One evening, during a quiet stroll, they bond over shared fears: Xxnx fears losing her independence, while Mobi confesses he was exiled from his pack for questioning rigid traditions. Their vulnerability softens the edges between them. Xxnx teases, "You’re not entirely useless, Mobi." He grins, "And you’re not as prickly as thistle." A sudden flood, caused by a storm, threatens the Hollow. The animals scramble to safety, but a group of younglings is trapped in a rising river. Mobi, leveraging his tracking skills, finds the safest route to rescue them—but the path requires navigating a crumbling bridge, where only Xxnx’s agility can clear obstacles.