The entire cohort gathered around the feathered tree the morning after everyone returned to the Rookery. Tufani and Mishtaw had put the word out that punishment would be handed down soon and everyone was expected to be present. Tufani’s hut was still acting as headquarters for the upper half of the Rookery, though the chaos from the harp’s music was winding down, and they didn’t want us in the way. Or getting ideas. So we got regulated to the tree that was symbolic to the Rookery tribe but that most people gave a respectful distance.

Wren was perched up on a bottom branch talking with Chirp while Dera sat on another branch next to hers, looking decidedly more uncomfortable. Ulo leaned up against the tree’s trunk, gloating. She thought she was going to get off without a bit of blame and thought it was very amusing that everyone else was going to get in trouble for going along with my plan. To her credit, Andhi seemed a bit embarrassed at Ulo’s behavior. She was trying to hide it behind a smile and nodding along with whatever Ulo was saying, but I could see the embarrassment in the way she was standing all the same.

Loclen, Nii, and Breck formed another group near the edge of the feathered tree’s branches. They all shared a newfound irritation with me because I had abandoned them in the woods. Loclen thought I had put her through unnecessary effort and discomfort, and Breck warned me that while honor and gaining glory in stories was good, trying to steal glory from others and leaving them without the chance to earn their own stories wasn’t. Nii hadn’t bothered to tell me about her displeasure but I gathered it likely had to do with the fact that the first big thing after her recent split from Andhi and Ulo hadn’t gone well and she blamed me.

Juniper, Ento, and Idra made up another group though they weren’t as at ease with each other as they used to be. Ento and Idra had hardly left Juniper’s side since we returned and both didn’t think well of me for going on without them either. Apparently, they rescued Juniper or no one did. Between her conviction that she belonged back with her tribe and her recent kidnapping, Juniper was more melancholy than ever. It wasn’t surprising that the lack of recent successes weighed on her. Meanwhile Idra kept switching between acting apologetic and making sharp comments about Juniper’s idiotic capture. Ento made dry comments of her own but they mostly seemed to be trying to ease the tension between the other two.

Prevna walked by me as we finished making our way over to the tree and settled in to wait. She hadn’t yet forgiven me fully for going on my own again either, but she kept by me in solidarity. From one horror to another and all that. I wasn’t sure how to respond to her…kindness, but I hoped she took my awkward silence more as stoic appreciation.

“So Tufani really didn’t notice we were all missing right away?” Loclen asked.

Wren let her head fall back against the tree. “No. We said that everyone was helping out in other parts of the Rookery and she didn’t have much time to go out and check. But then she realized she realized that was only hearing about four of us in her reports and…”

“We tried to keep her calm.” Dera fidgeted. “We explained where you went and why.”

“Tufani wasn’t happy that we didn’t tell her right away and that you were all in danger without her knowledge. And then Mishtaw arrived and that didn’t help either,” Wren said.

It made sense that Tufani wouldn’t enjoy looking like a fool in front of a whisper woman, especially when it came to the Sprouts she had been put in charge of. The overall situation wasn’t good either between Barra getting knocked unconscious while taking glass from the statue, multiple injured and a couple dead snow birds, and a kidnapped Sprout that apparently we didn’t trust her enough to tell her about.

A situation I should have considered more before I decided to take matters into my own hands, but I hadn’t been willing to stay trapped in a place we had already been attacked in without warning. Had our control taken away and forced to sleep. Part of me itched to leave again, but I could ignore the impulse now. It helped that I was sure the kidnapper wouldn’t circle back for Juniper, not while he still had the harp. That was why he cut his losses in the end; the harp seemed to be more valuable to him than whatever he wanted with Juniper and her pearl.

“This is why you shouldn’t have listened to her,” Ulo scowled at me. “She doesn’t care about anyone else around her.”

“Like you do,” I muttered.

Prevna gave me a side eyed look of exasperated amusement while Ulo straightened up. “What was that?”

I knew this wasn’t the time or place but I didn’t keep my tongue in check as much as I should have. “I said that we must be a lot alike then. Since you couldn’t be trusted to focus on the mission instead of starting a fight.”

“Enough.”

Mishtaw and Tufani rounded the last line of nests before crossing the open grassy area to reach us. I didn’t think we had been that loud but the breeze must have carried our words. Or Tufani had seen us picking at each other enough that she knew what it looked like on sight.

Tufani thumped her cane down as they stopped in front of us. “You are all to blame. All of you had the chance to inform me that Juniper had been taken instead of keeping it quiet.” Her gaze took us all in. “Ten laps. You will run around the Rookery until you complete your punishment. Take the time to reflect on what you did wrong so you will not make the same mistake in the future.”

My eyes widened. Ten laps…that was more than triple the number of laps that Tufani ever made us do in a row. I wasn’t sure my legs would hold out between the sheer distance and needing to go up and down the switchbacks.

They weren’t done. Mishtaw focused on me. “Because you were so keen on leaving everyone else behind and put them in unnecessary danger you will be doing double that.” My jaw dropped open in shock and protest but I could hold my tongue better when it came to Mishtaw. “And you will apologize to your cohort and Tufani. Further, since it seems like you need constant supervision to be somewhat behaved, once you finish your training here you will be coming with me.”

