After that storm, Kestrel's renown only rose within not only the family but the entire sailing community of the lake. After she came of age, she never wanted for a drink at the bars around the lake, but even before then, anything that she had to say was treated with a fine degree of respect, especially when it came to what the storms would do.

But, even without Bran and Janelle having to step in again, Kestrel never seemed to have another problem with the weather. Whatever happened, the winds seemed to be in her favor, even if the currents weren't. Remarkably, whenever one of the ships was in trouble in a storm, Kestrel found that she was always the one who was able to cut through the wind and rain to rescue them.

It was strange indeed, but from the moment she came to understand this, whenever a storm rolled in, she kept her ears glued to the radio while her eyes scanned the horizon from shore. She saved quite a few souls that way, and it had certainly earned her picture a place on many walls along the docks.

Still, business was good for the family. That asshole may have been intolerable, but after she'd saved his life, he'd been true to his word, and he'd made them social media sensations. It made Kestrel a little uncomfortable... but at the same time... kind of proud. She'd improved things for her family, financially. Even if they fussed at her for how much more work she'd made for them. She understood that they appreciated it because it kept their family able to remain on the water.

Ever since she'd started telling the family legend every year, she'd quickly become a family favorite for the way that she really got into the performances. She always dressed as Janelle, and as the years went on, the family saw her build on and refine her costume. After the incident with the storm, she'd actually made some very significant modifications to the outfit, though no one fully understood why.

About two years after the storm, she was telling the family legend as usual, and as she was finishing, she crouched down close to the kids, speaking the last lines directly to them as she looked into their eyes. “When we sail, we sail with him watching over us, knowing that he is still in the world, continuing his great work of keeping interesting things happening for Olidamara."

When she finished, she wasn't expecting the reaction that she wound up getting. Happy sounds from the little ones were... normal, but when they started giggling at her, she was... rather surprised. Still in a theatrical mode, she raised her eyebrows, looking at them. Alright, you lot, what's so funny?"

One of the little girls pointed at Kestrel's face, “You put on whiskers for your costume, and we just saw them!" She was just giggling away, unable to contain herself.

Robin blinked and put a hand to her face, finding that, yes, there were whiskers on her face. Long, pointed ones that stuck out to either side. What was more unsettling was the fact that she could feel it when she touched them. Her eyes went wide as she looked at Aldrich, who's eyes were every bit as wide as hers.

As they were trying to process it all, there was a cry of surprise from somewhere else in the audience, and with a bound, Kestrel was there, checking on the person who'd made the sound. They were standing up, rubbing at their backside, "The chair... it hurt to sit in suddenly..." she said, trying to look back at the seat to see what was wrong with it, but when she turned, Kestrel saw what the culprit was. The thick, rudderlike tail that was sticking out from her tailbone hadn't appreciated being cramped up and confined.

Worse, sounds of shock and discomfort spread throughout the room, a kind of panic starting to spread as they were all finding animal parts on their bodies, with more and more of themselves changing to match their new additions. Robin took a quick breath and stood tall in the room, making a valiant effort to calm everyone down, but even with as much as she'd learned to project and take charge of situations like this, the panic was much too powerful.

“Enough!" The voice coming from the head of the room was powerful and booming, echoing throughout the room as it seemed to resonate through everyone's changing bodies. Kestrel turned to look at the head of the room, where she saw a badger dressed in the armor that she had come to recognize as Bran's. When everyone had started settling down, the badger smiled, and nodded his head to Kestrel. “Let the lassie speak."

Kestrel was blown away by the fact that Bran had stepped in to help her right now, but she gave him a smile, bowing her head to him. “Thank you, Bran," she said, sweeping her eyes over the room. “I did just say that he watches over us, still travelling the world," she said with a little laugh, even as her nose gave an unusual little wriggle. “Everyone, please. We need to stay calm. I know that this is all strange and unexpected, but we are the Morgans. We are as one crew. If we keep our heads, we can weather any storm." Her voice was strong and commanding, and as she spoke, she could see the others in her room calming down, taking on a look of resolve in their eyes.

“We will figure out what is happening, and we will find a way to work with it. But whatever it is... whatever happens, we must remember that we are as one family, and we will all help eachother in whatever ways are needed. Nothing, even us turning into... animal people can change that unless we let it," she said, turning to look around the room. As she turned, she got a surprised, “Ack" from someone behind her, and she turned back a little, looking over her shoulder at her new... tail. It was long and broad, curling up along her back. A squirrel, she thought to herself, mentally shrugging that detail off.

Before she or anyone else could say more, another squirrel rose from his seat in the audience. He was a young man, perhaps in his thirties, and she didn't quite recognize who he was right off the bat. “I know what is going on," he said. The voice was familiar... if somewhat different. There was no quaver in it, none of the reediness of age that she usually associated with that voice... why couldn't she place it?

