"That sounds like a great idea!" says Stogie. "They could do the earth moving and we can do the directing."

Smohalla concentrates on summoning a spirit of the mountain to help with the fortifications.

Nothing fancy, nothing overly powerful.

Even with this consideration, Smohalla was curious what the results of his summons would bring.

The magic at the campsite is powerful; Smohalla already knows. He decides to dip a toe (talon) into the mana. Reaching out, he sees it pooled around him like a tense body of water. An earth spirit, a modest one, Smohalla thinks. Not his specialty, but he had good luck with one the previous morning. Cautiously he breaks the surface of the mana, and is greeted by a fantastic jet of power in the face.

The earth lurches up, a centralized earthquake under your feet. Jake falls into a paroxysm of barking. Everyone staggers a step backward before the ground settles itself. Only the ground didn't stay the ground. It is now a hulking, terrifying, vaguely humanoid form in front of you. It's the size of a massive troll and seems to be composed of rocks, dirt, and moss. There's no head that you can see, just a flat boulder for a chest and shoulders, with rolling rocks for arms and legs. Jake is beside himself.

Smohalla asked for something half his size and yet received something larger than himself. Spirits are often unruly when they are larger than their summoner, but this one seems obedient (but still huge and intimidating).

-- WHAT IS THY BIDDING MY MASTER -- ROCKFALL WILL OBEY --

It's almost as if the spirit wanted to appear, and simply awaited Smohalla's invitation. Calling it was no effort at all. The spirit agrees to five services before the passing of the day.

The sudden rush of mana is still awe-inspiring to Smohalla, even having experienced it before.

He turns to Ellesar and Stogie.

What do we need to do to fortify the campsite?

Stogie points to pathways leading into the campsite. "We need to channel potential attackers into areas where the defenders can have a clear shot at them. So, we could build berms, like ancient people did, dig a trench on the outside and use the earth to build a ridge in the inside. Make entry ways that suit the Sisters to go about their business, but also allow them, or us, to fire at attackers. The Sisters have spirits on their side, so those can be used to provide air cover. If Smohalla is here, he can do the same.

"Use the trees as supports for the berm to make it steady. Have ramps that lead up from the inside to the lower branches of the larger trees, so the defenders have fire towers to shoot down on the attackers. That's a good start."

In a strange way, Stogie's experience with dog agility competition course design seems to be applicable here. He's not working with fences and pipes and such, but his knowledge of obstacles and how to create challenging paths seems to translate. Sort of.

Ellie rubs her chin at Stogie's description, seemingly having a hard time picturing it. "Uh huh. Uh huh. Interesting," she says, nodding along, her comprehension less than complete. "But what prevents them from bypassing all this completely? Why wouldn't they just take the high ground and shoot us from a distance? What's it called? 'Sniping'?"

She points to all the high ground around you. Sure enough, there are sight lines to higher ground in several directions. "What if they have drones, or even helicopters? Are we tearing up our campsite to create fortifications for the wrong assault? Did Howling Coyote ever do this during the Ghost Dance War?"

These changes seem like a very large change in what is essentially the Sisters' home.

Perhaps we can make small changes now, then journey into town to seek information.

We will be gone a few days at most.

After we learn all we can, we can help the Sisters decide whether to stay or go.

Then if they choose to stay, we can make sure their stay is as safe as possible.

"I agree they are large changes. But they can be changed back, later. Getting shot to death is a little harder to reverse." Stogie's expression clouds momentarily as he recalls the last assault on his home, and the death of three brave dogs.

The troll speaks, a somewhat remarkable occurrence in and of itself, but it's not English. It's also not Salish, Or'zet, or any other language you recognize. It's deep and guttural, fitting for a troll. Is it German? Gaelic? It only lasts a sentence or two; not long enough for Smohalla to cast Translate.

The ork smiles to the comment. Ellie turns her head and seems to consider what was said. Whatever it was, it seems to have improved her opinion of the plan.

