The next morning, the four spacefarers and Annifred, Aykuh, Blue, Hotspur, and Larrikan set out to go to the empty clearing where they hope the dryads know something of the lost ship.
The walk is pleasant, especially after Larrikan gets his recorder out and plays cheerful music.
The group stops for lunch, which Hotspur provides excellently. After food and a few minutes off their feet, the walk resumes. Hotspur offers to, and then carries Kerry, which is an entertaining sight. Blue sketches them.
Everyone reaches the clearing and Aykuh sets off to talk with her sisters while the group sets up camp. Annifred helps with some of the heavier setting up but then swipes Douglas for some “fun” in nearby forest. Sakura volunteers to help Hotspur gather wood before Larrikan can abscond with her.
Larrikan doesn’t mind pitching in, and will both spend some time with the lovely vixen, and show her places to find usable wood that won’t upset the dryads. They spend a pleasant and useful day in the forest.
Aykuh returns as the light fades, saying the dryad she spoke to saw the big noisy thing and ignored it. She didn’t notice it had gone, but is glad. Aykuh goes to see another, telling the crew, “Don’t wait up!”
Larrikan wakes up in the morning to voices and Sakura moving. He scents before he opens his eyes and gets fox fear. This gets him to sit up and look around. No one has woken the two heaviest fighters – although Douglas and Vash might be dangerous too – so he asks Sakura, “You smell afraid… did you have a nightmare?”
Kerry says, “We had a Visitation.”
Douglas replies, “One heck of a nightmare.”
It isn’t until the usually stable Vash says, “Quietly, Kerry. I don’t want to panic them just yet,” that Larrikan starts to worry.
He asks, “What happened?”
Vash says, “Just another sign, I think, Larrikan.”
Kerry adds, “We seem to be getting involved with all the heavy players in this little drama. Does the phrase, “Find the horn.” mean anything to you?”
Douglas suddenly says, “Yeep!” and gets a shocked look. Apparently Annifred has cold hands.
Larrikan strokes Sakura to try and soothe her, and repeats, “Find the horn?” He thinks about it and says, “Not really, no.”
This gets a sudden reaction from Annifred who sits upright and asks, “Find horn?” When no one answers immediately, she asks Douglas, “What happened? Who say find horn?”
The explanation is slow to untangle. Kerry asks Larrikan to look for tracks under a harmless tree, which he does.
“Near here? No tracks of note here,” he tells Kerry.
Annifred impatiently tickles Doug, demanding, “Who? Who say?”
Douglas, with prompting and help from Vash and Kerry, explains that one of the Hunt was there, and told them, “For your silver bird, find the horn.”
Larrikan takes several quick steps back from the tree, and says, “There was a member of the Hunt here?”
Vash replies, deadpan, “Right about where you’re standing, Larrikan.”