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Chapter Four

Shadows and Light

LIA ALWAYS WOKE QUICKLY but cautiously, coming to alertness in just seconds but staying quiet and still, eyes closed, long enough to build a picture of her situation. She knew she didn't need to, but habits born of necessity were especially hard to shake. Thankfully, all it took was the sound of Ben's light if raspy snoring to settle her; beyond that she could only detect a faint rustling in the communal area, and the soft breathing of the furry form she was curled around.

Rupert was still deeply asleep, fingers twitching slightly but otherwise peaceful; his lips held Lia's left nipple, and one paw cradled her right breast, much to the lizard-girl's affectionate amusement. "Now I know why I slept so well," she thought, with a smile, kissing the cub's brow warmly. "He's not done this in months."

She couldn't bring herself to move for a little while, so relaxing was the sensation, and so pleasant did the cub's plush fur feel against her scales. A contented sigh slipped free.

"Knew that would work!" crowed a rich voice, if softly.

Eliana cracked her eyes open and gave Kyra, the vixen's grinning head now poking through the curtains, a wry look. "Should have guessed it was you. Can never leave well enough alone, huh?"

"I'm the Daman; it's my job to be nosy and meddlesome." She looked at Rupert. "Besides, we're all worried about you, and he wouldn't stop asking what he could do to help you."

"Should_I_ worry what else you told him to do?"

"Oh, I may have mentioned one or two other things," Kyra replied, a mischievous sparkle in her eyes, "that may relate to scale-care."

Lia groaned softly. "And I'm fresh out of comfrey, too."

"Oh, don't worry about that; he'll help you find more. He'll be keen to get going when he wakes, so kindly shift those scales."

A scowl creased the reptile's face. "I wonder if it's possible to choke a vixen with her own tail...?"

"Hmph!" Kyra affected an impressive air of affront, even as the shine in her blue eyes grew brighter. "Guess I'll keep the damson preserve to myself, then."

Her head withdrew sharply, and soft but clear footfalls moved away from the nest; Lia gently eased her teat from Rupe's mouth, uncurled herself carefully from around the cub, inched out of the nest, slipped silently through the curtains...then tore after Kyra at full tilt. The vixen seemed oblivious, strolling toward the table, now laid out with a large selection of breakfast foods, a jar of damson preserve among them.

The lizard whipped past the fox, hands reaching for her prize, only for a yank on her tail to pull her clean off her feet. She tucked, rolled and sprang back up, barely losing any momentum in the process; twisting round as she ran Lia stuck her tongue out at Kyra. "Nice try!"

The white vixen just smirked. "What does pride come before?"

Lia thumped into the collection of seat-sacks still in the middle of the communal area, tumbling head-over-heels with a yelp.

"Ex-actly." Kyra waved cheerily at the lizard-girl as she passed.

Splayed awkwardly amongst the sacks, Eliana glowered and muttered imprecations under her breath. Something shifted underneath her; in confusion she moved back and spread her legs; Bryony's face emerged to giggle at her. The lizard-girl sighed, chuckled affectionately, got to her feet and helped up the lynx cub, taking her paw.

"Sorry," she apologised, leading the child to the table. Her eyes went wide on seeing a certain bowl. "Ooh, beetles! Thought we'd run out!"

"Not quite." Kyra was already sitting down, lathering preserve onto a hunk of bread. "Found a bag buried at the back of the stores."

Lia settled Bryony on a chair then hastened over to the latrines, her bowels having finally woken up; a faintly nauseous-looking Jessica was just leaving. Eliana pushed through the curtains to find Eli seated at the far end of the bench; she settled herself down alongside him.

"Morning, Sleek," he greeted her, with a warm kiss on the scalp.

"Morning, Lupe." Lia kissed his jaw. "Still taking Susy hunting?"

"Yep. Kyra's coming, too; gonna show us the finer points of stalking boar. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I'm taking Rupe to see how the comfrey's coming along, so..."

"We'll go together," Eli agreed. "Though, we'll have to be careful with Rupert; can't let him see a kill, no matter how quick or clean. He's not ready for that, yet; he's more sensitive than Ben."

"He's a sweetheart." Warmth radiated from Lia's voice. "Almost too pure to be true."

Eli gave her a knowing smile, nudging her side. "Ever thought about adopting the little charmer?"

"Has Ben thought about adopting Bryony? When I can, and if Rupe'll have me, I'd do it in a heartbeat."

"Course he'll have you! He dotes on you. Worships the very ground you walk on." Lupe smirked. "Actually, we all do, but him especially."

Lia laughed. "Pretty sure you're exaggerating. Have you ever thought about cubs?"

"Not really." Lupe answered, as he made appropriate use of a pawful of moss, then got up to rinse his hands in a bowl of water. "Maybe in the far distant future. Would you ever give Rupe siblings?"

Lia's expression turned wistful as she availed herself of the moss. "I'd love to. Thanks to Elarra, the idea of my belly swollen with child_really_ appeals, as hard as it might be to make it happen."

Moving aside to let the lizard-girl wash her paws, the wolf squeezed her shoulder. "I think we could find a way, if you were sure about it."

Eliana turned to look up at him, setting her hands on his chest. "You mean that?"

"Of course." His paws stroked down the lizard-girl's sides, to settle on her hips. "And I don't doubt Ben would agree. Besides, a pregnant you is too gorgeous an image not to make happen."

"Thank you." Lia raised up on tiptoes to share a light and caressing kiss with the wolf. "And if Ben ever finds his vixen, she and I can grow round together."

Ushering her through the curtains with a hand to her lower back, Eli smiled. "I think he will, eventually."

"Can we cope with another fox-girl around, though? They're just so much trouble..."

"I resent that remark!" called out a playfully pouting Kyra, still seated at the table. "I'm a model of good behaviour."

"Except when you're pulling people's tails," put in Willow, walking up paw-in-paw with a subdued Sable.

"And drawing on their faces!" added Susy, the lightly-clad - just a thin linen vest and breeches - mouse-girl heading to the latrines.

"And sitting on them!" Jen threw in, taking a chair.

Kyra, muttering under her breath, splayed her ears and narrowed her eyes, arms crossing over her chest. Laughter rolled round the table as it filled up, Rupert on Jenna's lap, Sable holding Willow, Lupe cradling Nick, and Lia hosting Bry. Even Nye cracked half a smile, and Geremy shook with mirth.

Jessica and Lisa, the latter sat upon the former, looked awkward, not sure whether to join in, until Kyra tipped them a wink, whereupon the giggles came out in abundance. Dawn gave the vixen a sympathetic, if mildly condescending, smile and pat on the shoulder as she sat down next to her, then held forth Kay.

"Mil'!" the tiny stoat toddler proclaimed, reaching for a breast.

All of her exaggerated indignation melting into the most motherly of smiles, Kyra took hold of Kay, cradling him to her chest; he latched on to a nipple and suckled heartily. She looked around at the others. "If anyone else wants to take a teat, feel free. I cater for all tastes!"

"How...?" Lisa's intent curiosity was writ large across her face.

"Magic can have side-effects," Kyra explained. "In my case, it means I can give milk on demand, milk that suits whoever's drinking it. Wanna try and see?"

"Really?"

"Really!"

"Okay." Lisa hopped down from her sister's lap and trotted round to the white vixen. Tentatively, she held the fox's free main breast in her paws and took the nipple at its summit into her mouth. The first pulse of warm liquid snapped her eyes wide. "That's like Mama's!"

"Some trick, isn't it?" Kyra ruffled the fur between feline ears as the kitten set to nursing properly. "Don't be greedy, though - I can't keep it coming forever, and others here might want a drink, too."

"You're being far too nice to us." Jessica looked a little overwhelmed.

"No, we're being just nice enough," Kyra replied, firmly, though with no little warmth. "Until we get you back to your family you're a part of ours, whether you want to be or not."

"I'm fairly confident they want to be," observed Dawn, reclaiming Kay now the cub was sated, and licking off the milk his messy feeding had dribbled down Kyra's breast. She allowed herself a quick sup from the teat, too. "After all, they're still here, aren't they?"

"They certainly don't seem put off by the idea, true." Kyra grinned at Lisa as she finished drinking, rose on tiptoes to press a grateful kiss to the vixen's cheek, then scurried back to her sister, passing Susy as the mouse sat down. "I think they'll fit in just fine. Now...are we all here?"

"No." Bryony meekly pointed to the empty chair next to her. "Ben's still snoring."

"Of course he is." Kyra rolled her eyes. "Would someone be so kind as to go prod my son? With something sharp, if needs be."

