It felt longer than usual before Citrine lifted her head and yawned. She got to her feet and shook herself. Liam walked beside me as we followed Citrine out the open doorway.

I stepped into the sunshine with a faint sigh of relief. Even if I was getting more comfortable with being in the airship, there was just something deep inside me that remained on edge. Liam also relaxed marginally.

There were two more logs on the cart, and three people were still chopping with their backs turned to the airship. The others had relieved expressions when they saw us emerge. Citrine trotted ahead and made a large circle of the group while the two youngsters squeaked and hummed at her from the top of the log pile.

Those chopping paused their work when Citrine passed in front of them, resuming their tasks once she had moved away. I sat on a log near the crystal since there wasn't anything I could help with at the moment. The hunters weren't about to let me use the axe with the Saursunes present, and there wasn't anything close by to collect.

I was tempted to try braiding some thin saplings, but considering how Saursunes seemed to react to most woven objects, I opted against the idea. Resting my elbows on my knees, I looked around, already growing bored with nothing to do even though the energy drain had removed a lot of my motivation.

The scrabbling of claws on wood had me turning my head as the youngsters made a less than graceful descent. With high-pitched, excited squeaks, they bounded over and nudged my knees before skipping away and sniffing various plants. I couldn't help but smile at their antics.

They were so cute they needed nicknames. They were too young for their horns to have grown enough for me to determine if they were male or female, and for all I knew, the horn length theory might be wrong, or this alien race might have four genders or none at all. Some lizards didn't need a partner to reproduce, and there wasn't a way for me to tell.

Going with my original theme of naming the Saursunes after gems and precious stones, I decided to call the green youngster Emerald and the blue one Azure.

I fiddled with a piece of grass, wondering if there was a polite way to inquire their gender. I'd been using the term "it" like I would with an unfamiliar cat or dog, but...that didn't seem right, especially if I was giving them a nickname.

Digging in my belt pouch, I found a small stub of charcoal and a scrap of leather. Hoping this communication attempt didn't go completely astray, I knelt on the grass and began sketching two Saursune heads, one with longer horns, one with shorter.

The youngsters soon noticed and sat in front of me, peering at the crude sketches. I pushed the piece of leather toward Emerald, motioned to the horns on the two drawings, then to the youngster.

Emerald turned to look at Azure, and they exchanged a long series of squeaks and growls. Citrine ambled over to see what we were doing. Hoping she was better at this guessing game, I motioned to the drawing with the shorter horns, then to her, before holding my palm toward Emerald and then moving my hand over the two sketches as if unsure which to indicate.

Citrine tapped the shorter horns and motioned to Emerald. Next, she touched the other drawing and pointed to Azure. Emerald touched the shorter horns then pointed to me, and I nodded.

Azure picked up the piece of charcoal and drew over my drawings. On the horns for the females, he made the horn tip more pointed, and on the males, made it more rounded. Now that I knew what I was looking for, I could see the difference on Azure's and Emerald's small horns.

"Thank you," I told them as I folded up the thin piece of leather and tucked it back into my belt pouch. Azure helpfully handed me the charcoal. A carry net fell out of the pouch, and Emerald nudged it with her nose in curiosity. The strip of leather came unraveled.

When I picked it up, it unrolled to reveal itself as a carry net. The youngsters squeaked excitedly and immediately began checking the area. With a grin, I began helping them look for any missed edible greens.

They bounded around me like hyperactive puppies that never seemed to run out of energy. We had to wander over three hundred paces from the crystal before I finally found an overlooked clover plant hidden under a shrub.

I nibbled on the crisp stem as the youngsters sniffed the sections I'd left behind. They bounded off again, sniffing all over the place. Azure returned with a dandelion leaf, and I thanked him while taking the gift.

Apart from three other missed plants, that was where our success ended. This remote area had been terribly overharvested by groups who didn't care about the future. We made a wide circle around the woodchoppers before I gave up.

As I headed back, I paused and raised a hand to shade my eyes as I peered at the horizon. That was not an eagle. My eyes widened as I took off at a run for the crystal.

"There's a second airship approaching!" I called out.

The youngsters immediately ran beside me, hissing as they tried to spot whatever had spooked me. Jasper appeared in the airship doorway, alerted by my loud, urgent call. Liam and Clyde jogged toward me while the rest of the hunters retreated to the crystal.

Those with axes hid them in the cart under the logs and quickly tossed the sacks in as well. The crate of melons and the dead cow—yes, the huge animal had been stuffed somewhere in the cargo area—were too big to lift and were sitting beside the crystal.

Citrine bounded up from behind me somewhere and slowed to my pace, her gaze focusing on the incoming airship without any visible concern. Liam and Clyde paused, letting me close the distance now that I had Saursune bodyguards, then ran alongside me.

Even as I scrambled over the last log between me and the crystal, Citrine began humming loudly and nudging my elbow as if trying to catch my attention. Twenty paces away from the cart, she pulled ahead slightly and turned her neck to face me while giving an even louder hum. She looked pointedly between me and the incoming airship.

I followed her gaze and did a double-take when I saw the new airship was flying sideways. My footsteps faltered, almost making me trip over the uneven grasses. I slowed as I sent Citrine a wide-eyed look. She continued humming calmly in a clear attempt to reassure me.

The seven hunters remained alert, but they had also noticed the airship was attempting a "friendly" approach. Even though I was now at a walk due to Citrine, I kept moving until I'd reached my group. A quiet hiss from Citrine made the youngsters stop as I walked between the hunters so I was within lunging distance of the crystal.

