Worthy stood, his brother at his side.

"So you know these people then" he said.

"You think?" joked Dawson.

"Ok, here goes." Worthy gulped. "Kind people, please listen. What have we done to harm you?"

"Dawson Trunswick, you killed our leader!"

"YOU DID WHAT!!!!"

"Erm, long story. We may be in trouble."

"You think!" said Worthy as he grabbed his brother's hand and ran. Worthy and Dawson ran at top speed through the woods when suddenly, a red-cloaked figure stepped out in front of them. She wore a cat mask like Worthy's but hers was more graceful looking and it smiled at him scarily. Shadow hugged Worthy.

"Worthy, I've missed you!" she said.

"Er, Shadow, you saw me this morning."

"Too long, huh?"

"Look, we're in trouble, we need to go." Shadow hugged Worthy tighter.

"Aww, what happened?" she said. Either something was terribly wrong with Shadow, or this wasn't her.

"Hey Shadow, remember this" said Worthy, pulling his tail out from under his cloak. He'd never showed it to Shadow.

"Yes, it's beautiful" said Shadow lovingly. Dawson caught Worthy's eye. Worthy shrugged. He needed one more thing.

"Shadow, take off your mask" he said.

"No" she replied.

"Whyever not?"

"I don't want to."

"Please, for me?"

"Fine" she said, her voice harsher. "I'll do it." Just as Shadow removed her mask the people who'd been hunting Dawson surrounded them.

"I loved my brother dearly. Such a shame we couldn't be together, Dawson" said Shadow, taking a step back. Worthy saw it was not Shadow it, instead, a girl about his age, maybe slightly older.

"Canshi, I'm sorry, you know that" said Dawson

"Ok Dawson, what's going on here?" asked Worthy.

"Soon after you left to join the Redcloaks, a girl from a forest tribe came to stay in Trunswick. She was beautiful and I fell in love with her instantly. We had a year of happiness together. Then her father died. She was distraught, not because she'd lost a family member, but because her younger brother was now Chief. The next day she proposed to me."

"What! So you're married!?"

"No, let me finish. I declined. She was mad. She needed power but I wasn't ready to give her it."

"If I couldn't marry into power I'd have to kill into it" said Canshi.

"The next day her brother was found dead on the floor of my palace" said Dawson sadly. "And she blamed me." Worthy noticed the men were gone. Clearly Canshi didn't want them knowing the truth.

"You sound like Devin Trunswick" he said.

"Hilarious, using yourself as an insult!"

"Ha ha, very funny, but I'll have you know I have claws."

"And so do I" she said. In a flash a jackal appeared at her side. It reminded Worthy of Zerif's jackal. Dawson summoned Rumfuss in a flash and the two animals set to work raking each other apart. Worthy pulled his younger brother behind him as Canshi lunged with a sword. Worthy tackled her to the ground, yelling. She tried to push Worthy off. Then her men came. They ran at her and pushed Worthy off. One of the men helped her up. She smiled, waiting till she knew Dawson was watching, then kissed him. Dawson cringed but didn't do anything else. Worthy was overrun. People surrounded him on all sides but Worthy was a better fighter thanks to Shane. Before too long he had two of the men pinned to the ground. However, he was unable to take the others without remobilizing the men he had already pinned down. He was outnumbered and outclawed. Rumfuss lay bleeding on the opposite side of the now trampled battlefield. Dawson was at his side. Canshi and the boy she'd kissed lay unconscious on the ground. Wow, thought Worthy. My little brother's a better fighter than he lets on. Then the other men charged Worthy all at once. Worthy screamed as a sword stabbed him in the shoulder. Before he blacked out he saw someone drop from the trees and land next to him. He saw them knock out each of the men in a few blows. Then he saw them come over to him and pick him up in their arms. He wanted to ask if they were Dawson but he didn't get the chance.

When Worthy woke up he was in his bed at the Torch. Sofa sat in the corner of the room and Shadow stood by the door. Jolt was sitting on his bed and Talon paced the room. He sat up.

