Tr'ond?k, Canada

  A blue flash, and Sophie found herself in a valley between snow-capped mountains. Forests were visible ahead and behind, but at the moment they were surrounded by tall, thick grass. A wide, slow river was flowing somewhere to her left, which paired perfectly with birdsong to create a lovely symphony of nature.

  “I like it here,” Peter said, looking around. “Nice and green.”

  “Very tranquil,” Sophie agreed.

  “To each their own,” Marie said quietly, looking suspiciously at the snow on the mountains above them.

  Razan waved a bee away from his face. “It won't be tranquil as soon as we come across any local inhabitants.”

  “You think we’ll meet someone?” Peter asked, surprised.

  “I was referring to bears and moose,” Razan said. “And apparently there’s a type of tree-climbing lion in the forests, along with packs of wolves in the mountains.”

  “And I’m not allowed to pet any of them,” Sophie lamented.

  “Don't worry, thief, the ban on hugging fluffy animals is only for creatures larger than you are,” Marie said. “I’m sure we’ll be able to find a squirrel for you to catch. To do that, though, we have to start moving. Navigator: which way?”

  Peter pointed up the valley. “North.”

  Marie nodded, pushing through the grass. Peter followed the trail she made, checking his map, then Sophie wandered behind him, and Razan took up the rear.

  At this point they’d been to quite a few places. Sophie could compare this valley to scenes on every other continent. Maybe she might not like it here in the dead of winter, but on a sunny Summer day, this valley was the loveliest place on Earth. She wanted to pick wildflowers and wander through the forest and wade through a stream, and all that was what she had been asked to do! She beamed at the word, feeling herself fill with energy.

  Deciding it was useless to try and contain it, she bounced slightly before dashing through the grass to the front of the line. Sophie grinned back at Marie, and then ran.

  Marie pushed through knee-high grass, wondering how Sophie managed to go so quickly. The thief didn't seem to have made any path; perhaps she had gained enough joy and energy she’d developed the ability to fly.

  She looked up at the mountains again. The snow at the tops worried her. Other contestants were in theory walking around up there, and Marie didn't know if someone would start an avalanche.

  Truth be told, all Marie knew about avalanches was that they happened. They were similar to landslides, which she was slightly more familiar with the effects of, but she’d never seen one of those happen, either. She understood that sometimes things high on mountains decided it wanted to be at the bottom of that mountain. And right now, she and her crew were at the bottom of two mountains.

  After a few minutes of walking in silence she grew bored, which was never good when combined with nervousness. Marie turned slightly, looking at the men behind her as she moved around a small bush.

  “Samurai, what do you know about avalanches?”

  Razan looked above them. He pointed right. “That's not enough snow to cause one.” He pointed left. “That is. But I’m not particularly worried.”

  “Why not?” Peter asked.

  “Snow needs something to push it into movement. It likes to settle down and compact, then stay in that place until the sun eventually melts it. Convincing settled snow to move requires quite a bit of effort. That’s why it’s angry when it does move, and takes trees and boulders with it.”

  “Do you think someone up there could convince it to come say hello?” Marie asked.

  “Possibly,” was the answer. “But we ought to be out of its reach by the time they reach the summit.”

  There was a moment of silence as they all considered that. Marie wondered who was up there; if they were someone willing to try regardless.

  “You know snow’s not alive, right?” Peter finally asked with faint amusement.

  “Of course,” Razan answered. “It’s when snow collects together that it gains a spirit.”

  Peter didn't look convinced.

  “Anything can be alive if you want it to be,” Marie said. “People are very good at assigning personalities to random things; especially things related to weather.”

  Peter remained unconvinced as they reached a small stream.

  Sophie came running up, splashing through the water. “Marie, is this gold?” She bounced slightly, holding out a handful of yellow pebbles.

  “I’ve never heard of gold coming from water…” Marie took a rock, almost feeling bad as she saw the girl wince, an ashamed look on her face.

  Razan took one, too. “It’s heavy enough, and the right color.” His words made Sophie’s eyes light up.