Hester and Selene each summon earth spirits. They're not so large as Smohalla's but they're plenty big enough to do some good digging. Jake is having fits with all the spirit activity.

"We'll get started then," Ellie says. "A few days, and you'll hardly recognize the place!" She puts her hands on her hips with a can-do attitude.

"Would you like me to pack you a lunch before you go?"

"A lunch from you would be awesome!" Stogie exclaims. Jake runs circles around Stogie, picking up on his change in mood.

Ellesar looks up, having zoned out at the thought of air support showing up and turning the forest into an inferno. It was a silly notion, he knew, but what knowledge did they really have to work with?

"I'd say it's a good plan overall, and the chance of seeing anything more than another rag-tag group of bounty hunters is slim. Still, I hope that this trip into town helps provide some more information on what we are facing here."

Ellie bustles about, doing her best to avoid the earth spirits and their work as she assembles a lunch from the pot over the campfire, plus various sacks around camp. She taps her chin for a second, looking around for something to put it all in. She finally uses a set of ceramic dishes that are handsome and elegant and entirely impractical for backpacking. The alternative would be lugging around a cast-iron pot.

"Now as long as you're going into town, please pick up a few things for us while you're there." She doesn't have a commlink - or if she does you haven't seen it - so she hands Smohalla a piece of cotton-paper stationery with a hand-written list of supplies and groceries, including sugar, eggs ("unless you have an objection" she thoughtfully tells Smohalla), and Earl Grey tea. "Harney & Sons, if you please," she requests for the latter. "Mariage Frères, if Harney & Sons is unavailable, although I could never figure out why the French were producing tea." She shakes her head at the very thought of it.

Smohalla is touched by Ellie's thoughtfulness.

Thank you, it is no problem to me if you have eggs. Eagles are predators too, even with our lesser brethren.

The tea gives him more pause. He looks askance at Stogie and Ellesar for a moment, hoping they understood.

Tucking the scrap into his pouch, Smohalla gathers his other few belongings in preparation for the trip.

Then he waits to see what is needed of his earth spirit, ready to relay commands from those that know about these things.

Ellesar walks over to the tree he notices from earlier in the day and kneels down to remove the dead leaves and dirt from the base. He uncovers the hidden rope and lets down the pack containing his gear. A small chuckle escapes his mouth. Old habits die hard I guess. Returning his camera to it's proper pocket, he slides the pack onto his back and moves over to stand with the rest of the group.

"Well the day is wasting. I think Rocky here will be fine without us. Shall we be off?"

"Sounds good. It'll take the rest of the daylight to get to Greenwater. Not much left of that town, but we can contact people from there, and with a little ingenuity set up a camp for the night." He chuckles. "Probably some firewood to be found."

Stogie's quip earns a deep and alarming belly laugh from Hester and Selene, rather out of proportion to the quality of the humor and the appropriateness of the joke. Stogie exchanges a look with Smohalla and Ellesar as the laughter continues. Ellie rolls her eyes and then shoos the men out of camp.

Canteens filled, lunch packed, the expected journey begins. Jake races ahead, turns around, looks at Stogie, races back, wags his tail, then races forward again. The process repeats inexhaustibly, as if Jake were a yo-yo tethered by a tight rubber band. Super speed? he seems to inquire. Chase?

After a short distance, Smohalla's earth spirit - Rockfall - registers the distance and informs him that proceeding without the spirit will qualify as a remote service. Rockfall will continue to serve Ellie, Hester, and Selene under their direction but will be unable to assist Smohalla in any further matters. He wishes to confirm that this is Smohalla's intention.

Smohalla confirms that he wishes Rockfall to stay and help the Sisters.

Along with helping, he can guard in case anything happens while the quartet is gone.

Using the spirit-summoner link, the shaman sends feelings of thanks and gratefulness to the spirit.