"Worthy!" cried Jolt, hugging him.

"Erm, ok" said Worthy in response to his friend's dramatic reaction.

"So who's going to tell him?" said Talon.

"Tell me what?"

"I'm not" said Talon. "It's not my place to speak."

"Well I obviously can't. Jolt you do it" said Stead from the corner. Worthy hadn't noticed him and his voice surprised him.

"Nah man, I'm no good at talking." Everyone looked at him. "Ok, well, maybe I'm good at talking, but not that sort of talking. Shadow should do it, she was there "

"And lucky I was, or else you'd be dead" she said to Worthy. She came to sit on Worthy's bed and took his hand. "Worthy, it's Dawson. He was captured and is now missing. No one has seen him in three days."

"How long have I been out?"

"Three days, man" said Jolt. Worthy noticed that apart from Stead no one was wearing a mask. His friends and even Sofa knew heed take the news better if he could see their faces. He loved his friends and he loved his brother too. He'd need his friends to help get Dawson back.

"I'm ready to go" he said. The others looked at him, confused, but Stead nodded.

"Let's get your brother back."

Worthy ran along behind Stead, trying to keep up with the older boy's pace.

"Mace, we need six swords ready to go. Sofa, bring that medical bag" commanded Stead. Worthy, Talon, Jolt, Shadow, Stead, Mace, and Sofa were going on a mission. The armadillo man gave out swords. His tough skin and scales made him look invincible. Worthy was jealous of the way he'd transformed,with an armoured back and large feet. All Worthy had gotten was some fur and a tail he couldn't even control. Sure, he'd gotten claws, but the tail out weighed that.

"Stead, I'm ready" said Shadow, slipping a sword into her scabbard and flexing her claws.

"Me too" said Talon, loading her crossbow.

"Me three" said Jolt. "Is that even a thing?"

"Nope" said Worthy. "But you can say it anyway." Jolt laughed.

"You're funny, man" said Jolt. Worthy rolled his eyes but smiled. Jolt was being kinder than usual. He must know how much getting Dawson back meant to Worthy.

The group trecked through the Euran wood near Trunswick, where the Redcloaks were temporarily based for the mission. Worthy stopped when Shadow instructed.

"Here's the place I found you boys."

"So it was you who saved me? I was wondering how I wasn't captured."

"Yep, now be quiet."

"Sorry, but that's not my best skill" said Mace. Sofa laughed.

"Yep bro, never your best skill" she said as he stomped through the forest.

"Shhhh" hissed Stead. "I hear something." Sure enough there was a noise. It was quiet and sounded almost like a person moving, but different. Then suddenly, a jackel jumped out at them, pinning Sofa to the ground.

"GET OFF MY SISTER!" yelled Mace as he tackled the animal off Sofa. About two dozen men were surrounding them. Shadow was already fighting a group and Talon was fiering rapidly at another. Jolt and Stead were ready, swords drawn and charging not in a fun kind of way. Worthy slipped past the commotion. The others could handle themselves. He noticed a small rundown path along the forest floor. He followed it to a village, but this wasn't any ordinary village: this was a treetop village. Boxy wooden houses were positioned off the side of trees. He climbed up the nearest one and swung through the trees to the biggest building. He landed on a small platform outside the door. He swung it open to find Dawson tied to a chair, a gag in his mouth. Canshi stood over him. Dawson was trying to speak but Canshi kicked him with the heel of her spiked shoe. He cringed In pain. Worthy lept on Canshi. She burled around, surprised by the attack but not off guard. Worthy lunged again, striking her across the forehead. He made a fake lunge at her but purposefully missed, instead slicing Dawson's ties apart. The boy removed the gag from his mouth and started to help Worthy, but it was all over before it had even really begun. Two men came in. They held Sofa between them, a knife pressed at her throat Mace was knocked out despite his toughness. Shadow had a nasty gash in her leg and Talon was tied up and Jolt was bound with thick ropes. The jackal came slinking past them and went to sit at Canshi's side.

