Falconer stood outside in the darkness of the jungle as the sun started to rise. He hadn't expected to feel this far away from home. Without the luminous grasses shedding their light glow into the night, it felt alien indeed. He breathed with the jungle, feeling its flow of life around him. Some larger creatures found the carcass Helshred dragged out. One or two of these stalked at a distant perimeter. Strange new life forms and scents clearly aroused their curiosity. He would have to make sure they stayed curious at a distance. He thought of the ship they came in and wondered if it had any repellent technology like high frequency sonic emitters that would annoy the creatures. He made mental note to ask Reigndale to look. Bird songs filled the morning air as the sun's light bathed the canopy above. Cascades of light shown through in random places around him.

            “How are you doing this morning?” Sersi's voice came to him as she landed on a branch.

            “Fair enough I suppose.”

            “You didn't sleep well.”

            “No.”

            “Helshred and Ulaf did a wonderful job on that thing they cooked. I didn't know Helshred had it in him.”

            “Nor did I. But then, it's never been necessary before.”

            “How much time do you think we have?”

            “I don't know. We have to assume we have very little. We have to find the others.”

            “I have faith that we will. I have faith in you.”

            “Thank you. I'm just not sure how much faith I have right now.”

            “Good morning, Sir,” Reigndale came out to stand with him. “I thought I would trek back to the ship and get some more supplies.”

            “Yes. Do you think there's anything that would help to keep our wildlife neighbors at bay? I’m thinking of something like a sonic repellent. What do you think?”

            “I think so. I'll check. I didn't see anything in the storage here, but I'll double check that too. Okay if I take Helshred with me?”

            “Good idea. Go ahead.”

            Reigndale went back inside to fetch his four armed comrade, and they both headed down the jungle path.

            “Now those two left without having any breakfast,” Lya said from the doorway.

            “They'll eat when they get back,” Falconer answered.

            “Well you may as well come in and have something. I don't set the table for nothing,” she said sternly. “I have to tend to our Princess. Now come on.”

            Falconer could see that there was no arguing and a full stomach was much easier to think and work on. Ulaf already sat at the table with a hefty portion on his plate. He nodded to Falconer.

            “Good thing you didn't argue with her. I learned not to do that years ago,” Ulaf smiled.

            “She's clearly a good woman. Shira was as well. It must run in the family.” At his mention of Shira, Ulaf went silent but nodded his agreement just before cutting into his food.

            “You blame yourself,” Ulaf said after a long silence.

            “Yes, I suppose I do.”

            Ulaf thudded a big fist on the table. “I'll not have it. My daughter knew the dangers of her position. You would do her memory more a kindness to knock down those responsible for her death.”

            Falconer nodded, “You have my word that I will not rest until I do just that.”

            Ulaf nodded, “That's better. Now eat or my daughter will come for your head.”

On the way down to the ship, Reigndale kept his rifle ready and eyes keen to the world around him. He hoped they didn't cross another swarm of giant insects without Falconer's power to protect them. Helshred bounded a few yards ahead of him, occasionally pausing to look and listen. Then he would click his blades, mutter to himself and continue. Reigndale trained himself to note every rustle of a branch that sounded stronger than a breeze hitting it. They were halfway to the ship when he saw a big cat creature like the one they killed at the outpost. He only caught a glimpse of it in the trees twenty or thirty yards away. One sighting is innocent enough. Two meant they were being stalked. The second time, he snapped his fingers to get Helshred's attention and pointed. He aimed his weapon, but it was too far into the trees for a clear shot. They would have to watch for it to come closer. That meant waiting for it to strike. Keeping low and quiet, they moved along the path.

“Take the fight to it,” Helshred muttered.

            “Don't you dare. I'm not as agile as you and won't be able to cover you. Besides, that's going into its territory. At least the path we have room to fight if we have to. We'll just keep moving. It'll either make a move or go away.”

            Helshred grumbled but complied. They continued on for several minutes and the views of the creature stopped as they neared the landing site. Reigndale let out a breath of relief and relaxed slightly. That’s when he heard something hit the trail behind him. Instinctively he spun and let himself fall to the ground. He could feel the heat of the creature’s breath on his face as the rifle fired. Frightened birds flew from the trees, and the sound echoed all the way up to Falconer's ears. He turned to Sersi.

            “Already going!” and she flew away in an instant. She darted above the canopy and high into the air. Miles of jungle unfolded below. Her keen eyes spotted a wisp of smoke rising from the foliage as the result of an energy weapon firing. Before she could dive for the location, a shadow moved across her. She swerved to one side just as a larger set of talons almost grasped her. The new predator, another reptilian creature with an eight foot wingspan and a head like a lizard opened its jaws in anticipation of its next meal.  It adjusted its own flight path and stayed after her.