It will make the trip longer and more arduous but it is comforting to know the Sisters will have better protection.

Sighing slightly, Smohalla tries not to think about his aching feet.

As the three walk out of ccamp, Stogie give one more glance at the laughing Sisters. OooooKaaayy. "You know, Smohalla. You don't have all that much gear. If you want us to split it and carry it for you, an eagle eye in the sky could be useful. I've got this whistle I use for Jake when he's far away. I could use that to call to you if we need you close."

Yes, it would be nice to stretch my wings for awhile, rather than my legs.

My hearing is not so good these days, something visual would be better.

Just wave at me and I will see that.

With this said, Smohalla shifts into eagle form and takes to the sky.

His clothes and medicine bag fall with a soft thump to the ground.

Ellesar bends down and scoops up the fallen garments from the ground. He opens his pack and places the clothes inside. Zipping it back up he replaces the pack, adds the medicine bag to his shoulder, and smiles encouragingly at Stogie. "Shall we continue?"

"Let's go." Stogie sets out.

Ellesar, Stogie, and Jake set off on foot while Smohalla soars above. Walking this direction (north, mostly) is definitely easier than the walk in. Greenwater is about 1200 meters below the elevation of the Sisters' lake. The first half-kilometer is quite steep before the trail levels off into an easy downhill stroll.

Smohalla combs the air back and forth, vigilant for any potential predators. He summons a ring of watchers to circle the team like a halo. There is a tense moment as you pass through the stretch of forest where Toothy launched his failed ambush a few days ago but nothing happens. Smohalla's eagle vision can spot the trees that were struck by Stogie's defoliating shotgun.

A cold wind cuts through the valley. It helps to keep moving so lunch is a short affair. Between keeping one eye on the fading daylight and the other eye open for danger, the team is too distracted to fully appreciate Ellie's meal. Jake heroically volunteers to lick out the ceramic dishes once everyone is done.

The pace quickens as the sun drops behind the mountains. The tone of the mana changes as the kilometers tick by. It's wild and natural but lacks the almost otherwordly purity found at the Sisters' camp. For the most part it feels normal. That changes again once the team reaches Greenwater. The background count is still there, making Smohalla and Stogie uncomfortable and vaguely queasy. The watchers, unable to exist in the tainted mana, fade away. Rockfall signals the completion of his service to Smohalla and departs.

It's after dark by the time the team reaches town. There's no sign of anyone in the ruins but cars and trucks occasionally pass on the highway that goes through town. Their willingness to stop for three dirty men and a dog is an open question.

The glorious feel of the wind rushing over his outstretched wings is all too quickly ended as the team reaches Greenwater.

After Smohalla settles back down to the earth, he quickly wraps himself in his clothing to ward off the chill.

We should first make camp in a ruined building, to protect us from the wind.

Then we can see to contacting our friends for information.

Smohalla shivers once again, either from the cold or from the sickening feel of the mana of this place.

He wonders if his time could also be spent doing a more thorough investigation of the astral here.

Perhaps he could find a clue, having assensed the Sisters.

Looking around, there are no ruined buildings to provide shelter. Not a single board stands from the houses and buildings which used to be here. The destruction visited upon Greenwater was total. Some of the houses had basements but these are mostly full of ash and debris. Clearing one out would get the party out of the wind but not the autumn cold. A fire certainly seems necessary, although that may attract attention from the nearby highway.

Staying in town overnight is not an appealing prospect. The background count here is not from the magic which caused the destruction but rather the mental anguish experienced by the town's residents as they feared for their lives and watched their homes burn down. All astral evidence of the Sisters' magic is gone; the local pain remains. Smohalla is uncertain if he could actually get any sleep here; doing so would almost seem to guarantee bad dreams. A tree branch just outside of town seems far more appealing. If only Stogie, Jake, and Ellesar could cling to a treetop as well as Smohalla can.

On second thought, let us not stay in this town.

