The next morning, the Sentries rode out from Stonefall.
Every member of the clan came to see them off.
The Sentries—forty-five strong—sat tall in their saddles. They had ridden eight brutal days to reach Stonefall in time to face a mercenary force that outnumbered them more than ten to one. And they had won.
The Black Crows had broken and fled, their appetite for war extinguished.
Three thousand clansfolk cheered, roared, and called their names. The sound was deafening, joyous, overwhelming.
Each Sentry felt it—the pride of their people washing over them like sunlight.
It was a moment they would never forget.
"Dem!"
Dem heard her before he saw her.
She walked beside his horse, hand resting on the saddle. "Imagine—so much glory, only to get lost on the way home."
She squeezed his hand.
"I won't get lost," Dem said. "You're welcome to visit anytime."
"Don't regret saying that!" Tori slipped away, waving and cheering as the Sentries passed.
Unknown to most, the trickster cared deeply for her people; Tori had cried with relief when she learned the Black Crows had been turned back.
A few miles into their journey, the Sentry force drew up in an informal circle.
Dem handed each Sentry twenty gold. "Visit your families. Explore the towns. Rest. You've earned it. Meet at the Swiftwind Camp in two weeks."
The laughter and cheers began immediately—but Telo raised a hand.
"No traveling alone! Each of the nine clans has five Sentries here. Travel together—with your clanmates or other Sentries. You've earned time off, not trouble."
Dem watched as small groups split away, riding in different directions.
The five Stonefall Sentries turned back toward their home. That left only the Red Fox members… and Dem.
"Follow me!" Telo kicked his horse into a canter, two warhounds following them with surprising ease
Dem grinned and followed.
The Red Fox wintering grounds lay in northeastern Dhrygal, at what everyone simply called "the top of the bay." The season was mild compared to the rest of the Four Kingdoms—sun-warmed shores, soft winds rolling in from the water.
Set back from the bay, nestled in a natural rock basin, the Red Fox thrived through hunting and farming. The sheer cliffs ringing the bay made fishing impractical; no boat could safely launch or land there.
As the Sentries rode, tribals on foot or horseback occasionally appeared along the main trail. Every one of them recognized Telo, greeting him with wide smiles and loud affection.
Entering the basin that marked the end of their journey, the small Red Fox group urged their mounts forward, eager to be home for the first time in months.
Word had spread quickly—Red Fox Sentries returning home, and not just returning, but returning victorious. Their routing of the Black Crows had reached every clan and every city of the Four Kingdoms.
By the time Dem's group came into view, the entire tribe had come out to welcome them.
Dem let Telo lead them in.
This was his clan.
His family.
The people who had shaped him.
Telo's grin stretched so wide it threatened to swallow his entire face.
Cheers rolled over them as they dismounted, quickly giving way to embraces and back slaps. The crowd surged warmly around the Sentries.
Telo spotted his father, Uhric, and his dasai, Yena.
Yena's face lit up like a lantern, and she broke into a run—dodging through people with the agility of someone born to it, arms stretching wide as she approached.
Telo braced to catch her and... she rushed right past him.
And threw herself into Dem instead, hugging him tightly and kissing his face with joyful abandon.
Yena's hands framed Dem's face, her smile radiant.
"I can't believe you're here." She stepped back to look him over. His skin was darker now, his shoulders broader, limbs stronger. He had passed her in height—though only a few months ago she had been the taller by a bit.
"Hey, I'm here too!" Telo rolled his eyes, pulling both his parents into a hug.
Yena flushed, reluctantly releasing Dem before hugging Telo. "Welcome home, dosu."
"Nope. I don't accept it." Despite the words, Telo crushed her into a warm embrace, ruffling her hair like she was still twelve.
Uhric pulled Dem into a bear hug that squeezed the air from his lungs. "Has my son been carrying his weight?"
Dem shrugged casually. "You know Telo."
Uhric sighed like a man who had suffered greatly. "So that's a no."
"Yeah. As useful as gull shit on the rocks," Dem agreed.
"HEY!" Telo protested. "Why am I being targeted?!"
"Thinning the herd," Uhric offered.
"Take the weak ones first," Dem added.
Dem and Uhric shared a look before both breaking into laughter.
Uhric tugged a middle-aged woman forward—reddish hair, freckles, and the unmistakable resemblance to her children. "Have you met my Aggie?"
Dem shook his head, though he wasn't surprised when she hugged him too.
"Joking aside," he said as she stepped back, "Telo's been running the Sentries. Occasionally, I swoop in and take the glory."
