I avoided staring at Vee as she stepped out of the bushes. I was quite pleased that my humans had been the first to show up. I reminded myself not to use any of their names until they introduced themselves. Instead of staring at her, I focused on the fish I was cooking, small things I’d caught from the stream. Dendra had provided me with some herbs to flavor them with, and I was curious to see how the flavor would change.

Without glancing in her direction, I motioned for Vee to take a seat by the fire.

“Um, okay. I have four more coming along behind me, if you don’t mind?” She seemed unsure of what to say.

I shrugged.

“Don’t mind him. He’s adorable, but not much of a talker,” said Dendra, who’d draped herself over my shoulder. She’d been quite clingy and touchy since her new tree was planted.

“Right…” As Vee approached, a root pushed itself up from the ground and molded itself into a shape much like a stool, opposite the fire from where I was squatting.

I looked up from the fire and inspected the woman as she sat down. She looked much like what James knew human to look like, though her ears were slightly pointed, and her eyes were an amber color that didn’t match anything he’d ever seen. She kept her bow in hand as she sat down, while her other hand rested on a knife sheathed at her belt. I could smell the anxiety on her as clear as I could see it. She seemed to be somewhat unnerved by me.

Her tension would be noted by her companions when they arrived, and a full group of nervous adventurers might be an annoyance to deal with, so I aimed to diffuse her anxiety.

“I’m Shaper,” I said. Then I pointed to the dryad, “That’s Dendra. You want fish?” I pointed at the fish which were roasting on skewers.

She seemed rather perplexed by my offer. Did she not know they were for eating?

I grabbed one of the skewers holding up a fish and held it up to my mouth, then took a large bite from it to demonstrate how it should be eaten. The taste was quite good. Dendra had definitely picked the right plants for seasoning the fish flesh.

The woman hesitantly grabbed one of the fish, and brought it up to her mouth, nibbling on it lightly. Her expression rapidly changed from apprehension to pure culinary bliss. “Sweet forest, this is good! What did you use to season these?”

I shrugged and pointed at the dryad. I literally had no idea what the plants were.

Dendra seemed rather pleased with herself as she answered. “It’s a mixture of dried Elf’s Breath and Slime Pepper. And the wood it was cooked over is from my own tree. I don’t often feast on the flesh of animals, but this has long been one of my favorite ways to prepare it. Shaper here, as adorable as he is, is actually a fairly terrible cook. He’s always all about the meat. Never thinks of how to spice it up or complement its flavors.”

I shrugged again, and Dendra giggled as she was lifted from the ground by the motion. “Tastes good now.”

I turned to look at the edge of the clearing where the other four stepped into view, then turned my attention back to the skewered fish I was eating. Dendra created more root stools for the arriving visitors, the invitation unspoken but obvious.

As the confused quartet came forward and settled onto their seats around the fire, Vee tore her attention away from the fish she’d begun devouring and cleared her throat. “Ahem. I’m Vee. This is my adventuring party. Grix is the half-giant. Trella is our red fox Kin mage. The lizard Kin are the twins, Sil and Sul. Guys? This is Shaper, and the Dryad clinging to him is Dendra.”

I gave a half-hearted wave and felt Dendra do the same.

The three males all eyed me warily, though Trella’s mouth hung agape.

“Are… Are you a Ravager?” She asked.

I nodded and continued to eat my fish. I motioned to the other fish skewered by the fire; there were more than enough for each person to take one.

Vee spoke up. “Try it, it is super good. Miss Dendra, you are amazing.”

Dendra giggled at the compliment.

The others moved to take the fish, except the fox woman. “Guys! Don’t you get it?! Don’t you know about the Ravager clan?!”

She looked to the others, practically panting and reeking of fear. Her terrified gaze was met with a complete lack of understanding.

I cocked my head and looked at her. Dendra hadn’t told me much about the Kin race I was imitating.

She shrank away from my gaze and shivered.

I finished my snack and grabbed another fish. The fox Kin woman flinched at the movement.

I had no idea how to deal with her, and it seemed like she was prepared to ruin my infiltration before it had truly begun.

“Don’t worry, girl. Shaper here is the sweetest, most adorable Ravager ever. Probably because he doesn’t really remember much of his life, but…” I could feel Dendra shrug emphatically as she trailed off. She pinched the cheek of my muzzle and pulled on it lightly. “See? Totally docile and sweet.”

After a few moments of continued cheek pinching, I lightly swatted her hand away. She’d been doing that a lot since I took this form, and it was mildly irritating.

One of the lizard brothers spoke up at that point. “We’ve not heard of their clan before, but it would not be right to judge him by the actions of his ancestors or relatives. Clans change with time. Our own clan once hunted other clans for sport, yet you do not fear us. He is intimidating, certainly, but he doesn’t seem unreasonable. He’s invited us to share warmth on this chilly morning and well-prepared food. Save your fear for when it is warranted, Trella.”

Chastised, Trella averted her gaze.

“Sil, you just spoke more words for this stranger than I’ve heard you say in the last year. You like these fish that much?” The half-giant guffawed at his own joke. The reptilian Kin just shrugged his own shoulders in response and took another bite of fish.

“Then he should be praising me, Shaper’s not a very good cook,” Dendra said, preening.

The other lizard brother laughed and continued eating.

Dendra continued speaking. “Anyways, Shaper doesn’t have much in the way of memories before I found him sleeping in my lap. However, he was wanting to learn how to properly cast spells. Do you think one of you could teach him? Or maybe introduce him to someone who could?”

The other four all turned their eyes to Trella, who had just worked up the courage to take one of the fish skewers. “Me?!” She spluttered, having just managed to put the morsel to her mouth. “I can’t teach you,” she said as she tried to regain her composure. “I’m not even that good of a mage outside my clan’s specialties. I don’t know. Maybe I can introduce you to someone?”

I nodded.

The group fell into silence for a few minutes after that, before the fox woman spoke up once more. “What’s with that spear? It feels alive. And hungry.”

I shrugged.

“He showed up with it,” Dendra lied. “Couldn’t really tell me much about where it came from or how it was made. But he sure can use it well. He must’ve killed two or three hundred goblins with it as we trekked our way here.”

“Two hundred goblins?” Vee asked. “Did he wade through one of their warrens?”

“Nope. There were tons of them out and about. Must have been thousands of them wandering the area.”

“Lots of them,” I added. “Many small groups, and some very large that I went around. Their stench was everywhere.”

The five adventurers traded uneasy glances.

“Were they headed this way?” Vee asked.