"Allow me." Dawn handed Kay back to the vixen, then stood up and strode across to Ben's nest, pushing through the curtains. A short and for many anticipation-heavy pause ensued, then...

"YEE-how-ow-ow-ow!"

Dawn promptly reappeared, calmly taking her seat and control of Kay once more. A few seconds later a shambling, lopsided, heavy-lidded, cock-eared, badly-rumpled lump of red fur somewhat reminiscent of a fox dragged itself over, dropping into the vacant chair, a paw clasped to the side of its snout.

"I was having a lovely dream," Ben groused, slurring his words. Bry climbed into his lap, nosing and licking his muzzle. He lapped back and kissed her, curling his arms around her.

"Ooh, about the Vixen?" Lupe teased, wickedly, stroking Nick. "You, her and romantic walks in the moonlit forest?"

"Something along those lines." Ben shoved a big hunk of bread and a couple of beetles into his mouth. "Can we get the chatting done with quickly, please? I really need to pee."

"You're always so charming first thing," Eli purred, gently mocking.

Ben stuck his tongue out at the wolf. "Go boil your tail."

"If we're quite done," Kyra interposed, her strong, firm tone quieting things down instantly, and prompting everyone to sit up just that little bit straighter, "we have a few things to attend to. First, one of Cotter's helpers in the Market Square has family matters to take care of, so a stand-in is needed today. Paws up if you're interested."

Three hands rose into the air, attached to Lia, Geremy and Sable, the young fox-girl looking determined.

Kyra gave the mouse and wolf satisfied nods, then stared intently at the younger vixen. "Are you sure, Sabe? This'll be hard work, and you may have to deal with some unpleasant people."

"I want to make amends for last night," she answered. "I'll be fine."

"All right. Geremy - you take the morning shift, Sable as much of the afternoon as you can manage, and Lia, join Sabe once you're finished at Theo's, then stay until closing. Happy?"

"Aye!" all three chorused.

"Thank you." Kyra gave them all grateful smiles. "Next, there's a new trader arriving in a tick or so, who needs to be settled in. I'm going to be hunting, then busy with meetings, and Ben's down in Woodlea all day, so that leaves it up to you, Jenna."

"Me? Oh!" A burst of excitement soon gave way to finger-twiddling uncertainty. "Except...I wanted to show Jess and Lisa around, today."

"Well, if they don't mind a short break while you show the trader to their den and explain a few things, you still can. Maybe they'd like to help you out...?"

"Happy to!" Jessica was quick to assure, even though her sister didn't look all that convinced. "Have to pay our way somehow."

"Thank you!" Kyra beamed at them, then her expression grew more serious. "That just leaves me to issue a warning: the Sunken Barrow is even_more_ off-limits to everyone, as we believe a husk has taken up residence there."

Sable wilted, ears drooping completely. Willow nuzzled her.

"A husk?!" Ben shuddered a lot more awake. "Where could _that_have come from?"

"Well, the closest islands that I understand have them are Rustcliffe and Verdeeth, but how a husk could have gotten from either place to here..." She shrugged.

"Not like one could stow away on a ship." Lia rubbed her muzzle. "Do you think it possible someone could have deliberately brought a husk over here and set it loose in the Tomb?"

"It's unlikely, but yes, it's possible," Kyra responded, thoughtfully. "It certainly bears looking into. For now, though, just to repeat, don't go even near the Sunken Barrow, and if you see the husk somewhere else run away without looking back, then tell me, Rissa, or Theo."

"What...what does it look like?" Jess asked, not looking like she really wanted to know.

The white vixen didn't reply immediately, visibly thinking her words through. "There's no nice way to put this - husks 'wear' bones in the same way Nick 'wears' wood, so they're, in essence, walking skeletons with glowing yellow eyes and a stiff, awkward way of moving. Don't ever think them harmless, though - you provoke one enough, it'll rip you apart before you can even think to run away."

Jessica swallowed, clutching Lisa tight. "I really wish I hadn't asked..."

"I wish I didn't have to tell you, but you need to know." Kyra let out a sigh. "We can't take any chances with it, or the price could be too high to think about. Rissa and Theo will be investigating the situation this afternoon, and if they can, they'll seal the husk in the Barrow, not to be released until we know how to deal with it. Don't dwell too much on it, as chances are you'll never see it; just be aware, all right?"

Murmurs of confirmation came from all present.

"Good. Is there anything else anyone wants to bring up?"

"I, uh..." Rupert cleared his throat; all eyes and ears turned to him. "I saw...something...near the Grotto Pool yesterday..."

"Oh?" Kyra prompted, gently.

"You'll think I'm daft, but...there was a...cub...up in a tree. He looked a lot like Nye, but brown and with yellow-white here..." He indicated his throat. "I only saw him for a moment before he jumped away. He looked...wild."

"That sounds like a pine marten," Kyra surmised. "Can you guess at how old he was?"

"A bit younger than me, maybe. He was really small and thin. Didn't look ill, though."

"All right." Kyra gave a nod. "I'll find out if anyone else has seen him, and maybe get Rissa to have a quiet scout around. We'll get a feel for this 'wild cub' and work from there."

"You believe him?" Nye was incredulous. "He's making it up!"

"Why do you say that?" Kyra asked, unruffled.

"A cub can't live alone in the wild!" Nye insisted. "It's impossible!"

"I did," Lia told the stoat, giving him a hard stare, her voice laced with pain. "I lived for seven months on an islet ages from anywhere, across a winter so harsh it froze every last drop of water for weeks, then for nearly four years homeless in Souwespor. If I can survive that, Rupe's pine marten can certainly live in our forest."

Nye's demeanour wavered for a moment, expression softening, but then with a huff his glower returned, and with arms crossed he stood up and stalked over to a side-room, shouldering his way through the curtains. He reappeared momentarily, clutching a string-tied sheath of paper, then left the dens without a glance at the table.

Eliana exhaled, eyes closed, as she settled herself again; the feeling of Rupert's muzzle in the crook of her neck, and rodent paws stroking her right side and a short line between her breasts helped the process greatly. "Hasn't he ever been told?"

"Not for want of trying." Lupe stared at the main doors regretfully. "I sometimes wonder if we'll ever get through to him..."

"The way he faltered says we already are, a little," Kyra reassured the wolf. "We just have to be patient. I'll discipline him for his behaviour later, but for now, Rupert, thank you for bringing the 'wild cub' to our attention. You've done well."

"Very well!" Eli leaned over to the squirrel and kissed his muzzle at the same time Lia did, earning a self-conscious giggle in response.

"And, unless there's anything else..." Kyra paused, but no-one spoke up. She slapped a paw on the table. "Meeting closed."

"Rupert, Bry, Willow: remember to be here for lessons first tick this afternoon, all right?" Dawn called out. "You too, Lisa."

"Aye!" the four of them chorused.

Jessica only managed to take two steps, paw-in-paw with Lisa, before Jenna materialised beside her.

"Ready?" the vixen asked, brightly.

Both cats nodded.

"Then we'll start, well, here!" Jenna pointed out a door to the left of the exit. "Kyra's private room - don't enter without permission."

"Got it," Jess & Lisa chorused.

The fox-girl panned her paw further to the left. "You know about the latrines. Next is my, Sabe and Wil's nest; then it's Eli and Nye; then Lia and Rupe; then Benji and Wren; then Kyra, Dawn and Kay; then Susy and Geremy; then you two; and lastly our little library." By the end she was pointing directly opposite the latrines. "Got all that?"

"Sort of?" Jessica ventured.

"Good enough!" Jenna indicated a door to the right of the exit. "I'll show you what's down there later! Onwards!"

Putting aside their curiosity - Lisa with no small difficulty - the cats followed the vixen out into the corridor. A handful of other pelts were about, most giving them friendly acknowledgement.

"Den to the right on this side is Weaver's." The fox-girl pointed it out without pausing. "She likes her privacy. On the left lives Granpa Creak, when he's not staying on Dyllia; you'll like him. We're going left..." She trailed off, stopping to stare, with ears perked and whiskers quivering, down the corridor; then she was off again, at a jog. "To investigate a very strange thing indeed..."

Two thoroughly perplexed felines hurried in her wake. She led them across a junction and into a dead-end passage, heading for a den right at the terminus. Its entrance was sealed by pale magical energy that hummed louder the closer they got. Jenna finally stopped right before it, holding up a paw.

Jess hung back with Lucy. "Why would it be closed off?"

"Normally, because the owner's died and we don't want their effects to be disturbed," the vixen explained. "But Kyra tells us if that's what's going on. She's not said a word about this, and besides, it's empty..."