It is an unsettling place.

With your help Ellesar, we can make an effective shelter in the woods.

Perhaps we can try to keep from making a fire.

This area has seen enough for a while.

"Yes, let us not anger the spirits of this place. Stogie, didn't you pick up a tent from those unfortunates earlier?" The elf peers off into the woods, looking for a decent campsite.

"I did, but it's a one-man tent. However, we could take shifts, seeing as we have a watch to keep."

Smohalla nods at this.

Keeping a watch is very wise.

Summoning a spirit to help is not something I would do lightly here.

Armed with his low-light vision and his developing powers of perception, Ellesar spots a promising spot just north of the river that passes along town. The river is low - the winter rains have not yet refilled it - and crossing it is easy. The mana begins to ease as the team leaves the town limits. Smohalla and Stogie exhale a sigh of relief, their chests no longer constrained by the mana that tightened around their hearts like a vice. Even breathing seems easier here.

Ellesar finds a spot that's indented into the steep mountainside to the north. It will shelter the team from the east-west winds that pass through the valley. Under Ellesar's direction, Stogie puts his fineblade to good use and begins to chop down small limbs that can be used for a lean-to. Smohalla's survival experience is more relevant to a bird than a man but he knows his trees; he helps point Stogie to the best limbs, as Stogie is having a hard time seeing in the forested blackness.

A fire is possible, given the abundance of wood and dry needles for kindling. The dry conditions do create a bit of a risk, although it's Ellesar's professional opinion that not making a fire would represent the greater risk. The temperature is already at freezing level and will only continue to drop until tomorrow's sunrise. Thankfully there doesn't seem to be any snow in the air; there's enough of a wireless signal here to confirm that the weather report doesn't include any precipitation for tonight. The one-man tent that Stogie picked up is more for keeping the occupant dry rather than warm. It's little more than a nylon shell, although it will be useful as a windbreaker for its sole occupant (or occupants if Jake has his way).

Water is readily available from the nearby river. Unfortunately there's nothing left of Ellie's lunch. There is the freeze-dried food that was liberated from the ill-fated bounty hunters this morning. Ellesar also has some rations, some MREs of questionable taste that manage to be high in fat yet low in flavor. Can Stogie repeat his cooking wizardry from a few days ago?!?

How difficult will it be to ccontact those you wish to talk with?

For me, I would be unable to keep watch while I am away.

Smohalla inquires of his teammates.

"As for my contacts, they can all be reached by phone. If they are available, that is. Ellesar, can you set up the tent? I'll dig up some grub." Hmmm.... grubs would be good... wrong season though.

Stogie looks over the contents of the meal packets. He selects some "beef" of dubious origin, and a packet of freeze dried vegetables. Salt and pepper packets round out the finds. A quick trip out to the forest edge provides pine nuts and needles, as well as a few safe mushrooms. The needles he sets to slow steeping for a tea. As an after-thought, he adds some pine gum. The meat, vegetables, nuts and mushrooms and salt and pepper combine for a stew. "Well, it'll keep us alive." He puts out some kibble and meat, with a bit of the stew juice for Jake.

"Shouldn't be much of a problem. Tents aren't exactly foreign to me. Cooking on the other hand...well I'll leave that to you." Ellesar chuckles slightly at the thought of such an event. We'd wind up eating burnt twigs and leaves.

Smohalla helps clear the ground beneath where the tent will be set up.

Then he takes a pot out in search of water.

Fresh or otherwise is no matter to him.

It takes Smohalla all of 15 seconds to find water. In addition to the White River that the party crossed 100 meters ago, there's also a small stream coming off the hillside right next to camp. It's barely a trickle now - it will be bigger when the November rain arrives - but it's enough to fill a pot.

Setting up the bivy sack takes Ellesar about as long as it takes Smohalla to find water. All that's needed is to unroll it and use a single pole that keeps the fabric off the user's face while sleeping inside. Starting a small fire for dinner and tea isn't much harder. The weather has been so dry that there's an ample amount of tinder available.

