At sunset, those not on watch gathered in the center of camp. Kimma Nril, walking stiffly and with the help of both her essoans, managed to join the group, and for several minutes was the center of a swirl of curiosity and admiration. She sat propped up against a tree, exchanging greetings with most of the riders. The swelling in her stomach, chest and arms had subsided enough to allow her to move with some assistance, and she had managed to eat a sizeable meal late in the afternoon. Along with the food had come a mound of flowers, courtesy of Arlan, Nalla and Irric.

"Wantin' to thank yousan for all'n the flowers," she said to Brandes. "Wesan all 'ppreciated dem."

"'Specially Plirri," Temmis added. Plirra had happily eaten many of the blooms after the humans had gone.

"You always take flowers to people when they don't feel well," Nalla explained.

"Iss a nice custom," Kimma said. "Berry kind of yousan."

Peskis, looking for all the world as though he had spent the day lounging in camp instead of riding to the edge of the forest and back, stepped in front of Kimma and her family.

"For the story tonight, wesa needin ever'one settin' in together," he began, motioning to get everyone's attention. "Yousa all gonna wanta get close for thiss'n." Gungans and humans eyed each other carefully. Temmis caught Zanté's sleeve with one hand, and Plirri's hand with the other. "Sett'n he-ah. Wesa right uppa front." All three of the children took seats in front of Kimma, Sen Tal and Hanar.

Hela Brandes gathered the rest of the children around her. "Come on. You've all been pestering me about hearing stories again, so let's go." They settled in a group beside Temmis, Zanté and Plirri.

The off-duty patrol members settled into a ring around the center group, including the humans in their circle. Peskis beamed at them, and began his story.

"Long, long 'go, inna days when de gods walked the world, dere wass monsters inna land. An' one'a the fiercest monsters wuss Naa'a'orrek, Hungry Monster. He wuss always lookin' for some-att to ett. Hesa ett any'ting — kaadu‚ ikopi‚ even nar-gletch an' zalaacas. But one day hesa decided hesa hungry for Guungan – oursan people. So hesa went looking for a village.

"In dose days, wesa didn't live inna homes unner water. Wesa lived 'bove inna swamps an' forests. Naa'a'orrek, hesa kemm to a village and watched fromma distance. Hesa watched the Guungans commen and goin', seein' who went huntin' and fishin' and who stayed close to home."

The Gungans sat with their attention fixed on Peskis's face. Plirri wriggled, then climbed into Sen Tal's lap. Temmis sat a little apart from his parents, leaning toward Zanté, whose posture mirrored his.

"Naa'a'orrek, hesa knew iff'n the Guungans saw himsa desya would gather dersa warriors and chase himsa, mebbe kill himsa. So hesa waited 'til he could catch a Guungan 'lone. Hesa finally caught one Guungan fishin' and medd a meal of himsa.

"Forra while, ever'one chust thought that the fisher hedd been drowned, but den Naa'a'orrek caught one'a da hunters, and den another. By den, some'a da Guungans hedd see hiss'n tracks, an' deysa knew all'n dem wass in danger."

Nalla huddled against Hela Brandes and whispered, "I don't like this story."

Peskis paused; he had evidently caught the young Naaboo's comment. He bent down. "Don' worry," he told her in a stage whisper. "Wesa 'bout to meet the little girl whosa gonna save ever'one. Yousa wait." He offered her a wink and straightened.

"The elders, deysa argued 'bout whatten to do 'bout da monster. 'Wesa needin' go find a new place an mekk a new village dere,' one said. But others sedd, 'No, the monster, hesa already knows where wesa is, an' when wesa head out to a new place, hesa follow and eat ussan one to a time.' Denn 'nother sedd, 'Wesa needin' to get alla the warriors together, go into the woods and finish da monster.' But den someone else sedd dat with the warriors out searchin' for Naa'a'orrek, the monster could come into the village and ett ever'one left. An' ever'one kept arguing 'bout what to do.

"Den a little female stood up an sedd, "Mesa gotten an idee. Wesa all go up to da mountains, and wesa diggin' a big hole inna ground, an cover it wit' branches and leafs. When Naa'a'orrek comes to find ussan, hesa fall into the hole and den wesa finish him!"

Here Peskis paused, grinning. "Outten the mouths of sprattlings, eh? So, the villagers, deysa gathered up deresa t'ings and walked to the mountains. Deysa hedd a few days head start, 'cause Naa'a'orrek‚ hesa sleepin' after his last meal. In da mountains the people dug a big, deep hole, an' covered it, an' waited.

