Anisa gets Spencer to come along on a canoe ride with Wanda into the Akwavi-Kin Mangrove, a swampy region populated by otter-morphs called Akwavi. Anisa only lets Spencer in on the fact that they're looking for the book (and not hunting) partway through the trip. They come across some Akwavi playing in the water, and Wanda spots the book … wedged in some roots below the water.

Anisa manages to get the otters to help by proposing a contest to see which of the otters is the best diver. While the otters are fighting over the book, a large predatory fish attacks, wounding one of the Akwavi and stranding him on a tangle of roots as he tries to escape. Anisa comes to the rescue, bounding over to the roots, then carrying the otter on her back as she heads back. The fish is driven off with some peppercorn shot from a blunderbuss-type weapon wielded by one of the Akwavi. After saving one of their kin, the otters are quite happy to grab Anisa's book for her, and they also let the adventurers spend the night there before heading back to town.