Stalking a queen was hard work. Chip realized that he’d set himself a large goal when he’d decided on eating the special fish. Or the ranger cadre, a few of the more exceptional ones were Sparra, and they had taken a special interest in tracking large beasts. Of course, it would be dangerous for an otter to jump into an ocean without testing the waters, but Chip and his husband weren’t above asking for help.

“It would probably work a bit better, husband,” Sela said, “If we worked our lovely wife into this mischief.”

Chip heaved a large plank of wood off his shoulders. They were creating a large wooden structure on the dry side of the docks.

“It would. But she keeps getting called for training.”

“I know, I would hope that at some time, we would be able to work together on something.”

Sela grabbed a hammer and a wheel, holding the two together. Every otter received a basic l knowledge of how to make something float in their youth. Most of them, once the time was right took the time to make their own rowboats. Chip and Sela together were able to make a large contraption- a bit better that a simple rowboat, the cage that they were designing was meant to capture the beast.

“Orthos has been a bit better recently, right?”

“You’ve noticed too? Some of his edge has come off I feel. Now that a lot of the rangers are paired off,” Sela said, “you know, perhaps he feels a little off himself. The poor guy seems like he’s a bit stuck in his duties sometimes.”

Chip nodded. Though their time in the valley of red mist had been strange, it now held a familiarity that he treasured. River and Sam had gotten comfortable and if it wasn’t because the rest of his family wasn’t here, he would have felt as he had while at home.

“Do you feel a bit stuck as well?”

“I don’t but I’m thinking that you’re a bit stuck on something here, also watch out for the pitch. It hurts when you get stuck to it.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, Chip.”

The worked in companionable silence for a bit, placing wooden slats together to form the cage. Chip nodded as he watched the cage take shape.

“This is going to be quite something. I hope that it will do what it’s supposed to.”

“And if not?” Sela smiled warmed Chips heart.

“If not, well at least I got to do this with you.”

They worked till late afternoon, then padded back to the House of Change. When they got back, they walked up to their second floor room to see River and Sam setting out tea for them.

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The otters embraced as one.

River sipped tea.

“Orthos has been driving me up the wall lately,” Sam started, apropos of nothing.

Sela and Chip were used to her commandeering the direction of the group discussions. They relished it and lapped up her description of the field problem she had been presented with on that day.

“And are you aware how much larger that bears are compared to us? Why it’s pretty ridiculous. There has to be some reason why they aren’t intelligent, or what was the word you used, River?”

“Sentient,” the druid said, “Nothing larger than a cat that the circle knows of has sentience.”

Chip put another pot of tea on.

“That’s something…but you can form a bond with such a creature, correct?” Sam said.

Chip sat on the large victorian couch that they had procured, Sam in between his legs, leading the conversation. She got up to pace across the room to Rivers special nesting seat. In her Raven form, she preferred to sit in the padded circle. When she stayed as an otter, she slept in the featherbed with the rest of them.

“It would be a brief bond, but temporarily, yes. Our bond is permanent now, and it costs me nothing to maintain. But I could imagine…” She trailed off.

“Orthos was telling me about the applications of magic towards beasts like this, and besides the cloaking tricks I’ve heard about, he mentioned something about temporary bonds.”

River sighed.

“It’s always an interesting time to think about theory, but the druid would need to be quite strong to maintain a bond, much less to begin one with such a large beast. I’ve considered bonding a beast for the three of us, perhaps when we get sent out on our next mission.”

Chips ears perked up as the tea did the same.

“You’ve news of our next mission, perhaps then?”

“I do, but before I reveal what we’ll be doing, I want Chip to do a reading.”

The tea kettle in Chips hands all of the sudden seemed like something he could hide behind. He didn’t try, but he wanted to.

“If you want, River.”

All the luxury of his day was swept away in a moment. He felt the deck calling to him. The call of magic was one that he wasn’t unfamiliar with. Inside the valley, the red mist made his talent sharper. He knew that it wanted him to pull some cards.

The deck appeared and he walked it to their tea table. The urge to pull a card, to solve a mystery was front and center in his mind.

“The unaligned maiden…that can’t be right.”

“Unaligned maiden? No house? That’s a new one.”

Everyone stood up to look. The form of the card looked as if it was a mouse or a rabbit standing over what had to be a cat.

“This is new, this…” River trailed off.

Chip grabbed another card, his paws moving against him.

“The knight of nithe,” he breathed placing the second card to the right of the first.

This was clearly an otter, swimming through a river. It bore a passing resemblance to Sela, and Sela himself was taken aback.

“This sometimes happens, but…” River said looking on, “The Knight of Nithe, huh? It looks like you’ll be on this mission with me, Sela”

Chip pulled the circle, and set it down on the right.

“The circle.”

There was no question as to who would be directing this mission, or of it’s importance.