On the eve of Charder's age-related death, ten years after the events in the Hunters Unlucky novel, Arcove comes to tell Charder goodbye. Their conversation sparks a chain of events that will have a profound impact on the rest of the island, as well as on Arcove personally. "Lullaby" appears for the first time in this collection.
The collection also includes two other Hunters-related stories, which were previously published individually. "Awake" occurs two years after the end of the novel. Keesha is roused from his winter torpor by a surprise visitor to the Dreaming Sea. Arcove has a problem, and he needs Keesha's help.
"Water in the Desert" occurs seven years after the events in novel. Sauny is leading her own herd of ferryshaft with Valla as her beta. When a creasia from Treace's old clutter carries away a live foal, Sauny and Valla chase after him through the arid wastes and slot canyons of the Southern Mountains. Their task seems relatively simple. However, dark secrets lurk in those hills, and the price of rescuing one foal may be higher than anyone imagined.