My heart rate slowly subsided to its normal rhythm. If I tried, I could almost pretend the inside of the airship was like the large cave at Catseye Mural. And...it really wasn't that scary. The light brown walls were the same shade as most desert cliffs, and the dark brown floor resembled packed dirt. It was quiet inside, with a few birds singing somewhere in the trees past the open door.

The piles of furs and the strange crystal were surprisingly reassuring. It also helped that the Saursunes were completely relaxed. In fact, I halfway expected the green one to start snoring soon.

It was beginning to feel weird thinking of them as "the green Saursune" or "the brown female". I was going to have to start giving nicknames to the familiar individuals. I pulled the orange out of my pouch and nibbled on the sweet fruit while pondering that idea.

I nicknamed crystals, so why not Saursunes? It wasn't possible to ask their names, and even if I did figure out a way, I wouldn't be able to pronounce it in their language of hisses, hums, and deep rumbles.

When I named the crystals, it described the location, which wouldn't work for the Saursunes. The only thing I knew about them was their color—could that be enough?

The green Saursune's shade was very similar to a jasper stone one of the hunters carried, so I could call him Jasper. As for the brown female... I glanced at her rich brown scales and hide as I finished the orange and tucked the peel inside my belt pouch, still unable to think of a stone that matched her color.

Maybe Citrine? The sand-polished gems were yellowish, but the raw pieces were often dark brown. It seemed like a good enough name since I couldn't think of anything else.

The dark blue, armored Saursune at Orange Tree Valley would probably remain "the fighter" since the only blue stones I could think of were sapphires, and that didn't seem like a good fit. I'd have to come up with something a bit more original.

My thoughts were interrupted as a brown tail slid across the furs with a faint whisper of sound, curling in front of me and sliding up and over my legs. I tensed at the movement and weight as my heart began to race once more. My muscles trembled, and I would have bolted for the door if her tail hadn't been on top of my legs.

Citrine wiggled closer, using her tail to keep me in place, until her side touched my back. Her tail shifted off my lap and remained curled loosely in front of me. I waited pensively although she didn't even lift her head.

Her quiet hum was closer to a reassuring purr as she lifted her head and rubbed her cheek against my arm, then used the side of her snout to push my chest back, closing the narrow gap between my shoulders and her side.

With me now leaning against her, her head dropped back onto her hands, and her eyes closed. My muscles were tense, and I tried to keep them from shaking. I was still sitting mostly upright, but I now had a Saursune as a backrest.

Did I dare pull away? Was she just trying to be friendly by letting me lean on her, much like I did during the disorientation after sharing energy? It was almost identical to how she had curled around me after my first energy share and subsequent collapse.

She probably assumed she was being helpful. Had it been any other Saursune, I would have pulled away. I took a deep breath and tried to relax, reminding myself that she had left the map and figures by the crystal, and that she had shown us returning. The door remained open. It wasn't much of a reassurance, but it was enough for me to continue leaning against her.

Jasper hadn't budged or even opened an eye. Apparently it was going to be a group resting session.

~

With a yawn, Jasper stretched and rose to his feet. Citrine also lifted her head; she nuzzled my arm, then nudged my shoulder forward. I gratefully clambered to my feet. The resting time had been a bit longer than yesterday but not by much. With luck, I hadn't been gone so long that Merryl started worrying. Who was I kidding? She would have been worried before I even left the clearing.

Citrine stood up and headed to the door. I quickly matched her steps, trying not to speed ahead. Outside, she turned to the left and touched the side of the airship. A hidden panel slid to the side, revealing a storage area that must have been under the floor.

As she pulled out the big sacks—it was easy to tell which ones held the potatoes and which contained grain—Jasper came to help. She slung four sacks over his back and tied on three shovels and the watering cans in such a fashion that they didn't bang against each other or drag on the ground.

The watering cans had a spout, like the elaborate ones the men sometimes sewed out of leather, although I doubted this metal would leak or fall apart like those ones did. The shovels were very unusual; instead of a wooden scoop, the spade was finger-thin and dull black.

Unaware of my preoccupation with the shovels, Jasper headed toward the trees with everything strapped onto his back. Citrine walked beside me as we followed him down the path. Soon, the familiar sight of Merryl, Callie, and the others came into view.

Jasper stopped by the crystal and reached over his shoulder to pull one of the ropes. The knots came undone like a magic trick, letting the shovels clatter onto the ground as the bags slumped beside them. He went over to help Citrine pack up the map, stand, and figures.

