I stretched in the morning sunshine, feeling completely rested and ready to go. Only a quarter of the people were present when Grant arrived and began going through his notes.

To my surprise, Roxanne quietly requested to not have Nolani in her group anymore. Such a request was rare, but Grant merely nodded. The hunter hadn't shown up yet, so she probably wouldn't learn until tonight why Grant had placed her with someone else.

I kind of hoped she didn't end up in my group, not when I was seeing so many Saursunes lately. Nolani never used to get so heated when people didn't agree with her, but she always had been protective of porters and the Saursunes were a sore spot for her.

My eighteen hunters gathered around me as we waited for Grant to tell us where we were going. My gaze drifted to the food reserves, which were perilously low. There wasn't even enough for everyone to have a mouthful. The village was a mere meal away from starvation.

Grant reached me and looked at his list of daily assignments. "I'd like you to check out Three Stone Forest." He fixed my group with a stern glare. "Do not go east. There are fields a mere fifteen-minute walk in that direction. The crops will just be sprouting, but there's no point in taking chances. Any other direction will be forest."

"Uh, is it wise to take so many that close, especially when they plan on wandering?" I asked. That close to a field, a Saursune would likely appear, and despite yesterday's lecture, both of us knew there was no way for me to bounce everyone on short notice.

"We're finding less and less in remote areas," he said, shoulders slumping. "It's a risk, and with luck, the Saursunes aren't patrolling that far from the fields. Your group doesn't have to go far if they don't want to, but I'm hoping other villages aren't brave enough to attempt places like that just yet. We're running out of options. Places like Mesquite Plains just don't have enough food to feed the village, and even Jungle Landing didn't have as much as I hoped for. If we keep going to such locations, we'll be on stricter rationing by tomorrow."

"We've gone there many times before," a hunter commented, far calmer than I would have expected. I pressed my lips together, but he was right. Until the cull started, we frequently went close to the fields as long as they weren't being harvested—we just never set foot in them.

I took a deep breath and nodded. We were just taking a step back to the time before the threat of a cull and all the ambushes. It made it feel a bit more tolerable. I ported the first nine-group out and bounced back for the second. Grant was preoccupied with other porters who were just showing up, so I took the other nine-group of hunters without lingering.

"Please take care," I told them as they let go of my shoulders and got their bearings.

"We survived a tiger, we'll manage," Brielle said with a jaunty smile, her voice cracking and marring her attempt at bravado.

I tried to return her smile, although I wasn't sure how well I succeeded. A Saursune had been the one who chased off the tiger.

The hunters fanned out to the north, west, and south. None went east. I paced around the crystal before I planted my feet. Why was I so uneasy? Especially after my cavalier attitude towards the lurking Saursune the other day when we filled the water cart?

The only answer that came to mind was the one Liam had mentioned. I had recognized that particular Saursune. I had no idea how the ones around here might react, especially if the farmers were annoyed about the humans trying to raid their fields.

My stomach growled, forcing me to focus on the here and now. I looked around. Grant had been right; this place looked like it hadn't been touched in weeks. Anyone foolish enough to raid would have picked a crystal closer to a ripe field, and if they were exercising any type of caution, they wouldn't be this close to any field.

I spotted at least five dandelions blooming from here and a bunch of flowering clover. My mouth watered as I made a beeline for the clover. As I crammed pieces of clover into my mouth, I kept a close eye on the trees and shrubs around me. I was certain I'd have a scaly visitor sooner rather than later, and I truly hoped I didn't lose anyone today.

I paused mid-bite. What if...what if I willingly shared my energy with whatever Saursune showed up? Would it be more likely to turn a blind eye to the eighteen humans blundering around in the forest?

It was an insane thought.

Yet... There was a precedent. Just the other day, a Saursune had protected one of my hunters. The last time I came here to plant a shard, a Saursune had followed me for hours without harming me. Even among the raiding groups, the porters were never killed or harmed, so I wasn't in immediate danger. At least, that's what my head told me. My nerves weren't convinced.

Did I dare try it?

What did I have to lose? Nothing came to mind besides possibly landing myself in trouble if I came close to passing out.

Were there any gains to such a risk? I smiled grimly at that dumb question. The lives of eighteen people currently rested on my shoulders. This might give them a better chance at making it home.

Never again did I want to tell a family that a loved one wasn't coming home.

I shook my head. I had to be insane. With luck, the Saursunes would remain oblivious to our presence or be in a different field, and I wouldn't have to put my decision to the test.

Once I ate enough clover to silence my stomach, I got to work. The more I could collect, the more there would be for the children to eat. Hopefully, none would cry tonight from hunger.

My basket was almost full before I turned around and discovered a Saursune sitting thirty paces behind me. I froze as my heart hammered at its halfway unexpected appearance. The male's hide was so dark it was hard to tell if he was brown or green.

I exhaled slowly. Regardless of his color, he was here now. My earlier thoughts had seemed so easy and simple, but with the Saursune actually in front of me, my courage was cracking just like Brielle's had earlier.

I really had to start rethinking my plans, although there was no escaping now, not when I was over fifty paces away from the crystal. The Saursune continued to sit and watch me with no sign of hostility. How long had he been sitting there? Had he been observing from a distance before that?

I swallowed hard and thought of the hunters. I might as well go through with my plan and see if it might give my friends an advantage. Even though I had made up my mind, the Saursune just continued to sit there.

My eyes flickered to the crystal to my right, more out of habit than anything else. My guest still didn't move. Okay... Now what was I supposed to do?