Stogie looks over the ingredients for the freeze-dried food and finds that the "beef" is actually mycoprotein, so it makes a certain amount of thematic sense to mix it with local mushrooms. His stew recipe is edible, although adding pine tar to the tea gives it an astringent aftertaste. At least it's warm.

Night begins to settle in. Your breath hovers in front of you in frosty clouds. Whose idea was it to sleep outside?! This is for the bird!

The bird has no trouble sleeping in the tree in this weather, being used to high altitudes and cold mountain tops.

A slight indigestion troubles him, whether from apprehension or from the...unique...tea that Stogie brewed, he's not sure.

Settling in for the night, he tucks his head under his wing and lets his consciousness float away.

Ellesar huddles up against one of the larger trees in the immediate area and prepares for the first shift. His insulated suit provides a slight buffer from the biting cold.

Ellesar watches Stogie crawl into the bivy sack with Jake. Stogie buries himself deep in the sleeping roll, thankful that his natural immunity keeps him healthy on oppressively cold nights like these. Ellesar, meanwhile, is grateful that he paid for the top-of-the-line insulation option for his camo suit. Tonight's fire is just not kicking out as much heat as the Sisters' fire back at their camp. Ellesar intentionally keeps the fire small so as to not attract unwanted attention. He can see headlights wave by on Highway 410 back in town.

Flattening himself against a tree, Ellesar hunkers down against the wind. He exhales down his collar, warming himself slightly as the minutes slowly tick by. He stirs himself every half hour to feed the fire to keep it going. He patrols the area, moving away from the firelight to scan the hillside and surrounding forest with his low-light vision. He is secretly comforted by the cars and trucks which occasionally pass in the distance. They assure him that there is life in this place; the universe has not conspired against Ellesar to alienate him next to a burned-out town on a lonely mountainside in the woods in the autumn that feels like winter. If only he had purchased a better commlink! The Sony Emperor is an average model, and whatever wireless signal remains in Greenwater is out of reach.

The hours creep by. Finally, stiff but unharmed, Ellesar pats Stogie on the shoulder. Stogie opens his eyes to a frosty cold night. His bladder squeezes him out of the sleeping roll and into the nearby trees. Ellesar trades places with him; Jake registers the change with a passive shift in weight. Stogie marks a perimeter and then assumes his watch.

After a circuit of the camp, Stogie sits for a moment on a fallen tree. Oh, look, it's a spruce. Absent-mindedly he picks some of the gum and chews it. After a few spits, the impurities come out, and the gum turns tasty, as it cleans his teeth. He hasn't had a single cavity since he started this practice. Better than that pine gum in the tea.

The wind comes steadily from the west, so their camp is in the lee of the hill around which their little creek turns and which dampens some of it, but when the wind turns a bit north, the little creek valley funnels it right through the camp. Hmmph. getting a little lax in my camping skills. I hope the boys don't get feisty. Good visibility to the east and south, though, and the wind will carry sounds to him from the other directions. All in all, a decent place to hole up. Stogie opens to the astral to help keep track of the goings on nearby. There appear to be some trails down the steep cliffs above them, down to the east a bit. He gives special attention to those.

Lots of time on watch like this. Time to think. And remember. No, that won't do. With a shake of his head he rises and makes another circuit. Once more at his seat, he concentrates on the sounds and sights of a living landscape. Jake is snoring gently. Stogie's shotgun is at the easy across his lap. He waits.

Smohalla's feathers ruffle in the wind, but he doesn't stir.

Far off are his travels, his dreams touching the meta-planes of existence.

The rusted chains of prison moons are shattered by the sun.

He walks a road, horizons change. The tournaments begun.

The purple piper plays his tune - three lullabies in an ancient tongue.

