I used the bird’s eye view, moving carefully at first, then checking with more confidence as I verified that Mama Mathers wasn’t close.

There was movement. Something big. I flew down to where Rachel could see and indicated a direction.

I flew to the dog.

The dog prowled, the low growls it was making deep enough that I could feel the vibrations in the air, even though I couldn’t really hear. It was a gangly thing, as Rachel’s dogs went, and the plates were lighter. I wondered if it had started as a chihuahua. I was pretty sure breed factored in.

I realized it was focused on something, and flew closer. It snapped at me as I got closer, and I flew back and up.

A small movement made the dog jump back. It saw me and jumped back again.

I realized what the movement was—a figure, camouflaged. The camouflage was dying out, and it wasn’t nearly as effective as it had been.

“It’s you,” I said. I pulled out an earplug.

“—get this thing to stop growling at me? You’re supposed to be strong,” Chris said.

“What are you doing this close to the fighting?”

“Get this thing off me! What are you, deaf?”

I flew down between him and the dog, and in facing the dog, I could see Rachel approaching at a jog.

“Can you call him off?” I asked, gesturing.

She whistled, and the dog backed off, going to her side.

“Thank you,” Chris said.

“What are you doing here?”

“Keeping an eye on things, trying to be ready with my next form if we need it,” he said. His features were almost visible as he moved and the camouflage shifted.

I looked over in Rachel’s direction. “Dog spotted him sneaking up on us. He’s friendly.”

“Hi friendly, I’m Imp,” Imp said.

“Ha ha,” Chris said, humorless. He turned his camouflage-cloaked face my way. “Should I transform?”

I considered for a moment, then shook my head. In a softer voice, I said, “The form’s slow, you said.”

“Yeah. I could keep an eye on things, though.”

“We have someone we’re trying very hard to avoid keeping an eye on, out there,” I said. “You should get those headphones of yours on before we go to the others, because we don’t want to hear her either.”

I heard him rustle.

“Besides,” I said. “We might want to move to a phase two kind of approach.”

“I didn’t think you guys made that much progress,” Chris said.

“Speak for yourself,” Imp said. “Please. I have no idea who you are or what you do, so speak, fill us in.”

“Don’t be annoying,” Rachel said.

“You have a really bad gauge of what annoying is, for the record, especially when you bring Yips along all the time now—” Imp said, indicating the gangly dog. “And Yips is your worst dog.”