There was a lot of bush rustling and pawsteps, and then, unbelievably, a figure they’d lost hope of ever seeing again emerged from the undergrowth at a full dash and threw herself upon them, bowling them over in a laughing, joyful heap.

“Song!”

“Hahaha! So here y’are, you foul-smelling, lovely creatures!”

A fat, stern old squirrel and a big rough female hedgehog hauled Song swiftly off her companions. Dann, Dippler and Burble lay sprawled on the ground as the old squirrel wagged a paw at Song.

“No time for that now, missie. Let’s get ’em out o’ here. You can introduce us when we’re downriver. Whew! An’ downwind of ’em too. They smell pretty ripe!”

Song glanced at the muddy state she herself was in from embracing her lost friends, and turned to the old squirrel. “Looks like I’ll have to take a bath too, Grandpa.”

There were more hedgehogs, over a dozen of them, hulking, rough-looking beasts. They surrounded the friends as the party hurried off through the woodland at the watermeadow’s edge. Dann trotted alongside Song, amazed by the turn events had taken.

“Did I hear you call that ole squirrel Grandpa?”

“You surely did. Soon as I saw him I recognized those lazy eyes. He’s my father’s father, Gawjo Swifteye. Take a look at him yourself. He’s much older than my dad, of course, but you’ll see the resemblance is unmistakable!”

Dann snatched a peep at Gawjo as he turned to converse with the leading hedgehog. “Aye, now I see him properly the likeness is clear. Who’s the big rough-lookin’ hedgehog he was talkin’ to?”

“I know you’ll never believe this, Dann, but she’s my aunt!”

Dann stumbled and almost fell. “Your aunt?”

Song was still smiling as they trotted steadily through the night-shadowed woodlands. “Aye, my aunt Torrab. It’s a long and complicated story, but here’s roughly what happened. My grandpa, Gawjo, was a prisoner on the island in the secret lake for many seasons, but he managed to escape, says he’s the only beast who ever did. Anyhow, he made it back to the mainland, but he was completely lost. Then he stumbled upon Torrab and her band of friends, fourteen in all, half-grown young hedgehogs from three different families. Their parents had been slain by Marlfoxes. Grandpa had lost his family too—he didn’t know where Ellayo and little Janglur had got to. So he became their dad and has lived with them ever since, and Megraw and I just bumped into him yesterday. I still can’t quite believe it.”

The odd-looking group had now reached the river on the watermeadow’s far fringes, and they turned south along the bank.

Dippler looked back fearfully at the huge osprey hobbling in the rear, protecting the group’s back. “I ’ope that big fish eagle’s on our side, Song.”