After a quick look around to make sure I had no human observers, I set the basket to the side, moving slowly while keeping an eye on the Saursune. For a lack of better ideas, I gingerly held out a hand, palm up, like I had with the brown female.

He slowly blinked at me, and just as slowly, stood on all fours. His gradual approach almost seemed lazy, like he was ready for a nap in the sun, but my heart beat faster.

My hand shook, and it was hard to stand still, especially when he got closer. His head came down, lower than my hand, and he stretched his neck to gently bumped his forehead against the backs of my fingers.

He just stood like that. His scales went from vaguely warm to noticeably warm. Not hot though. The faintest shift inside confirmed he was taking my energy. Light shimmered in my veins like I had touched a crystal.

It was awkward just standing there. Why, I had no idea. Slowly, I turned my hand over, wondering if the ridges on his head were just as smooth as the scale-like plates on his skin. He turned his head slightly to the side to see past my arm.

I didn't feel comfortable just standing there with my hand on his forehead, so close to that slit-pupiled eye. He was facing me head on, not trying to circle me, so I couldn't just move my hand to his shoulder or something.

How would he react if I pulled my hand back? I wasn't sure. Nor was I sure how long he'd stand like this. My energy continued to trickle away, much slower than when the other Saursune had taken it. Could I speed up this process?

Despite my earlier resolution, it was hard to bring myself to consider deliberately sharing my energy. It was one thing to let a giant lizard siphon it off, but it was quite another to just hand it over.

Keeping my companions firmly in my mind, I gathered my courage, which was way harder than it should have been. How did I do this last time? Like with a crystal, my hand was probably the focal point, and I reached out with my senses.

There was a faint sense of resistance, and much more cautiously than last time, I pushed against it. It seemed to dissipate; I held myself back for a moment, trying to psych myself up. I really didn't want to wind up sitting in the dirt again. The Saursune remained standing where he was, slowly draining my energy.

Steeling myself, I gingerly sent my senses forward, trying to follow my energy as it left me. Right where there should have been resistance, there was a different sensation, almost akin to a crystal. As soon as I came into contact with it, it was like tilting a large water jug and letting water pour out.

The initial "slosh" had me pulling back, but still touching it just enough for the "water" to continue to flow. Even before I had pulled back, blue shimmers danced across the Saursune's hide. His head jerked up slightly as his eyes widened, staring at me in surprise—yes, definitely surprise.

Yet, he didn't pull his head away. I focused on my energy again, trying to keep the outflow steady while not giving too much away. It definitely wasn't easy, and I wasn't sure how well I was doing. I had no real way of measuring how much energy I had left. I could feel it leaving, and had a faint guess about how many ports I'd manage based on how tired I was.

It was an absolutely bizarre sensation to be standing still and feel my strength pouring out of me like I was running a race. The only problem was I didn't know how fast I was going or how far away the finish line was.

About the point where I felt more like sitting than standing, I pulled my senses back. The Saursune's energy drain had stopped at some point, although I wasn't sure when. His head was only mildly warm from his own body heat.

I slowly pulled my hand back. The Saursune lifted his head to its normal level, his eyes wide in what I could only guess was excitement.

I blinked tiredly, feeling a bit dazed. Then I learned that energy sharing had more in common with a race than I had realized. Even though I had stopped, the exhaustion continued to catch up from my earlier exertions, much like how porting strain amplified itself between back-to-back ports.

Thankfully, I wasn't truly exhausted, nor did my legs shake—I had stopped before that point—but I definitely needed a break.

The Saursune seemed to realize I was a bit disoriented. He stepped forward with a faint whine and nudged my elbow like a concerned dog. Without thinking, I stroked his neck as if he was one of Mack's furry companions. The scale-like hide definitely had an interesting texture. And my mind was definitely wandering.

He circled around me as my hand returned to my side. After another glance at me, he trotted over to my basket and sniffed it. Sitting sounded like a good idea, and I walked toward a fallen tree.

With a leaping bound, the Saursune jumped in front of me, blocking my path. I stumbled at his sudden movement and speed. It took me a second to notice that his teeth weren't bared. He nudged my shoulder, then my side, firmly enough that I was forced to take a step back.

I staggered at the push, thoroughly confused and becoming rather worried. He glanced back as his tail swept through the grass. A snake lunged out from under a nearby bush with a thick hiss, missing the Saursune's tail.

I wasn't sure if the ones around here were venomous or not, but if its tendency was to stand its ground and strike, it usually wasn't the kind you wanted to get bit by. I took a step back without any additional encouragement.

Satisfied that I was now aware of the danger, the Saursune circled around me and lowered his head so his neck came under my hand. My hand trailed along his hide as he walked forward. He paused when my hand rested on his shoulder, looking back at me.

I was reminded of when the brown female had done this. I took a tentative step forward, and he matched it. Nervously, I glanced back at the crystal; I really didn't want to get lost out here, and I wasn't entirely sure of the Saursune's intentions. But he had prevented me from approaching the snake, and that gave me just enough courage to let him guide me forward.

My decision didn't make the trip any less nerve-wracking, but we only went about two hundred paces before he stopped in front of a small bush with a few berries on it. The Saursune slipped out from under my hand, and after a quick scan of the area, he trotted away.

The berries were an edible kind, so I began picking them. There weren't many; birds or other animals had beat me to them. I gathered a handful and sat on a fallen tree to nibble on them, alternating between the berries and some clover near my feet.

A dark shape bounded through the forest some distance away. I wasn't sure where the Saursune was going, but he was moving quickly, and from how his path curved, it kind of looked like he was circling the area. I swiftly lost sight of him in the dense undergrowth.

I really hoped he wouldn't harm my companions if he found them.