“I apologize to everyone for having kept this a secret, but Bran, Janelle, and I have been talking about this for some time now. We haven't known what shape it would take, but they have been telling me of a buildup of magical energy within the world. We've been able to learn of it, and we knew that it would do... something. We never guessed that this was the form it would take, though."

As he spoke, Kestrel's eyes slowly grew wider and wider, and she did the mental math on what seat he'd gotten up from, and who had been sitting there. He met her wide eyes and nodded his head to her, giving her his familiar playful smile. “Thank you great-grandfather," she said, turning back to look at Bran, who now had Janelle standing by his side. A rush of excitement ran through her when she saw that Janelle had also become a squirrel. She gestured to the pair, “Do you have any insight into what is happening?"

Janelle stepped forward, taking a deep breath, her tone somber as she said, “The magical buildup is releasing, and there are people all over the world who are turning into half-human half-animal creatures just as we are doing right now," she said, blinking a little and looking down at the little ones in the front, who were rolling and tumbling around as they played with each other in their new forms.

She really couldn't help but smile, and neither could any of the others in the room. “We can't know what this will mean for the world. It isn't a lot of people, generally speaking, but it doesn't look as though it is going to stop any time soon. We do... slightly apologize for likely having made you more vulnerable to the magic because of your heritage... but only so much," she said with a laugh and a smirk.

Kestrel smiled and breathed, “No apology at all needed," she said, turning her attention to the others in the room, “I know that we are up to the challenge that we're now presented with. As a family, we are strong and resilient. We have the stories of our ancestors, and we have the blood of heroes running in our veins. Whatever happens, and however the world reacts, we will stand together, and as long as we have each other at our backs, nothing that they throw at us can break us.

Aldrich made his way over to Bran and Janelle, grinning broadly as Kestrel was really taking such an amazing leadership position in the family, bolstering everyone's confidence. “She really is a natural born leader," Aldrich said, chuckling and smiling as he shook his head, “And I guess that... I'm not going to have to worry so much about being here to see her journey through."

Janelle laughed and grinned at him, “You see... I told you that you were still in the prime of life, but nooo... you didn't want to listen to your elder..." she teased, as mischievous as ever.

“I take it that you won't be just... hanging around here with us."

“No, lad. We've got family all over the world, and we need to look after them, too. That's one of the downsides of having several hundred years for your family to spread out..." Bran said, smirking as he shook his head.

“No, I understand. And I know that you'll take good care of all of them as you always have. I'm just... worried, is all."

Janelle sighed and rubbed her forehead. “Trust me... we are, too. Kestrel is right, our family will be fine... and will stay strong," she said, turning her head to look out of the window, “It's everyone out there that I'm worried about, though. The panic is already starting... and when humans are collectively afraid..." she said, shaking her head.

Aldrich grimaced at that, “Exactly. At this point, my best hope is that there won't be too much loss of life."

Bran gritted his teeth, letting out a little growl, “There won't be, if we can help it. We should get going, though."

“Of course. Good luck," Aldrich said as the two vanished from the room.

Mercifully, the start of the Transhuman era was, on the whole, bloodless. There were some who tried to attack the newly changed people, but it was exceptionally rare that they were able to truly follow through with their attacks. Though most people were afraid of what was going on, on the whole, they had enough sense not to let this become a new holocaust.

Mostly, at least. It wasn't long before the new transhumans were being rounded up and taken off to the new, hastily constructed Transhuman Districts. Kestrel's family was pretty furious about their forced move, as it robbed them of being out on the water. Kestrel was honestly at more than a bit of a loss of how to handle that.

The answer came in the fact that one of the buildings that had been in the footprint of the hastily drawn district was a very good-sized warehouse. Kestrel spoke with the person in charge of the district, a rather pleasant wolf named Christine, who signed off on a plan to convert the warehouse into an artificial lake. “We can even breed fish and release them into the water to help supply the district with food, should anyone outside of it get stingy," she'd said, which got a good laugh out of Christine.

The wolf rallied the able-bodied transhumans of the district, and Kestrel watched as the building was carefully taken down before the work of excavating the bed of the lake to be began. While the heavy-lifting crews were working on that, though, she oversaw the conversion of a neighboring, though smaller, factory into a fish hatchery, making sure that everything was ready for them to get going once their lake was ready.

On top of that, in the upper levels of that factory, her family was building a home for themselves, converting the stark, empty floors into warm, inviting living spaces. The uppermost floor was the smallest - really much more of an attic space built into the pitched roof in order to eke out a bit more usable area up there. She and Aldrich, who she now never called by his title of great-grandfather, made that space their home.

The humans who had collected them hadn't allowed them to bring their family library along, meaning that they had to leave without their collection of precious records and their invaluable first-editions. However, when you have ancestors like Bran and Janelle still active in the world, such matters quickly become moot. Within the day of them being shipped off to the district, they received several crates filled with their books for safe keeping until they had somewhere to put them.

