Finally, an update!

The next morning, her mother and Esa awoke her early, helping her into her dress and lacing the stays up her back. Cress was grateful for the extra pressure- she felt like throwing up, her nerves making her feel like her chest was going to explode. Esa gave passed her cane to her- she took it with a shaking paw. Her best friend gave her a tight hug and kissed her cheek, murmuring in her ear. "It's okay, Cress. Don't be nervous."

Cress' mother took her into her arms the second Esa pulled away. "It's a silly tradition, baby. Your father and I won't force you into anything- you can say no."

She didn't trust herself enough to speak without falling apart- clenching her jaw tight enough that her teeth wouldn't rattle, she nodded. The other two women stood by her sides, looping their arms through hers.

Facing the rest of the holt on the riverbank made Cress want to collapse into the earth; especially with her three suitors standing in a neat row before her. Her father had just finished talking to them- fatherly threatening, she was sure. He kissed her cheek, repeating her mother's words. "You can say no, sweetheart. No one's going to force this on you."

"I'll be okay, papa." She squeezed his paw, and he nodded for her to offer her challenge to the three suitors. Esa passed her a handful of sealed letters; her mother released her arm. Hobbling forward, Cress gave Alar, Ulric, and Karius each three letters. She tried to speak loud enough for the rest of the troupe to hear, but her tongue felt heavy and dry in her mouth, her vocal chords frozen.

"I'm giving each of you three identical letters. Each one is a clue to an item I would like you to retrieve. I've recently spoken to each of you about the place, and the item, and i know you all know what I'm asking from you. this challenge isn't about speed, it's about memory. At the end of the challenge, I will ask you to return your letters to me, along with the item if you have it. You may begin."

The three men took the first letter, breaking the seal and reading. Alar had to smile at the little rhyme.

Oh, woe is I
Broke my arm,
Thought I could fly.
Cuz Mother said
I had an eye of crow
This is a spot
We all should know.

Their little pond. Despite it clearly not being a race, the boys took off running- the holt cheered as they left, then flocked to the feast that had been prepared. Cress felt her leg giving way; Esa was there to catch her, grip firm on her arm. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah." No. Her head was light and the world was spinning. She couldn't breathe. "I just- I'd like to sit down for a moment."

Her friend lowered her to the damp grasses of the banks, sitting beside her. They sat together, the grass wetting and staining their skirts. Just waiting, watching for the suitor's return.

The boys eventually slowed to a walk- partly because they ran out of steam, partly because the forest was too thick. The three of them, trudging through the brush- it could've felt like old times, if only Cress was there. If only they hadn't grown apart. Alar could remember the four of them, teasing and joking as they walked, ribbing each other- the four boys squabbling over who's going to help sweet Cressy over this log, lift her over that boulder, hold a branch out of her way- only to release said branch and watch it slap into another boy's face.

They all drew to a halt at the little pond, tucked away in a little thicket. It was a little run-down, overtaken by the forest. Nobeast had bothered coming back, ever since the attack. The pond was covered in green scum, the banks thick with weeds- their old rope swing was gone, the branch it had been attached to had fallen off, eaten away by bugs- the rest of the tree rotting.

"Just like we left it, eh?" Karius chuffed. "Brings back memories."

Ulric nodded. "Nobeast's been here since... y'know. The attack."

"Well, the vermin that attacked us paid for it. Alar crouched, rummaging through the weeds and coming up with a stone arrowhead. He fisted it in his fist, the edges dull against his rough palm. "I made sure of that."

"Cress sure missed you," Ulric said after a silent moment. "We all did."

"We got to talking, the night you came back," Karius laid a heavy paw on Alar's shoulder. "Cress really loves you, Alar. Even way back before the attack. Cress was always closer to you than she was to me and Ulric."

Alar glanced between his childhood friends. "...What... are you trying to say?"

"You should win her challenge," Ulric explained, blunt. "Not us."

"It's her decision," Alar shook his head. "Let's just open the second letter."

Not a rhyme this time, but a simple word:

Shrimpstone

"Shrimpstone?" Karius repeated, folding the letter and tucking it into his belt.

"I don't remember too much from us bein' kids," Ulric shrugged. "Beats me."

Alar just chuckled, refolding the parchment and stowing it away. "I got it."

There was an underwater hole in the pond, where Cress had kept all her treasures. The boys would bring her knicknacks and odds and ends they found, and she'd dive under and hide it away. And after the attack, after her knee was destroyed, she wouldn't have been able to swim and contort her way to her old hiding place- she wouldn't even have been able to make the journey to the pond. And, bless her heart, she wouldn't have wanted to put anybeast out by asking for such a frivolous favor.

While Karius and Ulric watched, Alar shed his belt and tunic, laying them aside. Then he slapped his hand through the water, swatting away pond scum, before diving it. The hidey-hole was deep, deep down- Cress had always been the one who could hold her breath longest. Alar could feel his heart beginning to pump harder, feel a strain on his lungs as breath ran out. Quick and strong, he pushed a few rocks out of the way, sending up clouds of soot. A quick wave of his rudder created enough of a current to wash the clouds away. Cress' treasures sat untouched, underwater critters scittering across and plants wafting. The odd fishhooks had rusted almost to nothing, moss growing over the rocks and knickknacks. Alar rifled through them, trying to find Cress' most prized possession. His body was screaming for air, his lungs seizing, heart fluttering, skull feeling too big for his skin.

Finally, he found it- the shrimpstone. He grabbed it tight and set his footpaws against the rocks, launching himself up to the surface. He broke through the pond scum, gasping for breath as he made his way to the bank. Karius and Ulric helped him out of the water, pounding on his back. When he coughed up the last of the water and started breathing normally again, they stepped back. "Did ya get it?"

Alar peeled green pond scum off his fur, then opened his fist. "Yep."

The shrimpstone, Cress' favored treasure. She'd found it herself, in the silt at the bottom of the pond. It was a smooth white rock, with creamy veins running through it- it looked like a shrimp, all curled up. Personally, Alar didn't see the resemblance, but Cress insisted upon it- Karius had, too.

Ulric grinned. "Ah, the shrimpstone."

Karius slapped Alar on the back, offering his discarded tunic. "Good for you, bud. Let's get you back to your lady."