Mossflower Woods shimmered gently in a peaceful haze. Lulled by warm sun, cool shade and birdsong, Dany trekked onwards, with the remnants of her khalasar and the mice from Loamhedge. The horses were all gone now, so the dragons were flying freely now instead of riding in the cage.
Seemingly from out of nowhere, an otter and a squirrel leaped, barring the path! "What do you think you're doing?" the squirrel shouted to Dany and her companions. "You've got to hide, quickly! Get down in this ditch and lie flat."
The urgency of the squirrel's tone took Dany aback. She obeyed without thinking. She jumped down into the ditch and so did Jorah and the mice. The Dothraki couldn't understand the squirrel's language, of course, but they did as Dany had done nonetheless. The strange otter and squirrel crouched beside them. Sensing danger, the dragons took roost in the high branches of a nearby tree, concealing themselves in the leaves.
Soon enough, Dany saw what the two creatures were warning her about. A horde of armed soldiers, weasels, ferrets, and stoats, came marching by. They looked mean.
When they were gone, Dany climbed out of the ditch. "Who were they?" she asked.
"Soldiers under the command of Verdauga Greeneyes," said the otter. "Verdauga Greeneyes is the mean old wildcat that rules these woods, and he doesn't take kindly to outsiders. Oh, excuse me, we didn't introduce ourselves. I'm Skipper and this is Lady Amber, queen of the squirrels hereabouts."
"I'm a queen too," Dany said. "My name's Daenerys Targaryen. I'm trying to get back to my kingdom, Westeros."
"Westeros, eh?" said Skipper. "I've got a brother who moved there."
"Well, passing through Lord Verdauga's territory probably wasn't the best route you could have taken," said Amber. "Those soldiers you just saw were only a small part of his army. Follow us. We can take you somewhere safeā¦"
But Dany had other thoughts. "So, his full army must be pretty big, huh? I wonder if he ever loans out his soldiers. Does he have any ships?"
"Oh, don't tell me you're thinking what I think you're thinking, Khaleesi!" Jorah groaned. "I've heard of this Verdauga Greeneyes. He's a tyrant! He won't help you win back Westeros. He's not interested in helping anyone but himself. He's even less trustworthy than the elders of Qarth!"
"Your friend is right," said Skipper. "Stay the hell away from Verdauga. You can't handle him."
"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure about that," Dany said. She whistled, and her three dragons flew down from the tree and perched on her head and shoulders.
Skipper whistled. "Great seasons! Dragons!"
"I've heard that the mountain of Salamandastron to the west is inhabited by dragons," said Amber. "Is that where they came from?"
"You'd have to ask Magister Illyrio," said Dany. "But let's just say that I'm not too afraid of some cat when I've got my 'children' by my side. I've been teaching them a few tricks. Watch this. Drogon! Dracarys!"
At the word "Dracarys," Drogon belched forth a breath of flame. It set a nearby log on fire. "That word means 'fire' in Old Valyrian," Dany explained proudly.
Skipper rushed over to the burning log and frantically tried to beat the fire out with his tail so it wouldn't spread all over the forest. "That's some trick, all right," he panted when he was done. "Maybe you're a match for him after all. All right, if you follow the tracks of those soldiers ye'll come to Verdauga's castle, Kotir. I hope you know what you're getting into, matey."
Abbess Germaine and her mice went off with Skipper and Amber, while Dany pointed her boots in the direction of Kotir, with Jorah and the other humans reluctantly following.
