The bond took River a minute to prepare as she weaved between the three of them. Each thread woven them tightly until the final bond brought her insight into how they felt. A little clump of Sela, Sam and Chip sat at the base of her skull.

“I feel…stronger,” Sela said flexing his muscles.

“I do too, but yeah what I really feel is.. your presence,” Chip said gesturing to each of the three others in turn, “and yours and yours. Sam you’re giddy and I think I feel how much you like me… and Sela you feel … calm?”

Sela patted him on the back, lingering.

“Calm as a rock,” he said, “Sword forms would be easy as heck now.”

River felt empty as she wrung the last of her red mist out. She grabbed a sweetroll and began munching.

“I can jump super high now!” Sam said, testing out her legs,”Oh River, this is marvelous.”

“You don’t even know how high you used to be able to jump but now?” Chip ribbed her.

Chip felt like a solid mass of… was that hope? River tried to tug on his bond, looking for it.

“River! Let’s get you fed, you feel hungry… have you ever done this before?” Sam said, crowding the druid.

Chip and Sela picked River up, one wing on each shoulder. They started in to town. Selas pack clanged with the fish tins and wooden sticks.

“Today, we welcome all of the contestants! Now the rules here are very complex, however according to the mole inquiry office, they are fair. As we have three wonderful blast furnaces to parse out, we will first get the contestants from last year to leave the Blastfurnace area, as expected. You won’t get the additional help from those,” Baron Cornflowers voice rang out. The small yellow mouse stood poised over a little outcropping of rock. The judges sat arrayed around him but this talk was just for the contestants.

The Baron kept going on, going over the minute details that Uncle Brit would make sure that Chip followed.

A raised voice and a cough stopped the noise from the rabble rousers as the Baron let a raven give the invocation.

“Nithe Bless these contestants, and bring luck to the harvest and our continuing bounty,” the small robed Raven said. Her black eyes made River look almost pale in comparison, Chip mused.

“Good luck to all of the contests and I hope that today’s harvest has given you the ingredients you need.”

With thise words, Chip and His uncle tromped over to their stand.

“Mr. Steal your pearl, good luck to you,” Sam said, setting up a row of spices on the table for Chip to display his wares. The Baron would pay for everything this week, the sellers would only have to keep track using the marble chits that they bought. Those marbles would be counted and paid out but also used to determine who the crowd favorite was.

“Sam, okay remember the plan,” Chip said.

“Sell! Sell! Sell!” Came the voices of Sela and Sam in chorus.

“Okay, you two,” Uncle Brit said, cleaning something in his apron. His big paws came clean to show a teacup.

“I’m off to guard mount,” Sela said, kissing Sam and the Chip in turn,” Hope to see you soon.”

Sam padded his bottom.

“Love to see an otter in uniform,” she said.

Chip looked down to his apron, then up and then down and the at her.

“That’s a fine uniform, nephew,” Uncle Brit said,”If your raft mate doesn’t appreciate it, then those are the cards.”