Chapter 109: Of Wrath
The Black Sheep found the lake within an hour of setting out. The green and red-cracked moons were waxing gibbous, so there was plenty of light to see by.
Namosa, the most experienced tracker of the group, came up with a plan as soon as she saw the finely-graveled shore. "We should split up, cover more ground. Whoever finds tracks first can get the rest of us before we go off together."
"I’ll go with Kir," Noir said.
Kir had no strong feelings either way. But he did want to accomplish this quickly. "Stella, go with Sam and Namosa. You can fly to us if they find something."
"Works for me," Stella replied, taking off and landing on Namosa’s shoulder.
Namosa grimaced with her whole body, and Sam reached up to pick up Stella with both hands, planting the demon in raptor form on her own shoulder.
"Stella, ride me," Sam said.
"Now there’s something I want to hear more often," Stella said, eyeing Kir and blinking sideways with a raptor’s nictating membranes.
Kir rolled his eyes, but he did feel a little humored by his familiar.
"I’ll send up a signal," Noir said. "Green if we find something, red if we get halfway without finding anything."
A quarter of the way around, Noir opened up a conversation.