For once, Sarah was silent. She wanted to talk, but not to me. She was angry at me for leaving my tribe to the Fuegos.

I was angry at myself as well. But leaving was the best action; I wouldn't have made things any better. If the Guerro did exist, it was my job to find them and make things right.

We walked for a long time. I enjoyed the silence, but I felt guilty about making Sarah upset.

Should I talk to her? I wondered. Or would that make her more angry?

I glanced back at her for a second. She looked up from the ground, scowling at me. Perhaps talking wasn't a great idea.

I looked away quickly, feeling a little embarrassed.

"I don't have anything to say to you right now, I'm still mad." Saguaro growled.

"I'm aware." I said.

"But I understand you, after thinking about it. I know why you couldn't help, but I'm still mad."

I nodded.

"Quick thinking, getting out of there. I noticed that pretty coyote glance at you, she looked quite distraught. Is she mad at you too?"

"I hope not." I whispered.

"I can't hear you when you mumble!" Saguaro said, enunciating her words.

"I said I hope not," I barked, turning around. Sarah's golden eyes looked surprised.

It was quiet again until Saguaro spoke up. "Is that coyote . . . special to you?"

"Why do you ask?" I said without turning around.

"Well if you don't want to talk about it, then I won't ask. I'm not curious at all." Sarah said.

I sighed. "Well, I, um, I kind of . . . like, sort of . . . like her. But, um, yeah."

"Ohhhhhh. I see. You're in love with her." Saguaro hummed.

"No! Well, truthfully, yeah, but you can't bug me about it. Or else I'll rip your big ears off your head." I warned.

"Alright! I won't!" Sarah giggled. "But what's her name? Will you tell me that?"

"No."

"Pretty please?"

"You'll torment me."

"I'll do that anyways."

I sighed. "Fine. Her name is Sego."

"Ohhh like the flower? That's a pretty name. Her fur is almost the color of one."

"I suppose." I hummed.

"Why is she mad? Or maybe she's not mad. Maybe just confused." Saguaro inquired.

I huffed. "Oh, she's pretty mad. It's that shape shifter's fault. When I accused him of being an imposter, he accused me of playing with the chief's daughter, Sego, to eventually become the leader."

"Oh. Ouch."

"No kidding. I don't even want to talk to most of them, let alone lead their tribe." I said. "And I can't even get near Sego, with her mother hovering around day and night! How would I do something to her?"

She giggled. It sounded like a bird that just got stepped on.

"You really care about her, don't you?" Saguaro asked.

I nodded. "Yeah. More than I've ever cared about anyone."

"You aren't doing this for your tribe. You're doing it for Sego."

I didn't answer.

<----•••---->

As the sun began to set in the west, it gave up on it's violent attacks on the land, casting frustrated scowls across the desert. The stretched out shadows brought great relief to our sun-cooked pelts. The day had been particularly hot, but I knew hotter days would come soon. Hopefully the sky with fill with rain clouds and give us some water before the dry season came.

Water was rare in the desert, but could be found somewhat easily if you followed life; greener bushes, healthier cacti, bird nests, snake holes and taller trees all lived around a water source.

"I know we need to cross a river somewhere around here, but I'm not sure where."

"You don't know where the river is?" I asked.

"I know there's a river near here, I just don't know where it's safe to cross." Sarah said, looking out towards the tallest tree I've ever seen (it wasn't that big).

"What do you mean, safe to cross?" I grumbled. "It's just a river. Rivers don't get that big in this part of the desert."

Sarah looked at me, her gold eyes shimmering with an austere aura. "The river isn't the problem, it's what's in the river."

A sweet, cool aroma filled the air, mingling with the smell of new blossoms. Great junipers and a handful of deciduous trees sprung up on the banks of a wide but shallow river. The banks weren't at full capacity, as if it was expecting the great floods that would come.

"It looks alright to me." I said, creeping down the river bank, reaching for a sip of water.

"Don't drink it!" Sarah hissed, grabbing my scruff.

"Hey! I'm parched!"

"You can drink once I decide it's alright."

I scowled at her. "What, like you can tell if the water is clean or not? It looks alright to me!"

"Mind you, I can," she said cheekily, "the spirits taught me how. First you need to check if there's healthy plants around the river, then-"

I moaned. "Of course there are healthy plants! Look at all these trees! They're the biggest trees I've ever seen!"

