There was a way to go through the warrens. At least that was what they had told Muk. He hadn't expected anything special.

Then the sky changed over. The rangers to his left and right all laughed at the idea that they should have told him what to expect.

With his new heightened senses though, he could tell that something was off.

Or everything was.

The coarse sand led for leagues in each direction alongside the shallow ocean to their right side.

The thing he hadn't expected the most though? The crabs. They were the main hazard on their route. The full druids and rangers kept a tight perimeter around the initiates. With his training they had thrown him right into it.

Above him, Freya played at overwatch. Below him, one of the bonded chickens lead him on the slow route.

There were at least four otter and two beaver rangers who took up positions along the waters edge, every so often baiting a crab away from the group. He knew several of them were bonded together with River, the enigmatic raven who spent more time than was completely reasonable in otter form.

His father has taught him about ravens when he was younger. Either they were clergy or thieves and he wasn't sure if he'd heard it right because priest thief couldn't be a viable career path for an entire culture. That was the impression he had held until he met River. She had done a lot to change his mind on this matter.

More than the crabs, the fact that the water was salt water compounded his sense of smell. It overpowered a lot and he was forced to lean on his other senses. The sun beat down on them as well so the only smell he got was of hot salty sand.

Muk hated it. He much preferred the even temperature of Yellow rock, but it wasn't for him to complain. That much was clear if only because he already had the bond that gave rangers an edge.

They plodded along for hours in the high sun. It had not threatened to drop even with all the silent bribes he had offered it. He knew that moving for more time than was prescribed would lead to the entire group tiring out early.

By the time he thought the druid initiates might give out, a stop was called. The otters lead the group the small shelter of a fjord. It was the only shady area around and Muk realized after they arrive that it had been creature made. The unnatural way that it looked made was a dead giveaway.

"Ranger Muk," a female otter said, "Your beast, she is looking ready for some shade, and perhaps she can shade others?"

Muk nodded. She was one of the new ranger initiates and he realized though he stood out, that he hadn't remembered her name. Sam, the leader of the expedition was off checking on the other ranger candidates.

"That would be most acceptable. She needs the shade and loves it when we sit with our backs to her."

He nudged the chicken into the shade, before dismounting.

"She's safe. She likes druids and rangers," he said to a small group near the edge of the shade.

Muk turned to see the female otter.

"I'm sorry, I never got your name-" he held out a paw.

She embraced his paw with hers.

"Lesley. Is it true that you were a Lord?"

"You're quick with the personal questions, but yes."

She blushed under her brown fur.

"And you? You chose to be a ranger, because?" He asked.

Her eyes went wide and she gasped.

"Apologies. You were fairly direct and I was trying to match your culture. I know a few otters, two saved my life recently and I have the greatest request for your collective strength and bargaining power."

"You know about otters? Lots of coalition folk don't. They don't generally deign to talk to us..."

Muk sighed. There were nobles and common folk that looked at Otters and Beavers strange because of their culture. He had heard many rumors, but found it to be more wholesome than the whispers had made it out to be. He was still a one mouse to another mouse creature, but he could see the appeal of many partners, especially regarding children.

"I was the quartermaster. We had a lot of interactions."

"THE quartermaster? Great Mother, but you're the one that my father was always trying to get in the graces of."

"Oh? What does your father do, Lesley?" He asked.

The paid had taken their cloaks off. Muk was going to offer one of the druids to ride on his mount for the next leg of the journey. The lizard in particular seemed uneasy with all of the walking.

"He was a merchant. One of the few, great otters that connect our two groups," she said.

"Lesley do you see that druid initiate over there?"

He motioned to the female lizard who he had been eyeing.

"I see, ah yes I see the one you mean."

"Here's your first lesson in leading others. That initiate looks like she won't make it. I was going to offer her to ride my mount for the next part of the journey," he said, sighing.

"Seems reasonable. She might refuse though."

"That is why you need to approach her diplomatically. Your father had to connect with all kinds of creatures. Surely you observed him doing his work from time to time?"

"I did. You're telling me that I have to sell a ride on a chicken?"

"A free ride on a chicken. And you have to sell it like it's the best pastry ever made," Muk said, grinning like mad.

"Too easy," Lesley said, taking a swig from her water.

"Do you want me to help with this? Sometimes lizardfolk are prideful."

"I'll appeal to her sense of adventure. Everyone wants to ride a mount. Especially one as well trained as yours."