"When Naa'a'orrek woke up an' found ever'one gone, hesa sett out after dem. Hesa followed dere scent up into mountains. The Guungans, desa all hid inna caves and cracks. Naa'a'orrek‚ sniffed an' stalked, an' finally followed the scent to the pit. Hesa stood onna edge, sniffing and looking, but wouldn't tekk one more step.

"Den the little female ran up behind him. Shesa wuss on'y up to hiss knee, but shesa kicked him inna ankle. Naa'a'orrek, hesa yelled and jumped -- and kemm right down into the pit.

"All'n the Guungans kem running to see the monster. Naa'a'orrek lay in the bottom of the pit, not quite dead. Hesa looked up at the Guungans‚ 'bove him, an hesa vowed, 'Mesa gonna come back and ett all'n yousa. Mesa not finished yet!' Wit dat hesa shattered into lotts an' lotts of tiny pieces and wuss gone. The Guungans‚ deysa happy and celebrated, glad to be rid of da monster. The days passed, an' ever'one‚ went back to what theysa allus did. Forra while."

Peskis held up his hands; a loop of thin vine was draped between his thumbs. "Some time after dat, dere wuss an elder mekkin' a net. Shesa wove her vine back an' forth, back an' forth." The Gungan's hands moved with his words. "Shesa heard a buzzin' sound. Shesa looked —" his hands stilled "-- but shesa saw nuthin', so shesa went on." His hands moved again, this time draping the vine behind the fingers of his left hand. "Back an' forth, back an' forth." As his hands moved, his fingers deftly picked up parts of the vine, which began to form a shape. "Shesa heard the buzzin' 'gain, but still saw nuthin'. So shesa kept goin." The vine was now looped around both thumbs and the smallest fingers of both hands. "Suddenly, shesa stopped." His hands froze in place. "Shesa looked close at hersa net." Peskis peered at the loops of vine around his fingers, as if surprised to see them there. The Gungan and human children followed his gaze. The Gungan's hands drew apart and the vine suddenly spreading into four loops, one each about his thumbs and smallest fingers. "An' dere, on her net wuss the biggest bug shesa hedd ever seen."

Peskis's fingers suddenly fluttered, causing the loops to "fly" like an insect, and he stepped forward to fly the bug around the faces of the children, human and Gungan alike. It flew ever'where, in hersa ears –" here the vine tickled a Gungan child's haillu "-- an over hersa nose – " here a human boy laughed and almost fell over backward as the "bug" brushed his nose "-- an just medd a nusance of iss'se'f." Peskis' bug‚ suddenly lunged into Herns's face, fluttering just shy of actually touching the Gungan.

Herns scowled. "That thing's going to become an evening snack, Storyteller!" he warned in High Gungan.

Peskis laughed and pranced back a couple of paces. "No, no, too quick!" he sang, still speaking Bassic. He resumed his place in front of the group, his hands still moving to "fly" the bug.

"The elder, shesa knew speed couldn't catch dis bug, so shesa waited." The frantic motion of his hands and the bug slowed. "Shesa waited, an' waited, hersa hands 'part, ready...." His own hands slowed until the "bug" was hovering just in front of his own nose. By now, humans and Gungans were leaning forward, eyes on the storyteller's hands. "And den, smack!" His hands cracked together in a clap, and everyone jumped. "The bug wuss gone." He opened his hands to reveal only a single long loop of vine around his thumbs.

For a moment there was surprised silence. Then the children laughed, the humans applauding. "Tell that one again!" Arlan said, and Peskis smiled.

"Wesa tell dat one gain 'nother night, eh? Let mesa finish diss 'un.

"More an' more of the Guungans saw dese bugs. The bugs, desa kemm every evenin' and mornin' and deysa bit -- bit the Guungans, bit the kaadu‚ bit the zalaccas, an' the nar-gletch and all the other animals. Da bugs, deysa all looked like the little bits that Naa'a'orrek had exploded into when hesa fell into the pit. An' the people knew, Naa'a'orrek hedd kept his vow -- hesa kemm back to ett all ussan one bite atta time. But the Guungans‚ wesa found ways to get back. Wesa gotten the t'ick skin, an' the haillu to protect oursan se'fs‚ and coursen wesa all know what to do wit' bugs...." Peskis and the rest of the Gungans grinned suddenly and licked their lips.

"Bugs, desa good to etten, too!" the youngest Gungan squeaked, and the rest laughed.


