Twenty minutes later, Abigail was thoroughly impressed with the control Freya had over her chickens. They moved with her and even though Freya had offered her to ride her own chicken, Abigail had wisely, at least in her own mind, chosen to ride on the same chicken Freya was riding.

What made matters worse was apparently, the chicken had taken it as a challenge to its honor that it would go as fast as it could, racing the other riderless chicken behind them.

Abigail was less impressed with that chicken as it pulled ahead. She held tight onto Freya, who in turn was holding onto the chicken's neck with some rope contraption. Abigail wished that she had paid attention to that in school rather than the time she had spent pining over the male foxes.

“It’s going faster because it isn’t carrying one of us. That’s probably not fair to the chicken we’re riding,” Abigail said. “Are they usually this competitive?”

“Not so much,” Freya said. “I know we just had tea, but… are you feeling hungry? I’m a little peckish already.”

“I’m very full, but I would never turn down tea,” Abigail said.

They passed by the Bun estate, rolling plowed fields turning to meet a dirt road and low stone fences.

Freya just ate three biscuits and she’s still hungry? Abigail thought. She has been looking a little bit thinner recently. I shouldn’t say anything, right?

Abigail was interrupted by a handful of rabbits and mice that were walking down the road in formation. They all wore the fatigues of Soldiers, seeming to blend in with the grass and dirt exceedingly well.

“Are you expecting visitors, Freya?” Abigail asked.

“I wasn’t but… these are not suitors,” Freya said.

They arrived at the Uki estate and put the chickens into the pen. The rabbits and the mice continued on towards them. Abigail saw Freya's grandfather talking to a rabbit near the road as they dismounted. She hadn’t noticed them on their approach but as Freya locked the pen, the two of them approached.

It was Captain Bell, of course. Abigail cursed that she would not be able to pretend she hadn’t found the rascal already at the Uki estate. Holly would be pissed when she found out.

“Ah, Miss Smith, Miss Uki!” the rabbit said, approaching the pair. “I believe that I have the good fortune to have arrived at just the right time. I’ve invited some of the scouts to take a look at the chickens and perhaps evaluate if they are something that we can use over long distances.”

Woda split from the rabbit to feed the chickens. He nodded to Abigail and Freya.

“Good afternoon, Captain Bell,” Freya said, smiling.

Abigail pushed her displeasure deep down as she nodded to the rabbit. Freya could hardly be blamed if she wasn’t encouraging his interest, but at a certain point could she have said no to such an opportunity?

“Captain Bell!” Abigail said. “ What news from the front? It goes well, I hope?”

His face darkened for a second.

“Not nearly as well as I hoped,” he said. “Now that I have eyes in every far off base, it paints a rough picture for the coalition. I am hoping that the chickens might help us get the word from the front faster. Our aviary friends are being run ragged, sending messages back and forth. I am looking for an edge in the stalemate we have against one of the rogue cat warlords.”

“I’ll do my best to show off their capabilities, but I’m feeling a little weak at the moment,” Freya said.

The scouts took that moment to round the bend. Approaching them at a slow pace, Abigail was struck by how normal and in their element they seemed. They neither seemed hurried nor slow, and it struck her as more like the inexorable passage of water down a stream than a march.

The creatures assembled in a gaggle around Captain Bell, waiting for some command.

He turned to address them, “I’ve asked Miss Uki to demonstrate how chickens can be ridden, and I think some of you may have watched her come in on one. We need to test their capabilities before we can use them, or at least before the Queen decides to invest in them.”

Abigail watched the creatures, who all seemed intent and engaged with whatever was about to happen. Freya smoothed her whiskers as she led them over to the cage.

Captain Bell stayed back with Abigail as the creatures all crowded around Freya.

“What do you think she will do that she hasn’t done by riding past them?” Abigail said.

“I should hope at least one of my people gets a chance to ride a chicken,” Captain Bell replied. “If they’re quiet, it would revolutionize scouting. The enemy can usually pick out one of our aviary scouts from the air, but they have to be looking for one of our reconnaissance patrols.”

Woda walked over to the barn to gather a second round of seed as Freya spoke briefly to the assembled scouts.

About twelve scouts crowded by the entrance as Freya opened the door. For a brief moment, it appeared to Abigail that Freya was shrouded in red light. Then faster than she could imagine, Freya had fainted.

She didn’t remember sprinting, but within seconds she was holding Freya up as one of the scouts latched the door. She cradled Freya, taking over from an older mouse with a beard.

“We didn’t do nothing miss, she just… passed out,” the older mouse said. “Honest, you saw her.”

“I don’t understand what has happened,” Abigail said. “Get her grandfather! Quickly! He’ll know what to do.”

“Mellers, Andrews,” the gruff bearded mouse said. “Go.”

Abigail noted the paw symbol on the breast of his tunic. He was probably the leader.

The two rabbits tore off to the barn, returning with Woda.

“Ah! What has happened?” Woda said, “Oh…this…”

Freya's breath was ragged.

“She needs to rest, she has overtaxed herself today… This is the druid's curse. She’s over-extended herself without knowing her limitations,” Woda said. “I probably should have talked to her before it got out of hand.”

“Is she going to be okay?” Abigail said, tearing up.

“She’ll be fine…” he said. He looked down and Abigail could see his whiskers drooping over her at that moment. “The poor girl probably didn’t eat enough.”