Dugnir stepped out of his hut to enjoy the first rays of sunshine after a heavy overnight drizzle, the buckets full of water, the wet thatch on the roof, the puddles around the road and the clear sky, were natural clues to the great storm that had passed over the area.

The ferret stretched, crunching his back, walked back inside his home, bit a piece of bread and took a swig of spiced beer. After leaving a couple of logs on the fire, he filled his cauldron with water, chopped up several vegetables and tossed them into the pot along with a few chunks of smoked venison.

Leaving the food to prepare, the male took his coat, a large basket and headed off into the woods.

Dugnir moved cautiously through the place, stepping on the wet ground and approaching all the trees, picking the delicious mushrooms that the rain had brought, managing to fill the basket in just an hour's walk.

Taking advantage of the proximity of the river, the ferret approached to drink fresh water and fill his wineskins, the liquid was running strongly and the cold of the current seemed to freeze his hands.

As the male was about to start his return home, a strange detail caught his attention. A few meters from the river, leaning against a tree, there was another man.

Dugnir was surprised to realize that the white wolf, who seemed to be dead, was an old childhood friend. The lupine male, with a coat of snowy fur, was Agni, a village boy who had grown up with the ferret but had left home several years ago with a company of mercenaries.

Dugnir knelt down beside his friend, grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him hard.

“Angi! Angi! Wake up!”

The canine's eyes opened with difficulty, his body was completely beaten up, several fresh cuts could be seen on his arms, face and legs, his clothes were shredded and his right eye was blinded.

“Help...”

“Agni, it's me!”

“D-Dugnir...”

“Easy, Agni, my house is nearby.”

The ferret slung his basket on his back and, very carefully, lifted the other male off the ground. The grass and bark Agni had been resting on were stained with blood, something that increased Dugnir's concern about getting to his hut.