I sat on the ground beside the Orange Flower crystal, letting the four hunters act as sentries while we waited for the others to arrive. Two groups down, one to go. The porting strain was catching up to me, but it was the exhaustion that was hammering away at my dwindling energy.

Even if the last four hunters misjudged the distance on their way back and were an hour late, I didn't mind. I doubted they'd be much longer though; they'd be eager to bring their findings back and go home.

I stared absently at the forest, fighting off the desire for a nap. A glimpse of dark brown appeared between distant shrubs, stopping just long enough for the Saursune to look at me for several seconds. I watched her tiredly, and just like every other time, she disappeared. The hunters hadn't noticed her, further proof of how good the Saursunes were at sneaking around.

The remaining hunters arrived about thirty minutes later, and I wearily shifted to my knees as everyone gathered around me. I rested a hand on the small crystal while waiting for everyone to organize themselves.

Bracing myself and preparing to bounce if needed, I said, "Guard Station."

The air hazed around us and cleared to reveal the cliffside scanning location. Still kneeling, I rolled my shoulders and stretched my arms as I tried to relieve the deep ache in my chest. After a few seconds, I gave up. I was just too tired.

The guard with the scanner was already circling us. The lights were green, although we now knew that wasn't a guarantee.

"You came from the same location?" he asked. When I nodded, he told my companions, "Spread your carry nets in a wide circle. We had a second intermittent tracker appear while you were gone."

"Who had the other tracker?" I asked. "And do you know where they might have been?"

"A group from Briar Village. They were at a jungle location."

The jungle? Was it just coincidence that I took the tracker to such a place, or had the Saursunes been stalking them beforehand? No one had been at that sandbar, which I was grateful for.

"You might want to move to the hides or the bench," another guard said. "More groups will be coming."

I glanced at the shadows to gauge the sun's location. "I thought I'd be one of the last groups in."

"More groups are staying out until sundown."

Other villages must also be struggling to find sufficient food. With a quiet sigh, I struggled to my feet. A hunter immediately appeared by my side to lend a hand. I thanked him as I sat on the tattered furs. As tempting as it was to lie down, I knew I'd fall asleep.

The guard with the scanner continued staring intently at it. For a lack of anything better to do, and being too tired to have any ambition or even get bored, I simply watched him. The device remained green.

One of the hunters came over to me and held out a small object. I blinked at the pale brown lump as I took it, finally noticing the hexagon patterns. It was a piece of honeycomb.

"I figured you needed the energy," the hunter quietly said. "The aunts and grannies can't complain if they don't know it existed in the first place."

I grinned tiredly at him and took a small bite. Sweetness exploded on my tongue. I closed my eyes and savored the rare treat. The comb was chewy and clumped together, and bits of honey kept emerging as I chewed.

The rest of the comb disappeared in three small nibbles, reduced to a clump of wax. I chewed it until not even the faintest trace of sweetness could be found, then stuck the wax clump in my pocket and licked a few spots of honey off my fingers. The rare delicacy had definitely improved my mood, even if my energy levels remained oblivious to the bit of liquid sugar I'd just enjoyed.

A haze appeared by the crystal a second before another group appeared. Andre came over and sat on the hides beside me.

"Looks like you got a good haul," he said, looking at the circle of carry nets.

"The hunters did very well," I replied, complimenting them since Andre's four only had two carry nets each and a large bird.

He examined my face for a moment. "I think you're more tired than I am, and that detail is shocking me to my toes."

"If I had more energy, I'd whack your toes for that comment," I replied dryly.

"We were only at one spot today, and I had a good rest, so I can take one of your hunters back. You've given me enough lifts."

His offer stunned me. Andre never ported more than four; his past attempts to take five always resulted in the hunters carrying him to the resting hides. Although this would be the perfect opportunity to see if other porters who got pinned were seeing increases in their abilities. I wracked my brain; had he been caught once or twice? Twice.

"If you're sure it won't get you a lecture from Grant, I'll be happy for the assistance."

"I've only ported twice today, so I should be good." He glanced at the guard, who was currently ignoring the latest arrivals. "Why are they making a circle around him?"

By the time I explained today's events, his group looked quite troubled.

Andre's gaze moved to the scanner, which hadn't flickered yet. "I was wondering how long it would be before the lizards tried different ways to bypass the scanners. What if they create a tracker the scanners can't pinpoint? Or if our scanners wear out? Those things are pretty old."

