Even as the piercing war cries rang out from the cover of the trees, another two ferrets were laid flat by paw-sized river pebbles. Slingstones began thwacking in, hard and heavy, and the undisciplined remnants of the ragged ferret horde fled. Scrabbling and biting at one another, they clambered over the fallen trees that blocked the inlet and dashed off into the thick forest. Raventail stood swaying in the friends’ boat, waving his scimitar and yelling at them, “Kye arr! Getcherback, back ’ere, Raventail norrafraid!”

Then Dann came thundering across the bank, swinging his sword and bellowing like a badger in full Bloodwrath.

“Regubaaaaaa!”

There was no stopping the young squirrel. Like a bolt of lightning he flung himself on Raventail. The force of the impact was so great that both Dann and the ferret lost their swords and crashed into the water. Still hanging upside down, Dippler and Burble watched in awed silence as the warrior blood of Reguba rose in their companion’s eyes. Spitting water and roaring, his weapon forgotten, Dann hauled Raventail almost clear of the creek and dealt him a fierce blow. Flinging the screaming ferret from him, Dann dived after his enemy, pummeling with all four paws, kicking, punching and baring his teeth as he thrashed the vermin unmercifully.

“Regubaaaa! Regubaaaaa! Regubaaaaaaaa!”

Song ran out to the bankside to watch the spectacle. She had never seen another creature take such a ferocious beating.

“Dann, leave him alone! He’s had enough!”

But Dann was past listening. Grabbing Raventail, he hauled him over his head and flung him bodily into the marshy border of the creek’s far side. Black with sludge and unable to stand, the ferret crawled away up the bank. Dann went after him, but he stumbled and fell in the mud among clumps of blue-flowering plants. Swiftly Song untied the boat and leapt in, giving a hard shove against the willow trunk with her paddle. The Swallow shot smoothly out across the dark surface, slowing neatly as it nosed into the blue flowers surrounding Dann. Song passed him the mooring rope. “Here, mate, grab this!”

Total exhaustion suddenly enveloped Dann. Gratefully, he held on to the rope and lay back while Song paddled back to the bank.

The Reguba warrior was hauled dripping onto the mossy sward by Song, and sat shivering as reaction to his wild charge set in. Song found his sword in the shallows.

“Great seasons, what a fighter y’are, Dann. I never saw anythin’ like that in my whole life. You were like a Badger Lord in Bloodwrath there—I was sure you were going to slay that vermin bare-pawed!”

“Yiss yiss, but are yer goin’ t’talk about it all day an’ leave us two pore creatures hangin’ ’ere like apples waitin’ fer autumn?”

Song turned to the two wet bundles hanging from the willow bough. “Oops! Sorry, pals, I completely forgot you there for a moment. Hang on, I’ll soon get you down.”