FREYA SAW HER FIRST BADGER OF THE DAY, WHEN RIVER DEPARTED FROM THE RECEIVING LINE.

The black and golden furred creatures stood at attention next to some of the more loud socialites. What price had they been paid to sit there and work for a foreign power?

Next to her Jacques was yammering on about some intra Marquisate politics and she realized she had zoned out.

“As I was saying, the noble houses all have a bit of a paw in the fight, but they aren’t sending their best and brightest out here now, so War Chief Alexa has had to deal with second sons and third daughters, and we all know how that goes, right?”

Freya nodded, hoping that the nuances of the aristocracy remained the same between the two species.

“That’s when she brought in the druids as her advisors. Some would call it unusual, but what else are they doing?”

“Indeed. Besides eating all day and drinking tea. What is your game plan here, Jacques? Do you have an intended to meet or are you doing the same thing I am?”

“I am merely doing what you’re doing.”

“I find that often I get more information within the bubble,” Freya said as she heard the opening notes to a song.

She was never more thankful to hear a waltz played. She realized that she was receiving as many glances as River was.

Rows of feline paws outstretched between male and female as the dance began.

Freya found a wall.

River was already working through the crowd.

“Shall we?” Jacques said, holding out a paw.

Freya considered her options. Sela had taken a large part of their gear, but she still had a small bow strapped inside of her cloak with some arrows and shafts in her riding quiver.

Jacques as it turned out was an excellent dancer. Freya was glad for the weeks of training that Lady Raina insisted on. Although she was wearing boots and her traveling outfit, she readily accepted the strangeness of the situation she had found herself in.

The aherence of the cats to the same aristocratic rules, even in the situation they found themselves in was the only thing familiar to her.

Together the waltzed around for the first number as the danced on the periphery. Nearby them, River was dancing the same number with what looked like another druid.

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The glint of the dance floor momentarily blinded her as they turned against the flow, and then turned back.

"Been away from the valley a long time?" He asked.

"A very long time."

"Do you miss it at all?"

"Not particularly, no. Do you?"

Jacques paused at the same time she did as the waltz slowed to a close.

"Not particularly."

Freya sensed that his tone had turned to a more probing, questioning one. She needed to play a part that she'd never read. The nuances of ranger culture was something that Sela had infrequently remarked upon.

"The whole room is here because of the War Chief. She's dazzling tonight."

"She should be," Jacques said, "Any cat would be happy to have her."

They both watched as Alexa selected another dance partner. River had already picked a second suitor and they were talking as drinks were served.

Freya prayed that they weren't serving meat.

Then she prayed that if it was meat, that they were serving beast. She'd heard the stories. If they were eating creatures, she would have to leave.

Thankfully the pair didn't go nearby the drinks.

Right there in the center of the room, another waltz slowly enveloped the room.The movements were familiar, but the tone of the song itself was off. It was a tune that she had never heard before. The strong voice of the song gave her the chills. The song, no the anthem, felt both stirring a patriotic.

Jacques was tapping his boot alongside the music and most of the group had joined in. After some time, the center of the dance floor opened up and a macabe troupe of professional dancers entered.

Freya paw a paw over her mouth.

It became clear that the dancers were there to act out a scene honoring the war chief, as they wore the garb of different warriors. The sides were stylized as green and brown and the only clear difference was the ears they sported. One side wore fox and rabbit ears and the other wore exaggerated cat ears. Even on cats, the ears looked very odd. The fox and rabbit eared dancers looked generally the same in their garb as they acted out a war dance. First the two sides danced a circle around, then one by one they began play fighting.

The play fights drew out larger practice swords that hit in time with the music. It turned into a small skirmish with one side, the cats winning out overall in the short conflict. Then the cats were pushed back and the crowd booed.

The troupe paused and a single cat began a dance in the center. It was immediately clear that with the whites, the cat who this dancer was pretending to be was Alexa. As the dancers held their poses , the music slowly picked up and a hush came over the crowd.

One by one the dancer picked up the swords of the dancers that had been pushed back. The clear allegory of Alexa being the one to save the cats was apparent.

All at once the music began a second verse and Freya could have sworn she heard chanting.

The cats returned to form and the dance battle reached a fever pitch. Freya couldn’t turn her head away. To her right, Jacques was as engrossed as she was. Freya melted back into the shadows as the dance continued.

The sight of so many cats working together at such a task in the middle of a warzone felt sickening. Freya wanted to leave more and more. She wondered how River was feeling.

Seeing the druid against a nearby wall, Freya made a beeline there.

“What have you learned?”

“A whole lot in fact.”