“It was the best I could do,” she said, browning apologetically. “Everything else was protected.”

“It’s a thin time of year to be out in the forest,” Ani agreed. It was going to be a meager meal. Ani set about plucking the birds. To her surprise, the new creature ate only one of the birds, and that with visible distaste. It handed the rest to Ani and Ninto.

“Could it be sick?” Ani wondered.

“I don’t know,” Ninto replied. “I’ll check it after dinner and see.”

But when Ninto reached out to link with the animal, it drew back with a loud cry. It backed away, terrified and ready to flee. Ani and Ninto retreated, and after a long, tense period, the new creature relaxed and rejoined them in the nest. Even then, it kept its arms tucked tightly against its sides. It slept curled up on itself, like a baby bird in its shell. Most Tendu slept lying flat, unless they were cold.

“I could check it now,” Ninto offered, her words glowing in the darkness.

“No,” Ani replied. “It’s frightened of allu-a. If it realized what you were doing, we could never get it to trust us again. Let it sleep.”

It rained hard all day, clearing just before they arrived back at the village, footsore, weary, and hungry. Ilto greeted them happily, glad the new creature was back. He looked much better; clearly he had successfully healed himself of the alien taint in his blood. Relief flooded over Ani. Ilto wasn’t going to die…

Several other elders were there, all old friends of Ilto’s. He reached out to link with the new creature, eager to show off his work. It pulled away with a loud cry, shaking its head, intensely orange with fear.