Stogie paces around, rubbing his hands together to keep warm. "Keeping watch" is a misnomer when it's hard to see further than ten meters, even with superhuman perception. He stops moving for a moment to close his eyes and listen. That doesn't help much either. The wind in the trees creates enough rustling that only the most cartoonish footsteps would be audible. No, hearing won't help him tonight. What then?

He inhales deeply, smelling the fresh mountain wind. Then he smells dog. Jake's been know to break wind in his sleep, but theoretically that would be contained by the sleeping roll and bivy sack. Stogie twists in place, trying to pinpoint the direction of the smell. He follows it upwind, to the west. He looks up the steep hill just across the small creek where Smohalla drew water. He flips to the astral. The forest scene is bright; almost blinding. But between the trees, hidden amongst the bushes, he thinks he can make out a pair of eyes watching him.

The scent of dog is similar to wolf, but not the same. What is a dog doing out here? The answer seems obvious. A town burned down, and a pet got lost. A tug-of-war ensues in Stogie's mind between emotions born of losses in his own past and paranoia in a strange place at night. The emotions win. Using a shepherd's whistle command will instantly bring Jake barreling out from the sleeping bag. That might scare the stranger away. Even a gently voiced command might penetrate Jake's sleep. Maybe some sign language.

Stogie leans forward in a playful pose, one hand on each bent leg. Then he pats one thigh a couple of quick taps, ducking his head as he does so. A universal "come here" among pet owners.

If Jake is a whore, that makes Stogie a pimp. And what can you say? Spitting mad game like only a precious few can, Stogie could probably land any bitch that he wanted. Stogie's animal magnetism is downright magical.

Stogie's deft parsing of the situation saves him from waking up Jake (and, thus, saving Ellesar a violent shock). Stogie starts to hear the jingle of the dog's collar as it approaches. Finally it emerges from the woods, a copper-red/white female Siberian husky. She has a beautiful, thick double coat, one that turns the frosty autumn air into a non-issue. Stogie knows that huskies are a working breed and are capable of going long periods of time with relatively little food. That might explain how she managed to survive on her own for so long. Greenwater burned down, what, two weeks ago?

Stogie vaguely remembers hearing about a dog breeder when the team first arrived in Greenwater, but he can't remember the details. (And what was that elf's name? Something elfy.) That would make sense, though, since this dog looks like a purebred. She has shapely triangular ears, pale blue eyes, and a charming, fluffy tail that makes her look foxy.

She doesn't run to Stogie but she cautiously approaches, sitting when she gets about ten meters away. Her white coat is dirty from being outdoors for two weeks and she's obviously lost some weight during that time too, but she seems to be getting by.

Stogie smiles at his success so far. A delicate situation to be sure. Even though huskies are a brave breed, the bitch could still turn and run at the first sign of trouble. Stogie needs to get her to trust him. Well, bribery usually works, and she looks hungry. Stogie digs out a few of the snackies he still has for Jake, and tosses them about halfway between them. Then he backs off and sits on a log, hands on his knees. In a quiet, gentle voice, he says, "OK, girl. Your play."

Well that was easy. She's dignified enough not to race forward but it's clear that she's familiar with the concept of "snackies" and approves of them. She steps forward and bows her head to crunch the treats. She sniffs the ground to make sure she didn't miss any, then sits and looks at Stogie.

Stogie considers her in turn. It's possible that she's a show dog, given her level of control. Huskies are usually headstrong and stubborn; their masters must be equally strong-willed to handle them. It's curious that such a dog would become separated from her master, especially since there were no casualties in the Greenwater fire. Stogie knows he could never be divided from Jake, but admittedly the two of them are a special case.

Stogie must have given her the impression of being a strong leader because she sits there expectantly, seemingly in wait for a cue from him.