All in all, their loft living space turned out to be very nice and cozy for the two of them, and they managed to get the needed bookshelves built themselves while all of the work went on around them. And, of course, the loft had a very nautical feel to it, and it became a bit of a popular area for family members to come and spend time. After their heroic ancestors' appearance the night of the change, quite a few of them had taken a renewed interest in their family history, and many were amazed when they learned of the records of past experiences with the pair.

Having access to the records did not diminish Kestrel's standing within the family, though. If anything, the truth of what happened when she had taken the drunken fools out into the storm raised the respect that the whole family had for her. She was the only one in the current generation who had had an experience with the pair, and the respect they had shown her just blew everyone away.

Even her father, who had also become a squirrel, was speechless, only able to hug Kestrel tightly after he'd finished reading the story. “That was... unbelievable courage you showed that day..." he said after a long moment as he released his daughter from the embrace, tears filling his eyes. On a certain level, he understood that he had very nearly sent his daughter out to her death that day... but for the miraculous intervention.

In time, the lake was done, and Kestrel was unanimously voted to be the member of the family that officially opened it. Kestrel was very happy to see it finished, all the way down to the way that they had built the shore to be a beautiful park, which she didn't doubt would be a welcome refuge for the people of the district. She stood at the entrance to the pier with a pair of ceremonial scissors that she just... couldn't take seriously. Still, she cut the ribbon to cheers from the crowd, and watched as her family started releasing fish into the lake.

She was even proud to see her family's sailboat that she'd taken out into the storm be the first to be lowered into the water. She helped to get it over to the pier, where several other boats (though few as big as hers) join it. Still, she was happy to have her Sparrowhawk here with her, rather than beyond her reach in the Chicago docks... as much as the other sailors there had sworn to her that her family's boats would be well taken care of. Still, it had filled her with joy to see the respect that they still had for her family, and how sad they were to be losing their 'guardian angel.'

The lake was a fine addition to the district, and having at least this much of a connection to the water was like a breath of fresh air to her family. They made sure that the fish population in the lake stayed well balanced, and even used the hatchery as a place for the school to have field trips to teach children about fish and the water.

Still, as the years went on, Kestrel chafed at the confinement. She was far too free of a spirit to be able to take this for long. She heard rumors of a tigress with gray fur who had come to the district, and was able to do some... rather miraculous things. Still, she was very busy as... effectively the head of the family business here, and she hadn't been able to go and investigate the claims.

And then the lockdown came, driving Kestrel mad with rage. But when the lockdown was lifted... again attributed to this tigress, she was becoming increasingly curious.

And then the day came that the director, Christine, came to the loft to speak with Kestrel.

“Kestrel, I have something that I need to ask of you," she said after everyone but Aldrich had been shooed out of the loft, and the door bolted. “There's a chance that Cadi will be able to find a place for us to go... somewhere for us to escape to. She believes that there is an island out in the Caribbean where we could live. The catch is that she doesn't know the first thing about sailing. She needs someone to go with her to take her safely there, and there is literally no one more qualified than you are to do just that. Not just in the district, but I'm pretty sure that's true even in the world outside of our walls."

Kestrel's heart began to race, something inside of her starting up a little jig. But outwardly, all she did was raise her eyebrows as she looked at the director. “Thank you for the vote of confidence. How are we going to get out on the water, though?"

Christine grinned at that. “Senator Parson. He's arranging to smuggle a handful of furs out of the city and to his hanger, where you'll take his private jet down to meet up with his yacht. That will be your vessel on this journey. You shouldn't need too much of a crew, and just keep in mind that you're going to have a decent drive to Parson's air strip, so take into consideration how tight-packed of sardines the people you bring with you will be in the back of the armored truck when you are picking your crew."

Kestrel nodded her head, her brow furrowed. “I'll think it over. Six will probably be more than enough, and thankfully, no one in the family is terribly big," she said with a little laugh before she looked at Aldrich. “As much as I'd love to have you on the crew, old man, I need you to stay here to help look after the family while I'm gone."

Aldrich nodded and sighed, “I do quite understand, kid. You need someone who's as familiar with the family resources as you are... as much as I'd love to get back out on the open ocean," he said with a little laugh.

Christine was a bit confused by the 'old man' and 'kid' banter between the two of them, but she really didn't fuss. If two people who couldn't be more than about... what, ten years apart from one another decided to joke around like that, it was their business. Nor did she understand the mention of family resources. “Wonderful. We've got a few days to get ready. Parson's yacht will be well stocked with food and fuel, plus the more conventional equipment and rigging, but if there's anything more specialized that you and your crew will need, we'll need to get those out with you."

Kestrel nodded her head, letting out a little breath. “We'll be ready, don't worry, director."