Telo nodded solemnly. "He's a swooper. The best I've ever seen."
"Agani," the woman corrected with mock sternness—then froze as two massive black dogs trotted forward, tongues lolling.
"What are those monstrosities?"
Dem extended a hand, and both hounds moved to him. "No names yet. I thought Yena might like one."
Yena's freckled face lit up like sunrise.
"For me?" She knelt—eye level with the dogs—studying them carefully. One male, one female. After a thoughtful pause, she tapped the male's head. "This one. He looks like a Buttercup."
Dem and Telo snorted in perfect harmony.
Yena glanced up, grinning. "Right?"
Dem nodded solemnly. "Yep."
"Sure does, dasai," Telo agreed, trying not to laugh.
Agani clasped Dem's hand. "You must be starving and exhausted. Come sit by the fire—we'll get both of you fed."
The other Red Fox Sentries had already scattered to reunite with their families, so with nothing else pressing, Dem and Telo followed Agani into the family area.
They settled around the fire, talking and eating. Telo launched into the stories of their missions so far—the slaver camp, the Frostridge mines, the Black Crow mercenary company—somehow only exaggerating a little. No small miracle for the Sentry Chief.
Naturally, he left out the part where Dem could induce beastkin transformation, and how rapidly it was becoming one of their greatest tactical strengths.
Telo was describing Mullen Cross in terrifying detail when Dem's head snapped toward the east.
"Suli is coming," he announced.
"What's she want?" Telo pushed Buttercup's giant head off his foot and stood. Suli Red Fox—quiet, steady-eyed, a talented member of the archer odun—approached at a run. Her short black hair was wind-tossed, and Dem could hear her heart hammering, smell the fear riding under her scent.
"Chief. Commander!"
She stopped at the edge of the campfire's glow; she wasn't close with Telo's family.
"What's wrong, Suli?" Dem asked gently.
"My little dasai has… he's gone."
Telo's brows knotted. "When you say gone—tell me you don't mean—"
Suli nodded, voice breaking. "They lost track of him for only a few moments. It has to be that. It's already been a day. He's only three…"
Telo exchanged looks with Yena and his parents. Almost immediately, all three stood and went inside the tent.
"Suli, we'll do our best," he promised.
Suli nodded, eyes shining. "I know the two of you can do it. I'll wait at my family's camp."
When she was gone, Dem turned slowly back to Telo. "What's going on? Why did they go inside?"
Telo exhaled, sweat already gathering on his brow. "You know… some topics are hard for tribals to talk about. The more we focus on them, the worse it gets."
"Then breathe. Stop trying to explain it directly. Give me hints in other ways, and let me guess until we land on the right path."
Telo nodded, wiping his forehead on his sleeve. "Okay. I'll tell you a story. If I stay on the same story, it means you're close. If I switch stories, you're off-topic."
Dem didn't need more than that. Tribal magic protected their secret—that they were all beastkin—and made certain subjects literally impossible to speak aloud. Whatever Telo was trying to say was colliding with that magic.
"Is this about the ink tribals wear?" Dem asked.
Even a slight nod made Telo wince. He switched topics immediately:
"Your mother used escadomai when she killed those slavers during my massat."
"Alright. Same story means I'm close. New story means I'm wrong." Dem nodded. "So… is this related to beastkin forms?"
"I saw an aquatic among Ember's crew," Telo said, still on the unrelated story—therefore, yes.
"Good. Same topic." Dem slowed his voice, thinking aloud. "Suli's brother is young. He disappeared." A thought occurred to him; when he was an infant, his beastkin form activated to save his life, and he lost years to being feral. "Is this… a feral issue? Did Suli's brother change?"
Telo remained on the Ember story.
"I still think about Ember's crew. Must be amazing, being a pirate."
"Same topic," Dem said with a wry smile. "Quit talking so much about my birth mother—it's weird. Let me get this straight: a young tribal changed early. He hasn't had his first inking yet. And this happens… how often?"
Telo was drenched in sweat, eyes squeezed shut against the pain of trying to force the subject.
"Enough," Dem said softly.
He checked the area—no one close—then his eyes went crimson.
"Escadomai."
In a swirl of mist, Telo's fox form popped free of his clothes, shaking out his fur in relief as the pain drained from him.
"Alright," Dem said. "How often does this happen?"
The red fox stepped forward and drew three lines in the sandy soil.
"It's happened three times?" Dem asked.
The fox nodded.
"Then three's not bad," Dem said calmly, releasing the transformation.
Telo dressed quickly. "We should go to Suli's tent."
Dem nodded. "Lead the way."