As it turned out, seeing them all struggling to escape their respective wolf morphs before they were trapped entirely had freaked Tobias out, but eating a live rat – or several, considering the couple days he'd been living like a wild hawk – hadn't been good for him. He'd clearly panicked, vanishing into the woods and trying to disappear entirely in favor of the hawk instincts, but that man had brought him back. Saving that man had brought Tobias back, and Tommy was glad for it.

Even if he did end up being stuck having to listen to Marco's constant stream of complaints.

(There wouldn't be grizzlies in this area,) Cassie said, in response to Marco's latest round of complaints. (We'd be dealing with black bears, at most.)

(Great, I'm completely reassured,) Marco groused, as the five of them all kept moving toward their destination. (It's only a small bear cave.)

(There aren't any bears,) Tobias cut in, before Marco could start off on yet another tirade. (The only animals you'd find in here are raccoons and skunks, and they only run into the cave to get away from predators.)

That, of course, set Marco right off again, but Tommy was better prepared to tune him out, that time.

They'd prepared for their camping trip as well as they could, considering that Tobias was going to be the one tasked with carrying their supplies. Considering who they were relying on, they'd only been able to bring two pairs of fishhooks, some fishing line, and a small lighter. Tommy could only hope that that kind of thing would work out for them, under the circumstances. Marco complained incessantly as the five of them made a place for themselves in the cave, of course, but he and the others ignored him and set to work trying to catch the fish that they would need.

It turned out not to be nearly as simple as any of them had been hoping for, unfortunately; though Cassie seemed to have been expecting that kind of thing to happen.

Once they actually did manage to catch a fish, and Marco had made the obligatory joke about eating it, Tommy and the others quickly acquired the lake trout's DNA.

(I don't like this plan,) Tobias said, after the he and Cassie had acquired the trout.

"Tobias, you were in on the planning right from the start," Jake said, looking more than a little surprised as he turned to the tree where Tobias had perched.

"You're worried about us, aren't you?" Tommy asked, having recognized both the tone of Tobias' silent voice, and the circumstances that had clearly prompted it.

(I just… This is more dangerous than anything we've done before. You guys are going to be more outnumbered than we've ever been, before. Do you understand that?)

Marco, of course, spoke out immediately, but Tommy found himself thinking not only about the words that Tobias had said, but also why he might have said them. He supposed it would always be easier, going into danger with someone else, rather than having to stand back and watch as they went into danger without you. He'd keep that in mind, when all of them met up again.