Sa-at was painfully aware of this as he ran, chasing Crowflies through the nighttime. No starlight found its way this deep into the forest, and he navigated by touch and sound as much as sight. By day, the Wild was dangerous, by night, it was deadly, but not so for him. The leaves rustled appreciatively of his efforts, and the sound of the Birdkin’s wings came from only one direction, the true one. His feet did not get tangled in the roots nor caught on the hanging vines. When he took a wrong turn, they waved out, brushing roughly, correcting, nudging him onwards.

Soon, just audible beneath the sound of wings, was the sound of crying, human crying. This spurred Sa-at on even more, for he knew that this sound would be like a siren’s call to the demons that lurked just beyond his perception.

The flapping of wings slowed, stopped, and a familiar call sounded close by. He leapt between two trees, ducked under some branches, twisted through a tight space – brambles pulling at his coat of feathers – and then he was clear, standing in a place given faint illumination by the stars, Crowflies perched not far from his head.

Tal was stumbling in the dark less than six feet away, a miserable shadow, lost in all senses.

Sa-at’s throat grew tight again but he forced himself to be brave. He took a deep breath and said: ‘Hello.’

‘Aargh!’ replied Tal. The young man jumped into the air, then turned and ran headfirst into the nearest tree. There was a crack and another cry of pain, and Tal collapsed on the floor.

‘Ssh,’ Sa-at urged. ‘You need to be like a Mousekin.’

Tal sprang up again. This time he backed away slowly, feeling his way. ‘I’m not looking at you. I’m not looking.’

‘You can’t. It’s too dark here.’

‘I won’t be tricked, I won’t look!’

‘Ssh! Don’t shout or they’ll get you.’

‘What about you?’

Sa-at smiled, though the gesture was lost in the dark. ‘I’ve already found you.’

Tal whimpered and continued to edge away.

‘Don’t be scared, Tal, I’m not here to eat you.’

‘How do you know my name?’

‘I saved you from the Spiderkin, remember?’

‘Oh,’ Tal stopped. ‘I remember. Rin said you tried to kill me outside Sagan.’

‘Not kill, save. You were sick. That’s why you fell down. I saved you and took you home. You should have stayed there.’

He had the sense of Tal slumping. ‘They threw me out.’

Sa-at felt bad and good about this at the same time. Tal was upset, and that was bad, but if he had nowhere else to go, he was more likely to need a new friend. ‘Why?’