Muk watched as the otter ambled over to the shadiest area. The lizard in white robes lay splayed out on the ground. Around her the sand was wet. Muk had watched her cool down on the water, narrowly avoiding a crab as she floundered about.

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Lesley spoke to the lizard, featuring broadly towards the chicken. Muk loved how expressive riverfolk were. He could always tell when they really believed in what they were trying to sell. The least passionate otter was more expressive than any mouse merchant he bought anything from.

The lizard sat up and shrugged at Lesley. Muk smiled as the yellow lizards resolve cracked and she nodded emphatically. Lesley turned back to him smiling as if she had sold hundreds of clams worth of protection services.

"What did you tell her?" He said once she got into close whisper range.

"I just told her that we would be honored to have a future druid use our mount for the next leg. Also do you know that she is not part of the initiates? She came from the valley of Red Mist. This is her second year. Her name is Elizardbeth."

"She's already been to the valley? She looks green."

"She's yellow, though."

"Green as in new. There must be a similar term that the riverfolk call their new people."

"Ah. That must be a coalition thing. We are.... shall we say we train for our jobs from a young age. Fighting, writing and river husbandry. All the important things."

Muk reached into his satchel working around the druids that had taken up shelter and shade next to his mount.

"Lesley, would you care for something grabbed on my way in? It isn't much but I have several pastries-"

Every druid initiate around him looked at him with a hawks focus.

"-which I am willing to share with everyone-"

A cheer came up from the creatures all strewn about. Paws and claws rose to the air as Mike and Lesley passed out the dozens of treats that he had the foresight to purchase with his family's expense account. After all what were clams without the sea to spend it in?

"Lord Chin-Hwa-" Lesley said in between bites.

"Ranger Muk if you would."

"-well this is delicious. I would never think to bring something like this on a journey. The rangers said to pack enough for two weeks but this? It feels extravagant."

"An army moves on it's stomach. Druids and rangers I assumed even more so."

Lesley cocked her head. The shallow sea glimmered behind her. They had taken a few steps away from the chicken, remaining in the shade.

"What do you mean by that?"

"It's just that...hold on do you understand how druids work their magic?"

More faces looked to them and Muk was accustomed to being eavesdropped upon but the laser focus of tired students was something else.

"This isn't a big secret, Lesley but-" he pointed to the remnant of his croissant, "-they get their power through eating. As in the same way that we fuel out bodies. At least that's what I told my Soldiers. The nuts and berries you find on the trail may be food, so don't disregard them."

The blank look on Lesleys face turned into a wheelbarrow moving it's wheels ever so slowly, then recognition swam across her face.

"So this," she said, "this morsel turns into magic? It doesn't have to be a pastry does it?"

Muk smiled.

"No, no it doesn't."

Up above them he could feel Freya riding the numerous thermals. He nudged the feeling of a delicious warm baked treat to her. She hadn't landed in quite some time and he was getting concerned.

Lesley followed his gaze.

"Those bluejay druids are something else, aren't they? I know that beasts are rare here, aside from the ever present crabs, but they do so much, the bluejays I mean, they do. Hey, didn't you come here with your wife? I haven't seen her anywhere?"

"Aye, I'm married and you can see her patrolling up above."

Lesley glanced to him and then narrowed her eyes.

"You married a bluejay? How does that even work? They lay eggs and..."

"Ranger Lesley," he said between giggles, "you have to understand that it was a marriage to benefit our families and neither one of us thought that we would have children."

"But-" she looked back and forth for a long time, waiting for him to change his tune.

"She's a druid initiate of the red Grove. She can change into many creatures, though she most often is the mouse that has saved my life and that I love dearly. Things have gotten quite strange since I met her but not that strange."

Lesley visibility shrank as she sat down.

"Oh, thank Nithe, or I guess the raven? But I was a bit worried there. Is she coming down?"

"She'll come down when she's ready. I'm becking her with treats, but I think I'll have to bring out the big carrot."

Lesleys eyes twinkled.

"If you've got a big carrot, I would love for you to share it."

"The carrot, my dear Lesley, is a metaphor for the best drink available on the continent and you would be wise to bring your cup out. This may be cold but I'll ask a druid to warm it up some if needed but my dear new friend you're about to have an experience that will change your entire worldview."

Lesley stood up, stretching as she limbered up.

"Bring out your cup," he instructed.

Muk moved to the other side of his saddle bags and brought out the first of three such barrels.

