The forest grew still, as if holding its collective breath. It was the hush that gave them away. Standing, Mingan turned to survey his surroundings. There was a rustle of movement behind a tangle of manzanita. A large black crow perched among the branches of a massive Douglas fir.

Mingan narrowed his eyes. "Why are you here?" he growled.

A giggle from the bushes to the right broke the silence, and a spray of small birds took flight.

"Damn!" came a muttered response from high up in the boughs of the fir.

"Hiding in plain sight might have worked," said Mingan, "if it weren't so obvious you are only playing at being those forms."

He had recognized Lokni in his black feathered crow form first. Wherever Lokni was to be found, Hayeta, the red fox, was not far behind.

"You're off your game," said Lokni, as he leapt from his perch, landing with ease from the impressive height. "I was nearly on you." He'd shifted from midair, landing in a crouch in his human guise. His clothes were characteristically dark and versatile: jeans, a well fitted shirt and running shoes. He brushed a thick sweep of inky hair from his eyes, an attempt at nonchalance.

"Told you you couldn't sneak up on him," Hayeta called out, making her way through the bushes, no longer making any attempt at stealth.

Mingan ignored the comment. "Why are you here?" he repeated as he gathered his belongings.

"We were told you could use some backup." Hayeta ran a hand through chin length, dark, red tinted hair. She was a head shorter than her brother, copper skinned and athletically built. Lokni was lean, verging on thin, his skin a number of shades lighter than hers. Despite their differences, there was a strong resemblance between them. They shared the same high cheekbones, strong, handsome features, and keen, bright eyes; Lokni's were an icy blue, while Hayeta's were somewhere between gold and green.

"I was avoiding anything to do with company. Can't imagine what I'd need 'back up' for," Mingan grumbled.

"Our instructions were vague," Hayeta explained with a shrug. "Well, except for where to find you." She picked up Mingan's battered, leather hat off the rock above the spring, dusting it off before putting it on. "Hmm... not a bad fit. Can I have it?"

"No, you can't." Mingan snatched it off her head. "You must have been told more than that." He crammed his hat down on his head with more force than was necessary.

"The Bear Clan is sniffing about," Lokni filled in. "So here we are, to the rescue." With a dismissive wave of his hand, his voice dripping with sarcasm, he continued, "Much to our utter and complete delight." He made no attempt to hide his resentment at being called out into the forest to play second fiddle. He'd grown into his power, working diligently over the years, and yet here he was, mere backup, as Hayeta had called them.

"The Bear Clan? Black market scavengers and thieves. There is nothing of interest to them out here." Mingan pulled a battered cigarette out of his hat band and lit it.

"According to Sitala there is." There was an arrogance to the smirk Lokni flashed in Mingan's direction. "And she seems to think it's more than you can handle alone."

"I have been in these woods for weeks -- " As if on cue, a shiver of magic made Mingan's hair stand on end. He narrowed his eyes, feeling the tell-tale pulse of world-rending gate magic out for its source. It seemed to reverberate through the ground, and the forest grew utterly silent. Though the animals could not sense it as the three Mythics could, the change in the air was hard to miss.

"Sitala was right!" Hayeta exclaimed. She shifted instantaneously, trading her human form for that of a lithe red fox. She bounded toward the now fading blaze of magic, disappearing into the brush with reckless abandon.

"Of course she was," Mingan muttered, shouldering his pack and starting off. He had no desire to shift. He was in no hurry to confront whatever it was that had caused such a show of magic. This display of power had surely been felt by every Mythic within the region. His cherished solitude was gone, and the task at hand would not be an easy one. Not with a pulse of power of that magnitude.