. Otherwise, just continue like normal," the sereva said. "So what were you talking about anyway? That... Finlay guy showing you that instrument, I take it?"

Lykou nodded and led him back into the main part of the lodge. "Yeah, he let me play with it a bit and showed me how it works. I was thinking about maybe making something like it myself sometime when we're camped for the evening. C'mon, I'm sure he wouldn't mind showing you, too."

*****

Late that evening, as the majority of the village's residents were dozing off in their beds, Kuna sat leaning against one of the large mounds of stockpiled straw with his friend's head in his lap, stroking it softly as the canid napped. After a while, he heard a very faint rustle up along the edge of the roof. He squinted at the skylight up near the edge, then jumped slightly as a figured swooped in through it and landed a few feet away. Even knowing who to expect, it startled him enough to inadvertently stir Lykou awake.

"Hmm, what's-?" Lykou started to ask, then yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Oh, right. Hi Faergus."

"Don't mind him, he was just dozing a bit to save some energy for tonight," Kuna explained in a soft voice.

"Smart thinkin'," the lepne replied with a smirk. "Ah got som'a Moyra's wake-up snacks if ye need 'em, though," he added, patting his bag.

"We'll hold off for now, but keep that in mind, thanks," Kuna said as the konuul sat up and stretched.

"So what's the plan?"

"When that clatty two-timer Dougal leaves, wi'll jest follow 'em to thir meetin' spot. Efter they finish meetin', wi'll follow the others back tae thir camp," the lepne said, leaning up against the door to listen through the crack.

"Right," Lykou whispered as he stood up and continued stretching out his muscles to loosen up. "I knew something seemed off about that guy."

"Besides just kind of being a tactless jerk?" Kuna replied as he got up and started checking to make sure he was ready to go as well.

"Plenty enough for me," the canid said as he stood over by Faergus and helped listen in. A short while passed in tense silence, then suddenly the both of them heard the faint sound of the front door opening and shutting slowly, like someone trying not to draw attention. They looked to each other and nodded.

Faergus turned and quickly hopped up to the skylight again in a single jump, impressing both boys. "Kin ye two make it through here?"

"Wow, nice jump," Lykou said appreciatively. "I can climb up there, sure, but it might be a bit tight and take me a moment."

"I can fit, but I'd be a bit slower. It might be easier if I go around," Kuna said. "That way I can keep an eye on him too, until you two catch up."

"You sure?" Lykou asked with concern.

Kuna nodded and pointed to himself with a mild smirk. "Sereva. Stealth. Remember?"

"Right," the canid said with a small grin. "Just be careful."

The sereva nodded, then slipped out into the main lodge quietly as the canid began climbing up to follow the lepne out the skylight. Once he reached the hole, Faergus helped him out and they both hopped back down to the ground, hugging a nearby wall as a guard walked by several yards away.

Meanwhile, Kuna crept past the sleeping members of the caravan team in deathly silence. Compared to the twig-and-debris covered floor of a typical forest, it was almost painfully easy for him to avoid making any sound, especially since he'd opted not to carry anything with him. Once he got to the door, he winced as it creaked when it opened. Luckily, he only had to open it narrowly in order to slip through, and he made sure it shut behind him with as little noise as possible. Outside, he quickly got his bearings and saw the retreating figure of Dougal in the distance, passing through a narrow alley between buildings.

After making sure the coast was clear, he quickly, but silently bolted after the rogue lepne. For once, he was relieved for his light, agile sereva heritage, allowing him to swiftly catch up to and follow Dougal without notice. Once the lepne in question reached the village wall, Kuna huddled up in the shadows against a building's side, waiting.

Dougal was soon joined by his fellow conspirator, and they both slid through the hole in the wall shortly thereafter. Kuna found himself nervously glancing around, wondering if he should continue or wait for the other two. Luckily he didn't have to decide, as Lykou and Faergus soon joined him.

"They just slipped through," Kuna whispered quietly.

Faergus nodded and peeked through the hole, then gestured for them to follow before slipping through himself.

*****

After a quick, stealthy run through the fields and hills outside the village, the trio stopped at the top of a tall hill, where Faergus gestured for them to lay low as he peered over the edge. Kuna nodded and hunkered down, scanning their surroundings for any sign of trouble. Lykou similarly crouched down, but he crept part-way up around the side of the hill and perked his ear up, hoping to listen in a little as well.