"Don't interrupt me, mister!" Sarah yipped, her tail up like a flag.

"Watch me!" I growled.

Before she could grab my scruff again, I jumped into the river from the bank. The water came up to my chest, but I didn't care; the icy water felt so good on my sore paws. I filled my muzzle with water, getting my entire face wet.

Sarah was steaming. She opened her mouth to censure me when her gaze flashed. She noticed something in the water.

I was too distracted with filling my belly with water to notice Sarah, or the thing in the water. In a flash of water and scales, I was pulled under the current.

I screamed and panicked, reaching for air but only finding water. Out of instinct, I kicked and clawed at the iron grasp that clamped my legs together. To add to the confusion, my flank dragged across the rocks and my head banged against large, hard stones.

All the banging and struggling made me tired in a hurry. My lungs spasmed, screeching for anything but water. I found my kicking legs giving up, getting weaker . . . when a great splash hit my attacker and loosened their grip. Glittery bubbles scattered in the gray water as I struck a well-placed kick, pushing the assailant away.

Sarah grabbed my scruff, wrenching me out of the water and up the bank. I coughed out a creek before taking a scraggily breath.

"Astor! What did I tell you! You could have died!" She yelled in my ears.

I didn't respond immediately, searching attentively through the water for a sign of movement, heaving for air. "What . . . was that?"

"I'm not sure, I think it was a dryad, but that doesn't matter! What did I tell you?"

I didn't reply.

A slimy head with green hair, flecked grayish pink skin and fishy brown eyes poked out of the water. It went back under, swimming towards our side of the bank.

It splashed out of the water, hissing and barring its sharp rows of teeth.

"Agghhhhhh!" Sarah screamed, cowering behind my sopping pelt (I don't understand why she was so scared; a second ago she had attacked it and saved me without the least bit of hesitation).

It looked somewhat like a human girl, but a lot uglier. She had long, tangly green hair and gray scales flecked with shades of white, pink and orange.

"Leeeeeeeave!" She hissed. "You are not weeeelcome! Coyoteeees are not allowed in our riiiiiveeeeerr!"

I coughed once more. "A warning would have been nice! Maybe you should put up a sign."

"You are in no place to mock, coyoteee!"

"I'll say what I want to," I said evenly.

The fish lady looked taken aback at my retort. She made an angry, clicking sound in her mouth, fangs bared and gills flaring.

"Astor, dryads are very territorial! I would treat her very respectfully, if I were you." Sarah whispered, shaking behind me.

"Leeeeeave our riiiiiiveerr," the dryad clicked, "or you shall be riiiiiiiippped apaaaaarrrrt!"

"We just need to cross. Then we'll be out of your stringy hair."

The dryad snapped, striking her long, clawed fingers at me, barely grazing my fluffy chest. I jumped back in surprise.

So you can't leave the water, I thought.

She made a frustrating clicking sound, and more flashes of scales swam through the water. Three other dryads with the same ugly complexion but with varying shades of blonde and green hair popped up behind their sister.

"Coyoteeeeess?" The blondest one cried.

"Not in our riiiiiiveeerr!" Another with white freckles hissed.

"We won't leave until we cross. We'll stay here, making all these trees and your water stink like coyote butt!" I yipped.

"Noooo!" The littlest one gasped, covering her nose with webbed fingers.

"You are crueeeeel, stuuuuuupiiiid coyoteeeees," the first dryad growled, "we will eeeeeeeat you."

I could feel Saguaro breathe sharply.

Don't show fear, I silently pleaded to her. Then they really will eat us.

"Why do you want to eat us? You clearly aren't very fond of coyotes."

"We aren't," the first one hissed. "The Gueeeerro stole our riverbend."

"Wait, did you say the Guerro?"

"We hate them!" The blonde one hissed.

"You hate them? Why?" I asked.

"They puussssshhhhheeeed us out of our home dooowwnrriiiiivveeeer, forcing us into this sssssshhhhhaallow mud hole." The first dryad growled, her flat eyes filling with rage and nose flaring. "We haaaaaate theeeeemm!"

So they're downriver, I thought.

"Listen, we hate the Guerro as well."

"What?" Sarah whispered.