"OK. Well, then, girl, let's see what else you can do." Stogie stands, and walks off to the side, giving a hand signal to 'heel'. Years ago Stogie created his own set of hand signals to use at distance with his dogs, but there is no way this bitch would know those. So, Stogie uses the standard set of signals most shows use, hoping she will be accustomed to those. He heads towards the town, clearly expecting her to swing in to his left side and walk with him.

Better not go too far from the camp, though.

If the husky knows sign language, she's not readily letting on, or she knows some different version of it. She sniffs the ground when Stogie gives the hand signal to heel. When he starts to walk, she falls in line behind him, not off to the side. She seems to be responding more to his body language than anything.

As Stogie gets maybe fifty meters away from camp, he hears a piercing howl. It spooks the husky; she stares up the hill in alarm. It's no problem for Stogie to pinpoint where it came from: up the small mountain to the north that the team climbed right after their first visit to Greenwater. It's where they encountered the wolf pack led by K'wa'iti. Other wolves at other point along the hillside join in the chorus. None of them seem too close - Stogie would guess that the nearest is at least a kilometer or two away - but it's near enough that the husky looks like she's about to bolt.

As the bitch responds to Stogie's action, Stogie gets the impression she isn't quite the pet he thought she was. OK, let's try a different tack.

Then the howling starts. Seeing the bitch's reaction, Stogie gets decisive. "Stay!" He puts everything he's got into that command and moves towards her, not aggressively, but confident she will do as she is told. His tone turns gentle, and he stands beside her, between her and where the howls originate, reaching to stroke her neck and chest. "No point in you becoming their meal tonight, girl."

Heh. That howling should get Jake up and going. Let's see how he deals with this beauty, here beside me.

She stays. Between the forceful command and the howling, Jake is awakened. He bolts out of the bed roll, his claws digging into Ellesar as he claws for traction. Luckily, Ellesar wore his insulated (and armored) camo suit to bed, so Jake's nails don't tear into him. Still, he's rudely awakened, having only just fallen asleep a short while ago. His head spins as his mind falls back into the present.

Petting the husky's neck, Stogie brushes up against a dog collar. It jingles lightly. He feels a cold metal medallion dangling off her collar. It's too dark to read but with his enhanced perception Stogie can feel the raised lettering with his fingertips: it says "Lady" and nothing else.

Lacking a signal, Stogie long ago turned off his commlink to help preserve its battery life. Getting an idea, he turns it on now. Lady's dog collar lights up as an RFID tag. In short order, Stogie confirms her name and finds contact information for her owner. Before he can go any further he is interrupted by the sudden arrival of Jake, who barrels onto the scene and further alarms Lady. She flattens out and leans into Stogie, eyeing Jake warily as he investigates the scene thoroughly.

Stogie connects to Jake via their Attunement. He projects a sense of calm and safety. "Hey, Jake. Meet Lady. She's from around here. Lady, this is my good buddy, Jake." The dogs tentatively sniff each other's muzzles, then move on to the other end. Once, only once, long ago Stogie connected through the Attunement to Jake's sense of smell as he did this. He refrains from doing so now. Introductions having been made, well-rested Jake invites Lady for some play, his front-end down, legs stretched forward in the yoga pose Downward Dog.

"I imagine you're up, Ellesar. Come on out, I'll get some tea going. I've got a line on a contact who may have been an eye witness to what happened here."

It's very early in the morning, just 5am according to Stogie's commlink. Ellesar has been asleep since maybe midnight so he's had some rest but would probably appreciate a little more. How easy it will be to fall back asleep after a fully grown border collie has used your legs, belly, and chest as a track is a separate issue. Plus it's freezing, and the idea of leaving the bivy sack or the sleeping roll is difficult to contemplate. Stogie's tea may not be sufficient incentive.

Lady does not seem as keen to play as Jake. She's underfed, under-rested, and probably alarmed at life in general right now. Only Stogie's steadying hand is keeping her in place. Jake relays that Lady is not in heat right now, which - all things considered - is probably for the best.