When the day came, they all filtered over to the TOA office in the district, heading over there at a scattered pace with Kestrel bringing up the rear. They were sitting together in one of the rooms when Christine showed Cadi and a doe into the room before slipping back out. She could immediately see how Cadi had been able to accomplish everything she had. The woman had an amazing sense of presence to her. She let them get inside before she strode confidently across the room to Cadi, confidently holding her hand out to her. “Good morning, Cadi. I'm Kestrel, and I'll effectively be your captain."

The tigress gave Kestrel an appraising look as she took her hand and shook it. When she'd taken her in, she nodded her head with an air of approval before she said, “I have no doubt that I'm in competent hands with you. I take it you've got experience?"

Kestrel didn't posture or grandstand, she just nodded her head. “I come from a long line of sailors. There's even family stories about a bold pirate in our bloodline... and if the legends are to be believed, he was married to a woman who was like a demon," she said with a laugh, sighing softly before she continued. “It was weird when I changed.... 'cause I wasn't the only one from my family. It was pretty much the lot of us that changed at once. Honestly, none of us were really fussed... except when we found out that we'd be landlocked." Her tone was somber at that, and the other members of her family's faces showed just how much that had pained them.

After a moment, though, she perked back up again, grinning at Cadi as she said, “But hey, if our plan works, there'll be opportunity for sailors again, yeah?" She was tickled by how well Cadi responded to that from her. It was weird, she was feeling a strong connection to this woman... a kind of tingle in the back of her mind. She knew that she would follow Cadi to the gates of Hell and back if Cadi needed her to.

Before they could continue talking, Christine came in through the doors on the other side of the room, which it seemed opened into the garage. She poked her head into the room, looking around for a moment before she said, “Alright, you lot, your transport is ready. It's not... luxurious, but it's what we can manage."

With that, the eight of them followed her into the garage, where they saw the waiting armored car with the back doors open. “Parson made sure to get a sympathizer as the driver today, so everyone climb on inside."

An indignant cry of “Sympathizers?" came from the truck, and Kestrel saw Cadi's face light up as the driver came around the side of the truck. “Brett's here, too, he's just behind the wheel right now. Your message hit home pretty well for him, Cadi, and he's been a lot easier going ever since."

Cadi was beaming at the man. “Wonderful... now I know we're in good hands," she said before climbing into the truck, helping the doe in as well. Kestrel hadn't been introduced to the doe yet, but she could see the bond between her and Cadi. Could they be a couple? It seemed likely, but right this moment wasn't the time to find out. They had a mission, and they needed to get into the truck.

Cadi looked as though she was struggling, being locked in the back compartment of the truck, and Kestrel really couldn't blame her for it. It was pretty miserable for her, too, but she just did her best to be a reassuring presence for Cadi as they drove along.

Kestrel couldn't help but wonder if this had all been some elaborate trap, and when the truck finally stopped, she took a deep breath, her muscles tensing, ready to leap into action as the door opened. Thankfully, it was Jim again. “I'm happy to inform you that the rest of your trip should be a lot more comfortable," he said, with a view of a small hangar with a private jet waiting inside, “That's the Senator's. And don't worry, he's replaced a lot of his staff for ones who are sympathetic to furs."

He stepped out of the way just in time for Cadi to pounce out of the truck, looking a lot more like a feral tiger as she did. She did her best to stand upright again, but Kestrel could see that she was breathing very heavily, and she understood how valiant of an effort she had been making to stave off a panic attack during the ride. When the doe walked up to Cadi and started comforting her, Kestrel was quite sure that they were a couple... and with the way that Cadi responded to her touch... she could tell that they had a very good bond. It brought a real smile to Kestrel's face, reminding her a bit of how Bran and Janelle had been together.

Either way, they made their way over to the plane, where a woman was waiting for them at the foot of the stairs up to the door. “Welcome aboard pirate air," she said with a playful smirk on her face, “Our next stop will be down on the coast, where the Senator's boat will be waiting for all of you."

They boarded the plane, and Kestrel was rather impressed at the legroom the seats had, along with something of a lounge area taking up the back half of the plane. Her family members nosed around for a little bit before they had to sit down and buckle up for takeoff.

Kestrel could see that Cadi was struggling again. Her animal side must have been stronger than most, because she was handling this about as well as a wild tiger would being in the truck and now on the plane. She was just glad that the doe was there to help her through all of this. At least once they were in the air and able to move around some, she started having a better time.

Kestrel's family got up and had a little bit of a party in the back half of the plane, which Cadi got to join in on. Kestrel was glad to see the tigress relaxing like that. As they flew along, the crew was initially a little disappointed that the plane wasn't stocked with the Morgan family alcohol, but Cadi was excited when she saw the bottles. They turned out to be ones that she had helped one of the bar owners in the district make, and when Kestrel got a taste of one, her eyes lit up. It wasn't her family's... but aside from not having aged as long as much of their product had, the woman responsible for it was clearly a skilled distiller.

