I scratched Rocko behind his ears. I might not appreciate just sitting around in the village, but he was delighted. The woman using the loom hummed contentedly as her shuttle clicked back and forth. She definitely had more patience than I did; she had sat here for hours on end while adding layers of handspun fur string into what would eventually become a skirt.

My eyes trailed over to Grant, who was near his office and talking with yet another person. I'd been watching all morning, but I hadn't seen a single chance to catch him alone. The heat of the day would be a more opportune time, when many retreated into the cool of their caves to nap. The restlessness hadn't made an appearance yet, but I'd also done a lot more porting this morning than I usually did.

Grant turned, scanning the cliffs. His eyes landed on me as he called, "Natalie, you can check on those hunters and come back for lunch."

Abandoning my feline fan, I trotted to the crystal and ported to where I'd left my group. Light shimmered through my veins as the air hazed around me. As it cleared, I squeaked and jumped away from the dead deer by my feet, my hand still on the crystal and a hair away from bouncing.

The only thing that stopped me was the presence of four people nearby. I gawked at the deer; it had been years since any village had managed to catch one. Only then did I notice the braided circle laying on its shoulder. I stared at it, too stunned to form coherent thoughts.

A hunter limped over on his crooked leg. "A Saursune showed up about an hour ago and left it there. Already gutted, but the organs are in the cavity."

"It just left it?"

This was backwards. Saursunes took energy first, then brought food. Unless...

"Just about gave us a heart attack. It was a fighter with armor and weapons, and we didn't even see it until it was dropping the deer by the crystal. It looked at us, held up the braided circle, set it on the deer, and left."

The description was uncanny. But how would the Saursune I visited last night have found my group here? This shrub-filled landscape was very different terrain from the semi-jungle. I hadn't even stayed here—I had immediately returned to the village. And how would he know this was my group?

"We thought we were goners," a woman quietly added. "But we haven't seen it since, not that such a thing means much with so many shrubs around."

"I didn't even know there were deer around here," the hunter said, frowning at the gutted carcass.

The forager added, "The vines in that braid don't grow in this climate. They're much more tropical."

Uncanny just reached a whole new level.

The fighter hadn't seen my group, nor had I given him a braided circle. Had he really tracked down my group just to give me a deer as repayment for the energy? And if so, how had he found or recognized them?

The only thing I could come up with was that a farmer had spotted my group, and their communication system was a whole lot better than we had assumed. It also meant they were learning to identify humans and who belonged to which groups.

~

I ported the last ten-group to the Guard Station, where dozens were ogling at the deer beside the elderly porter, who was watching it in exchange for a palm-sized chunk of the liver. Since the deer was still here, there must not have been any tracking blips on the scanner.

The hunters retold the story again and again of how the Saursune had left the deer. The braided circle was passed between onlookers as they examined the vines, which they all agreed should not have been in a grassy shrubland.

I lingered for a while, mostly pretending to be tired, before returning to the village to see if I could catch Grant. Alas, when I got there, he was deep in discussion with several people. I sat on the resting hides and watched, but villagers were already gathering near the crystal in expectation of the returning groups.

As seemed to be their new habit, Merryl and Roxanne returned within seconds of each other, bringing a bunch of my hunters and the deer. I hadn't told anyone about the deer yet because I wanted it to be a surprise, and judging by the exclamations and surge of bodies running closer, I had succeeded.

It took Merryl and Roxanne some time to wiggle through the crowd and sit by me.

"I could have brought them back," I said. "All these heavy ports are slowly building up my abilities."

"It was worth it to bring that deer back," Roxanne replied, grinning at the press of people trying to get a closer look.

"Merryl, can I take Grant to the Oasis today? I want to catch him alone to discuss my porting." With them porting a bunch of my group, sleep might not come easily, although I was certain I'd be able to sleep.

"Sure," she replied, sounding oddly distracted.

I glanced at her. "What's wrong?"

"A Saursune found me today?" Her reply sounded more like a question than an answer.

I twisted around on the furs to face her. "Are you okay?"

Had it knocked her down or hurt her? I didn't see any injuries or bruises. Normally, she had Callie, and they were sent to the safest known areas, but today Calum had taken their daughter. Merryl was one of only three porters in our village who hadn't been caught yet, and the other two always remained right beside the crystal.

In her silence, I scooted closer and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Merryl?"

She leaned against me and quietly murmured, "It got between me and the crystal before I knew it was there."

"Did it knock you down?" I quickly asked. "Do you need to see the doctor?"

"No. I didn't realize how big they were up close. It...it sniffed my belly, rubbed its head against my arm, and left. Later it came back with three rabbits."

"Did it take your energy?"

