Chapter 109

First light found Red and Makaran seated on the house-sized boulders in the midst of a nearby river. The wood was beginning to wake as the wind changed with the rising of the sun. Small creatures crept amidst the giant rocks, and birdsong began to accompany the rush of the river. There was still a chill in the air and Red saw Makaran's breath in vapor as he spoke.

"First I must ask a potentially awkward question. How comfortable are you with being naked?"

"I have nothing to be ashamed of," Red shrugged.

"Good. I spend so much time in other skins, that I do not actually own any clothes. Obviously I had to borrow these from Mother Hannah. Shape changing in clothes does not work at all. They do not change with you when the Spirit transforms your body."

"Spirit?"

"Aye, Spirit. That is what Mother Hannah and I have reckoned this to be. I have a very strong animal part to the Spirit inside me, and it allows me to wear its skins."

"How many?"

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