It was a Binder, a viscous cloud of nothingness condensed into a massive canine parody of the Golden’s feline form. It stood silhouetted on the hillside for a moment before turning to head northwards.

Bell shivered slightly as the spring winds carried the bitter scent of nothing down to his hiding place. He’d known the Binders would be hunting him, just as he hunted the Goldens, but the threat hadn’t seemed real until now. Both sides on a mad frightening rush towards the same goal. Only luck and the gentle hands of the Summer God would save him now.

He waited another span of heartbeats before he crawled out from under the bush, wincing as the thorns tugged at his skin. Thea was only another half-day down the road and the sun was mid-sky, he had time. All he needed now was luck.