Three chickens sat atop a small ridge. Each turned to watch them as they approached. One by one their riders nodded, first to Freya, then to River.

"Are you ready to move, druid?" Woda said, his voice a mere hint above a whisper.

River took a moment to account for her companions.

Far from her, Crenshaw the mouse sat guarding against anything any everything. Stone the otter was antsy and ready to get into serious action. Woda was the picture of calm beneath the river surface. She was the river.

The druid swept them up in her wake, leading forward. The tug of one of her rangers pulled her inexorably towarxs them.

Otters had many advantages, most importantly to River was their ability to move through bodies of water. Otter rangers could do all of that and then some. Chip and Sam were on a mission, but Sela had answered the call.

There was no question, she knew her would. Unfortunately without Chip she couldn't confirm her suspicions, but she would return. It was more important for them to train new rangers.

The circle was hurting for them. Each year, beasts bled their ranks and fewer and fewer suitable initiates were found. Rangers that clung to one druid, like Woda had were a precious resource. One that the druids couldn't squander.

This one, well they would need her.

Not one to stand on ceremony, River’s brief pause turned into a long moment of her listening to the ambiance.

After what almost felt like too long, River set off again. Woda fell in behind her and Freya behind him.

Once they were moving at a good clip again, River pushed off her chicken and flapped straight up. She moved back into her overwatch position.

Freya looked lile she wanted to fly up there, but she must be hungry by now. River knew the feeling.

The emptiness after using all of her magic, that feeling that there was no more to give, it was familiar to her. Many times she had spent nearly all she had, only to find a small reserve just when she needed it.

That small amount of magic, a whiff of red mist seemed to be much more than the jar that Freya had started with. To see her develop in her own way, River was happy but pragmatic. She’d spent time with many novice druids but Freya's potential was only matched by her inability to fully control her weaves.

Now she sat, shocked and silent.

River missed the chattering.

The eerie silence was a welcome sensation once they got far enough away from the bear.

Woda signaled for a halt up front after an hour of patrolling.

River swooped down to join the circle of creatures. She’d nearly recovered her hearing, if not her resolve. The bond with her closest ranger pulsed calm as she landed.

"Are you hurt, lass?" Stone said, the first one to break the silence.

River appreciated that Woda kept it as professional as Sela did. Perhaps it was the ranger training? Or he could possibly have been messed up in the head.

"Stone, I'm well I just… that was an experience that I don't wish to relive."

"Understandably, young miss, my first encounter with a beast did not go nearly as well," Crenshaw said.

Freya trembled visibly and River felt a kinship. She’d had a similar tough experience before, but had learned and grown through it.

"If you're not physically harmed, did you actually attempt to bond a bear?"

The old greying mice both looked taken aback at this.

"I-I-I," Freya stammered,"I froze and I did what came naturally! I don't know how else to explain it!"

"So you see a beast of unimaginable size," Stone said,"and your first thought is, 'Awww it's so cute lemme make it my pet?' That's something else."

River glared at him.

"Your son and his raft are not my pets, Father," River scoffed.

"It just seems like that sometimes, daughter. It would be nice if I could appreciate having them around more often."

"Rangers go where they are needed, and Yellowrock is quite secure. It's difficult to explain why we need them at home when so many foul beasts exist. But it matters not, one of them will meet us where we are going."

Stone breathed a sigh of relief.

"How do you know this?" Crenshaw ventured,"I didn't know exactly how far the bond works but."

"A druid has her ways."

"If we're all good?" Freya appealed.

"We're all good. Five minutes?"

The druid's eyes broke no compromise.

"Five minutes, druid aye."

"Five minutes, daughter."

"Hmmm."

The two elder warriors and the otter dismounted and began to check their gear

River flew off to the side to relieve herself and then broke open some chicken feed.

The damned birds had earned it. Someday someone would beware of chickens that Freya had bonded to scouts.

Unfortunately for River, today was not the day.