I bowed my head and told them, "Thank you."

Citrine bowed her head and made a hurr sound I'd never heard before. Jasper replied with a similar noise as he stuck the map stand into a bag, slinging everything over his back. He looked around briefly before heading back the way we'd come, likely returning to the airship.

Citrine wandered over to where Merryl and Callie were sitting, and after checking on them, she bounded into the shrubs, going a different direction than her companion. With the Saursunes now gone, the others came to investigate our gifts.

I picked up a shovel as Arthur commented, "You were gone a while."

"They insisted I rest before walking back," I replied absently, tapping a fingernail against the odd dull black material that made up the handle and spade. It wasn't wood, nor did it seem to be stone or metal.

Merryl slid into the space beside me. "Is that what the drawing on the tile meant?"

They must have inspected the tiles and figures while I was gone. "Seems to be. They've probably noticed the porters sit by the crystals after porting, and both of them laid down while I sat."

I made zero mention of where we had rested. They'd assume it was by the trees since that was what I'd mentioned yesterday.

In an effort to redirect the topic, I asked, "Is this shovel like the one in Opal Village? What's it made of?"

Opal Village had a small museum with old-world artifacts, including a shovel with a spade so rusty it had split in half. I had thought our trade was for our wooden scoop variety, not super valuable tools. My first worry was about how the villagers and patriarchs would react, but I immediately dismissed that concern. There was no way I was taking these back to the village in case a tracker was hidden inside the handle or something.

Arthur picked up another shovel and thrust the end into the ground. It sliced through the grass with the faint rasp of tearing leaves. He kicked his heel against the edge, driving it deeper, then pushed the handle back, leveraging up a chunk of the soil. He stomped the dirt back in place and tapped the back of the scoop against a rock, making a dull thud that definitely wasn't from wood.

Sophia picked up the third shovel. "They sure look like the one in the museum. I'm not sure what they're made of, but they'll make digging much easier."

"They're not the right size or shape for a Saursune to use," Arthur quietly said, examining the one in his hands.

I scratched my head as I realized he was right. "Could they be something they found in an abandoned village?" Even as the words left my mouth, I knew that wasn't the answer. The former occupants or other porters would retrieve any supplies from an abandoned village, and there was no reason for Saursunes to take human things.

"There's nothing this color in the museum," Arthur replied. "It almost looks like the same stuff they make their airships out of, but that means they would have made this specifically for humans."

"Why make something just for humans? And how would they know what our shovel looks like?" I asked, perplexed by the recent puzzle.

He frowned at the shovel. "I don't know."

Sophia shrugged. "Either way, we have three of these things, and they'll work much better than a bone-tipped digging pick."

"Should I hide them near one of the marsh crystals? In case they have a tracker?" I quietly asked.

Arthur considered it. "They're too valuable to be left in a forest. Let's leave them at the Guard Station. If we're getting tools, it won't be long before others get some as well, and everyone is convinced the Saursunes know where our scanning location is."

"I can give Weylan a handful of grain as payment for keeping an eye on them," I said in relief.

Sophia opened the other sacks, and like the pictures had promised, there was wild rice, grain, and sweet potatoes. The fourth bag was full of small fabric pouches. I helped Sophia, Merryl, and Callie spread them across the ground.

Each bag contained seeds and had a picture of a plant on it with a background image of the terrain it was supposed to be planted in. Most were things I recognized, like cabbage, beans, kale, and melons, but some leafy greens weren't ones I'd seen before.

"On the bright side," Sophia said, "we know the Saursunes don't mind us planting gardens."

I nodded, although I could think of several people who wouldn't be happy to see all this stuff. "I'll have to ask Roxanne if I can leave this with her. The villagers and certain patriarchs might get testy if I bring so much back again."

"They'll be more suspicious if you don't bring anything back," Arthur said. "I suggest telling the others you got the shovels and the small bags of seeds. They'll never see the shovels if we leave them at the Guard Station, so they won't realize how different they are."

"That's a good point."

A large shadow passed over us, and we looked up as an airship passed by on the sunward side, rising higher as it went. The leaves soon blocked it from view.

Arthur murmured, "That was definitely intentional."

I pointed to distant movement in the undergrowth. "The brown Saursune is still here. Maybe he plans to come back for her later?"

Arthur shrugged and picked up a watering can before heading to the creek. I figured this was a good time to go check on Roxanne, Ariel, and Andre and see how they were doing with their guest.