A/N: Suggestion by Astrispecto

Is it too early for an arc? I'm trying to keep the chapters between 1,000 and 2,000 words. It should be easy to keep the count low, as most of the stories will be goofy silliness.

The aliens in this chapter will probably be the only non-canon characters in this story, and will make occasional appearances.

Pidge was finding it very, very hard to keep a straight face. At least the EVOR hid her eyes, so Shiro wouldn't see the excited gleam that contrasted her slight frown.

Coran had called the paladins to the bridge, with plans for a new training exercise. Pidge had been understandably hesitant, though the plan was starting to sound more and more appealing.

First, because it would take place on a new planet. Second, it would also involve exploring said planet that Coran was only vaguely familiar with. Third, from the sound of it, there would be a lot of climbing, as the planet was full of trees whose branches had impressive lengths.

Shiro sounded like he thought it was a good idea, and Pidge now only had to make sure he didn't try to leave her behind.

"And there aren't any inhabitants?" Shiro asked, staring up at the holographic map Pidge couldn't see.

"There wasn't the last time I visited."

"Ten thousand years ago?" Lance asked drily.

"There's nothing on Trinix that the Galra would want. Just to build an outpost would take too much effort. There's too many trees!" Coran made an exaggerated motion that was probably his imitation of a tree.

"Yes, well…" Allura said, drawing back the attention of the amused paladins. "Navigating Trinix is a test of agility and flexibility. Just getting to the ground is complicated enough. You'll have to take the lions to the surface. According to the most recent studies of the planet, the tree canopy can easily hold their weight."

"Those are some serious trees," Lance said.

"Are there any edible flora?" Hunk asked eagerly.

"Not in the trees," Coran said, taking an invisible -to Pidge, at least- screen from Allura and swiping on it. "But the Trinixian ground fruit is considered a delicacy."

"Awesome," Hunk approved.

"We're going to… pick fruit and swing in trees?" Keith asked.

"No," Pidge said matter-of-the-factly. "We are going to train in our ability to navigate unfamiliar territory."

The others laughed, and Pidge silently considered that no one protested to her "we" as approval of her going.

An hour later, Pidge's guess proved correct as she piloted Green to the surface. The other lions flew alongside her. Allura and Coran were joining the expedition, with the Alteans riding with Shiro.

The lions landed in the canopy, causing a mass of birds to explode upward. Green shook them off, and hooked her paws around the impressively thick branches.

Pidge was always disappointed when she had to leave Green and rely on the EVOR and her other senses, but excitement over the new planet dulled it this time. She clattered to the edge of Green's mouth, then had to stop to just stare.

The ground was lost in the twisting myriad of branches that crossed and weaved together so tightly it was like a solid space. The EVOR could pick up the branches well, but Pidge knew that her new depth perception would be tested.

"Wow, just look at it!"

Lance's delighted cry brought Pidge's attention to where the blue paladin was jumping up and down in delight. Then he jerked a moment later with a startled shout, and Hunk beside him had to grab him as Lance started to fall off the branch.

"Lance!" Shiro called, having stood on a higher branch across from them.

"I got him!" Hunk said.

Pidge turned away from the others when she heard Keith call her name. She looked down and managed to pick out a shape below waving an arm.

"I'm coming down!"

Pidge leaped and activated her jetpack. She aimed for the branch beside Hunk and Lance. Slightly mistiming, she landed sooner than she expected and felt her feet slip. A strong hand caught her arm, steadying her. She nodded to Hunk in thanks, then turned and jumped again. This time, she managed to time it right and landed with barely a stumble beside Keith.

"I've been plotting a path down," Keith said, while he reached out to help steady Pidge. "We're a couple hundred feet above the ground, by the way."

Pidge whistled. "Long way to fall if you slip."

"So don't."

Before Pidge could respond, Keith had leaped away with a challenge of, "Race you!"

"Oh, it is on!"

Pidge crouched and swung to a lower branch, where she launched off like a cat. She activated her jetpack to allow her to cross to a lower branch, and landed on all fours. She scrambled to another branch and leaped in the same manner. She had to pause between each leap to let the EVOR catch up, but she still moved at a rapid pace.

At one point, she passed Keith standing on a branch with no clear path to go down. She laughed and waved cockily as she landed, then was moving yet again.

Pidge estimated that she had made a couple hundred feet closer to the ground when she paused for breath. She looked up to check on the others.

Something blurred across the open air too quickly to make out, but Pidge guessed it to be Keith or Shiro. She could hear that the most of the other paladins had joined in the race. It sounded like Hunk was further up, investigating the branches with Coran. Lance's boasting at his speed was occasionally cut off by a protest to Allura apparently passing him. She could make out Keith's panting, but Shiro was silent.

