Anwatan had told him to wait for her here by the lake’s shore, but without her to protect him, he’d been afraid that some other cousin might come along and discover him. So he hid himself away in a cave-like overhang that had burrowed its way almost ten feet into the limestone cliffs. For good measure, he’d also changed back into the shape of a black dog.

He’d hardly been in there a half-hour, when he heard the crows arrive.

At first they kept to their bird shapes, filling the air with hoarse caws, but they soon landed on the beach and took human shape. Rabedy listened to their footsteps and the snatches of conversation that drifted in and out of his hearing.

“. . . can smell him. He was here.”

“But he’s not here now.”

“Maybe, maybe not.”

“He might come back.”

“Or he could be hiding.”

That brought a croak of laughter in response.

“Where? In a crack in the rocks?”

“Ha ha. But there might be caves in that cliff face.”

Oh no, oh no, Rabedy thought. Don’t look here.

But it was too late. He could hear their footsteps approaching.

What should he do, oh what should he do?

He looked like a black dog, but he was sure they’d see through to his true shape. Crows were just too smart. That’s what Big Dan always said. Don’t get on the wrong side of a crow, because they never forgot and were far too ingenious when it came to retribution. That was if they didn’t simply call up a murder and swarm you, beak and talon.

How far back did this overhang go?

Except that would do no good. It was too hard to move backwards in this shape—at least not without making too much noise—and he wasn’t about to turn around and have his back to them.

Perhaps he should simply emerge from his hiding place and brazen it out.

Oh, good plan.

Here was a better one: why not simply turn back into a bogan and cut his own throat?

But then the decision was taken away from him.

“Oh look, crow boys,” a familiar voice said. “Have you come to pay your respects to my departed spirit, or were you hoping for some carrion overlooked by others of your kin?”

It was Anwatan, Rabedy realized.

He could feel his whole body relax—though not enough for him to emerge just yet.

“Can’t help what we are,” one of the crow boys said.

“That’s true,” Anwatan replied. “But this place has nothing for you.”

“We’re here on Raven’s business.”

“Ah, Raven. That’s true. He’s not too happy with you boys just now.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was just with him when he got the news about the bogans you slaughtered. You have a strange way of defining the word ‘find.’ ”