The blue cat reached for the fox-girl's shoulder. "I think we should let it be. Kyra's got to have good reason."

"Very_good." Jenna nodded. "Which is what makes me so feathering curious about it. That and I've long been...bothered by that den, even if the _why of it eludes me."

"Feathering?" Jess cocked a brow.

"Bad chicken experience." Jenna flapped her other paw dismissively.

The cat-girl took the hint. "And I know what you mean; it feels kinda_off_ somehow; like it's...poisoned or tainted, maybe."

"Exactly!" The vixen nodded excitedly, then touched the barrier. A pulse pushed her back strongly enough to rob her of balance; the blue cat quickly caught her. Jen patted the arms about her waist, throwing a smile over her shoulder. "Thanks. Think we'd better take the hint, as much as it flicks my tail."

She snatched up Lisa and set the ginger kitten on her shoulders. Back to the junction they tracked, then turned left. Towards the end of the next corridor she stopped to point out another den to the right.

"Marven's," she explained. "Avoid. Hopefully we can avoid him."

"Is he nasty?" Lisa asked, paws resting between white ears.

"Very." Jenna made a point of passing it as far to the left as possible, her ears briefly sinking. Into a junction, and she stuck an arm out to the left. "That leads outside, to many paths through the forest. Avoid the one heading north and a bit west" - she angled her limb just to the left of the passage directly ahead - "because that leads to the Sunken Barrow. Understood?"

"Yes," two voices chorused.

"Good." Jen turned right, heading east. "Onto far, far nicer things."

They'd barely passed the first dens before the door to the one at the end on the left opened, and two pelts came out. A male badger with a bit of a belly, no tail, a broad sash lined with pockets and a sparkling set of hazel eyes was escorting out a squirrel lady of generous size and plentiful curves, her floppy, feather-topped hat somewhat askew.

His large paws were stroking her belly and thighs, while she giggled and leaned back to nuzzle him coyly. He murmured something in her ear, his voice a smooth, rich, lively baritone; she giggled louder, rolling her hips back against him. They shared a languorous kiss, then she set off, he watching with a highly satisfied smile.

Jessica and Lisa had witnessed all this with their eyes wide, the latter blushing lightly. Jenna was grinning fit to widen her face.

"Jess, Lise," she proclaimed grandly, spreading her arms, "allow me to introduce Theodore, Oakden's resident healer and lover of just about anything that walks on two legs and is of age. Also Weaver's uncle."

The badger spun round, laughed a warmly rolling laugh, and flung his own arms out. "Well, if it isn't the prettiest puff of living snow in all of Moonglade! Could I, perchance, trouble you for a trifle of a hug?"

Jenna set Lisa down then launched herself at Theo, hands clamping round his neck, snout pressing to his ruff of a cheek. His paws linking under her rear he nuzzled a kiss back, laughing deeper. Then his eyes alighted on the cats standing nearby, shyly holding each other.

"Care to introduce your fetching new companions?" he asked.

"The cute ball of orange fluff is Lisa," Jen answered, flowing from his grip to the floor, his hands smoothly supporting her the whole way, to beckon them closer, "and the vision in blue is Lisa."

Theo's smile turned knowing, and the fox-girl's ears tinted red. Then he turned to the cats, and his entire demeanour softened, along with his voice. "A pleasure indeed to meet you both. Might I ask how you came to join us?"

"Benny, Lupe and Lia rescued them from Portcastle yesterday," Jen explained. "We don't know how they got there."

"Where on Dyllia?" Theo asked, his tone sympathetic.

"F...Feddon," Jess told him, taking a single step nearer.

"Can't say I've heard of it," the badger admitted, "but Dyllia's hardly short of hidden little places; I'll have to ask Uncle." He held out a paw, his smile ingratiating as could be. "I don't bite, I swear."

"Rissa says differently," Jenna snickered. "And Gwen. And Kyra. And Cotter. And-whoop!" She deftly dodged his lunge, thumbing her nose.

Theo shook his head, throwing a weary look at the two cats. "You see what you'll have to put up with?"

"I-I think we c-can learn to like it," a giggling Jess told him, reaching out to touch his paw.

"I'm already learning to like you." The badger curled his hand around hers, bringing it to his mouth to kiss the back of it.

Jess giggled louder, body twisting shyly, ears aflame.

"Such a charmer," Jen trilled, fluttering her eyelashes, paws clasped below her chin. "Such a sweet-talking romancer."

This time she couldn't avoid Theo's swipe; with a flourish he dipped her over, leaning in and feathering fingers along her muzzle. He spoke in a purring caress. "The master of the art, O flawless vision in white."

Jenna swooned theatrically. The two cats were shaking with mirth.

Lisa padded forward to hug the badger's leg. "You're funny!"

Releasing Jen, Theo crouched down, taking up and kissing the kitten's paw. "Funny weird, or funny amusing?"

Lisa patted his nose. "Both!"

He booped hers. "You're just adorable. I can certainly see why dear Pudge here's so hopelessly besotted with you two."

"I wouldn't say...besotted...exactly," the fox-girl protested, flushing.

"I would." Now it was Theo's turn to smirk. "Hopelessly, thoroughly, completely, totally, utterly and entirely infatuated, especially with the azure delight, here. Should we start selecting bracelets, hmm?"

Jenna's entire head seemed to tint pink. "Don't you think it's a little soon for that?"

"Never hurts to plan ahead." The badger patted her flank, then some uneven footfalls had him standing up and looking round. "Ah, my first patient of the day. If you'll excuse me..."

He escorted a limping mole into his den, waving farewell just before the door closed. Still looking a little bashful, Jenna scooped up Lisa to return the kitten to her shoulders, then took Jess' hand. At a gentler pace than before she took them to the next junction, pointing to the north with her free paw.

"You'll find the dens of Sherwood and Forrest, our record-keepers, up there," the fox-girl explained, "along with Rissa's, the peg-legged otter you saw yesterday."

"That was Lynnett's mother?" Jess asked.

"Adoptive, yes," Jenna confirmed.

"Interesting pair," the blue cat remarked.

"You have no idea," Jenna chuckled.

"New trader's here," Ben's voice abruptly announced in her head. "I said you'd be with them immediately."

"I will," she assured him, then spoke out loud. "New trader's here. I guess they came in on the barge Ben's taking out."

"We'd best get moving then," Jess suggested.

Jenna nodded. "Hopefully it won't take too long..."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Susi was the first to notice. While Eli and Kyra knelt beside a patch of mud, examining boar tracks, her eyes were drawn to a sizeable cluster of hawthorns smothering the fallen carcase of a beech tree. Some of the dense foliage was moving differently from the rest, twitching and shifting in a way not due to the wind that now blew into her face.

Looking closely, the mouse could just make out hints of a large shape in the shadows; not sure what it was, she patted Kyra's shoulder, and carefully pointed it out. The vixen took one look and stiffened, lifting her nose to sniff, ears craning tautly forward. Then she ducked behind a pair of oak trunks, the others following automatically.

Lupe's muzzle brushed one ear. "What is it?" he whispered.

The fox exhaled, shoulders drooping. "A ghost of the past."

Susi's tail shot up. "You mean...?"

Kyra nodded, then held up a silencing paw. Through the gap between the twin trees they watched as the shape moved away, rustling to the edge of the hawthorns. The briefest glimpse of rough, green-brown scales glinting in the scattered sunshine, then it was melting into thick swathes of bracken.

Kyra tensed again. "Isn't there a stream down there?"

Lupe gave a bob of the head. "Where the comfrey gr...oh."

The vixen was moving before he'd finished speaking, hastening off on the trail of the shape, urgency in every sinew. Eli and Susi fell in close behind, all three keeping tails low, ears high, and eyes primed. Pretty quickly they caught up with the shape, but kept a good thirty feet back from it, always in cover and always downwind.

Not long afterwards they picked up two lively voices and two familiar scents, underscored by the clear tang and hushed murmur of water; at the same time the shape froze, hunkering down in the bracken. Kyra motioned for the others to get low then set her stance, drew an arrow and sighted her bow.

The shape twisted suddenly, and vivid yellow-green eyes locked onto hers. A rush of memories and an acute stab of guilt had her faltering, bow dipping, as the piercing, unblinking gaze held her fast. A crashing of undergrowth and a rusty, rough-edged roar from close by shattered the spell, the shape snapping round and surging away.

Kyra streaked after it, heart pounding against her ribs, Eli and Susy on her tail. They tore along a broad, ragged trail of broken undergrowth that soon reached a brook furrowing between the trees. The far bank rose sharply, too sharply to climb; from beyond it a storm of roars and crashing, splintering wood echoed, and gouts of fire flashed.