Cadi was having fun watching the land slide by through the window, and Kestrel took that as a good opportunity to strike up conversation with her and the doe. “So, I've heard a lot of talk about you, Cadi. I just haven't been able to get away from work to come and meet you," she said with a little laugh.

Cadi almost reluctantly drew her eyes away from the window, but she took a breath and turned, and when she brought her attention to Kestrel, there was no sense of resentment from her once she had. She smiled at the squirrel, letting out a gentle breath. “I'm glad that we're getting to meet at last... I really like the way that you handle things... there's just something about you..." she said with a little laugh and a warm smile.

Kestrel beamed at that, “I've been feeling the same kind of way... like there's just some kind of connection there... it's weird," she said before turning her eyes to look at the doe, “But I do kind of have to say that I'm sorry. I haven't had a chance to learn who you are yet and introduce myself," she said, her tone warm as she held her hand out to her.

The doe's cheeks flushed softly, and she gave Kestrel a shy smile as she shook Kestrel's hand. “I'm... I'm just Dawn. I'm Cadi's mate," she said, smiling as her other hand reached back to hold Cadi's hand.

Ahh, Dawn was a shy one. Kestrel would keep that in mind. She reined in her enthusiasm a few notches so as not to overwhelm her. “It's nice to meet you, Dawn. From what I've seen, you mean quite a lot to Cadi. It's made even me smile to see you comforting her the way that you have. I know it might not seem like a lot to you, but that kind of thing is really important in its own right."

The shift made Dawn smile and relax, and Cadi noticed how Kestrel had handled the situation, adding to her respect for the squirrel as Dawn replied with a sweet, “Thank you. Cadi is very special to me."

Cadi smiled and stepped in, “It really doesn't help that this is my first time experiencing a lot of... human things. I'm different from a lot of other furs. I wasn't born human. I was born a tigress. I suppose I should really fill you in a bit so that you understand why we're taking this longshot trip on my word alone. I was out hunting one day when I fell into... a portal into another dimension. In there, there was a human who was just... flying at me, looking as freaked out as I felt."

She shrugged a little, “The place we were in was... special. To them it isn't magic, but as far as we're concerned here, it was a place of magic. Unrestrained chaos, but chaos that can be... directed with the right skill. The human and I had been picked up by a spell that tapped into that place, and we got... combined. He's still here, just... kind of a voice in the back of my head."

“But it wasn't just him that I got combined with. There was... a creature from that place that wanted to get out of there. Not to cause trouble, but because... the constant meaningless chaos there was just bugging the crap out of him. He calls himself Nothing and he's... alright," she said with a little laugh, but when she brought Nothing up, something inside Kestrel responded rather strongly to that. She just kind of pushed the feeling aside for the moment, though. “The main problem with him is that he's tough to talk to. He doesn't respond the way a person would... so it's kind of disorienting... but you get used to it."

Kestrel sat there with raised eyebrows and an 'oh really?' grin on her face. “Well... that makes my experiences and my family's story seem... simple by comparison," she said with a laugh. “My pirate ancestor was quite real, as was his 'demon-like' wife. Only, she wasn't just like a demon... she was half-demon. Still, she turned out pretty nice. Anyway, the pirate, Bran, died saving a king from invaders, and after he died, a god picked up his soul. It seems the god had been enjoying how interesting he was making things on Earth, and so he made Bran... well, he called it a divine servitor. Someone who goes out and does the god's work in the world. Kind of like an angel, just for a way different god than the one angels are connected to."

“That meant he got to go back to his wife, Janelle, who was still alive... and still looked as young as she as when he'd first met her. 'Cause, you know, half demon. Anyway, they've been watching over our family ever since. There was one day, years ago at this point, when I had to take some massive douchebags out on a fishing trip, despite the fact that I knew a storm was going to come in and hit us hard. They made it so hard to concentrate that I lost track of the weather until the storm was coming down right on top of us."

“I used a trick from some of his old stories that I'd been studying, where I used a rope to help control the sail with one of my hands while the other kept control of the wheel, and used that to take us out of the storm. But, when I was nearly out, I lost the rope that was controlling the sail. Before it could whip completely away, there was suddenly someone standing right behind me, who grabbed the rope. I looked back, and it was Bran. Then a hatch popped, threatening to make the ship start taking water, when Janelle zipped across and got it secured again."

"They helped me get out of the storm, and told me that they were proud of me. That's when I learned that a lot of family members over the centuries had met them, too, and I got to add my story to those records. And on the night when we all turned fur, they came to help us calm down... only now, Bran was a badger, and Janelle was a squirrel just like I'd just turned into. They even brought us our family library after we were forced into the district. And... yeah. It's pretty crazy, but if there's anyone outside of the family who'd believe it, I'm pretty sure it is you two," she said with a laugh.