  “Aye, but it’s more likely to be fool’s gold,” Marie said, then bit into her piece. Distinct dents were made. “I stand corrected. If this isn't gold, I’m not a pirate.”

  Sophie beamed, bouncing again.

  Peter finally took a piece. “Doesn't gold come from underground?”

  “Apparently some comes from rivers,” Sophie told him, and pocketed her loot. “Captain, may I stay here for a bit and collect more gold?”

  “No,” Marie said. “We can't have you lag behind. However, I believe we’ll have half an hour’s rest at lunch. We can ask to be returned here then.”

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  “Yes, ma’am,” Sophie said. She turned, picking something out of the water before walking to the other side of the stream where her boots and backpack were.

  The stream was only three paces across, and not particularly deep or fast. Marie was scanning for a shallow place to cross when Razan took a step back for a running leap. He landed perfectly next to Sophie. Not to be outdone, Peter moved a few paces back before also jumping the stream, but stumbled slightly on the landing.

  Grumbling to herself about overenergetic children, Marie turned around and walked calmly away from the stream. Once she was far enough she turned back around, raising an eyebrow at her audience. Sighing, she broke into a run, pushing herself into a jump over the water. She landed on her toes, letting herself fall to her hands.

  Sophie cheered as the men helped Marie up.

  “Right,” she said, dusting off her hands before adjusting her hat. “Enough of that silliness. On we go.”

  The first forest they got to was made mostly out of evergreen trees and berry bushes. There were more animals here than in the open field, but the trees muffled sounds, making it seem almost reverently quiet.

  Peter didn't believe in spirits the same way Razan did, but he was fully willing to believe this was a holy place. Something about the soft light filtering through the branches made him feel like he was at church.

  Suddenly Marie stopped, turning her head on high alert.

  “What?” Sophie asked, looking up and around.

  “We’re being watched,” Marie said, glaring into the bushes on their left.

  Razan continued walking, grabbing Sophie’s hand to pull her along. “It is not polite to notice them,” he hissed, keeping his eyes on the ground in front of his feet.

  “Notice who?” Marie asked, following them.

  Peter finally spotted the watchers. Three raccoon faces were peering out at the humans from a hollow in a tree. If they were babies, an angry mama raccoon must not be far. So he’d follow Razan’s advice, but for logical reasons.

  “Tanuki,” Razan said. “We are in their forest. Do not notice them unless they wish to be noticed.”

  Marie was frowning. “Are they one of those creatures that can get us lost forever if we insult them?”

  “Yes,” Razan said.

  She nodded, relaxing. “We won't do that, then. Well just pass quickly through their lovely home.”

  “It’s just a family of raccoons,” Peter said under his breath.

  “Cowboy, err on the side of caution,” Marie recommended.

  “Yes, Captain.” He took a drink from his canteen, then stayed looking at his hand.

  It wasn’t his hand. Well, it was in that he owned it, but it wasn’t his original hand. If he’d been more cautious, maybe he wouldn’t be stuck with this strange metal contraption.

  He was more used to it now that a few days had passed. Picking things up didn’t feel wrong any more, and he’d figured out how to move the fingers without mentally focusing on them. Peter wouldn’t say he liked the metal prosthetic, but he didn’t hate it, either.

  With a grimace, he pulled his arms under his poncho and hurried to catch up to the group.

  It took another few minutes for the forest to begin thinning out, and then they found themselves at the bank of a river. This was much wider and deeper than the stream before, with the bank angling rather sharply downwards towards white water.

  Peter looked up and down the river, wondering which direction was likely to have the best place for crossing. Probably downstream.

  He turned in that direction, and movement caught his eye. There was a hollow in a tree not far away with three raccoons in it. They stared out at him, unblinking.

  Determined to think of this as a coincidence, Peter touched the brim of his hat in a salute to them, then focused back on the river.

  His focus didn’t stay there long. A dangerously loud crack echoed from above them, and then a low rumble began. They all looked up just in time to see the snow on the mountain above them move. It slid down, the rumble growing louder as the snow collected trees and boulders, heading for the valley on the northern end of the mountain.