He could just barely make out the sounds of people talking, but from his position it was too faint to make out any details. Still, it was enough to know when the meeting had ended. Confirming that fact, Faergus quickly slid down and gestured for both to again follow him. They both did so, and the three of them narrowly avoided being seen as Dougal and Caelan passed by, by hugging close to the ground in the shadows by the hill.

After they were out of earshot, Faergus peeked around a large rock, then waved for them to follow. The boys could just barely make out the shape of another lepne figure hurrying away in the distance, whom their guide was following. He could clearly make them out better than they could, so they just focused on sticking near him, while glancing around for signs of other trouble.

It took longer than any of them would have liked, but eventually Lykou picked up on a faint whiff of smoke, and Kuna spotted some puffs of it floating up in the starlit sky not far away. As they cautiously peeked over the next hill, they saw a large cluster of ramshackle tents set up around what must have been a single large campfire. They were set up in such a way as to minimize the visibility of the fire from farther away, Lykou noticed.

They slipped back down below the top of the hill. "Right, ah need tae get claiser. Ye two follow bit stay back a bit. Jest cover fer me 'n' let meh dae th' spyin'," he whispered.

Kuna and Lykou nodded. "We've got you're back," the canid assured him.

The sereva's hand glowed with a dim green light, and he tucked it under his poncho to keep the light hidden. "Anyone comes, they'll have a hard time not tripping," he said with a wink, earning a grin from the other two.

"Right. Le's go," Faergus said, then began creeping as close to the camp as he could get. Soon, he was within earshot as the lepne they'd been following reported back to another conspirator at the edge of the camp. Kuna got nervous as their guide got closer and closer, risking getting up right behind the tents so he could hear and see better.

The sereva took a deep breath after a moment and just focused on the flow of life energy in the grass all around him, keeping himself steady and grounded in case he had to spring into action suddenly. Meanwhile, Lykou pulled out his knife and crouched low in the shadows midway between the two, keeping a keen eye out for any patrolling bandit guards.

They sat in tense silence for a while. The konuul could faintly hear muffled conversations, but unlike Faergus, he again wasn't close enough to make them out, much to his mild annoyance. Still, he knew that wasn't his job, so he just waited and watched. At one point, both he and Kuna tensed up as one bandit crested another nearby hill, looking around, and came dangerously close to discovering them. Fortunately, Kuna thought quickly and made a small bush in the distance rustle with his magic, causing the guard to look away and investigate the disturbance long enough for him and Lykou to re-position and get Faergus's attention to do the same.

After what felt like ages, Faergus turned and regrouped with the boys. Before they left completely, though, Kuna stopped them and stared at the camp for a moment. He dismissed the life magic and instead summoned up the soul magic, then performed the ritual for finding things, making sure to keep the camp in his mind as he did so. With that finished, he nodded to them and they quickly fled before another bandit on watch could come along.

They quickly began making their way back towards Kerney. Once they were well away from the bandit camp, Faergus finally spoke up, albeit still in a hushed tone. "Tis nae guid, lads. Na guid at a'," he said. "Thir's o'er a dozen o' 'em. Not even' countin' Dougal 'n' th' other treach'rous bastards back hame. 'n' they're armed tae th' teeth."

"Damn... what do we do?" Lykou asked.

"Right noo, we heid ta Moyra's place. We kin talk there."

The boys nodded and they continued silently back towards the village.

*****

Once they were back in Kerney, they carefully crept between the buildings and made their way to Moyra's home. He led them to the secret garden entrance, where they met with a very relieved druna who quickly embraced the night-watcher and kissed his head. For his part, Faergus was briefly flustered by the affection in front of the two outsiders, but he returned it nonetheless.

Moyra looked up at the boys. "Thank ye so much fer halpin', lads."

"No problem, we're happy to help," Lykou said with a smile.

"It's the least we could do," Kuna added.

"Sae whit's the news? Did ye find th' camp?"