He looked between the guards currently on shift, who just shrugged. They were just volunteers from various villages who spent time here. Some knew how to make the scanner work, but none knew how it worked or how to fix it if it ever broke. For all we knew, there were already new trackers that these scanners couldn't detect.

Andre was ready to leave before I was, and he asked, "Who wants a lift back?"

A woman volunteered and shouldered four carry nets. Andre gave a wave as he and his passengers disappeared.

I sighed. "Well, we should get going too. Otherwise Grant might have a panic attack."

A hunter offered me a hand, which I took, and he pulled me to my feet. Standing felt like effort, even after half an hour of rest. The seven hunters gathered their carry nets, and as I walked toward the crystal, the air shimmered as Merryl and Callie appeared.

I blinked then grinned at my sister. "Andre tattled on me, huh?"

She smiled in return. "Said you were here before he arrived and still resting, so Grant gave me the go-ahead to bring Callie here and help port a few back."

My niece skipped around with far too much energy for my current state of mind. "We came to help!"

"How many do you want me to take?" Merryl asked.

"You have Callie, so why not three? Then we can go back evenly loaded."

She smirked. "Trying to keep Grant from worrying?"

"Duh."

The group quickly split into two, with most of the carry nets somehow ending up in Merryl's possession.

I shook my head and decided to leave with my four before my beloved sister beat me to the village. "Home."

Light shimmered through my veins as it always did when I was in contact with a crystal. My energy drained even as the haze cleared.

"Finally!" a familiar voice exclaimed as a hunter was pushed aside, and I was enveloped in a hug.

"Grant!" I protested, laughing. "I'm fine! Just tired and resting like I was supposed to!"

"Spin me another story," he said gruffly, holding me at arm's length to get a better look at me.

"Considering the last group probably told you all the juicy gossip, I'm out of stories." I tilted my head and gave him my best overly-tolerant expression.

He sighed and ruffled my hair. "Stop worrying me like that."

"Yes, Father," I drawled as I walked to the hides, trying my best to look casual and like my legs didn't feel like rubber. The prominent ache in my chest would take some time to dissipate, but only porting four had left me in better shape than I'd expected.

Grant shook his head, but now that he was reassured I was okay, he left me in peace. Merryl appeared at the crystal. She slipped past the worrywart and sat beside me while Callie ran off to play.

"How are you doing?" she quietly asked, more serious now that we weren't bantering in front of the guards.

"I'm positive those Saursunes are draining our energy when they catch us," I said, meeting her eyes. "There's no way I should be this tired. The Saursune didn't bother anyone else, although a different one put a tracking bead in a squirrel."

"I concur," a masculine voice quietly replied.

We twisted around to see Liam sitting to the side. Had he been there the entire time? I was really slipping on keeping track of my surroundings...

He meticulously sharpened a small knife, adding, "Janette was far more tired than being terrified could have accounted for. The hunters and gatherers who got pinned didn't seem unusually tired after the Saursunes left."

"Is she okay? Are you okay?" I asked.

"She had a fright, but that was it. Those who were nearby have a couple of bruises from being knocked down, which leads to another interesting observation. Porters who run will get tripped. Porters who freeze are left standing."

This answered one of my earlier questions, but his sour tone made me ask, "And hunters?"

He frowned at the flint blade, "I certainly wasn't moving when another Saursune used its tail to swipe my feet out from under me. They don't trust hunters to stand idly by while they corner porters."

Considering how fiercely protective most hunters were, the Saursunes' assumption was well placed, even if the hunter had a lighter build like Liam. He certainly didn't seem to appreciate their precautions, but then again, he'd also been pinned in the dirt, so I couldn't blame him for his opinion.

"You think they're going out of their way to target porters," Merryl said, blinking in realization.

"I can find no other explanation. Those out of eyeshot would have been far easier to catch, but they didn't even know we had company. The Saursunes are also starting to wait until the hunters and gatherers are farther afield before going after the porters. Just the porters." He nodded in my direction; he must have heard of how I'd been alone before the Saursune decided to make its move.

Merryl frowned in concern. She had been sent to the safest places due to her pregnancy, so she hadn't been caught yet, nor had she been in a position to directly observe the Saursune's unusual behavior.

My eyes drifted to the drying racks on the higher ledges. "At least we brought a lot of food back."

Grant's wish had been granted. We had food in our reserves again. Only enough for half a day, but that was better than nothing. The greens would keep a day or so in buckets of water.

I could rest in the knowledge that no one would go hungry tonight.