In the stream Eliana and Rupert were huddled; Elijah and Susy joined them while Kyra struggled to find enough purchase on the bank to pull herself up and see over. She got close, muzzle starting to curve over the apex, then her foothold gave way and she fell into the water.

The noise died abruptly just after, and as the vixen mounted another attempt a blunt, broad, heavily-scaled head crowned by a pair of short and sharp spikes loomed over the top. The fox fell again, this time in pure shock, then set onto one knee; the whole group stared up into blazing green slitted eyes, not a one daring to so much as breathe.

The creature studied them intently for some time, tendrils of smoke rising from its nostrils, a flicker of heat still glowing behind teeth lined like spikes. Finally, it fixed purely on Kyra, and gave a single, slow nod.

She nodded back and then it was gone, leaving her to slump into the water, tears moistening her eyes. "At last..."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Jenna waved as she stepped outside, then once the door was closed sagged against the wall. "Finally. Anyone for lunch?"

"Yes, please!" two voices chorused.

"That was hard work," Jessica commented. "Lovely fellow, though."

Jenna took their paws, and started leading them north. "Mm. He'll fit in well, I think."

At the junction they turned right, moving east past the main entrance and on to the bathing pool crossroads. Above all the bustling energy of the Market a coarse, angry voice rose; Jenna's ears flattened, then a wave of magic flowed over the trio, smoothing certain areas. Squaring her shoulders, the fox-girl pushed forward.

Three alcoves down on the left Marven was yelling at Sable, the black vixen's ears back and her hands clasped in front of her. As frightened as she looked, she was still trying to reason with him.

Jenna wove through the crowds to them. "Excuse me!"

Marven whirled, face thunderous. "You too?!"

"Me too." The white fox-girl folded her arms. "What's the problem?"

"This painted pest wants me to clear out one of my bloody alcoves so a new trader can take it!" the polecat raged. "Mine!"

"This one?" Jenna asked, not giving any reaction.

"Yes!"

"This one, that isn't actually yours." Jen kept her voice perfectly level.

"Yes, it bloody well is!"

"No, it isn't. I've seen the records. Would you like me to get them?"

Marven fumed. "You're as stuck-up as your mother." He waved a paw to his assistant. "Julian - clear it out."

"Thank you." Jenna inclined her head politely.

The polecat leaned in, fur bristling. "One day you arrogant Dunblanes will get what's coming to you. I promise you that."

The vixen smiled sweetly. "If you say so. Are we done?"

Marven sneered. "Not by a long way." He turned on his heel, striding off. "Julian - I'm going to Market Hollow. I'll be back late."

"Goodbye." Jenna gave a civil wave. "Have a safe journey."

"Piss off, Tubby!" he roared back, just before vanishing from sight.

White ears splayed. "Such delightful manners." Jen released a lengthy breath; at the same time certain details reappeared on her, Jess and Lisa. "So, who wants some lunch?"

"I, for one, certainly wouldn't mind." A weary-looking Jules came to join them. "I also wouldn't mind company that doesn't make me feel like jumping from the top of the falls."

Jenna patted his shoulder. "I think we can manage that, if you're sure the stalls can manage without you."

Julian snorted. "We've not had a single customer all morning; they'll be just fine."

"All right." The fox-girl gave a still uneasy Sable a squeeze and a kiss on the forehead. "And you deserve some rewards for coping with that feather-headed brute so well."

"Someone had to," the black vixen sighed. "Cotter was busy."

Blue eyes narrowed. "Of course he was. Come on."

She led her little group back to the junction, then left into another hall of alcoves; this one was lined with cookshop stalls and heavy with delicious scents. Julian hastened to one selling fruits and nuts, while Sable headed for one that provided a range of vegetable pies.

"Here." Jenna produced a spell from her left hip, and shook several copper coins into Jess' paw. "Get whatever you both feel like. I'll have a little chat with dear Cotter then meet you at the tables."

Jessica nodded, then she and Lisa bounded over to a stew stall. The fox-girl removed a few more coppers from the orb, stowed it back in her hip, and strode with purpose to the meat pies cookshop. It was run by a short and stocky fox with pale fur, a crooked tail and a shirt streaked with stains. He flinched at the sight of her.

Jenna crossed her arms. "Too busy, huh?"

"W-well, it is lunchtime," Cotter wheedled, ears folding back.

"Not good enough. I don't care how much Marven scares you, asking Sae to deal with him alone isn't fair. You'd better make it up to her."

"I will." He nodded rapidly, flashing an ingratiating smile. "C-can I get you anything?"

Jenna regarded him for several long seconds, then bobbed her head enthusiastically, her tail coming to life and a grin blooming. "One duck pie, please! With extra quack!"

Cotter was quick to provide. The vixen took it, paid for it, trilled her thanks and left, brush swaying.

"Damn near as scary as her ruddy mother," the fox muttered under his breath; her grin widened.

The others were already settled around a table, eating their chosen meals and sipping water from small wooden cups, a matching pitcher standing in their midst. Jenna joined them, taking a bite of her pie and looking to Julian.

"So," she asked, "how come old Frizzle-Tail's even uglier than normal today? Threatened by the newcomer?"

"Not a clue," Jules replied, gnawing on a hazelnut. "All I know is he's been spitting fire since he came back from Ironcliff. Maybe a bad deal left him with a singed tail."

"Isn't he always trying to get into some guild?" Sable put in. "Maybe they snubbed him again."

Julian shook his head. "It's the Merchant's Guild, and no; he's still got two months before he can make another application to join. That'd be the twenty-first time, by the way; you have to admire his persistence."

Jenna snickered. "And their patience."

"M-maybe," Jessica piped up, dabbing a hunk of bread into her boar stew, "he's having some money t-troubles. You did s-say you'd had no customers th-this morning."

"And very few in the last few weeks." Jules' eyes widened. "Methinks the pretty blue kitty is onto something, especially since that specious sword cost him an arm, a leg, and half a tail."

"Definitely!" Jenna leaned over to kiss a feline cheek. "I wonder what else could be costing him coin, though? I thought he was piling it up."

Julian stated checking things off on his fingers. "Guild applications; an insistence on only the best Dyllian ales; really_expensive robes from no idea where; stocking numerous things too costly to ever actually _sell on Eldermoor; and frequent small, strange payments he thinks I don't know about. I do believe our affluent master trader might actually be teetering on the brink of ruin."

"You help with his ledgers, then?" Jen asked.

"No, but I managed to sneak a look at them when he drank himself unconscious last night. There's one that's coded, filled with small and irregular payments. It worries me." Jules frowned. "You don't secrete honest transactions."

"Kyra did wonder if he was into Shadow Trade." The white fox's eyes were narrowed in thought. "You should tell her."

"I will," Jules agreed, nodding. "Tonight, since dear Marven was good enough to storm off to Market Hollow." He swallowed a last chunk of apple and stood up. "Right now, I'd better get started on clearing the alcove for the newcomer."

"We'd be happy to help." Jenna told him, the other three concurring.

"Much appreciated!" He bowed and swept out an arm. "When you're all ready..."

Within a minute they were moving, dropping cups, plates and bowls off where relevant along the way. Back in the other hall they started moving the bits and pieces cluttering up the third alcove into Marven's two, rearranging to make space along the way. They'd dealt with half of it when Lia came strolling up to join them.

"Lisa!" the lizard-girl called out. "Lesson time!"

"I'll take her!" Sable scooped the kitten up, let her share a quick kiss with her sister, then carried her out.

Jen grinned. "Perfect timing."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Theodore exited his den just before Rissa reached it. The otter wore a thin sash around her waist, to which her short staves were affixed at either hip, and a calmly focused expression. He fell in step alongside her as she passed, trading nods and paw-grips.

"You sure you don't want a weapon?" she asked, clearly and briskly.

"Positive," he assured her. "You know what these paws can do."

Rissa gave a dry smirk. "Better than most. I also know what a Husk can do. Even your paws likely won't be enough."

"Hopefully we won't have to find out."

"I wouldn't wager on that."

Once outside they fell quiet, Rissa leading the way along the path to the Barrow. Rough underfoot, it quickly sank between severe, stony banks, scrappy blackthorns clustered thickly along the tops, a dark and tight space that was as uncomfortable as it was unwelcoming.

Then a hillside loomed ahead, and it plunged straight into the flank, a coarse, claustrophobic fissure through the rock sparsely lit by spells in the roof of the tunnel. Echoes magnified every sound - their steady breathing, the rhythmic tapping of Rissa's peg leg, and the wind that restlessly chased them along.