Cadi nodded her head, taking in the story for a moment before she took a sip of her drink. “I think that's a pretty fair statement... and it leaves me feeling even more confident that we'll succeed."

They chatted away for the rest of the flight, and by the end of it, Dawn had pretty much relaxed completely with Kestrel, along with the rest of the crew when she learned they were all from Kestrel's family.

The rest of the flight down to the coast went smoothly, and Kestrel did not let anyone board the yacht until after she'd done a full and thorough inspection of it. She almost begrudgingly admitted that it passed muster, and the crew quickly worked to get everything loaded and the ship under way.

Kestrel sailed them out to open water before she went down to the main cabin to find Cadi so that they could discuss where they needed to go from there. When she got there, Cadi looked as though she was locked in a trance. Kestrel waited to see if she'd acknowledge her before she came up to the table, standing a little bit away from Cadi. “Cadi? We're getting to a point where we'll need to get an idea of where we are going," she said, trying to ease Cadi out of what she was in.

The tigress gasped as she snapped out of it, looking as though she'd been deep under water for a long time. She blinked, trying to get her eyes to focus again. She turned and looked at Kestrel, smiling apologetically. “Sorry I was... focused," she said as her gaze slid back to the map while her fingers ran over it. She tapped at a spot that was nowhere near any land. “Can we... head to this area? It... feels right..."

“It's open water... as good a place to start as any, I suppose," Kestrel said soberly before she headed up to the helm to head to where Cadi had indicated. Stranger still, it had felt right to Kestrel... the oddness of that was harder to shake.

It wasn't long before they got to the place she'd had Kestrel bring them to. She was about to send someone down to get Cadi when the tigress came up onto the deck, and made her way straight to the prow, leaning her weight against the railing. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she... looked like a wild tiger taking in their surroundings as they were looking for prey.

A moment later, she lifted her arm and pointed into the distance. Ahead, but slightly off to starboard. Kestrel heard her call out, “That way," and the squirrel didn't hesitate following Cadi's direction. The curious thing was that Cadi's arm was almost like a compass, staying fixed on its target as the ship turned. Kestrel felt the pull that Cadi did, too, and she sailed on, following the course.

As they sailed, fog started to settle in around them, growing denser and denser as they went. Kestrel cut back on the ship's speed, knowing better than to rush ahead when you couldn't see what was in front of you. But, after a while, the fog lifted... and Kestrel's jaw nearly hit the deck. Cadi and her heart alike were pointing directly at an island dead ahead of them. The island certainly looked big... the sense of scale helped by a tall mountain rising from its center. A mountain that Kestrel felt was... rather impossible, since they were properly in the tropics, and yet it had a nice, white snowy cap to it.

After she's had a moment to properly register what she was seeing, she called out, “Land ho!" The rest of the crew rushed up to the deck, staring at the island with as much awe as Kestrel had felt for it. As they circled around the island, it quickly became clear that there were no native inhabitants beyond what birds and small animals were roaming it. They eventually found a nice stretch of beach toward the western point of the island, and they readied the inflatable rafts to take them to shore.

Cadi... had a different plan in mind, and just jumped straight into the water, swimming her way to shore while Dawn rushed to the railing and started yelling at Cadi. “Cadi! You get right back here! We have perfectly good rafts to take us to shore!" Still, by the time that they'd gotten what they needed onto the rafts, Cadi was already on the beach, making a bee-line into the woods.

By the time they made it to shore, and Dawn had jumped off of her raft in ankle-deep water, there was only a trail left for them to follow the tigress, but Kestrel set to work leading Dawn along the trail. It led off to the west, which was a bit of a peninsula with cliffs on all of the sides but the one that led inland. Kestrel thought that it was some curious geography, but right now, they were more interested in finding Cadi.

When they got to her, she was kneeling on the ground in front of a standing stone. There were no markings on it, but Kestrel was certain that there was no natural way for a stone this size and shape to land point-up the way it had. Stranger still was the hole that was about at eye-level. The sides of the stone swept smoothly down into the hole and then back out on the other side... which, again, Kestrel felt was a thoroughly unnatural feature for the rock to have.

When they got there, she didn't turn her head to look at them, she just said, “This... this place... I'm... yes... this is where we need to bring the furs..." She reached out and placed her hand on the stone, her palm pressed against the smooth surface of it.

“Okay? Care to fill us in on what's going on... and why you're so certain?" Kestrel remembered what Cadi had said on the plane, but that still didn't quite explain what was going on right now. Never mind why she was feeling halfway sucked into this place as well.

