Cachi understood little of the last day, but it was evident he was a captive, and the two raccoons meant to take him to a higher authority.  Where was anyone’s guess; he’d gotten the impression the trip was a long one.  Barely able to place one foot in front of the other, the little female continued to push the pace once she’d gotten the male moving again.  Their chittering speech was unintelligible, and he hoped the male tried to communicate again.

From the top of the hill, the road stretched ahead for miles, disappearing past another hill so far away the trees on the left were a solid wall of pale green.  An outpost comprising three squat stone buildings with flat roofs sat within the wide trough between the hills.  With the forests this land boasted, it surprise...

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