The trail emerged in a tiny, bare area overshadowed by the branches of a squat beech, a single spell glowing in a hollow of the trunk; it then turned a sharp right and burrowed into a second low hill. Shorter but no less oppressive this tunnel brought them to a hollow, mostly filled by the long, shallow, heavily overgrown bulk of the Barrow.

Slowing to almost a creep, they followed the path along the flank of the Barrow, stopping just short of an entrance at the mid-point that was flanked by tall stones, a thin third laid across the top; a spell, faint and flickering, clung to the latter. Dry, low creaks and groans drifted from within, setting their fur on edge.

Rissa flattened herself against the near portal stone, and inched in to peer down the passage. Nothing stirred within view beyond specks of dust dancing in the breeze, and the sound of shifting bones didn't get any closer. She looked to Theo, who had been inspecting several large boulders piled nearby, and they exchanged nods.

Together they selected the biggest stone, which was enough to block the entrance by itself, then started to shift it over, having to strain to do so even with Rissa adding as much magical force as she could. The noise of it scraping across the path was enough to dip their ears, while the creaking from the Barrow grew louder.

They'd gotten the boulder two feet from the entrance when the husk finally dragged itself into view. A slumped, ill-assembled skeleton of a fox with many bones askew or twisted, the skull tilted to the left and lolled forward, its pale yellow orb eyes settling on them, pulsing in the sockets. Its dangling arms quivered.

Then the skull twisted to one side with a drawn-out scrape, and the bones shook into alignment, joints setting, and the spine straightened out, and the jagged fingers flexed, then the head snapped back square with the eyes blazing yellow and it lunged.

Its harsh, high, breathy scream was cut off by the stone slamming in place; the boulder jolted back several inches at the impact of the husk, and vibrated against the paws of Rissa and Theo as they forced it tight to the entrance again. More stones were hastily piled against the big one, bolstering it as much as possible, then the pair stepped back and shared tense looks, trying to calm racing hearts.

"You see why I thought paws wouldn't be enough?" Rissa asked.

"Yes." Theo swallowed. "Yes, I do."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Sable scrambled forward, but wasn't quite quick enough to prevent Nye's knee from smacking into Rupert's groin; it wasn't a hard hit, but still had the little squirrel squeaking and crumpling. She picked him up and carried him to the seat-sacks, amongst which Lynnett was tucked; as she passed Rupe to the otter, the stoat threw her a dirty look then vanished into his den. Rupert watched him go.

"I just wanted to play," he mumbled, head tucked into Lynne's chest, eyes wide and ears back; the otter curled a protective paw around his genitals, and nuzzled between his ears.

"_He_doesn't," Sable answered, simply.

"I don't think he ever will," Lynnett sighed.

"He will," Rupert asserted. "One day. I just...have to keep trying..."

"And one day I might get what you see in him." Sable sighed, her eyes drifting over to the doors, which had just slid apart.

Jenna, Lynnett and Jessica came in, Lisa rushing to meet them. Dawn followed, drawing them into conversation too quiet for Sable to quite catch. When the white fox-girl's ears splayed and her tail flicked and her paws clenched, the black one surged to her feet and hurried over; Lynnett followed, still cradling Rupert close.

"I know it's annoying," Dawn was saying, her tone placating, "but the Littles need some freedom, and Sable and Rupert could really do with some cheering up, and the Hollow's the best place for both."

"We're doing all right," the black vixen piped up, stopping beside the hare. "Honestly."

Jenna softened, reaching out to ruffle Sable's cheek. "I think we can take them all." Her ears perked. "Actually, it might just work out in our favour. I'm getting ideas..."

Dawn grinned, clasping Jen's face and pulling her for a short but firm kiss. "Knew you'd come around, Pudge! Have fun!"

The white fox-girl laughed. "We will." She raised her voice. "Anyone else up for a trip to the Hollow please get their tails here now!"

Willow came up, Bryony close behind, while Nye's head poked out of his curtains. Rupert slipped from Lynne's arms to beckon to the stoat; Nye scowled and retreated; the squirrel-boy deflated.

"Never mind," Jenna soothed, picking him up, kissing his nose, then settling him against her left hip as she started walking. "You've still got the rest of us. Let him keep to himself."

Sable crouched before Willow, who climbed onto dark shoulders, and then the black vixen followed the white one, keeping close to her.

"Does anybody mind us wandering around a little bit, first?" Jenna asked. "There's a few places I still have to show Jess and Lisa."

"No," five voices messily chorused, Sable shaking her head as well.

"Good." Jenna nodded in satisfaction. "We'll be quick, I promise."

It certainly wasn't long before the group was heading up through the fairly quiet bathing pools. Jenna stopped to point out the north exit.

"That takes you to Deepdell Henge," she explained. "They're getting ready for a Bonding tonight, so I'll have to show you another time."

She then led them to the left of it, along a short westward passage; it opened out into a large, oblong chamber with a ceiling of twin shallow domes, broad sky-lights at their centres, and a sweep of cherry wood across the floor.

Rissa and Theo were sparring with short staves, the otter well on top of things, but the badger fiercely determined. They fought with pace and held little back, as evidenced when a stave to the skull and a peg leg to the shin sent Theo crashing to the floor, groaning.

Jenna chose that moment to call over to Rissa. "I think you'll like the new trader, Ris!"

The otter cocked her head, smiling dryly. "I think I need to make that determination for myself."

"He's having a look around," the fox-girl told her. "I expect he'll show up here before you're done covering Stripey in bruises."

"Perfect." Rissa inclined her head, then raised her staves to a badger now back on his feet. "And I'll try not to bruise 'Stripey' _too_much."

Theo snorted. "It's far too late for that. I'll be demanding_exhaustive_ reparations later."

"That rather depends on how much I like the new trader." The otter responded, her smile faintly mischievous. "And if he likes_me_."

"Maybe he'll like Theo, too," Jenna suggested, grinning, "and you can_all_ relax together."

"That's actually not a bad i-ow." Theo rubbed his shoulder, glaring at his sparring partner. "Well, if you're not interested..."

"I didn't say that. Let me think on it. For now, more bruises."

Jen, along with most of the group, giggled. The vixen turned to Jess and Lisa. "This is the Training Hall, used for, well, training, as well as a lot of games and sports. Oh, and don't think Stripey can't fight; he can match Ris easily in paw-to-paw."

She took them to the far end of the Hall, where a corridor led south to a door. "Through there are the Meeting and Records rooms, which I can't show you as Kyra, Sherwood and Forrest are probably buried in papers and discussion. You get the idea of them, though?"

Both felines nodded.

"Good!" Jenna clapped her paws, then headed back the way they'd come. "We'll backtrack to show you one more area, then off to play in the Hollow."

Retracing their steps, the little group quickly arrived in a tiny corridor running west from the lower end of the bathing pools. Sable watched the felines closely, keen to see their reactions to what lay beyond the doors at the end. Jen ushered them through first, hanging back with a grin most indulgent on her face.

Jessica and Lisa walked out into a chamber that shared the tear-drop shape of the corridors, but on a scale so grand they struggled to take it in properly. Beneath their feet was smooth, warm stone, slats of oak inlaid to form a circle thirty feet across, a disc of shining white quartz ringed by cherry wood in the centre.

They moved to the crystal, able to stand side-by-side inside it, staring around in slack-faced wonder. The long walls had thin ribs carved with all manner of foliage, faces peering out from the leaves, spaced along them, and curved to a point easily as high as the grand oak was tall, a seam of light running along the join.

To the south, the wall was dominated by a vast circular carving above the doors, a ring of dense vegetation with fronds radiating in to a tree stump in the middle, set with another disc of quartz. The entire north wall was taken up by an ever bigger mural, the leaves forming a pair of concentric teardrops with a crystal between their tips; they framed a swirling tree tunnel design with a quartz centrepiece.

In front of this Kyra sat cross-legged, tail laid out straight behind her, paws folded in her lap. She smiled over her shoulder. "Quite a sight to see, hm?" she called over.

"It's incredible," Jessica breathed.

"It's the Hall of Dama," Jenna explained, leading the others out to the cats. "Place of worship, celebration and gathering."

"And focal point of the whole village," Kyra added, spinning round to face them. "Also a good place to think."

"What about?" the white fox-girl asked, moving to settle on one knee in front of her mother, head bowed; the others gathered around.

"Old mistakes; new complications." The older vixen breathed deep then smiled at Jess, who was still enraptured by the murals. "Draw you right in, don't they?"