"Shhh. We're spies from their enemy tribe . . . the . . . Conejos." I said, grasping onto the first word that came into my head.

"The Conejos?" The little dryad whispered. "Rabbits?"

"Yes, a mighty tribe." Sarah peeped up, her voice still a bit shaky. "We wish to destroy the Guerro. Because we hate them."

"The only way to get to them is to cross the river." I said, shaking a drop of water off my paw.

The first dryad twisted her clingy hair, frowning skeptically. "You wish to deeefeeeat the Gueeeeeerro?"

"Yes!"

"What foooooorrr?"

"Umm . . ."

"Everyone knows that they are the strongest tribe, with the mightiest warriors." Sarah said, stepping out from behind me. "But we, the, um, Conejos, believe we are stronger. If we can defeat them, we'll be unstoppable!"

"You mean wooooorrse than the Gueeeeerro." The blonde dryad spat.

"No! We'll be better. We shall remember your kindness in letting us cross. We'll give you your spot downriver." I said.

"Astor, we can't promise what we don't have." Sarah warned quietly. The dryads heard her and looked anxious again, curling their thin lips.

"Not yet, but once we destroy the Guerro, it shall be all yours!"

"Coyoteeees neeeeeveeeeer honor their prooomiiiiiiiseees. But we'll deeeeeeciiide to truuuuuust you, in order to obtain our riiiiiiveeerrbeeeend." The first dryad hummed.

I breathed deeply, relieved.

"But," she hissed, "to protect your hooooonoooor, you must pass a test of eennduuurranccceee. One of you must ssssswiiiiiimm up riiiiveeeerr, from heeeeeerreee to the waateeeerrfallll."

"Um, how far is that?" Sarah trembled.

The freckled one made a slithering hiss that sounded like laughter. "Far enough."

I gulped. There was no way I could swim upriver. I could barely keep my head above water.

"Excuse us, for a moment." I said, pulling Saguaro out of the dryad's earshot.

"I don't know how far away the waterfall is, but it definitely isn't anywhere near here. I can't hear it, and I definitely can't swim that far." I whispered.

"Maybe I can," Sarah said, perking up her big round ears. "The spirits taught me how to swim."

"What? No, Saguaro, it's too dangerous for you. We have to try something else." I turned around, climbing back to the riverbed, Sarah protesting behind me.

"What else would you have us do, dryads? We can't swim that far, as you know coyotes are . . . unskilled in the water." I said reluctantly.

The dryads giggled.

"Astor, I can-"

"Shhh."

"You ssssswwwiiiiiiimm, or you are eeeeeeeaaaaaatteeeen." The blonde one purred.

"I can swim!" Sarah barked, stepping out in front of me.

"Saguaro, no! It's not worth the risk. The water is dangerous."

"Daaaaangeeeeroouuuussss? The riiiiiveeeer is our home!" The little dryad screeched.

I suppressed a growl back at her, holding back a flood of arguments. All I could think of was the floods that had caused my tribe such trepidation, sweeping away waves of black, weed-speckled water, trapping Sego and I in her familia's den . . .

"I'm aware that it's dangerous, Astor! What isn't? We need to get to the Guerro, and this is the only way." She said earnestly.

"No, we don't need to cross here, we'll go somewhere else." I growled.

"We own thiiiissss part of the riiiiiiveeerr. Mind you, we can ssssswiiiim faster than you can run!" The blonde dryad hissed, showing off her fish-filled gums.

Sarah looked at me, her brows furrowed with determination. "Trust me, I can do this. It will be hard, but I've swam in plenty of ponds before."

I didn't have time to remind her that this was no still-watered pond before she stepped into the water. The dryads cheered with delight as Sarah grimaced at the cold water greeting her belly.

"You have until sssssunrriiiiiiissssse. Then we eeeeeeeaaat you!" The leader cackled.

"And rreeeeeeemembeeeeer," the little one said sweetly, "if Assssssstorrr hellpsssss you, or if you leave the watttterrrr, you are donnnnneee!"

All four dryads slithered away under the shallow water, leaving Sarah alone in the icy water as the last drops of sunlight spilled away.

She looked at me stoically. "Better get started. Cheer me on, will you?"

"Don't die. How's that?" I growled.

"We'll work on it."

Saguaro pushed off the riverbed and started paddling.