I stepped out of the airship after a longer rest than usual. The sun was shining brightly, and Jasper had his hands full keeping the crocs off their favorite sunning spot. It still reminded me of watching one of the hyper rabbit hounds playing fetch—they just ran until they dropped—but he wasn't even breathing hard, so I suspected the crocs were going to come off second best in this match.

Having chased off all nearby crocs for the moment, Jasper trotted over and gave a welcoming hum as he nudged my shoulder with his nose.

I stroked his neck. "Hello again." What else was I supposed to say? I certainly wasn't about to try humming. Not only were my singing skills as bad as my weaving abilities, but I doubted I could hear as many ranges of sound as they could, so my attempts would never be consistent.

He accompanied us to the crystal. The cart was three-quarters full, and a larger pile of meat sat on a leather hide beside it since the carvers told us we'd overloaded the cart axles and wheels the last two times.

"I need a longer break before I try porting that," I said as I sat near the crystal. Citrine curled up around me like she usually did.

Cruz shrugged as he carried a large portion of meat and set it on the pile. "No rush. We're going to try nabbing a third croc once we get all this cut up. The hardest part will be getting it far enough away from the water to attack it without Jasper thinking it's too close to you and chasing it away."

I blinked. They were willing to use the spears with the Saursunes here? Well...we were using axes, and it wasn't like the crocodiles had mysteriously obtained dozens of deadly stab wounds just before we arrived.

A shadow was cast over me as Jasper rose to his hind legs. I stilled, leaning against Citrine as he towered above me, although he was carefully scanning the sandbar, more focused on the crocs than on the hunters. Citrine hummed comfortingly and rubbed the side of her head against my knee.

After about ten seconds where I barely dared to breathe and none of the hunters moved an axe, he dropped to all fours and trotted over to a croc that had just emerged from the water.

"He's done that several times," Liam murmured, relaxing now that the green Saursune was departing. "Nothing threatening, but it definitely gets your heart pumping."

Tib carried another piece of meat over. "Come to think of it, all the Saursunes we've seen for the last few weeks have always been on four legs."

Liam cocked his head to the side. "Trying to desensitize us? Makes sense considering how all of us froze when he did it. Even Natalie leaned away."

With a faint shrug, I admitted, "It's easier when they're on all fours. When they stand up like that, it reminds me of the ones in the past that fired weapons at us. I think I ran every time if they appeared while on their hind legs."

Tib sent me a curious look. "Did any of the Saursunes in the past drop to all fours to avoid scaring you as badly?"

The memory of the armed fighter immediately came to mind. The Saursunes on the big ship were another stellar example.

"Several times, at least."

He mulled that over for a moment. "A month ago, anyone would have raced to a crystal at the mere sight of a Saursune. Now, you're leaning against one as calmly as if she were your sister."

"I think I'd be warier around Merryl if she were in a mischievous mood, but point taken, and I agree with you. Jasper is definitely doing it on purpose."

Tib elbowed Liam lightly in the ribs. "Let's finish getting these chopped up and see if we can catch another. Three crocs should feed the village for a few days."

"Are you sure we want to try hunting in front of the Saursunes?" Liam asked.

Cruz replied, "We'll have to be careful. Jasper didn't seem to mind us using the axes to chop these up, and I'm pretty sure he'd give a warning if he objected instead of outright attacking us. If it works, we can even try to take back four crocs. We're already here, Natalie needs a break, and the village will never turn down extra meat."

"I'm in favor as long as we're careful," Tib quietly added.

While the twelve hunters worked, they discussed plans to catch another croc and who was willing to use weapons with the Saursunes present. Soon, both crocs were in the cart or in the piles.

Tib scanned the sandbar. "Let's wait until Jasper is farther away. Once you pick up those spears, don't even look in Citrine's direction. Try to keep someone between you and her as well. Natalie, please let us know if Citrine shows any sign of objecting to what we're doing."

I nodded. It wasn't long before a few crocs tried to reclaim the far corner of the sandbar, and Jasper went to deal with them. Cruz pulled out his tasseled ball and jogged toward the river. Others grabbed spears, rope, and the axes before following. Citrine watched them intently, but it was more like she was curious as opposed to feeling threatened or disliking their actions.

The leather ball was tossed right to the river's edge before Cruz pulled it back in tantalizing jerks. Jasper was still preoccupied by the crocs at the far end.

My heart beat faster. This could easily go wrong in so many ways. In the past, merely holding a knife was a death sentence, and we were about to kill a huge crocodile in front of an alien reptilian race. I took a deep breath, reminding myself that they hadn't objected or seemed distressed or sad when they'd seen the carcasses. Citrine glanced at me, then back at the hunters.

The third toss had a croc lunging out of the water. It chased the leather ball a few steps before stopping. It took two more tosses before it came a few more steps closer. Brielle had the rope noose this time, and she came in from the side while the spear and axe wielders drifted closer.

Their former practice let them work smoothly together, but part of their attention lingered on the Saursunes. I hoped their divided focus wouldn't cause problems. It was why I had sat on the cart without a complaint, so I wouldn't distract them.

With one final glance at Jasper, who was still annoying a croc and seemingly unaware of what we were doing, Brielle tossed the rope. The other hunters pulled it tight as those with Saursune weapons darted in to dispatch it as quickly as possible.

Water to the side exploded as another croc lunged onto the shore, thinking the commotion was the other croc catching prey. The nearest hunters leapt out of the way with the agility of deer, easily avoiding the surprise visitor. Citrine tensed with a low growl, her claws digging into the sand, although she didn't get up.

Two hunters circled around the second croc, lightly poking its tail with the spears. The distraction worked, and the croc whipped its head around to face them.

My eyes widened as I called out a warning, "Jasper's heading your way!"