"Are they what I think they are?" the feline asked. "I...don't know any of Dama's symbols. We just had a Sira Stone in Feddon."

"I'll put it this way - they're part of you," Kyra answered. "Now, can I assume you're all heading to the Hollow?"

Jen dipped her head further. "Unless you think we shouldn't."

"You'll be fine." Kyra tilted her daughter's muzzle up with a finger. "I'll need to talk to you and Ben when he gets back from Woodlea."

"Understood," the fox-girl acknowledged.

"I'll send him to get you when it's time. Until then" - the older vixen kissed the younger on the lips - "have fun."

Jenna hugged her mother, every other youngster joining in, then the group left the Hall through the south door, Sable and Willow toward the rear of a lively line. They wove due west through the central dens and a number of other people, and outside. Their leader stopped by a flat, tapering shaft of stone some three feet tall with a rounded pillar etched along its length; it swelled to a disc at the top, a many-pointed sun surrounding a stylised, noble dragon head, with four swept-back horns and a ridge along the muzzle, embossed upon it.

"This is a waystone," she explained, patting it twice. "The solid points of the sun" - she indicated the three on the stone - "mark the paths from here. The dragon - before you ask, Jess - is a symbol and face of Sira, tireless protector, pillar of strength, and guiding light. Trust them, and they shall keep you safe and lead you true."

Jess stroked fingers over the strong visage. "We will."

Jenna smiled, then pointed to a path that ran north-north-west. "Just to remind you, that goes to the Sunken Barrow, so don't follow it."

"Got it," the cats chorused.

Sable stared along the trail, shivering; Willow nosed her scalp.

"Don't go down the south-west path, either," Jenna continued. "That eventually takes you to Old Scruffe's Well, if you don't get lost in the Gouges along the way; not a place you want to linger, if even half the tales of it are true. We're going due west." She angled her paw at the end of a fallen tree wider than any of them were tall, a thick curtain of ivy falling over it.

Jess and Lisa shared looks, the former reaching out and rapping on what proved to be solid wood beneath the ivy, then stared blankly at the fox-girl. Sable snickered, while others giggled.

"Believe it or not, that is the way in." Jenna grinned, and beckoned all of them closer. "We just have to ask for entry."

She whispered words into feline ears, then everyone present stood in a half-circle facing the trunk and spoke as one. "Mother Ash, may we please visit?"

The ivy trembled, then parted like curtains, sliding itself up and aside to reveal the tree was now, somehow, completely hollow, and seemed to extend for a serious distance, dwindling to darkness.

"Thank you," the group chorused, the cats slack in the face again.

"As Kyra likes to say, there are things in this forest far older and wiser than we. Hold tails, and follow me." With a smile and a flourish of her hips Jen proffered her brush to Jess.

Jess gripped it, and Lisa her sister's tail; the others linked up quickly, Willow and Sable the last two, after the former slipped down and the latter patted the Waystone. Jenna led the group inside the trunk at a careful pace, the black fox-girl at the back watching as the ivy closed up again, and darkness swallowed them.

They travelled in silence but for their feet padding on the wood, and the long-dead tree creaking gently around them. After what seemed like several minutes more ivy parted ahead of them, and they stepped out into a tunnel of a rather different kind.

Hazel bushes heavy with catkins and tiny red flowers, and low sweet cherries festooned in white clustered under soaring ashes, a pathway running amongst them, sheltered completely by their shimmering and murmuring leaves. Myriad motes were dotted amongst the branches, glowing with pastel yellow light that dappled the earthen trail.

"So_beautiful_," Jess gasped, eyes shining.

Jenna chuckled. "This is just the start."

She moved off, beckoning; the group followed in an untidy, animated cluster. Sable walked in the middle of it, Willow sat on her shoulders again, the mouse-girl's hands raised so her fingers ruffled through the foliage. She plucked a cluster of cherry blooms, tucking them behind the black vixen's ear; Sable kissed her thigh in response.

The track wove in fluid, gently undulating fashion through the forest, the slightest of breezes swaying the vegetation and stroking fur, birds singing and flitting amongst the branches. Soon a drizzle, drifting and light as mist, was pattering on the leaves, the little that made it down to them dusting their coats until they glistened.

Willow reacted thoughtfully, whiskers twitching, then began chanting a bright and rapid little tune in a piping voice, and swaying slowly atop Sable's shoulders.

Pitter-patter, pitter-patter, pitter-patter-drop,

Pitter-patter, pitter-patter, pitter-patter-plop!

The black fox-girl chuckled, then chimed in herself, her voice stronger and not quite as high, and her accent still clear.

Look at all the downy clouds a-washin' grey the sky,

Hidin' all the shinin' blue and closin' Father's eye.

Look at all the borin' folk a'runnin' off ta hide,

Missin' all the giddy fun ta still be had outside,

In the...

Willow sang out again, louder and faster, Rupert joining in.

Pitter-patter pitter-patter pitter-patter-drop,

Pitter-patter pitter-patter pitter-patter-plop!

Jenna started clapping along, skipping her steps, while the two cats looked on in delight. Buoyed, Sable surged on.

Look at all o' Mother's milk a-pat'rin down on you,

Givin' all the world a drink an' cleanin' up the view.

Look at all the borin' folk who haven't got a clue,

As ta all the joyful things a clever cub can do,

In the...

Even faster came the chorus, Bryony and Lynnett adding their voices.

Pitter-patter pitter-patter pitter-patter-drop,

Pitter-patter pitter-patter pitter-patter-plop!

Now Sable sped up as well, the words tumbling from her muzzle.

Run an' jump an' spin an' slide; bob yerself from side ta side;

Shake yer tail and swing yer 'ips; shimmy to ya fingertips;

Patter paws in mud so thick; give yer legs a lively kick;

Hop 'n' skip 'n' jig 'n' prance; lead yerself a merry dance,

In the...

This time all bar Jen sang the chorus, even more quickly, half of them stumbling over the words but not even caring.

Pitter-patter-pitter-patter-pitter-patter-drop,

Pitter-patter-pitter-patter-pitter-patter-plop!

Swaying herself now, in time with Willow, Sable sang yet faster.

Wet 'n' hard 'n' wild 'n' fast 'n' just as long as you can last;

Bounce 'n' flit 'n' trip 'n' play for just as long as you can stay;

Runnin-slidin-jumpin-dashin-flippin-whippin-sportin-splashin;

Only thing ta stop ya fun is when the rain is fin'ly done.

The last refrain was a gabbled, joyful blur.

Pitterpatterpitterpatterpitterpatterdrop,

Pitterpatterpitterpatterpitterpatterstop!

The group dissolved in breathless laughter and cheering, Sable with them, while Willow nodded and beamed in satisfaction.

Jenna nuzzled the mouse's cheek gratefully. "Thanks, Wils." Then she gave the black fox a one-armed hug. "You sang that wonderfully, Sae."

Sable blushed, flapping a paw. "Ah, you'd have done it better."

"I wouldn't be so sure," the white fox-girl disagreed, a sparkle in her eyes. "I've never managed the last verse."

She bounced off, Sable watching with slackened jaw. "What...?"

"We're here!" Jenna trilled, bouncing forward. "Perfect timing!"

The trees were starting to fall back from the path; tufted grass, pale yellow primroses, sprays of bluebell leaves and the first small stirrings of dock, nettles and chervil filled the widening gaps either side; above, the leaves gave way to cloud-swept sky, freeing the drizzle to dampen the group's coats until they shone.

Up a steady rise they all hurried, tail-waving excitement building; at the top, they stopped, Jess and Lisa at the front, and stood drinking in the vista that now spread before them. A vast clearing in the shape of a raindrop, the group gathered in the tip, much of it was shaded by an ancient ash easily the equal in scale of the oak atop Oakden.

Jenna led them under the shade of a canopy as broad as the tree was tall, and up to a gnarled and knotted trunk opened wide by a fissure in the front that stretched nearly halfway up. A gaping, ivy-littered vault of a hollow lay within, warmly lit by clusters of motes. At the fox-girl's bidding the group stood before the ash in a semi-circle, dipping their heads in silent respect.

Then Jen clapped her paws. "Right! Who feels like a little foraging?"

Jess lit up. "Ooh, yes! Can Lise and I search?"

"I was hoping you'd ask that," Jenna beamed. "Anyone you find you can either send back here, or ask to help you search, all right?"

"Right," both felines chimed, nodding.

"Then close your eyes, turn away and count to a hundred!"

