A Snake Falls to Earth

Oli and his friends begin their journey to the fourth peak. Oli has severe motion sickness and barely endures the truck ride to the mountain. With the weakened connection between the two worlds, each animal person can spend roughly six days on earth. Any act of world-shaping will detract from their remaining time, depending on how much world-shaping they do.

Nina is home alone with Tightrope while her father helps her grandmother prepare for the storm. A stranger begins banging on the alley door; scared, Nina hides in her room. Peering outside her window, she sees several complete strangers with a hawk (Oli and his friends, aside from Brightest, are all in their false human forms). Nina goes downstairs to see what the strangers want but is interrupted by the coyote sisters flinging the door open despite its locks. The animal traits of each animal person’s false form aren’t hidden, which shocks Nina. Oli asks her to help them.

The narrative returns to Oli and his friends’ ascent of the fourth peak. Brightest hasn’t returned from delivering the message to the bears, making Oli nervous.