Two rabbits and a mouse surrounded Chip, each trying to stare him down.

“Remember. It’s a hit to one of the critical areas and you’re out!” Ortho said.

A hastily drawn ring circled the creatures, with their discarded cloaks. Chalk had come from somewhere to coat the ends of the staves. On one either side of the ring, initiates and candidates ate and drank rations.

“Begin.”

Orthos voice almost boomed as Chip moved swiftly counterclockwise around the three. When fighting three, Ortho had said, you had to keep them on one side, rather than giving them the ability to hit from all different angles.

The mouse's movement looked sluggish. He exchanged parrys with the slightly smaller creature. The rabbits, looking overconfident, charged, their staves overhead.

“Otter cracks the rock, eh?’ Chip said, stepping to the side.

Both overhead attacks met the air where he was, and one rabbit turned in horror to see that he had been hit right in the torso. He bent and rolled out of the way.

It dawned on the other rabbit's face that perhaps he was about to get the same thing. He stepped next to the mouse so that they were side by side.

“Oh, don’t make it easy for me, now,” Chip said.

“We won’t,” The mouse said, “Charge!”

Both creatures placed their staves forward like spears and ran right at him.

For a brief second, Chip wondered if his pride could take a hit like that. It could, but he really wanted to show up Ortho at the moment.

Chip flowed into a defensive posture with beaver builds a dam, redirecting both blows up and to the side. The overhead push left him with two openings which he took both of.

The mouse gasped, falling in a melodramatic heap. Probably the son of some gentry who viewed the arts as a worthwhile endeavor, Chip mused. Real creatures made art with seasonings.

“This is the difference between someone who has received the benefits of the ranger bond. Bonsai!” Ortho looked like he might crack a smile sometime in the next ten years. He grabbed the staves from the defeated three creatures.

The beaver stood at attention.

“I live and serve!” The beaver.

Ortho pointed to two others. A pair of rabbits stood up and received the staves.

“Same rules apply.”

Chip sat down to watch. Bonsai had a bit of the mercenary training that all Riverfolk received, but didn’t have the benefit of the ranger bond. And that was when he saw the brilliance of Orthos design. He was trying to sell all of the ranger candidates on the benefits of sticking around. Chip already had an inkling of how difficult the life must be after training, if the training itself was at that level.

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One of the druids whooped as the rabbits closed in.

Bonsai checked left, then right testing with his stave. Both rabbits had a strong grip, while Bonsai flowed easily into otter down the river, moving through the two. For a brief second one checked him almost hitting Bonsai as he turned to reach for a feint.

The rabbits almost hit each other, tripping themselves up trying to get to him, but it wasn’t because they were good, far from it. Both looked like newborn otters, wobbling around in battle as Bonsai laid down one feint after another.

“‘Hit me!” One rabbit said.

“As you wish,” Bonsai said, moving from a feint into a lunge as he connected, pushing the rabbit back.

The other rabbit raged right into otter cracks the rock, leaving himself entirely open and bonsai stepped to the side, hitting him squarely in the chest.

Dazed the second rabbit weakly lifted a paw up.

“And that is what a lilttle bit of training can do for you,” Ortho said, “ Bonsai trained alongside his riverfolk brothers and sisters to become a guard until he chose a better path. Now, I’m going to go through the basics with you all today one by one. You’re all dismissed to do perimeter patrol, Chip, Bonsai and Oak. One rests at a time.”

Ortho nearly kicked the two beavers and Chip away from the rest of the pack, as he began barking orders.

“Chip, go ahead and eat and drink first, we’ll check the perimeter, then you can take Sam with you when we get back,” Oak said.

“Got it. See you both in a bit. Good work there,” Chip said, patting bonsai on the back.

Sam had seen better days, but Chip knew not to mention her haggard expression. Underneath it, she was a bundle of nerves. He felt her grip through the bond. He pulled some salted fish out of his ruck.

The two ate in companionable silence. Her nerves told him everything that he needed to know about her, and his presence was all that she needed to feel about him.

Chip lost track of time and realized that his canteen was out of water. He looked up to see Bonsai and Oak returning.

“Nothing to report, Squad leader,” Bonsai said.

“We’ll do a loop around,” Sam said, standing up. Her canteen was turned up and also empty.

The first place they went to was the river.

“Kinda makes you miss our friend, huh?” Chip said.

Her broad smile told him everything he needed to know. They had made the right choice in coming here.