As the cats did as bid, Jessica mumbling under her breath, the rest of the group scattered, hastening to find hiding places. Sable and Willow ran to the very back of the Hollow, where a sheer, stony ridge pushed aside the trees. A waterfall, a few feet wide but thin as a film, rushed down to a shallow pool, from which a furrow of a stream wove away, chuckling over pebbles as it went.

The duo stepped through the falls, and the cleft in the rock secreted behind, into a cosy, if rambling, little cave. After smart shakes of their dripping wet fur, and the mouse had shed her cloth to wring it out and drape it over a rock, they padded to the left. Sable seated herself on a bump of stone, tail tidily draped to one side; Willow leant back against her, and smoothly wove a white light spell.

The vixen nuzzled her muzzle into the crook of the mouse's neck and shoulder and laid her paws, fingers laced, on their belly, thumbs above their navel, smallest digits brushing the dimple at the summit of their vulva. She watched with rapt attention as Wils' spell started to glow a vivid yellow, then shifted through orange to a rich red.

On impulse, she wove one herself, but it was faint and flickering, and dissipated in but a few seconds. Sighing, she settled her hands back in place, closed her eyes, and focused on Willow; the steady beat of her heart, the warmth of her form, the downy softness of her fur, the light scent of her. It didn't take long for Sable to relax completely.

She opened her eyes, and the world had gained a distinctly different sheen. Willow now glowed with a purple aura, and countless more, of plants and pelts alike, were visible for a considerable distance beyond the cave, practically mapping out a large sweep of the Hollow and all those within it.

Even the very faintest were detailed enough for their owners to be recognised - Rupert was buried in the depths of a holly thicket not too far away, Lynnett was lying on her belly in the stream, and Bryony was hiding beneath the Child Quoit nearby. Mother Ash shone brightly, as did a vague, large form at the fringe of Sable's vision.

Hard as she tried, Sable couldn't make out more than an ambiguous shape that matched nothing she knew. Curiosity burned bright inside her, but she resisted the urge to investigate, forcing herself to focus on Willow once more, the auras fading. She burrowed her fingers down through the mouse's fur to her skin, wriggling them against it.

"It won't work," Wils told her, not reacting; she doused her light spell and wove one that solidified into crystal. "You _know_that."

"Everybody's ticklish somewhere," Sable insisted, stubbornly. She ran her digits up Willow's torso, flicking every nipple she found.

The mouse didn't so much as twitch, rolling the crystal-spell around the fingers of one hand. "Not me, Shadow."

"Shadow?" asked a voice.

They both jumped, then stared at the blue feline head leaning in.

"How...?"_Sable blinked, then silently groaned. _"No magic."

"Because Sabe's mine," Willow answered Jessica's question.

"Okay." The cat padded up to them, patting their shoulders. "You're both caught. Er...c-can anyone call you that, or...?"

"Just Wils." Sable was blunt. "Do you need us to help forage?"

"No." Jess shook her head. "We've only Rupert and Bryony left."

"We'll go back to Mother Ash, then." Sable stood up. "I think I need to talk to Jen."

Willow scurried off to collect and don her cloth, stuck her crystal orb to her hip, then latched onto the vixen's back. Gripping the knees that stuck out either side of her waist, the fox-girl left the cave, a bemused cat trailing in her wake.

"Saw something?" her passenger asked, nosing her cheek.

"Yes. Don't ask me what it was. I just know it's big."

They soon reached Mother Ash, looping round the trunk to the huge fissure. In front of it Jen and Lynne were energetically tussling, angled low into each other, arms locked about torsos, feet planted wide, legs shoving hard, and tails waving high. The white vixen might have had a slight advantage, but it was hard to tell.

Sable cleared her throat; Jenna's head twisted to look at her, but only for a second. The older fox-girl had slackened off just enough for the otter to shove her off-balance, then belly-first onto the damp grass. A huge, triumphant grin splitting her snout, Lynnett sat on the vixen.

"I win!"

Jenna grumbled, then glowered, not entirely playfully, at Sable and Willow. "Hope you've a good reason for interrupting."

The mouse plopped to the ground. "We're not alone here. Shadow saw something."

"What do you mean 'saw'?" Jen asked. "And what?"

Sable took a deep breath, fiddling her paws. "I can...see magic; when I'm calm enough. The magic inside things, I mean, like a purple glow around them. Does that make any sense...?"

"I think so." Jenna wriggled out from under Lynne, toppling the otter over in the process, and stepped up to Sable. "You see people, with a sheen of purple."

The black fox-girl nodded. "And plants, and anything else with magic in it, brighter the more there is."

"And you saw something you didn't recognise?" Jen continued.

"Yes. Don't know what - just too far away - but it's big."

"All right." The older vixen's nose twitched. "Can you see it now?"

"No; not calm enough." Black ears sagged.

"I can help," Willow chirped; she leant back against Sable.

The younger fox-girl curled her paws around the mouse's chest, and lowered her muzzle to touch their scalp, right between their ears. She breathed deeply, shutting out everything but Willow, and settled. Her eyes opened, and she looked around.

Mother Ash, Jenna and Lynnett all shone brightly; Willow a little less so. Further afield, she saw what had to be Lisa near the thicket Rupert was hiding in. Casting around, she relocated the large form, now clear enough to see properly; one look shocked her off-balance. She landed on her rear, vision vanishing, Willow dropping onto her lap.

"I think..." She swallowed thickly, shaking. "I think...it's a dragon."

"What...?" Jenna husked, trembling herself. "Where?"

"In the middle of the Rambles. It's not moving." Sable clasped Wils to her, protectively.

"Is it hiding?" the mouse asked, muffled as her face was buried in black fur. "Or is it hurt? Or both?"

Jen exhaled, staring where the younger vixen had indicated. "I don't know. Only one way to find out." She straightened up. "Sable - come with me; Lynne and Wils, stay here and tell the others when they join you. Don't let anyone follow."

Sable kissed Willow's forehead, eased her off, then hurried to follow the other fox-girl as she moved away. She caught Jen's paw, and they shared a quick, fortifying nuzzle. Though anxiety saw them moving at a tentative pace, it still didn't take long to reach a large and maze-like swathe of furrows, tunnels and earthen bridges. Nerves spiking, they descended into the Rambles.

Jenna leading, they shuffled sideways along the channels, moved on hands and knees through the burrows, and tiptoed across the narrow bridges, working towards the centre. By the time they were creeping along the last furrow, that curved in to the core, their hearts had risen to their throats, hammering hard.

Something shifted close by; they froze, listening intently. Something paced closer, on heavy feet; they hunkered down side-by-side, shaking and holding their breath. Something scraped against the other side of the ridge, and along the top; they looked up, and came nose-to-nose, quite literally in Sable's case, with the dragon.

It had craned a fairly long neck over the earthen barrier, angling its head, tapered and almost slim, straight down to the vixens. The wide nostrils at the end of the muzzle sniffed deeply of the snout they were touching, while bright yellow slit-eyes regarded its owner intently. The dragon then moved to Jenna, inspecting her just as closely.

"Pretty little Pelts," a smoothly throaty, warmly feminine voice lilted in their minds, while what looked uncannily like a smile curved up the long muzzle. "Can we be friends?"

"F...friends...?" Jenna stuttered, confounded. Sable just gaped.

"Friends,"_the dragon repeated, very lightly nuzzling them, tone rich with hope."I'm tired of being alone."_

The fox-girls looked at each other, faces strained with disbelief, then as one started to gasp with incredulous laughter.

The dragon's smile faltered, her ear-like frills drooping. Sable reacted first, reaching up a paw to the brown head three times the size of her own, patting what she took to be the cheek.

"We'll be friends!" she insisted, breathlessly. "Call me Sable!"

Jenna mirrored her actions. "We're just...surprised. And I'm Jenna."

The smile came back even stronger, the dragon's snout nudging their cheeks in what might well have been a kiss. "Thank you! I'm-"

"Child!"_Bellowed a rougher, deeper voice in all three minds. _"Return to us this instant!"

The dragon cringed, pain writ large across her face, then withdrew, a scale falling to the ground between the vixens. "I have to leave. We'll meet again, I promise."

"But...!" They both cried out, surging to their feet and straining to see over the ridge, Sable jumping in place.

The latter snatching up the scale, they scrambled to the centre area, but the dragon was gone. A brief, heavy rustling of leaves came from the nearest fringe of the Hollow, then silence. The fox-girls rushed out of the Rambles and over to the trees, to find a solid wall of hawthorn with no trace of anything having passed through.