"Aye. Tis bad," Faergus replied grimly. "They're fra a' over th' hills, far as ah kin tell, bit they 'av a pile o' shite from Tannil waitin' ta pin it oon them. Soonds lik' they're tryin' ta stir up trouble between th' clans so's they kin tak' advantage o' the confusion 'n' chaos. Thir leader is some radge named Kerr, 'n' 'e 'as... ambitions, fra' th' soond o' it."

"Damn!" Moyra said, pacing thoughtfully. "Tis worse than ah expected..."

"Aye, whit wull we dae noo?"

"Ah hate ta say it, bit we may jest 'av to tell th' guard efter all, 'n' hope fer the best," Moyra said after a moment.

"What if... we reverse the ambush?" Lykou suggested.

The other three turned and eyed him. "What do you mean... 'reverse it'?" Kuna asked warily.

"Well, now that we know, we've taken the advantage of surprise away from them, right? Why not use it ourselves? Turn the caravan into a trap. Maybe we can't rely on the guards on the whole, but we can tell the other caravan folks- besides Dougal, anyway- and help them prepare for a big fight. Kuna and I can always deal with Dougal and tell the others on the way out of town so there's no chance the rest of them will find out we know. And slip in some extra weapons and shields or something beforehand. And you maybe drop word to Clara and Raghnaid, too, for good measure, so they can help you trip up whatever the traitors in the village get up to, then send backup after they're dealt with."

"Aye, thae two wid ne'er betray the village. Bit there's tae many o' em even wi' a' th' trade-crew ready ta fight," Faergus said. "Ah ken ye may be a decent fighter, Lykou, and ah ken ya hae magic, Kuna, bit even then..."

Lykou grinned and shared a look with Kuna. "I can easily take several at once, no matter how well armed they are. Especially," he said, then activated his bracers. "With this."

Faergus and Moyra stared at him with wide eyes as his fur turned brown and woody. "Whit kind o' magic es tha'??" Faergus asked.

"As far as we know, partly life magic and partly a kind that's been lost from the world for a long time" Kuna explained with a small smile. "These were made by some people from some other world besides the spirit or mortal world, called Sylthea."

"Aye, yer baith full o' surprises," the druna said with a growing smirk. "A third world, ye say? Crivvens..."

"It's part of our story we hadn't gotten to yet," the canid said, then tapped his arm. "Here, give it a feel."

Faergus touched the canid's arm and raised a brow. "Yer all... woody?"

"Mhmm. It's like natural armor all over."

"Remember though, it doesn't mean you're invincible," Kuna reminded him with a concerned look, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I know, I know," Lykou assured him, then disabled the bracers. "But hey, I doubt any of those bandits are anywhere near as dangerous as a ravager. With this and my knife, I should be able to take on several at once, no matter how well armed they are. Remember the golzogs? And I didn't even have these bracers back then."

Kuna slowly nodded. "Yeah, true..."

"'n' ye got some tae, Kuna?" Moyra noted, glancing at the sereva's wrist.

"Yeah, although I'll have to be careful about using them. They do slowly use your body's natural life energy while they're, er... active. It's fine for a while, but it adds up over time, so we usually only use them when danger is right in front of us, especially me."

"Aye, makes sense," Moyra said. "Must be a balancin' act fer ye."

"Yeah. Don't want to tire myself out too quick with that and life-weaving at the same time," the sereva said with a shrug. "I was never very strong to begin with. Luckily I've found that I tend to recover that stuff faster than usual, somehow."

Faergus glanced back and forth between them for a moment. "...magic stoof?"

Moyra chuckled and rubbed his head. "Aye, magic stoof." She turned back to Lykou and took a deep breath. "Even wi' them fancy bracers o' yers, it seems bonny risky."

Kuna thought for a moment and smirked over at the konuul. "Honestly... that's why I'm inclined to agree with it."

The others gave him a look. "Aye?"

"It sounds crazy and dangerous. But," the sereva explained, then walked over and hugged the grinning konuul from behind, resting his head on his shoulder. "I've learned to listen to this goofball's crazy ideas."

Lykou grinned and rubbed the sereva's head. Moyra raised a brow and shared a look with Faergus, then grinned and shrugged. "A'right, let me fetch us some tea 'n' we can discuss this 'reverse ambush' idea o' yers, Lykou."