  The valley upriver from where they were now.

  Peter cursed, grabbing his crossbow and grappling hook.

  “It’s not headed towards us; what am I not seeing?” Marie asked as he took aim.

  “Everything is heading towards the river,” Razan explained, moving closer to Peter. “Which will then bring it towards us.”

  “Flash flood,” Peter added, pulling the trigger.

  The grappling hook sailed across the river before hooking itself nicely over a pine branch. He tugged the rope a few times, got it stuck, and ran to wrap this end around a tree. Sophie waited for his nod, then grabbed the rope and was on the other side in a blink.

  As he let her have some slack to properly secure the rope, the landslide reached the river and grew quiet. Then a different rumbling began, coming up from below them.

  Razan was the next to cross, for once not complaining or looking like he’d rather be doing anything else. He dropped as soon as he was over the other bank and scrambled away from the river.

  “Let me at the rope,” Marie said, waving Peter back.

  He handed it to her, watching the water level of the river lower as the rumble turned into cracking and crashing. Marie finished tying some specific sailor’s knot and ordered him to cross. Not questioning orders, Peter pulled himself onto the rope and started sliding himself over the river. His arm ached, the straps holding the prosthetic on straining as he tried to put as little weight on it as possible. He was surprised when Marie hopped over him, walking along the rope like she was strolling down the street, but knowing he was the last one now made him move faster.

  Marie got to the end and climbed onto the tree branch next to Sophie just as the flood came into view. Rocks and broken trees revolved in muddy slush, racing towards Peter, who was barely halfway across. He froze, then moved as quickly as he could.

  “Hold tight!” Marie shouted at him, her words almost lost in the cacophony.

  Peter gripped the rope for dear life, not knowing what her plan was but trusting her regardless. Marie gave an order to Sophie, who jumped onto the rope, grabbing it with both hands. She waited until it was fully bent under her weight then dropped, letting it spring up. The movement made the whole thing bounce, and would have dislodged Peter if he hadn’t been holding on as tightly as he could. He wondered what that had accomplished, and then felt the knot Marie had tied… untie.

  He yelped, feeling himself suddenly swing towards the bank. Marie was pulling the rope in as fast as she could, but he still found himself briefly almost touching water before being yanked up. Peter hit the bank and was immediately pulled to his feet by Razan, then dragged away from the river until he could run on his own. They were joined by Marie, caught up to Sophie, and stopped, panting.

  The flash flood arrived. A wave of debris scoured the banks of the river, taking the tree the rope had been tied to with it. The ground shook them to their knees, the sound as loud as cannons but lasting forever.

  First the flood itself passed out of view. Then the shaking lessened, followed by the sound becoming a distant echo. All that was left was a faint haze in the air and a thick smell of mud.

  Marie got to her feet, casually dusting herself off. “Well. That was exciting.”

  Sophie flopped onto her back, giggling.

  Razan cleared his throat. “Captain, perhaps we should…”

  “Take ten minutes to regain our energy,” Peter suggested.

  “Yes, take a few minutes,” Razan agreed. “We crossed the river much quicker than we’d anticipated, and have a few moments to spare for a light snack.”

  “If you insist,” Marie said, immediately sitting back down.

  Razan pulled his backpack around and opened it up to get out the food they’d brought.

  Peter stumbled to his feet, moving a few paces towards the river. “Well, looks like I’ll have to get a new hook again.”

  “I have it,” Sophie said, holding up his grappling hook. “You’ll just have to replace the rope.”

  “Oh, thanks.” They all had spare rope, so he was good.

  He moved away from the group, checking the damage to the river. All the dirt was gone down to bedrock, leaving scoured grey stone and an occasional broken log caught on a new boulder. On the other side of the river, all the trees had been swept off the bank except one; the one with three raccoons still watching him from a hollow.

  Peter quickly went back to his friends, fumbling in his backpack for the thermos of coffee he’d brought.

  Coincidence.