My group wasn’t the only one who had an eventful time getting to the Rookery. Prevna’s group might not have had to deal with an idiotic pair that went haring off into the woodlands on their own, but they had stumbled into a trap of their own: the territory of an overgrown bloody grasper.

Bloody graspers were cousins with the bloated graspers I had used to help trap the festerlings. The plants looked nearly identical, but the bloody grasper had small red dots on the base of its leaves. And where the bloated graspers used their sticky sap to trap insects, the bloody graspers went for bigger game. Normally that meant small animals, but they could get big enough that elk calves and children could be added to its diet. The other group should still have been too big for it, but that apparently hadn’t mattered.

Idra’s invisible shield had been useless since the vines were already all around them and underfoot before they realized the danger. Dera and her panicked and were nearly swallowed by the plant before Andhi’s ice claws and Ento’s floating daggers saved the day. Prevna had spent the fight helping defend Loclen from the lashing, encircling vines since she didn’t have as much combat or hunting experience.

Then they camped too close to a stream that flooded. It wasn’t enough to drown anyone or pull them away in the current, but all of their stuff got waterlogged. They lost some of their preserved food that way, and Ento, Prevna, and Dera got sick as the following day turned cloudy and windy. They were all recovered now, but they lost a few days to Ento developing a pretty bad fever.

The other group also didn’t have Wren with her training under a Navigator and her ability to talk to birds, so it took them longer to head in the right direction and find their way to the Rookery. They managed to beat us here because their Sapling hadn’t insisted that they stay in one spot until one person gave them permission to move on.

Then again, from what Prevna said, it also sounded like the other group hadn’t fractured like we had. Instead, Prevna had used the chance to get to know the others all a little better.

I got a knowing look and shake of the head when she heard how my journey had gone. Apparently, it made sense that my group would run into two different types of unnatural monsters. She was surprised to hear about Juniper’s breakdown though and that I hadn’t ignored everyone completely. Still, Prevna was caught somewhere between amusement, annoyance, and exasperated at my spats with Ulo and her expression got real dark when I quietly shared that two memories had taken me over in as little words as possible before she gave me another quick hug.

That night everyone was gathered around a cook fire separate from the Rookery tribe, near the bottom of the cliff. We could have gathered with them, but we learned it was something of a tradition for them to let us have space to ourselves the first night a cohort reunited at the Rookery. Even Fern and her counterpart were encouraged to give us space. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Saplings enjoyed the break too.

While everyone had split to be with their usual groups when we first met up, it was interesting to see that the lines were somewhat redrawn and looser around the cook fire.

Prevna sat nearby with Loclen, Dera, and Wren while they caught up more and marveled at the Rookery. Juniper had somehow found her way next to me, frowning at the practice scenario I had set up, while Idra glared at me from across the fire. Ento was pressed up against her, talking to Breck. Andhi and Nii were having their own private discussion at the edge of firelight while Ulo was obsessively practicing with her spear beyond them.

I could have ignored Juniper in favor of the collection of sticks and stones at my feet, but the longer I tried, the more I remembered the defeated way her head had dropped onto my shoulder.

“Why aren’t you with the other two?” I asked as I rubbed the side of my nose.

Her gaze flicked up to mine before I saw purposefully focus on the practice scenario. “Where is this supposed to be?”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. That was one of the worst deflections I had seen. “Did they forget how to interact with a third person while you were separated?”

“No.”

I waited.

She pointed. “You promised to help teach me.”

“With shadow walking, not everything else.” I started to put away the stones and sticks she was pointing at.

“Hey!” At Juniper’s exclamation, Idra started to rise from her spot, but then Juniper waved her off and she sat back down with a frown.

Prevna also caught my eye at the same moment and gave me a look that said it wouldn’t hurt me to be nicer. Which was all well and good for her to imply, but I hadn’t quite decided if Juniper was safe yet.

So I gave her another out. “It looks they would welcome you back over.”

Juniper shook her head. “I don’t need to be babysat.”

I crossed my arms. “Well, I don’t need to be some kind of point you’re making.”

She crossed her arms too. “I’m not leaving so you might as well put the scenario back out. I wanted to come up with another strategy.”

“Strategies are worthless if you freeze up when it’s time to use them.”

“I don’t freeze up.”

“Fine. They’re useless when you give up because something unexpected happened and then things didn’t go your way.”