Cadi shook her head, snapping herself out of whatever state she'd been in that dragged her to this place. She turned to face them again, her eyes showing that she was actually back here with them now. “My magic... is connected to this place... this was supposed to be a powerful place... but there was no one here... no one to help nurture it... just a hole punched in realities... I can... it needs me... I can... I can feel it..." she said, pausing a moment to take a breath before she continued. “I can help our people here... we can be safe... not have to worry about humans being scared of us.

Kestrel and Dawn traded a look before Kestrel sighed and shrugged. “I mean... it's a beautiful island... and there's loads of room for us to grow... I don't think that furs could fill the island up in a hundred years." She couldn't help but laugh and shake her head a little. “And if you say that your magic is connected to this place... maybe that explains why no one has ever found it... it needed the right person to find it."

“I'm sure of it. Now that it's been found... we really do have to figure how to get the people here..." she said, nodding her head.

Kestrel snorted, grimacing, “Ha... more like how to get the governments of the world to let us come here, rather than claiming it for themselves."

Cadi grinned broadly, “Oh... it wouldn't let them... but you do have a point. They don't let anyone leave... and I don't think our little armored car trick is going to be enough to evacuate the district... 'cause I'm pretty sure it is going to have to be an evacuation, at this point. They're not going to let us do it much of any other way," she said, her face falling.

Kestrel took a deep breath to center herself before she opened her eyes again and looked at Cadi. “Look, whatever way we slice it, I should get back to the yacht and call Christine on the sat phone. She's going to know about this, and... between her and Parson, we'll be able to get something figured out."

They made their way back to the yacht and Kestrel called Christine up on the satellite phone. The screen was pretty tiny, but it was all they had. When she saw the director, she was visibly not having a good day, clearly stressed all to hell and back. “Please tell me you've got good news..." she said, exasperation audible in her voice.

Cadi's brow was furrowed, but she didn't waste time in answering the director's question. “We have good news. We've found an uninhabited island, which is rich with resources."

Christine let out a breath, looking like she'd been holding it for hours as she said, “Ohthankgod..." She took just a moment before she sat back up again, looking into the camera, “And... you're going to tell me that you have a way to get us there, yeah?"

Cadi grimaced, recoiling at that last part. “No. Okay, Christine, tell me what happened."

It was Christine's turn to pull a face. “They've arrested Parson. And everyone who helped you. What's more, the districts are on lockdown. No one in, no one out while they deal with this."

Cadi swore at that, her face full of anger. “Fuck... They... We have to help them... and get everyone out of the districts... I just... how..." She paused, trying to focus as she stormed around the cabin, visibly beating herself up for how this had played out. “I mean... it's not I can just... open a door in mid-air..." As she said that, she was gesturing frantically, pretending to reach out and grab hold of a door knob, pulling on it.

But, when she pulled, Kestrel was just stunned as she saw a sliver of bright light appear behind Christine in the video before the light subsided and saw that she was now able to see the back of her own head and tail. Meanwhile, Cadi stared dumbfounded at Christine through the door she'd opened while the director turned and returned the stunned look.

“So... that's... solved... I guess..." Christine said. “Okay... so... can we... do that on the island itself, not just in the boat... and open up a bigger door in the park?"

Cadi shrugged her shoulders, just doing her best to process what had happened. “I don't see why not... but seriously, the fuck..." she said with a heavy sigh, closing her eyes and rubbing them slowly. “Get the people moving... get on the horn to the other directors... get them to mobilize... we're getting everyone out tonight. I'm going to see what I can do about Parson," she said before closing the door while Kestrel hung up the sat phone.

Kestrel took a deep breath, “Cadi, can you open a door to my loft back in the district? I have family that I will need to mobilize and lead. And... I might need you to open a door out in the water tonight, too."

Cadi smirked at her and raised an eyebrow, “Not asking for much?"

Kestrel laughed and said, “Look, my family's sailboat is back in the lake in the district. If I can get them to load the family archives onto it and then sail it through a portal, that'll get everything important about Bran and Janelle here to the island in one go," she said, clearly having a solid plan.

Cadi nodded her head as she heard Kestrel out, “Sounds like a good plan. Alright," she said, having a go at opening a portal to where she wasn't having to be right on top of it in order to do it. That would make tonight way easier, especially when it came to the boat.

The doorway opened right into the attic loft, and Kestrel gave Cadi a big smile, “Thank you. See you tonight!" She zipped through the portal before Cadi closed it behind her and sighed heavily. “Now time to work on sorting things out with Parson..." she said tiredly.

Kestrel stormed out into the loft, looking for Aldrich, who was just taking a moment to close his eyes in his armchair. She knew he didn't do it out of the exhaustion that came with age anymore, but rather it was because it was just nice to take little naps to refresh yourself. She made her way over to him. “Come on, old man. We've got work to do," she said.