Twenty laps? Apologize? I wasn’t sure I could make myself do either of those. On one hand it almost seemed like a light punishment for dragging everyone off into the woodland after a very dangerous person while on the other I wasn’t sure I could manage either. The others had followed me on their own and it wasn’t my fault that they couldn’t travel as well through the shadows yet.

As for going with Mishtaw after we finished training at the Rookery…that was more of a relief than anything else. I’d actually have the one whisper woman allowed to mentor me nearby and I wouldn’t have to bother dealing with the grudges the rest of the cohort had formed against me now for much longer. The only thing was the idea of leaving Prevna behind. Again. She wouldn’t like that and it could shatter the bit of understanding we built back up the day before.

Taking in Mishtaw’s no nonsense look though, I could tell I didn’t have much of a say in any of it. She might listen to my reasoning for doing what I did, but she also had clear cut expectations about roles and responsibilities, and now she expected me to fulfill mine.

Mishtaw pointed to the ground in front of her and Tufani. “Now.”

I swallowed and slowly made my way to where she indicated. Then it felt like everyone was holding their breath as they waited. I focused on Tufani. The Tamer looked down at me with her lips pressed together, eyes hard, none of the openness she had showed when she took me to the Carver’s Enclave.

I knew that simply saying the words wasn’t what Mishtaw or Tufani wanted. They expected a full, formal, subservient apology. I could feel my pride filling up the back of my throat and pressing against my chest as I carefully lowered my bruised body onto my knees. It hurt, but not as much as the shame and embarrassment of what I had to do next. I pressed my palms into the snow and bowed my head to Tufani.

Then it took several tries before I could force the two simple words out past the pressure in my neck and throat. “I-I’m sorry.”

Tufani inclined her head when I looked up and Mishtaw gestured to the group behind me, giving no reprieve. “To them now.”

I closed my eyes and shifted until I was on my knees facing the cohort. Ulo was gloating even harder now while Dera and Juniper looked even more uncomfortable. Wren seemed surprised and Prevna…was angry?

I blinked and that feeling of shock allowed me to dip my head again and say, “I’m sorry,” one last time.

From what I could tell reactions ranged from acceptance to clearly not believing a word that came out of my mouth. I focused on getting back to my feet without pressing on the bruises lining my body as much as possible.

“Now you’ll run until you complete the laps,” Mishtaw declared.

Prevna took a defiant step forward. “She’s still injured.”

My leg could take my weight now but I doubted it hold out for twenty laps…or perhaps even two. The incline on the switchbacks wouldn’t be kind to my ability to compensate for the weakness that was still healing in my ankle.

Mishtaw’s stern expression didn’t change. “She’s not the only one. You can’t always be punished under ideal conditions. If she can’t run, then she can walk, but she will be expected to finish all of her laps.” She pointed into the distance. “Now go. All of you.”

I gave Prevna a grateful look but started to jog so I wouldn’t look weak. Then we ran. Breck quickly took her place at the front of the pack but it wasn’t long before I couldn’t pay attention to everyone around me and instead focused on putting one foot in front of the other. We ran and ran and ran.

A little over halfway through the second lap I had to slow down to a walk or risk my leg giving out again. I made it through another two excruciatingly slow laps like that. Breck and Ento lapped me so they finished their fifth lap before I had even started it. Which was frustrating.

By the time I made it up to the feathered tree to start that lap Ressia was there and nearly taking Mishtaw’s head off despite the smile on the Black Handed Healer’s face. “No. She will rest and the others will rest or the next time you come to me with an injury I will put some bandages on it and move on. When it doesn’t heal correctly I will remind you of the seedling who can’t walk properly because you got frustrated and decided punishment was more important than properly taking care of yourself and others.” She caught my shoulder as I tried to keep going past and then she peered up at Mishtaw. “Perhaps you should be running laps too?”

Mishtaw frowned at her. “She needs to learn lesson and the others need to see that she isn’t getting special treatment.”

“Which is why they will all rest. I’m sure your lesson will still be taken to heart.”

Ressia got her way and we all got to rest. Snacks were passed around and we refilled our water skins. She also checked over everyone again to make sure no had injured themselves or ruined their healing by running the laps. She put more salve on my bruises, re-bandaged my leg and ankle to give it more support, and then told warned that if I did more than walk the rest of my laps she’d have her own punishment waiting for me. I didn’t want to listen to her but I knew why she was warning me. I’d worsen my injuries if I kept trying to run and even if they couldn’t kill me, I’d have to live with the results for the rest of my life. No one else was in danger nor was there anything else to distract me from the consequences of pushing myself further than I should, so it was more difficult to ignore the logic in her words.

I felt like an idiot when we got up to continue our laps but I did walk. Better that not be able to run the future when I really needed to. So I walked and walked and walked, and had to ignore the fact that everyone else finished their ten laps significantly earlier than before I even got started on mine.