Page 1

Chapter

One

Wishing on stars was for babies and at ten, Lily had long since stopped believing it would work. When she was little, she had wished upon a star when her daddy went out into the woods and never returned. After that, her momma had grown sad, and the woods had become scarier as people began to leave the village—either by themselves or by just disappearing into the woods. They all left, leaving Lily and her momma behind. So now she was staring critically up at the stars.

“Okay, stars. I’m going to make one more wish,” she muttered. “Please send a good daddy to make mommy happy and help us feel safe again.”

Agrel grunted as he dropped to his haunches at his ahaku’s side as they surveyed the human village. Strangely, it seemed empty, and that sent a small shiver through him. He had come across more than one vacant nest on the old world where the previousinhabitants had died and he hoped that this was not the case. It was unsettling to be in a place inhabited by nothing but the dead. Not that an abandoned village was any more welcoming. What would make an entire population just disappear?

He drew in a wary breath, scenting the air, his sharp eyes scanning the buildings. He grunted again, this time with relief when there was no hint of the rotten stench of death. Oh, there was plenty of rot, but it was more like the scent of old plant matter slowly decaying and old furs left unused for many seasons. But beneath it all, there was an intriguing sweetness within the air that enlivened him. It seemed unlikely to find something so precious in this part of the woods. They had encountered far too many dangers through this part of the forest the closer they came to the village.

Kicking the dead plant out of his path that had attempted to devour them just moments earlier, his ahaku, Gehj, glanced over at him curiously. “Do we approach?”

Agrel nodded, the layered crests on his head rising slightly. He turned to meet the male’s eyes, noting the depths of caution that he read there. At one time, that caution irritated him as a male who preferred action, but they had gone through their growing pangs as a bonded pair during their youth and as a result he respected the caution of his ahaku. Gehj was now the only male that he would ever feel safe claiming a mate with. But he also recognized that this was likely the purpose of the instinct: for males of their species to bond together as juveniles. It prepared them for the day that they might have a mate.

If they were fortunate to find one. Many of the females who were among those fleeing their planet with the help of the alien star-voyaging vessel had failed to survive the trip. There had been an outbreak that had mystified their rescuers before it was eventually contained, but not before decimating their population and snuffing out the lives of over half the females.The surviving females were not even accessible to males like them. They were protected with a circle of ranking males, while scouts like Agrel and Gehj were sent to look for opportune nesting grounds to rebuild their rookeries. It had been only five hands of days since the Feriknikal, aliens who brought them to this world, had departed with no other instructions than to avoid the lands that lay in the north where a ferocious predatory species called Ragoru claimed the cold expanse of forest and icy plains for their territory.

They could have it.

Atlavans were, by nature, a species that enjoyed the dry heat and warm breezes found in the mountains of their home world. Mountains that had once overlooked great stretches of sand dotted with large, fertile oases, and cut through by magnificent life-giving rivers before the water began to dry up and the great suffering had begun. Given a new chance at life on a new world, they were happy to strike south in search of a new home. This village would be a convenient place to rest for a few days, but it would not work for a permanent settlement for their people, regardless of all the empty dwellings waiting to be filled again with life.

“It appears to be empty. We can easily claim a new dwelling for a handful of days while we hunt to replenish our provisions, feed, and rest. If nothing else, this miserable forest is rich in game.”

Gehj trilled softly in agreement, his head lifting briefly to peer up into the darkening sky visible between the trees. The movement showed off the bright blue collar of feathers that stood out brightly among the gold and red plumage.

“We should not delay. This part of the forest is treacherous. I would not enjoy being unnecessarily caught out in it after nightfall.”

He stood, his tail feathers fanned slightly as his tail tipped to counter his shift in weight, the long crimson feathers bright against the dark greenery. Trilling quietly, Agrel rose as well, his tail bobbing impatiently. Without another word, they emerged from the forest and entered the village. The silence deepened as the sounds of the forest faded, and it struck him how much the abandoned dwellings were like ghostly sentinels against the encroaching dangers of the forest outside the village walls. The further he walked into the village, the more certain he became that it was unsuitable for any person among the living, much less an entire Atlavan community. Sooner or later, the village would succumb to the forest.

“How long did you say that we will be staying here?” Gehj whispered.

“Five days. Not a day more,” Agrel replied with a shiver. Atlavans disdained such damp, sunless places as much as the sun-mother, Deji, did.

Five days to hunt and smoke the meat into travel rations and then they would be gone. He would not be sad to leave it behind.

Chapter

Two

Delilah warily looked around as she stepped out her front door. The few remaining hens raced for the door, reassuring her that there was no threat at her doorstep as they eagerly demanded their breakfast. Such as it was. She didn’t have much feed left, though she had tried to stretch it as far as possible by picking what she could find growing in the abandoned fields. She had tried to pick up the slack and maintain them as people left the village, but it grew more difficult as every month passed, and the remaining residents trickled away or were swallowed by the forest. Even going into the fields was becoming risky as the forest quickly began to overtake them. It wouldn’t be too much longer before she wouldn’t be able to get any of the grain from them, and her small vegetable garden beside her cottage only provided so much.

As it was, she only had enough feed to last a few more days, and their cellar was getting low on stores. They had been making due mostly with eggs, but those were dwindling. With the quality of their feed going down and their advancing age with no younger hens to take their place since a predator had broughtthe rooster down the year before, Delilah was running out of options.

“Sorry ladies, looks like this might be the end of the road,” she sighed as she scattered more feed for the birds.

Emptying the small basket on the ground, she turned and smiled at the sight of her daughter sitting on the porch step with a kitten cradled in her lap. The kitten had wandered into the field several days ago, half-starved. The painted geshi cat had a tawny coat speckled with vivid pink spots overlaying black pigmentation. It was foolish to take the kitten in, especially knowing that the arboreal geshi got quite large in the wild, but she hadn’t been able to abandon it. Of course, Lily had taken to the little furball quickly and had been the one to name her Nimh. Given how sad Lily had been, seeing her daughter’s happiness was worth it—if only she could feed it enough to keep the kitten and themselves alive.

“Hey kiddo,” she murmured, ruffling her daughter’s hair. “How’s Nimh?”

Lily’s little shoulders lifted and fell with her sigh. “Hungry,” she said as the kitten mewed plaintively. Her bright green eyes turned to her hopefully. “Maybe it’s time for lunch now?”

Delilah bit the inside of her cheek to distract herself from the choking despair that welled up so suddenly. They wouldn’t go hungry. She wouldn’t allow it.

“Sure, honey. The rice has been cooking on the stove all day. It is a nice porridge by now. We can cut up some of the vegetables from the yard and then—” she broke off seeing the way her daughter’s face fell, her little nose wrinkling in distaste. Crouching in front of her daughter, Delilah patted her cheek sympathetically. “I know that it is not what you want. But what if we can have meat for dinner? Would that make it better?”

An uncertain look crossed Lily’s face, and she craned her neck to peer around her at the chickens pecking at the ground. “You are going to kill one of the hens?” she asked quietly.

Delilah nodded. “Yes, baby. They aren’t laying eggs any longer and we need something to eat to help us hold out a little longer. Our neighbor, Vernon, did say that he would send his kin back to escort us safely through the forest once he arrives home. We just need to hang on until they arrive.” Brushing a lock of Lily’s hair behind her shoulder, she rubbed her back lovingly. “Besides, Nimh needs the meat as much as you do. You both need the energy for growing.”