"You all, bring out your travel cups," he said gesturing to the druids as his cloak slipped off his arm,"for today, we drink the drink of the working mouse. Ka-pi."

It took them a short time to pass out the Ka-pi. The tired faces turned quickly to delight under Muks ministrations. It was lovely what a little kick could do. In the back of his mind Freya was still floating high above. She'd eaten before the trip and was still reveling in the minimal energy expenditure that it took for her to hover above the hot sands. Muk saw a raven cross nearby her and the two turned in a paired pattern to do a large circle around their charges.

Before long, they were moving again and this time, Muk was marching alongside his mount. Several of the more ambitious creatures had fallen on top of the other mounts. They had all accepted new riders easily enough with a bit of prodding.

Walking on coarse hot sand began to wear on Muk after several bells. Freya had even come down several times to splash water over her dry feathers. Muk wondered how long they would continue along a coastal route until they reached either the main land or a peninsula, he couldn't tell. Ahead of them fresh water flowed from a green pasture past a large constructed dam.

Dams meant beavers and fresh water and Muk was ready for either to show up. He wasn't low on water after eight hours, but he was ready to top up his containers. On the side away from the sea, trees grew in a pattern, a sure sign that paws had been at work in whatever had happened here.

Next to him, Elizardbeth roused from a nap. He found it hard to make conversation as she seemed out of it more than not. Where Freya felt energized, the lizard he walked alongside was sluggish and weary. Perhaps it had something to do with the magic of the place, or perhaps she was out of sorts with her preparedness. Still, it never did well to tell a lady that perhaps she needed to spend more time in the natural environment.

Ahead, Sam the ranger leader called a stop, then lead the group to a building on the far side of the dam. They passed over the first creature made thing in the warren that he had ever seen and as they got closer, he spotted a beaver that had not come with them.

First one, then two beavers showed up in his sights, their bodies covered with formed carapace armor in a loose style. The rings and coloring bore the marks of the crabs that they had passed so many of on their way. They wooped and hollered as they welcomed first Sam, then all of the rangers.

Before long, all of the five flyers had landed to join them. Muk embraced Freya, handing her the last cold bit of Ka-pi. Her warm wings enveloped him and he felt at home. Then she giggled, drinking his cup with the odd hands at the ends of her wings. Muk had always thought that the avians of the coalition were a little odd, what with talons, wings and hands, but he was never jealous. There were far fewer of them and most of them became Soldiers when they came of age.

This caused a vicious cycle of few birds with normal jobs having less offspring as they were constantly on the go. Thus, any bird with a scratch of nurturing was assigned to raise their young and they paid a lot for other creatures to help attend, mice included. It was similar with the foxes he knew, though for several generations now foxes had the highest percentage of landed gentry. They accomplished this through a campaign of unity that Muk was highly jealous of.

"How was the flying?" Muk asked Freya.

"Marvelous, my dear. You simply must try it some time," she replied, downing her cup.

"I'll keep that under advisement. Seems a waste of a perfectly good ranger."

"Did you mean to say a perfectly good husband?"

"Ah, no. Did you know of any?" Muk said, holding back a grin.

"Not that I'm aware of. You might ask River. Two of her rangers are perfectly good husbands. Perhaps you could take some tips," Freya replied, adjusting her belt and trousers.

"They are good husbands," Elizardbeth croaked from the side of the chicken,"One brought me to the circle last year, but it's the wife you ought to look out for. She's on fire."

"Freya, Elizardbeth, and likewise," Muk said, nodding to each in turn.

"It's a pleasure, to be certain," Freya said," Lovely to meet you, but you look a bit paler than I'd expected from above."

"Lovely to meet you, Miss Freya. I believe it's the warren that is causing this torpor," she replied, patting the chicken she lay with her back upon, "This mount she is a lifesaver."

"I'll be certain to let her know that," Freya said, coming up to the chicken and petting it lightly.

The chicken picked its head up off the floor, accepting the pets gracefully. Some unspoken words went between Freya and it, Muk could tell by how they regarded each other, then the chicken began preening itself.

"She is happy to help a friend. Assuming you want to feed her at some point? Muk has several options in his saddle bags. Help yourself to a few, as I believe we'll be here for a while," Freya said, opening and closing the bags, "This one in particular, and if you wouldn't mind feeding her friends as well I've be proper pleased."

"It is the least I could do after such kindness," the lizard said, standing up.

Freya shared a long glance with Muk. She hadn't transitioned back to mouse form and she wouldn't until they arrived because of how much it took to maintain it.