Kael crouched on the packed earth and drew three strokes with a stick. "I know this will sound strange," he said. "In my tribe, this meant water. Hunters cut it into trees so anyone coming after them would know a stream was close."
Tessa leaned forward, her ears twitching. "We scratch a little spiral for that," she said. "Usually on a flat stone, near the bank."
"Elves tie a reed into a loop and hang it from a branch," Valen added slowly, as though the thought were surprising him as he spoke. "I never considered that it was the same message."
Ferrin cleared his throat. "Leo-kin scratched a wavy line with the claw. We mark our camps with it, so the scouts can find the nearest water without asking."
Four different shapes meant one thing, and none of the four people in the room had known it until that moment. Kael saw the realization settle over their faces, and he went on more quickly, because he could feel it was important not to lose the thread.
