He thrust the stick between me and the cage. I chattered angrily and bit down on the end, snapping it off with ease.
"What the—this thing's nuts!"
He drew back, raising his knee. It looked like he wanted to kick me again but was afraid of my bared teeth.
"Wait a sec," one poacher muttered. "You said it's a beaver? Isn't their fur worth a lot of money?"
"Don't you need a trapping license for that?"
The man gestured angrily at the cage. "Are you stupid? You think I give a shit about a license when I'm hunting mermaids?"
River bristled but said nothing. I could tell he hated being called that.
"Besides, we only have one cage, idiot."
"Who cares? Just throw them both in it. There's room."
He frowned. "What if the beaver bites the mermaid?"
"I don't think it will. The two of them look pretty fucking chummy to me."
Beside me, I heard River inhale a gasp. This was exactly what he'd been worried about. I cursed myself. Now it was too late to run, and as strong as my teeth were, I couldn't fight off two grown men. My only option was shifting into human form, but even then, could I take them both?
No, the better option was to hold steady. I couldn't reveal my cards yet. Their ignorance of my ability to shift was a blessing. It could work in my favor later.
Which meant that right now, the only play was to let them capture me.
I acted the part of an animal. I dropped back down to four legs and shuffled around. River looked at me like I'd lost my mind, but he must've realized my plan because he didn't call my name or address me. He just sighed and slumped against the cage.
"Grab it before it gets away," one poacher hissed to the other.
"What if it bites me?" the other muttered.
"It won't, just be fast about it!"
I braced myself.
A set of keys jingled. My heart sped up. They were opening River's cage! Could he get out in time?
As I turned my head to look, a rough hand grabbed me by the back of the neck. I squealed sharply, and it wasn't entirely an act—they really were hurting me.
"Not that hard, asshole, you're gonna damage the pelt!"
The window of opportunity was too short for River to escape. In a matter of seconds, the top of the cage was lifted—just wide enough for me to fit—and I was thrown inside. I landed on top of River's tail.
The poacher grunted. "There. Can we go now?"
"Yeah, yeah. Go start the boat."
River stared at me like he still couldn't believe I'd done something so stupid, but neither of us spoke. Not while the men were still around and listening.
In the distance, the boat engine roared to life. The poachers grunted as they lifted the cage and carries it to the boat, latching it down carefully. They spent at least twenty minutes making sure the bungee cords were nice and tight so there wasn't a repeat of the previous incident. When they were satisfied, they sped off.
River and I let out the quiet breaths we'd been holding. Thanks to the loud rumble of the boat and the men’s rowdy voices, it was finally safe for us to talk without being noticed.
"Castor, what were you thinking?" River asked, anxiously running his fingers through his hair. "Now you're trapped, too!"
"I’d already accepted that was a possibility. What's done is done."