Juniper opened her mouth, closed it. It didn’t take her long after that to get up and drift towards the placid lake that the odd waterways ran into. Idra glared at me again before Ento and her broke off their conversation with Breck to go after her.

Prevna made a graceful exit out of her own conversation to come sit next to me. “What was that?”

“She was bothering me.”

“Everything bothers you. It didn’t seem like you were trying to cut her to the quick at first.”

I shifted, not willing to admit the truth while meeting her gaze. “I wanted to know why she was here and not over there.” I gestured to where Idra and Ento had been sitting.

Prevna bumped my shoulder with hers. “So you chased her away?”

“Just proving a point.” I shrugged.

Prevna snorted before sighing in exasperation. “You should go after her.”

“Why?” I snapped my head around to stare at her.

“Because earlier you told me ‘not yet’ when I asked if you wanted to join the others. If you want anyone you can actually join you’re going to have to let them know you’re more than sharp edges and painful retorts.”

“That didn’t put you off,” I muttered.

She didn’t honor the comment with acknowledgment.

“Go let her know you didn’t mean to be mean, and I won’t tell Chirp that you have a secret stash of bugs just for him,” Prevna teased.

I couldn’t give in that easily even though the thought of Chirp pestering me until he got a handful of bugs I didn’t have sounded like a nightmare. “Idra and Ento already went after her.”

“That doesn’t mean you can’t go over there too.” Prevna gave me a sidelong judgmental look. “You have until I get over to Wren to start walking in that direction.”

I stubbornly stayed sitting while she got up and walked towards the group she had been with.

Prevna didn’t wait until she rejoined them to act on her threat. “Hey, Chirp—”

I scrambled to my feet and she had the audacity to wink at me as I strode past her and into the dark. Thankfully the area we were in had been grazed recently, so the grass didn’t reach up to my knees and cause me to step awkwardly. The cliff loomed overhead though, and made the everything harder to see than it would have been under the early night sky.

Keeping my steps quiet out of habit, I continued forward until I started to hear voices. Then I edged a little closer and dropped low to the ground so that I could eavesdrop on Juniper, Idra, and Ento over the sounds of gently running water. Really, I knew Prevna wanted me to walk up to them and announce myself, but that would be a waste of an opportunity.

“—fine! Okay? I just needed some air.” That was Juniper.

“There’s air all around us. Come to think of it, I think there was some at the cook fire too.” And that was Ento.

Idra’s harsh voice broke in next. “I know Gimley did something! You should just let me punch her already. She deserves it. A little tap at the very least.”

“She’s helping me.”

“It sure didn’t look like it.”

“Things didn’t go like they were supposed to on the journey here. I…they didn’t go like they were supposed to. Gimley can shadow walk between trees and she practices strategy and she…she doesn’t panic. Those are things I need.” That was certainly more praise from Juniper than I was expecting.

“You have those.” Idra sounded stubborn.

“I have training. I thought that meant that I was ready and prepared, but, apparently, I’m not even good enough to be saved right away, and I couldn’t even pull myself together enough to get out of a tree when I was touching its shadow. Instead, I nearly got Breck and Gimley killed.”

“You care too much about what they think. You proved yourself on the shore. Once we go back to the tribe you’ll be fine.”

“I need to be capable in all situations and right now I’m failing!”

“No one’s perfect.” Ento again.

“They are if they carry the pearl for the Water Frond Snake,” Juniper snapped.

That shut them all up.

I was debating about revealing myself versus waiting for them to move away when Juniper spoke again, “Just give me some space. I can’t just rely on you.”

Ento replied, “That’s what we’re here for.”

“Well, figure something else out for a bit.”

Idra muttered a curse and huffed, and then I heard footsteps thumping back in my direction. It was a quick debate between laying still and popping upright to pretend like I had just been on way to see them. Laying still won. Idra and Ento walked past about a dozen feet away without seeing me.

I could only thank the cliff’s shadow.

When they were far enough away that I was sure they wouldn’t see me I got up and made my way over to where Juniper was staring sullenly at the lake. I could have left her alone, but I knew better than to underestimate Prevna’s abilities to figure out what I had done or not, and somehow Chirp begging me for food seemed pretty likely if I didn’t follow all the way through.

“If you still want to practice shadow walking meet me tomorrow morning at the cook fire before the morning meal.”

Juniper startled at my voice, but I turned and left before she could much more of a reaction than that. She’d show up or she wouldn’t. Either way I had done what I was supposed to do.