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Arboreals could spread out easily, so groups stood out. Barra spotted Plicks immediately where he sat among several others. They were chatting and asking questions of an elderly Kolalabat who was tending a small plot of lensleaf plants. Barra scampered over and arrived just as ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ went up from the small crowd.
    “Hey, Plicks,” she announced herself. “What’re you lookin’ at?”
    Startled, Plicks dug his talons deep into the bough beneath them. He released his tense-knuckled grip when he realized who it was, and said, “Barra! Don’t sneak up on me like that!” He shook his head and turned his attention back to the old Kolalabat. Eyes full and bright, Plicks said, “Ven Tadafell has been tending this particular plant for more than a ring, and it’s been growing leaves truer and larger than ever before! He pulled the first stem this morning, and… well, see for yourself!”
    Leaning in, Barra caught a glimpse of the large disc-shaped leaf that Ven Tadafell was holding. Full of fluid, the lensleaf was perfectly clear, thicker at the center than the edges, and through it, everything was magnified. Ven Tadafell smiled broadly, and though he was eager to use the lensleaf himself, he proudly beckoned his friends closer so they could see too. Plicks and Barra huddled in close, but after only a short time, Barra whispered, “Have fun.”
    As she started to walk away, Plicks said without looking, “Hunting Venress Starch again?” His voice curled up like his knowing smirk.
    Barra raised a skeptical brow. “What about it?”
    “She’s here. I saw her arrive Nest-side, heading Reachward. Good luck,” he said, and then scooted even closer to Ven Tadafell.
    Barra whispered, “Thanks!” She bounded away, surveying the wood above for any sign of the sly Haggidon.
    Venress Starch’s body was covered in the same golden brown scales possessed by other Haggidons though age had stolen most of the iridescent shimmer from hers. Only the scales around her eyes remained vibrant. She was able to blend into her environment, and even with her ample belly, she was unexpectedly agile and silent when she moved. All great reasons for Barra to enjoy tracking her, but best of the lot was Venress Starch’s uncanny skill to avoid detection; Barra loved the challenge.
    Surveying the Coppice, Barra made her way carefully to the periphery, to the fuller branches where she could best hide her approach. She passed several other Arboreals including Tory who was working on some kind of binding project. Binding wasn’t a skill Barra possessed, but Tory was adept and she stopped to watch him for a moment. Binders created structure from living wood, directing growth so that it was self-reinforcing, stronger with age. Tory was practicing with a group that was debating how to add a flourish to their work. The tight braids of wood looked like a common window to Barra; a hole in a half-finished wall. She listened in, gathering that a spiral of nightblooming irises was to rise out of the window, but she didn’t understand how. She moved on. Ascended toward the Reach as Plicks suggested. She saw no sign of Venress Starch.
    High up and mostly isolated, Barra slouched down, disappointed. She began to wonder if Plicks had been mistaken. A fern brushed against Barra’s fur, and she swiped at it. When she hit nothing but air, she realized too late that the irritating tickle wasn’t from a fern.
    Two thick tails tipped with sickle-shaped fangs were draped around either side of the young Listlespur. They coiled around Barra in a flash and she was snatched up into the air. Rolled over and held tight, she was suddenly belly up, face to face, with the fierce Venress Vallor Starch.

    Vallor towered over Barra, even though she was small for a Haggidon. Horns grew in pairs along her spine, close together at her bottom, splitting as they went up her back to form a slender V-shape. The twin tails extending from the top pair were long enough