Greetings from the Scottish Sub-Raft

Marvellous new chaps! we have sent Peter and Zsofia off on a second temporal foray. They are expected to travel 2 weeks into the future I am told. Brian assures me the calculations are spot on this time, tightly controlled Cedric coefficient and something to do with time wheel dampening factors. I can’t imagine why it needs dampening, the whole thing is in a large tank of water, I shouldn’t think it could get any damper if it tried. Got to believe those chaps know what they are doing mind you. They are very confident, and Brian gave a splendid speech to the School for Gifted Otters on Wednesday. Lucas tells me it was all very inspiring, lots of his young friends want to be time travelers now apparently. I rather fancy that young Lucas himself would like to get in on the act. I’ll have to get the chaps in the research department to arrange a field trip. It would go down a storm! I might put in an appearance myself!

Oh yes, of course, I have some other fantastic news to share with you. We have had a new shipment of first rate minnows, some of the very best I have had in a long time.

What’s that? not minnows? Lucy Littlepaws has been reading this over my shoulder, she tells me I have something else, almost as good as minnows that I should tell you. I have received an answer from the leader of the Scottish Sub-Raft. She is very keen to get a whisky exchange sorted, and has some interesting things so say about wildcats. Thoroughly fascinating stuff I can tell you! Actually, it might be better if I let her tell you:

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Dear Commander Longwhiskers

It was very good to receive your communication yesterday, we in the Loch Holt have been avidly following your Raft’s progress in the field of time travel. It is tremendously exciting to see that otters have been able to engage in successful temporal displacement. As you know we have been concentrating on research into rapid travel over great distances. I have been speaking with Duncan McBristlewhiskers about the potential for collaboration between them and your temporal team. I will forward suggestions in a separate communique.

Regarding your questions about our wildcat interactions, as you are aware, wildcats in Scotland have been somewhat elusive over recent years. They have a tendency to want to keep themselves to themselves, however after one or two fortuitous coincidences and a mutual love of salmon, we have started to establish a cautious relationship with a local Clutter. They have been doing some interesting research themselves into land speed and climbing improvements.

The timing of your request is extremely interesting as the leader of the Clutter, Carothers Silvestris-Grampia, has recently been in contact with me with a view to establishing a more formal partnership in some mutually beneficial areas including habitat improvement and salmon procurement.

I will pass on your greetings and see if I can initiate contact on your behalf. I suspect that Carothers will be very interested in talking to Simon Swifttail about the Prophecy, especially those passages that relate to wildcats.

As for your Whisky enquiry, we have indeed been getting some fantastic vintages from our island counterparts. Donald Fastpaws is makes a particularly fine dram. I am sure that we could arrange an exchange for some of your Harrogate otter gin.

Yours Sincerely

Lena Longtail