The hunters glanced back and promptly dropped their weapons as the green Saursune raced toward them. They skipped back, putting distance between themselves and the axes and spears. Those holding the ropes were slowly pulled across the sand as they struggled to restrain the mortally wounded croc that was rapidly bleeding out.

Jasper slowed just long enough to bat a spear toward one of the hunters before jumping over the rope as he closed in on the second croc, harrying it in the same fashion he'd been doing with the others.

Tib darted over to grab the spear. "Keep your backs to him, but I think we're in the clear!"

The other hunters hesitated, old habits and the recent scare restraining them, although Cruz reclaimed his axe and ran over to help dispatch the croc. I kept a close eye on the Saursunes. Citrine had relaxed as soon as Jasper had returned, and he was busy annoying our uninvited guest.

The rest of the hunters began pulling the ropes since the croc had almost completely bled out, but they weren't making much progress as the dry sand churned under their feet.

Cruz shook his head and released the rope. "I'm too tired to drag this thing when we can cut it down to size. Help me roll it over."

Changing strategies seamlessly, the hunters shifted into butchering mode as Jasper finally convinced the second croc that it wasn't welcome. He examined the group gutting the crocodile then trotted along the shore for his next patrol. I breathed a sigh of relief.

As Liam came to fetch pails for the organs, I asked, "Is there another hide in the cart? It might be easier to pile the meat on it, then I can just port the hide and everything on it instead of waiting for the villagers to unload the cart and making a second trip."

He peered into the cart, then reached in and pulled out a large roll of leather scraps sewn together. Before I could offer to help, he flapped it through the air to unroll it, and let it drift to the ground.

"Thanks," I told him.

He nodded and took the buckets to the busy group. I looked around the sandbar, but Jasper was doing a stellar job at keeping the crocodiles at bay. As I leaned against Citrine, I wondered how I could tell her I'd be gone for four days. Apart from trades or trying to reach destinations I could point to, I had never really tried to communicate with them, and I couldn't think of a way to draw something like me going away for four days.

Could pointing work? I sat up straighter and tapped Citrine's arm with a finger to catch her attention. When she looked at me, I pointed to the sun, then slowly swung my arm skyward from east to west four times, then pointed to the crystal.

Citrine blinked slowly, then looked at Jasper. Her hide seemed to vibrate against my back, and even though I didn't actually hear anything, he immediately left the croc he was harassing and ran—yes, ran—toward the airship.

His speed had the hunters skittering back even though he didn't run directly past them. He disappeared inside, and I hoped she hadn't mistakenly thought I was asking for transport somewhere.

Admittedly, getting a ride to the new crystal would be much faster, but even if we took a spear with us to catch their attention when we started walking, we'd be leaving Vermilion Village on foot, and the appearance of an airship that close to the village would prompt an immediate evacuation.

Right as the hunters resumed their tasks, the green Saursune appeared in the doorway with both arms full of boards and bags. The hunters ceased their work to watch him walk on his hind legs all the way to me. Crouching down, he set everything in front of me and began spreading it out.

Now what had I gotten myself into? What should have been a simple sentence so they wouldn't worry about me was about to turn into a full-blown attempt to understand what I was trying to convey.

Shifting onto my knees, I gently pushed the braided circles and trade tokens to the side. I examined the maps and woven figures, trying to come up with ideas. Jasper helpfully slid a map closer, depicting a sandbar in a jungle river with a crystal on it.

There was a rectangle with the sun rising on one end and the moon on the other. Was that meant to depict time? I pulled it over. I also grabbed a porter figure and twelve hunters. With a glance at Jasper and Citrine, who were watching closely, I set the group of figures by the crystal, then removed them from the board.

Pointing to the sun and moon rectangle, I slid my finger from the "morning" side to the "evening" side four times, then put the group of figures by the same crystal.

Citrine nodded slowly and spoke to Jasper. After a few exchanges, he left. When I showed no further interest in the items, Citrine used her tail to shift everything to the side, but still within reach if needed.

"What was that about?" Liam asked as he carried a chunk of meat over and put it on the hide he'd just spread out.

"Me trying to tell them I'll be back here in four days so they don't worry or try visiting the village to check on me. They probably assume we plan to come back here in four days as opposed to being completely unfindable, but at least they know I plan to come back."

Liam shrugged. "We've never tried to tell them where we're going before, so it'll probably stand out."

"I didn't expect him to drag out so much stuff. I'll have to tell Grant to send us here the first morning we return."

Tib carried some meat over, and he added, "If we're late, Janette might be willing to bring a group here, just so they don't wait here and have no one show up."

"If you're not back by then, I'll remind Grant," Liam said as he went to grab another piece.

Looking up at Tib, I asked, "When Grant said four days, he didn't mean it would take four entire nights did it?" In the desert, we traveled at night, not during the daylight, so our counting was sometimes confusing, even for us.

"Depends on our stamina and how many sand dunes we have to climb. I think we'll get there halfway through the fourth night."

I nodded. If we left tonight, that was one "night", and we'd be back before the fourth morning and even have enough time for a few hours of sleep. Being tired didn't mean the work stopped, not for a porter.

If one of our group members was exhausted from a long trip or sick, older or younger hunters took their place for a day or so, but porters had no such backups. But our primary role was transportation; it wouldn't be the first time we rested within arm's reach of a crystal while someone kept close and stood guard. I doubted Citrine would mind if I took a nap.

I leaned back against the brown Saursune as I gazed at the sky. I'd never gone on a hike that took more than two nights, but it was enough to remember how boring the long desert treks were. During the day, it was too hot to move out of whatever hiding spot we'd found, and at night, our sole concern was walking as far as we could.

As odd as it seemed, I was more concerned about Citrine worrying about my absence than I was about the other desert dangers like sandstorms or heat stroke.