Axel dreams of his origins – of watching a village burned and of being stabbed by a soldier. He wakes up in a fluster, with Parsley holding on to him to try and keep him calm. His temperature is very high, and Parsley's been affected as well.

The Lapi tells Axel they have to get to the lake to cool off, but the bird-man doesn't really understand. He gets dragged along though, as Parsley needs to lean on him as much as he does her.

They are ambushed by Gunther as they cross the Wingnut compound, who threatens them until he hears how bad off Parsley is, possibly dying from heat stroke. Instead of taking them to the lake, he brings them to a closer secret tree where the Clan Archives are kept – a serious breach of Clan rules. Inside is an experimental hot tub that he fills with cold water to get Parsley and Axel's temperatures down.

When he tries to lead them out, they run into Dierdra, who throws a fit.