"If anything looks suspicious, grab onto me or the cart," I murmured, watching the airship closely.

Seven hunters, a cart, a cow, and a crate of melons might send me to my knees so soon after an energy share, even with my strengthened abilities, but I doubted it was enough to knock me out cold, and I refused to lose a hunter. They nodded and shifted closer.

Citrine stood near the edge of the group, looking between me and the incoming ship that was practically moving at a crawl. I couldn't believe how hard it was to resist the urge to take my group and leave. Had even one of my hunters suggested bouncing, I'd have agreed in a heartbeat.

I took a deep breath and exhaled heavily, my eyes never leaving the airship as it landed well over three hundred paces away. It was the same size as the other airship, although it was a light blue instead of brown.

The side door opened, and a light greenish-blue Saursune appeared in the doorway. The two youngsters immediately ran toward the airship. After bumping noses and brushing cheeks with the female, they disappeared inside. She bowed her head in our direction and closed the door. The airship slowly lifted off the ground and began flying away.

"I guess that's one way to pick up the kids," Cruz murmured, breaking the silence. "They must have been nearby in case something happened."

"Almost gave me a panic attack," I grumbled. "I wasn't expecting to see another airship, and I hadn't even been looking around for predators or anything dangerous since Citrine and the youngsters were nearby."

With a shrug, Cruz dug out the axe and continued chopping a tree as if this was just another regular day. I ruefully regarded the hunter who was letting his actions speak far louder than words could ever have.

I shook my head and was about to step away from the crystal right as a faint shift in the air warned me that we had company. Even before I had time to turn around, five shimmers solidified into a group. The two nearest me gave an apologetic smile before their eyes widened.

"Saursune!" One exclaimed.

They disappeared into shimmers as the porter bounced them to safety.

I glanced at Liam. "Were they from Hinton Village? I didn't get a good look at them."

"Yes. I'm hoping they just saw Citrine and didn't have time to notice the airship."

"They barely materialized, so I'm not sure," I replied, wondering if this was going to cause me any problems.

Liam fished an axe out of the cart and selected a greenish melon from the crate. After a few small chops, he passed me a thick slice, took one for himself, and put the rest on the corner of the cart. Tib claimed Liam's axe and a slice of melon as he wandered over to the log he'd been working on a minute ago.

Since the hunters weren't showing any obvious desire to leave, I sat on a log. Liam sat beside me as we nibbled on the juicy fruit. As three hunters resumed their work with the axes, the others helped themselves to the melon. I felt vaguely guilty about eating so much of the rare delicacy, but there simply weren't any greens here to pick.

The crackling of wood summoned the idle hunters, and I joined them since it was a rather large tree. As we struggled to drag the heavy trunk, Citrine stood to the side. Before we got far, Jasper appeared with the crate-rolling wheels.

He trotted to the end and motioned with his hand for the hunters to lift up the log. When they did so, he slid the first roller under, then headed to the front. The hunters were already lifting that side.

Now on the wheels, the tree trunk tried to roll to the side, forcing the hunters to steady it. We began pushing it toward the cart, occasionally stopping to tug the wheels over an obstacle, through thick grass, or out of a dip. We eventually made it to the cart, and the hunters dipped their heads at Jasper as they thanked him. He bobbed his head once in acknowledgment. The hunters wrestled one end onto the cart as Jasper helped push it into place.

I wiped the sweat off my forehead. I hadn't worked overly hard, but the sun was beating down on us with no shade to be found. Citrine appeared beside me and nudged my arm before walking over to a thick patch of trampled grass and lying down, half-curving her body like she did when she wanted me to sit beside her.

I found it ironic that the Saursunes didn't seem to want me doing heavy work, which matched most villagers' and hunters' preferences. As much as it made me roll my eyes in tolerant humor, I could understand their angle since porters provided irreplaceable transportation, and those efforts usually left most porters tired by the end of the day. Light tasks like picking greens or weaving baskets—presuming the porter had more skill than I did—were fine. Trying to drag massive trees was not.

After a quick glance at the two others chopping—they were less than halfway through the logs—I sat down beside her. Liam wandered over and handed me another piece of melon and a full waterskin. Citrine blinked slowly at him, although she didn't seem bothered by how he had walked so close to her without concern.

He sat on the grass nearby. "As heavy as these logs are, you'll have to take the cart back before it's halfway full. The Saursunes haven't touched it, so you can take it right to the village without worrying about trackers."

I nodded as I chewed. Once I swallowed the juicy morsel, I said, "That'll be handy. Grant mentioned Irwin Village was hoping I could port firewood and clay objects to an abandoned village to be pit-fired, and a few less trips with the cart will leave me enough energy for that."

"We can always leave a bit earlier if you're worried about time." He gave me a rueful grin. "Even taking turns, we'll be feeling our arms after chopping wood for eight hours. We're used to running around while hunting, not swinging an axe for so long."

I smiled as I said, "Just let me know when you're ready to go."

"We're taking turns, so we have time to rest." He gazed at those chopping wood, then to my surprise, he lay back on the grass and linked his hands behind his head as he gazed at the sky.

Citrine gave him a curious look, as if surprised by his actions. She turned her head and used the side of her muzzle to lightly push my shoulder back. I took the hint and leaned against her.

With a satisfied sigh, she rested her head on her hands.