Brides of a Feather...

It started with a meeting on the shore of an inlet, and culminated in planning a heist.

The in-between bits had involved shouting, threats of bodily harm, and an in-depth discussion about cloaks.

"Everyone knows the plan?" A tall woman, built like a blacksmith, glanced around at the others. Behind her, an unusual number of swans glided serenely.

Another, with an Oriental cast to her pointed features, cracked her knuckles, while a drenched and bedraggled third smiled with too many teeth. The fourth and final woman, sleek and dark, tried not to let the anxiety show in her large, liquid eyes. "Thank you all for doing this."

Comforting hands reached out to her. "We've all been there. When it's over, you can return the favor for someone else."

The lawn was covered with angry swans, foxes prowling through the bushes without attacking them. The pondwater rippled. Muirin's husband glared at her. "I told you I'm not giving your cloak back."

He stepped outside to shoo them away. White feathers cascaded as a 6-foot amazon threw the first punch. The pond exploded as a Rusalka lunged. Kitsune slipped through the door. "We'll find the sealskin. You'll be swimming again by sunset.