As Conall approached the vehicle, a bird mech flew from the front seat, circled the cat once and perched on the roof.

“What in the hells is that?” He pointed. 

The mech opened its beak as said, “SQUAWK!”

Rowan chirped a response and the bird hopped onto her shoulder. 

“Pets aren’t allowed, Ranger.” 

“He’s not a pet. Phalian more of a…an assistant. Trust me, Commander, you’ll be glad for his help when we’re stuck out there with a broken cat. He can get into the smallest space. Cuts repair time in half. I promise.”

He glared at her and she smiled sweetly back at him. That wasn’t how it was supposed to work. He was supposed to growl and she was supposed to cower. 

She’s fierce, the wolf said in his mind. 

Don’t start with me.

The wolf snorted and sneezed, a gesture that Conall had learned to interpret as laughter. 

Rowan’s mech assistant suddenly shrank. Its wings retracted and a tail emerged. In seconds a mouse sat where the bird had been. It rubbed tiny metal paws against its nose then scampered down her shoulder and tucked itself into a pocket in the black sheath that covered her mech arm. 

Conall blinked. The wolf was intrigued. Rowan watched him with an expression that said she dared him to comment.