It had been five hours since they were thrown in the cage. Or at least, it felt like five hours. Worthy wasn't very sure of the time.

"I'm sorry" said Dawson

"It wasn't your fault, man" replied Jolt

"Yes it was, you didn't need to come rescue me!"

"But we did need to" said Worthy, looking into his little brother's eyes.

"Besides, if we hadn't come I would never have known it was possible to have your leg ripped open through an armour plate" said Shadow, trying to cheer them all up.

"Let me check that deer" said Sofa, moving to see Shadow's leg. Talon sighed.

"At least Stead got away" she commented.

"Jinxed it" said Mace as the leader of the Redcloaks was marched round the corner and towards their cage in the center of the village. People seemed to be trading on the ground around the cage. As night fell everyone packed up their stalls and took to the trees. Then a small girl aged about eleven came down.

"Who are you?" asked Stead.

"I'm Linsey" she replied.

"What do you want!"

"To help you."

"Why would you help us!?"" Canshi's jackal slunk out of the trees and came towards Linsey.

"Look out" warned Sofa. She turned around

"Oh, he won't hurt me."

"He might not have hurt you before, but if he knows you're not working for his master anymore-"

"He doesn't have a master."

"What!?" they all said.

"You all bonded with Bile. It's not about being controlled, it's about being partners. You hear that, Rumfuss?" said Dawson. He'd been keeping the wounded Rumfuss in passive state. He released the boar, who nuzzled his leg. Then Sofa set to work fixing his wounds. Linsey was petting the jackal.

"Careful" warned Shadow.

"It's ok, see?" she said, holding out her arm. "Jumper!" she called. He looked up and their eyes met. Then he disappeared onto a tattoo across her upper arm.

"So you and Canshi both have the same spirit animal?"

"Yes, quite literally. She hides me then kicks me when it's time to reveal Jumper."

"How horrid" said Talon. Ever since she'd met Griff and Anqui she had a thing about bonds. She hated it when a spirit animal and their human partner were separated.

"Jumper, did you get the keys?" asked Linsey, releasing her jackal. The big dog nodded and pushed a ring of silver keys forward. Linsey unlocked the door and they all crept out as quietly as possible.

"Follow me" whispered Linsey.

"Where to?" asked Stead.

"Here is quite far enough" said a voice from above them. They all looked up.

"It's Canshi, run!" yelled Shadow, grabbing Dawson's hand and pulling him away. Mace started to run and soda even managed to move fast. Worthy, Jolt and Talon took off running while Stead jumped up onto the nearest tree and leapt off it, landing running several paces ahead. Worthy soon passed Shadow. He noticed she was limping. Neither Mace or Sofa were good runners so they'd hidden in a small hollow in a large tree. Worthy tried to push Shadow in after them but there was no room. "I'm fine" she said, letting go of Dawson's hand. Then she stopped and fell to the floor. Worthy wasted no time helping her up then running. She tried to follow but her leg was causing her too much pain. Worthy stopped and doubled back. He grabbed her and carried her to the others. She breathed a sigh of relief.

"We'll be needing Sofa after this" panted Talon as she fired another bolt at Canshi.

"This way!" cried Stead, turning towards a waterfall Worthy recognised. They quickly headed up the path and behind the fall. After a few minutes Sofa and Mace came in too; they must have either fought their way out or outwaited the enemy. Sofa went straight to Shadow and bandaged her leg with a fresh bandage from the cave. Talon sat at the back of the cave fixing her crossbow string. Then Jolt yelled, "They're coming!" from the entrance. Worthy got up and ran over.

"No they're not" replied Linsey. She whispered something to Jumper and he came running out of the cave and to Linsey's side.

"At least I still have you" she sighed. "You think they're in there, boy?" Jumper led her away from the cave then several minutes later returned as a tattoo. Stead thanked Linsey before grabbing something from a small hole in the rock. He handed it to Linsey. She looked up at them.

"Welcome" said Stead. She put on the green cloak.

"Am i...?"

"I'll get a boat to Greenhaven sorted."

"I can't wait to get there!"