Grinning at the realization that she was still ahead of the others, Pidge crouched and focused on a branch below. Just before she leaped, the image blurred, briefly showing the branch ten feet to the left. Pidge flinched, and the image returned to normal. She blinked and stared. But the image didn't change, and a shout alerted her to Keith's approach.

Shaking off the confusion, Pidge focused on a new branch. Taking only a second, she leaped and activated her jetpack. She moved slow enough that the EVOR could keep up fairly well, but it still drew a confused grunt when the image of the branch shifted several feet down.

"What?!" Pidge yelped.

She deactivated her jetpack, prepared to tuck and roll when she hit the branch, only for the image to flicker back to its original position. She reached quickly out. Her fingers brushed the branch, and she continued to fall.

Pidge didn't panic. This wasn't the first time she had fallen since going blind, and she had plenty of times even before she went blind. All she had to do was activate her jetpack and hover long enough to find a safe place to land.

Pidge angled her feet to straighten her body while she activated the jetpack. There was a small blast as the jetpack opened, but it only had a chance to slow Pidge before she felt a sharp impact in her legs.

Unable to stop herself, Pidge crashed onto what was probably another branch. She tried to tuck and roll to minimize injury, only to roll straight off the branch. Pidge only had a moment to realize she was in free fall before landing smack on her back on another branch, knocking away what little breath she had.

"Pidge!" Shiro shouted, finally noticing her plight.

Pidge groaned and turned her head. For a second, the images that had jumbled in the fall finally steadied. A couple of distant shapes were climbing down to her.

In the next moment, the images blurred again. Something large loomed up in front of her, drawing a startled shout from Pidge. She flinched away, and felt herself sliding off the branch again.

Then hands grabbed her under the shoulders and hauled her up. She was placed on her feet for a second by the shape in front of her, then an arm wrapped around her middle and she was swept into the air.

Instinctively, Pidge grabbed onto whoever was holding her. It took only a second to realize she hadn't been rescued by one of the others.

The arm around her was thick and too smooth. As the stranger landed and leaped from branch to branch, there wasn't any sound of breathing or exertion. Once, when the stranger landed, a hand was briefly steadying her back, and Pidge felt what she was sure was claws.

"Let me go!" Pidge yelled, summoning her bayard.

Before she could swing, something thick and strong wrapped around her wrist. Her arm was stuck in a raised position, not that she would have had room to swing the staff.

The stranger halted and set Pidge on a thick branch. As soon as she was released, she leaped backwards. Too late, she remembered where she was.

Finding only open air behind her, Pidge jerked her foot forward. A hand grabbed her wrist and jerked her back to solid wood, and promptly let go. Pidge didn't move this time, giving the EVOR time to catch up. The images were still unsteady and switched sometimes, but it was enough to give Pidge an idea of the surroundings.

They were in an unfamiliar section of the trees, and Pidge couldn't hear the others. While the EVOR didn't pick of details, Pidge could see the stranger in front of her vaguely.

It was humanoid, and a bit taller than Shiro. There weren't any details on its head beside what was probably a hood. Its clothes were loose and Pidge thought they looked ragged. An additional appendage soon became clear to be a tail slightly coiled around the branch.

Oh, and there were five others standing around.

Pidge promptly formed her staff and held it ready in front of her. The figures backed away, and the one that had grabbed her raised empty hands.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Pidge demanded.

"My name is Nantuck. We are friends."

If Pidge hadn't already fallen from the branches so many times, she would have taken a step back. The stranger hadn't spoken, at least not verbally. The words had seamlessly entered Pidge's mind, smooth and natural.

"How did you do that? What are you doing?"

"I am communicating telepathically. I am talking directly to your mind."

"Okay, kinda cool, but creepy. Stop."

There was a funny sensation, and Pidge realized that Nantuck was laughing. "I cannot, small one. You see, the Nin-Zahar don't have mouths."

Pidge blinked and stared. Nantuck's face did seem rather flat, but it was kind of hard with the EVOR's images constant flickering. She lowered the staff slowly, since none of the strangers showed any inclination of attacking.

"How are you doing that?" Pidge asked. It didn't feel invasive at all. Almost like when Green shared feelings, but slightly more foreign.

Nantuck shrugged. "It is the Nin-Zahar way."

There was that laughing sensation again, then a different voice asked, "How else do you expect us to communicate?"

"Um… I don't know. Sign language?" Pidge thought for a moment. "Maybe it's a good thing that you don't. I wouldn't be able to understand a word."

Nantuck had started to talk again, when there was an audible shout.

"Pidge!"

Pidge turned in relief, though the EVOR started to act even worse than ever, throwing her off balance. Nantuck swiftly stepped forward and steadied her before grabbing her around the middle again. Two of his companions leaped away, in the opposite direction of Shiro's shout.

"Don't worry, we'll make a quick escape."

A/N: The logic behind the EVOR messing up is probably so inaccurate, it will be painful for the mechanically minded.