Slumping, Sable groaning softly, they turned to walk back to Mother Ash. After but a few paces a low rumble rolled across the clouds, and the rain grew rapidly thicker, until it was nearly drumming against their fur. They broke into a run, skirting the Rambles and reaching Mother Ash in under a minute.

The others were gathered right by the cleft in her trunk. As Jen and Sable arrived the ivy hanging over the opening lifted up and wide, and several motes lit up inside. The group rushed into the hollow, the ivy curving closed behind them. After much shaking of fur they settled in a mass, the two young vixens at the centre.

"Well?" Bryony prompted, curiosity making her bolder.

"She's incredible!" Jenna gushed. "Beautiful!"

"She wants to be friends!" Sable whooped.

"What, with all of us?" Rupert asked.

"Maybe." Jenna tilted her head. "I'd think so."

"Where is she?" Willow asked, eyes shining with interest. "Still in the Rambles?"

"She got called away," Jenna explained. "By another dragon, I think."

"She said we'd meet again, though," Sable assured. "Oh, and she left this behind!" She held up the scale.

"Ohh!" six voices chorused, six utterly rapt faces craning for a closer look; no-one tried to take it, though.

"Maybe she'll come back before we're gone!" Lynne suggested.

"We certainly won't be going anywhere for a while," Jenna noted, as another low rumble sounded. "Hope nobody minds."

"I'm okay with it," Jess told her, leaning against her side. "Starting to feel comfortable, here."

Jen looped an arm about the cat. "Here, Oakden, or here, with us?"

"Both." A smiling Jessica nuzzled the fox-girl's cheek, while her paws patted various bits of the others pressed around them, to no reaction other than pats and smiles back. She giggled. "No-one cares!"

"That's where you're wrong." Jenna kissed the side of her snout, and ruffled the ears of Lisa, curled up in her sister's lap.

Jess giggled louder. "Any ideas what to do until it stops raining?"

Sable grinned. "I've got one or two."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ben strolled into the Hollow as the rain was fading, and the cloud was starting to thin; the last, faint rumble sent a tremble through him. As he neared Mother Ash, his ears twitched to lively laughter from within the grand old tree's trunk. His curiosity piqued, he crept closer, up to where the ivy hung over the fissure. He had to clamp his muzzle with a paw not to laugh at what he saw.

The group were gathered in a tight mass, their paws randomly linked together, twisting, bending and contorting in all manner of ways to try and untangle themselves without letting go. There was much jostling and bumping and stumbling, and a ceaseless stream of laughter. Jess and Lisa, he was delighted to note, were fully involved.

Not without reluctance he cleared his throat. Eight heads snapped to look at him. "Sorry to break up the fun, but it's time, Jen."

Jenna sighed, then nodded. "All right. Has the rain stopped?"

"Just." Ben caught Bryony as she ran out to him, setting her on his left hip and sharing a firm press of muzzles.

"Typical," Sable playfully groused, as the group left Mother Ash, then lit up. "Oh, Ben! You'll never, ever guess what happened!"

Ben perked his ears. "Tell me as we walk back."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It was a far more energised Ben that led the group to where Kyra was waiting, outside their den. He wasted no time in filling her in.

"A dragon?!" She looked stunned, ears and whiskers flicking. "In the Hollow?! And she wanted to be friends?! You're not making this up?"

Sable gave her the scale; Kyra stared at it in something very close to wonder. "This isn't a...oh, good Dama..." She breathed deep, her eyes closing. When they opened again, they were keen, and fixed on Sable and Jenna in particular. "If she contacts you again, tell me." She gave the scale back. "Keep that safe and secret. I'll try to talk to the wood dragons, make sure of where they stand. For now, though, I need to talk to Jen and Ben."

Most of the group filed into the den - Willow and Sable chattering to each other animatedly, Bry exchanging licks with Ben - then Kyra led her son and daughter to the west at a purposeful pace. They stopped in front of the sealed-up den; Jenna's tail started to flick; Ben's did the same, his ears pricking.

"Weaver found this den's door left open last night," the older vulpine explained. "She rushed to get me, I came to look, and, well..." A wave of her paw dispersed the magical barrier. "See for yourselves."

Ben moved forward first, the door sliding aside; Jenna followed tight on his heels. The small chamber beyond should have been filled by a nest, but instead stood empty, barring a pawful of scrolls and scraps of vellum in the three alcoves around the walls, a straw mat on the bare stone floor, and a large dragon skull staring grimly up at them. Blood was flecked and streaked in several places around the room.

Kyra gave her son and daughter a few moments to take it all in, then stepped past them, standing in the middle of the chamber. "Someone has been living here; someone skilled enough in magic to hide all trace of their presence until now. I've checked this den eight times over the last year, and found only one thing untoward. Take a sniff and tell me what you smell."

Two noses quivered. "Nothing," was the joint conclusion.

"Nothing_at all_," Jenna added. "It's empty. So that's what set my tail all a-twitch."

Kyra nodded. "Whoever was hiding in here cleaned their scent tracks a little too well."

"Yet someone else still found them," Ben surmised. "And the meeting didn't go well."

"Badly enough for both parties to flee without cleaning up, restoring whatever magic hid the reality of this den, or even locking the door. I think it's safe to say neither came out of this unharmed."

"So why no tracks of blood leading out of here?" Jenna asked.

"Maybe one of them came back?" Ben suggested. "But then why not clean in here?" He rubbed his snout. "Do we have any idea how long it was between the fight and Weaver finding the door open?"

"Not long," Kyra answered. "The blood was still fresh."

"No-one heard anything?" Jenna wondered. "They must have made a serious racket."

"Only two dens in this branch are taken, both at the other end. The resident of one was shutting up their stall in Market Square, the other was in Woodlea. No-one else nearby heard anything, but one of the West Denners thought they glimpsed a figure vanishing into the West Entrance junction. They can't swear to a race, except they were quite tall, but they're adamant they were injured; clutching an arm."

"So fox, cat, otter, badger, wolf and maybe hare." Ben grimaced. "Not very helpful, but it does give us an area to focus on; I doubt they were in the mood to take the long way to wherever they're hiding."

"Indeed not. The upper part of Dens West and all of Dens North are home to a lot more Pelts, so there aren't many empty dens. Rissa had a look at them last night and this morning, but found nothing."

"So we've got another master magic user," Jenna reasoned, "or it was someone living here. Or...they left through the West Entrance."

"Meaning they could be hiding in Deepdell Forest," Ben concluded.

"I consider that the most likely place, yes," Kyra concurred. "We'll see about searching the obvious areas soon. "

"What about the second party?" Jen asked. "Any trace?"

Kyra shook her head. "None at all. They might as well have vanished into thin air. Sherwood and Forrest have a few ideas, but nothing they feel confident enough about to share. If nothing else, it reinforces the suspicion we're dealing with someone of serious magical skill."

Jenna's ears shot up. "The Adepts! Didn't they take over the Guild of Magic in Portbridge a while back?"

Kyra gave a thin smile. "They're a strong possibility, especially given their interests and associates, which brings up the bigger issue - what were they doing here?"

"Nothing on the scrolls?" Ben pointed to one.

"Nothing easily readable. Sherwood and Forrest are working on ways to unlock the magic securing their contents, but it'll take a while."

Jenna crouched in front of the dragon skull. "It must have been to do with our large, scaly friends, or why have this here?"

"Indeed." Kyra nodded again. "And that's where you two come in. It can only have been taken from the Dragon Tomb, so I'm going to try to convince the wood dragons to let us enter it."

"And by 'us', you mean Pudge and I?" Ben guessed.

"Correct, as Rissa and Theo will be busy looking for our two uninvited guests, and besides, they're more likely to accept you, especially since Jenna's now made contact with a dragon."

"I'd like someone else to come along," Ben mused, "but Lia and Lupe will be tied up in Woodlea for a few days..." He thought for a bit, then his ears rose. "Mayla! We're meeting her in two days, aren't we? She can join, if we all agree she's solid, and she wants to."

"Works for me," Jen concurred.

"All right, then." Kyra's smile grew; she ushered them out. "Barring a couple of details from the web, we're about done."

"Anything about Jess?" Jenna was quick to ask.

"Not yet, but someone's going to Feddon to investigate. We should hear back from them in a couple of days. The other news was all the way from Sylvaala - Cutler's been taken down; by a wandering vixen a year younger than Ben, no less." Her smile turned knowing.

Ben gaped. "There's no possible way..."

"Oh, and they think there's a mass of storms coming. They believe they'll arrive there some time tomorrow."

Ben's ears splayed. "Meaning they'll probably arrive here when we're meeting with Mayla." He groaned. "Just my rotten luck..."