He groaned in response at first, taking a nice, big stretch before he opened his eyes and looked up at her. Then, as his brain was waking back up again, he half-jumped in his chair, “Kestrel! What... how... aren't you... off with Cadi?"

Kestrel laughed, “Yeah. I just got back. We did it, old man. We've found a place to live... it's an island that was supposed to be the window into this world for the source of her magic, but for some reason, on this version of Earth, there was no one there to connect with, so it just... kind of became a leak. Still, just wait until you see it. It's gorgeous. Now, we need to get the family to move their asses so that we can load The Sparrowhawk with all of the family records and other essentials. We're sailing that to the island tonight," she said with a big grin on her face.

He frowned, looking at a bit of a loss for how to say this. After a moment, he settled on how to put it. “Kestrel... The Sparrowhawk is in the lake... I don't think... that we're going to be sailing it much of anywhere..."

She laughed and shook her head. “Come on, Aldrich. Trust me. Cadi figured out how to open portals between places. She's going to open a portal big enough to sail The Sparrowhawk through from the lake to the ocean around the island."

Aldrich blinked, processing what she said before he nodded his head, “No time to waste, then."

They made their way downstairs, going to the main common room of the factory, Kestrel ringing the bell that called everyone in the family to the common room. It was usually used for meals, but they all understood that if it rang outside of meal time, it meant a meeting. They would even make sure that family members who weren't at the factory knew to come.

They were all shocked as they entered and saw Kestrel, knowing of her 'secret mission.' The kids were more delighted than surprised to see Kestrel, rushing up to her to get big hugs from her before going to join their parents. Still, it wasn't all that long before the family assembled in the common room. “Alright. You all know what my mission was," she said. It wasn't a question.

“Well, we succeeded. What's more, Cadi's learned a new trick. She can open doorways between places. That's how I'm back here. The others are still there, helping out with things, but at the end of the day, we have work to do, too. I know about the lockdown, and all of the scrambling the humans are doing. Cadi's plan is to evacuate the districts tonight. All of them at once. She's not going to leave things where the humans have any furs to lash out at when they find that any more of us have escaped... because we'll all be gone."

That got a bit of a cheer from the family, who were looking at Kestrel eagerly. “So, that's where we need to move our asses quick-time today. We have family records to get loaded onto The Sparrowhawk. Plus any and all family belongings that we want to take with us. Tonight, while the rest of the district goes to the island through a doorway there, we're going to be sailing The Sparrowhawk into the waters surrounding the island."

She was proud of her family. They didn't waste time or words and just got straight to work. Those who were better suited to heavy lifting brought boxes up to the loft to start loading the books and papers into, leaving the shelves and drawers bare. She was impressed at how efficiently they worked and cleaned the place out, watching from the window as they joined the procession to the dock, where they extra carefully carted the records into the cabin and down to the hold below.

She grinned down at everyone hard at work. She had set the task, and they were following through with it, all of them working efficiently together. They would be together again... out on the open sea... the salt spray on their faces. They wouldn't be stuck on a small lake anymore. The trip with Cadi had been like the breath of life to her, and she knew that the rest of her family had been suffering as badly as she had been. Even the little ones didn't feel right not being out on the water.

That night, while the rest of the district gathered in the park, Kestrel and her family gathered at the lake, crewing The Sparrowhawk and what other boats they had on the lake that would be able to handle the ocean waters around the island. Kestrel could hear the cheers coming from the square as the portal opened there, and a moment later, the cheers were even louder and closer as a great portal appeared in the lake, revealing a moonlit beach beyond it, where so many other portals were letting furs out onto the beautiful, sandy beach.

The boats set off, but Kestrel found that The Sparrowhawk, which was the only sail-powered boat, simply wasn't doing much. They had a calm night tonight, and she practically roared in frustration from the helm. She did her best to take a deep breath, closing her eyes to think through what to do. As she thought, she felt a little push at the back of her mind. It was like the feeling she'd had when she was near Cadi... or that stone on the island. Did she have a connection to the magic, too? It made sense why she'd been able to cut through the storms that she had.

She let out the breath and just... let go. A moment later, she felt the wind stirring before it began to pick up, faster and faster. Not that it was headed for a gale, but it got to be just the kind of wind you wanted at your back in a boat like this. The smaller boats that had gone ahead of her were soon beside her and then aft of her as she cheered out at the wind carrying them along. It was a true delight for her. Parson's yacht had been quite nice, but this was her ship, and she had tears in her eyes as it slipped through the gateway into the open ocean, followed shortly by the other boats that her family was piloting along as well.

“Well... at least we have the start of a navy," Aldrich said from behind her, laughing and grinning as he rode the bumps and jolts of the waves like an old salt... which he was at heart, even if he'd been too worn down with years to be out on the water any more, until he'd transformed.

Kestrel laughed and beamed as she saw the family members that had stayed on the island at the waterline, welcoming them in to shore.