‘Come on,’ he said to Tal. ‘Let’s go and see if we can find any signs of the Scut—,’ he paused at the look of horror on his friends face, ‘—of the demon.’

‘Okay.’

They’d not gone far when Crowflies gave a warning screech, the kind Sa-at knew all too well. Danger.

He glanced up at the Birdkin to see which way its beak was pointing and then pushed Tal in the opposite way.

‘Wha?’

‘Sssh!’

Sa-at could see an empty kennel in front of them. Its lower door was shut but the upper one was open. He started to push faster, until Tal stumbled backwards, his legs smacking against the wood and flipping up, over, and out of sight on the other side. Sa-at dived in after him, coming to a rolling stop by the far wall. The action had forced him to open his hands. The bruises on his palm complained, and then a flurry of scents sailed from his right palm to his brain, intoxicating in their intensity. The rags here bore the barest scent of Dogkin overlaid with a tang of Mousekin droppings. There were a family of them here, he suddenly knew, two adults and at least as many children. Tal’s breath was a strong presence in the air, as was his sweat. He clenched his fist, muting but not entirely blocking the new sensory input. As he processed all of this, he heard tiny legs scurrying away, most likely the Mousekin. Sa-at didn’t bother to check, crawling low past Tal to peer through a crack in the kennel’s lower door.

His friend had the presence of mind to stay quiet, and though they couldn’t see anything at first, they soon became aware of voices. Two women, one older, one younger, engaged in lively conversation. It was hard to make out the words and a flame of curiosity lit within him. That flame only intensified as they came into view.

The first was wrapped in layers of thick fabric, appearing in many ways like a Gatherer, save for the fact that she moved differently. She wasn’t clumsy like the ones he’d seen before. She was purposeful, and something sharp glittered in her hand, like a slice of the sky.

The second was shorter, and unlike anyone Sa-at had ever seen. It took a while for him to identify what it was, at least in part because when he caught a glimpse of her dark face he found it hard to think anything at all. But as they continued on, heading deeper into the Wild, he realized what it was: she seemed at ease. He’d never seen another human look like that before and it was mesmerizing.

He was just starting to follow when Tal’s hand landed on one shoulder, and Crowflies landed on the other. The Birdkin made itself uncharacteristically small and buried itself into the crook of his neck.