“What a day,” Da Seung said from the bar where the Ka-pi was forming a queue. “Good afternoon to you, Miss Uki.”

“Good afternoon to you, Mr. Seung.” Freya curtseyed.

“Ah, I see that you are wearing my newest model. they suit you well, I take it?”

“They are wonderful. Exactly what a Lady needs. I’ve worn them just about everywhere.”

Freya dipped briefly and smiled at him. He wore a business suit and although it fit him he looked far removed from his comfort zone.

“Has Miru been unkind to you on this occasion, Mr. Seung?”

Da glanced at the central area where a few woodland creatures seemed to be rehearsing something. The cloudy overcast day was to be expected on such an occasion and his expression grew excited.

“I’m just back from a meeting with my obligatory duty mole.”

“Were you able to make a favorable deal?”

“Would that I could have made one,” Da said. “Instead, I am rather shocked to tell you that Merciful Miru is not the cause of my distress, rather Nithe has seen fit to delay a shipment, which has had a chilling effect on my supply chain.”

Freya shivered as if snow had begun to fall. “That’s terrible. It must have been quite a blow.”

“Well, the good news is that we’ve not heard of a sunken ship. The otters know to look for it on their survey trips.”

Freya gasped.

“I don’t want you to have nightmares, so I’ll save the specifics but I should hope to have this matter resolved by the end of the week. I left that meeting quite sobered, hoping only for the best.”

Da sipped his mug of Ka-pi, leaving a brown moustache on his grey upper lip. He quickly wiped the mess off with a handkerchief.

Tulip, in her regular tunic and flared long skirt arrived behind Da, causing him to jump in alarm. Curiously, today she wore a green and grey bow in her hair.

“Ah! Miss… uh,” Da said.

“It’s Miss Kang, Mister Seung,” she said. “For unless you want to call me by my official title…”

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Tulip stared him down much to Freya’s delight.

“Ah, Miss Kang- I’d rather not, in front of too many ears…. you know, Captain Bell asked me if I knew how to identify Miss Bun’s basket. Perhaps you know a way?”

Tulip’s face went blank. “Did you tell him?”

“I told him that I wasn’t certain if you’d decided on a theme,” Da said. “"You know he asked the same about Miss Bun’s basket.”

“I don’t think that I owe him that information. There should be a yellow marble in front of hers, like all of the rabbit debutantes. Unless someone has moved them around.” Tulip said.

“There are, ahem… a lot of rabbit baskets, Miss Kang.” Da said.

Freya's eyes darted back and forth as the two shot back terse sentences.

“How many mice do you think believe he is going to accept them, especially after so long unattached?” Tulip said.

“Are you telling me that Captain Bell is a spinster?” Da said.

“I’d believe it,” Freya interjected. “He probably has as many ladies on his string as the society papers say.”

“I know,” Tulip said. “But if you don’t have a parade of mice vying for your affection, your mother is going to tell your father that bargaining season is over, a waste of time and negotiate a match on your behalf. Welcome their affections.”

Tulip stared directly at Captain Bell from across the lawn.

“Break some hearts, Freya.”

Da gulped.

A voice from the front caused the crowd noise to die down, just as Freya took her first sip of the earthy roast. Looking to the raised platform in front of the old veterans home, Freya saw a raven joined by Spring the druid and an older bird Soldier she wasn’t familiar with. Her father was off to the side of the platform. A bluejay stood next to him, in full dress regalia.

A sparra addressed the crowd. His only bit of brass was a four toed talon on either shoulder.

“Thank you all for coming. As most of you know, I am Samuel Talon, Claw of the Queen, and it is my solemn duty to welcome you all here to begin the bidding. All the donations given today are to benefit our elder veterans, who have given so much to our nation.” He nodded to the raven, “Kindness, would you please bless us all before we start?”

The raven nodded. Her flowy white gown was a stark contrast to her black feathers and beak.

“Thank you, Claw. Dears, today we honor the mice, foxes, rabbits, birds, moles, voles and other woodland creatures that have laid down their lives so that we can know peace. In the years following the siege of Yellowrock, it may have seemed that there was no hope, but with creatures like these”—she gestured to a group of assembled sparra in uniform—“we can have hope. At one time, this nation was just what could be housed inside of the Yellowrock mesa which rises high behind me. Now, we have walls and borders and fields of grain, and we celebrate the harvest that the Raven has given us.”

She paused looking among the crowd.

“For they did not fight back the beasts to save you, they fought them back because they had no other choice, and we are here by the grace of their sacrifice. Honor these veterans, and visit them, especially you lords, for they will stay your paw when it is quick to violence, hold your claw when you have experienced a loss and lend an ear when Inurajg steals one.”

The crowd laughed.

The raven nodded and stepped back to allow the Claw to take center stage.

“Now, it’s my pleasure to announce that Spring will be presenting someone with a gift of joint thanks from the druids as well as the warriors,” the claw said.