It's not supposed to snow in the South Forest, but the weather in the second-emptiest corner of Shelha is not the only thing behaving strangely. When an ex-tyrant started acting up again, Sethral had hoped it meant the end of lazy days and monotonou...
The next patrol left early the next morning, when the sun had not yet risen. Mist clung about the trees like cobweb. Autumn and Summer were travelling light, the last few chains thrown in bags across their shoulders.
A whisper of wings told Autumn they had been joined by their Drakon attendants. Somewhere ahead was the Lesland escort that would lead them through the first leg of the journey, where Lesland territories and forest overlapped. Winter had assigned twice the usual number of Coppertails for this trip. A black mutt had been taking out border patrols and escorts with increasing regularity since the Mountainairs had set up camp in the Westwind Crags. There was safety in numbers, but Winter was more far interested in getting a description of the offender. He used surprise attacks, and had so far escaped concrete observation.
"Another creature caught in the forest," said Summer, dismissing a Drakon scout. A second flight had joined their escort. "We'll have to pick it up on the way back. The Drakons won't touch it."
"What do you mean, they won't touch it?" said Autumn. "Hey fleawings! You do not get to disobey Lady Winter just because you're scared!"
The flight scattered and regrouped, then darted apart, chattering.
"They won't touch it," said Summer with a shrug.
"Then send another flight in with them. If we take mutiny this early, they'll never listen to us."
Summer beckoned the messenger down and relayed the message. It crouched on the ground and made a whistle-like whine. Autumn snarled it away. Before the sun had risen another paw-length, the flight was seen again with its reinforcements, whizzing away over the trees.
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Sethral flew low and fast in the direction Whipper had directed, Silversand on her back. She landed in the trees and let her rider tumble off. Head cocked and eyes squinched shut in concentration, Silversand scanned the forest for sounds. Her tail shot out. The Mountainairs had aimed just south of where Whipper had predicted.
Taz and Fletch bounded up, Whipper on Fletch's back. Silversand indicated where the patrol was headed.
"They're going just a touch south of east then," said Fletch.
"They'll collide with the South Flat pass in three days if they keep this path," said Taz, concerned.
"Really?" said Sethral. "Geez, you migratory species. Yeah yeah, I know Rocklander don't migrate; I just don't get how you can tell all that from here!"
"Directional instinct," said Whipper with a grin. "Autumn will probably avoid the sandbed forest ahead of us though. Sethral and Silver, go to that big rock outcrop by the grass-river bend by the river. Sethral, you know which one I'm talking about, right?"
"The red-banded one? Yeah."
She and Silversand leaped up their tree again and were lost above the canopy.
