Emberwood Still Alive

Hmm. So the river had something of a history. A bloody one, at that. Hirundo didn’t know how to feel about this information, nor what to think. It was usually better not to think at all, he’d discovered, so he tried to shake off his unease.

Well, Miss Mae’s still there. I don’t know what it was all like before, but she takes care of the river, Hirundo said. Are you looking for a place to stay? Miss Mae might let you, as long as you can catch food.

He hesitated to think of it as a pack or family, yet at the same time, Hirundo did not know where else to go. It seemed relatively safe, at least; anyone with half a brain about them wouldn’t cross a river-witch. The other woman there, Kaiaka, seemed formidable enough too.