"I don't think so. I'm not tired, at least no more than I was this morning. It...just gave me a shock. I was so sure I was about to die!" Her voice rose at the end, hitching on a panic sob.

I hugged her closer. What could I say? You're okay now wasn't about to cut it, and they don't kill porters anymore was a recent change that could reverse at any moment. Roxanne glared daggers at a few villagers who had been edging closer to hear the gossip, and they quickly decided to stand elsewhere.

"I'm here," I said, rocking her back and forth. "Your group can always join mine. The Saursunes can't get past a dozen people before we reach the crystal."

"You still got caught," she mumbled.

"I wandered off like an idiot while everyone was gone," I corrected her gently. "Grant would have no issues with your group joining mine. If trouble showed up, you could bounce to the village to warn me, and having that safety guard in place would give me peace of mind. Or you could stay in the village instead of me, and fetch me if airships show up. Other villages are bunching up groups for safety, so why not us?"

She considered that idea, her muscles slowly relaxing. Eventually, she lay back on the hides, mumbling, "I really need a nap."

Roxanne peered at her and whispered to me, "I think she just fell asleep."

I nodded. My sister's pregnancy had given her a couple rough nights in a row, so most of us expected her to crash at some point. I just hadn't expected a Saursune's visit to be the tipping point.

At least it hadn't drained her energy, although the rabbits only added to my growing confusion. It was just as strange as the fighter bringing the deer. Last night, I had left without waiting to see what he might find. It never occurred to me that he'd put effort into tracking me down to repay me. Was our energy really so valuable?

I really wished I could discuss this with someone, but I couldn't say anything, or others might think I was putting myself in harm's way. Visiting the cat was currently my best excuse to port around in the evening and burn off energy, and I didn't want to endanger that.

Since Merryl was sleeping, I told Roxanne, "I'll bring her group and mine back."

"Are you sure? I can help."

"Don't worry. I have enough ports left for that and the water cart," I said as I got up. To give her something else to think about, I added, "Someone else will have to take the sentries to Sentry Point."

The sentries hadn't approached me for quite some time, but using them as a distraction would have to suffice. Roxanne nodded, content now that there was something she could help with.

I ported back to the Guard Station and walked over to where Merryl's group was sitting. "Merryl fell asleep, so I'll take you back once your wait is up." I glanced at one of my hunters who happened to be nearby. "I'll have to make three trips, so if someone is enjoying their visit here, they can stay here until I take her group."

He nodded and went to spread the information. It took a bit of shuffling to get through the crowd and reach the crystal. Eight of my group gathered around me, and I ported them back to the village. Roxanne still sat guard beside my slumbering sister. Echoes of chattering voices came from farther up the village, roughly where the butchering area was.

I waited just long enough to pretend I rested then returned to the Guard Station in time to see Andre salute me. With a grin, he ported away with his group and one of my hunters. I grumbled good-heartedly and plunked down beside Ariel, who leaned against a bench, barely staying awake.

"I can take two of yours," I offered.

"Thanks," she mumbled. "I was hoping you'd offer." She yawned.

"Saursune?"

"Yeah. I was only twenty paces away from the crystal, but it was fast enough to cut me off. I can't believe how fast it moved."

A gatherer nearby quietly said, "We tried to distract it, but more Saursunes came out of the forest and blocked our path."

I blinked at the wording. "Blocked your path? They didn't pin you?"

"No, but we weren't armed."

That was another change. Normally, the Saursunes knocked any bystanders to the ground. Had they decided that just forcing our companions to keep their distance was sufficient?

A stray thought flickered through my mind. Were the Saursunes starting to lean more toward a trading mentality and trying to seem less threatening? Remembering my last few encounters, it made me wonder what other changes would occur if some porters started willingly letting them siphon off some energy.

But that sort of suggestion would be met with fierce resistance and suspicion. The Saursunes had killed many friends and relatives in the past. That wasn't the sort of thing many would forgive, even if it gave their groups a better chance of survival.

Had I not started seeing the Saursunes as individuals, some of whom had helped me and protected my group, I would also be firmly against the idea. I had lost friends to their claws, and on rare occasions, some of my group. It wasn't something I could ever forget, but now I was quite certain that not all Saursunes were the same. Just like all people weren't the same.

Which ones were attacking the raiding villages? Could it possibly be the same groups that were bringing us food? Such a contradiction was hard to imagine. Yet, humans kept dogs as companions and pointed weapons at feral dogs whenever the aggressive creatures showed up.

How could we tell which Saursunes were trustworthy? Did that word even truly apply to an alien race whose ancestors had hunted our forefathers into near extinction?

All it did was give me a headache and no clear answer.