~*~*~*~


Kimma Nril, still aching from her injuries, left the storytelling and slowly made her way to her family's shelter, assisted by her essoans and children. Once there, she and Sen Tal crawled inside while Hanar stopped for one last nuzzle with each of the two Gungan sprattlings before going off to sentry duty. He reached down to pat Zanté on the head; the girl solemnly held up both arms to indicate she wanted a hug as well. Hanar obliged, rubbing his muzzle against her cheek, and departed.

Sen Tal sat down with his back against one of the saplings that formed the shell of the hut; Kimma stretched out carefully and settled onto her side, her head pillowed in his lap.

"You seem much better," Sen Tal remarked, watching as Temmis and Plirri wriggled out of tunics and hung them up on convenient nubs on the saplings. Zanté was slowly pulling a long woven shirt over her head; once she was covered, she slipped out of the rest of her clothes, which she folded more or less neatly and laid in a pile.

"I feel much better," Kimma said. "But I'm glad Lieutenant Peskis brought some dara-leaves to chew for the pain – I still ache." Plirri was tugging at the hem of Zanté's shirt, and the girl pulled away. "Plirri, leave her alone and come lie down." The youngest child scuttled over to his mother and sat down. "Does she always insist on being covered up like that?"

"Except when she's bathing," Sen Tal replied. "Rep Brand-ess says that's normal for Naaboo, though."

Zanté, who, unlike the Gungans, couldn't see in the dim light, stumbled across the floor to Kimma and sat down next to Plirri. Kimma stroked the girl's hair, and Zanté lay down beside her. Plirri flopped down next to the Naaboo, yawning; he nestled against the girl's stomach. Kimma Nril smiled fondly at the Naaboo as the girl curled up around Plirri.

"Maatra, can we keep her?" Temmis asked hopefully. He was standing beside Sen Tal. His patraa patted him on the head.

"Temmis, she's not a blarth," he replied. You can't have her as a pet."

"I know. But she likes us, doesn't she? We could be her family."

"She probably already has a family," his maatra said. "I'm sure they'll want her back. They must miss her very much, the same way we would miss you if the maccaneeks took you away from us."

Temmis sighed and settled himself on the ground beside Zanté. His maatra and her first essoan curled protectively around the children; the adults' heads rested on each other's knees and their bodies formed a circle around the youngsters. "We'll take care of her as long as she's with us, Temmis," his maatra told him. "And after we've found the Naaboo at Tendesay, we'll see. If she doesn't have a family any more, we'll make her part of ours."


~*~*~*~


Fog shrouded the grasslands the following morning as five large shadowy figures moved out of the trees and into the meadow. Two of the figures moved on four legs, the other three on two. All halted at the edge of the grasslands, and a single figure mounted on one of the four-legged shadows raised an arm and gestured.

Ride uphill, the figure signed to the rest of the group. Move quick.

The group set off at a trot – each rider knew it would take a good part of the morning to reach Splitrock's lake, and none wanted to be out in the open when the fog lifted.


~*~*~*~


A few hours later, a larger group halted a cesta's cast inside the forest; none of the members could see the fields from where they sat astride their animals. Tarpals's pale grey hide blended with the fog; only his uniform was visible from more than a few paces away. "Everyone in the attack party, move to the edge of the grasslands and wait," he ordered in High Gungan. "Once we're in the open, chesna-recorr only." The riders moved forward, and Tarpals twisted in the saddle to face Hela Brandes and the two Handmaidens, mounted on the remaining falumpaset, and the six riders remaining behind. Sen Tal, Hanar, and Kimma occupied three of the saddles, each with a child behind them. Vlenka and two of the militiagungs sat astride the other three kaadu; each of them shared the saddle with a child as well. The animals were nervously watching the last member of the party, who was hovering on a droid transport platform off to one side. Edvic had insisted he could ride the STAP despite the uncomfortable footrests. Considering the lack of available riding animals, Tarpals had agreed.

"Stay he-ah," he told them in Bassic. "Iff'n wesa don' return, Vlenka will tekk yousan somewhere safe with oursan people."

Tarpals called Vlenka aside. "If we're not back by tomorrow morning, then assume our plan has failed. Take the others to the Sacred Place by whatever route you can find. Keep the Naaboo out of the Sacred Place, and send someone to fetch Shrine Keeper Treece Vitay. She should have arrived by now. If anyone can convince the Shrine Keepers and Generals to give the Naaboo sanctuary, she can. Beyond that, use your best judgment."

"Yes, Captain. Good luck, sir."

We'll need it, Tarpals mused grimly as he rode forward to join the rest of his party. The fog in the meadow was beginning to lift. With luck, the five advance scouts had reached Splitrock's waystation safely and were loading their supplies. With luck, Tarpals's group would be most of the way to the lake before the maccaneeks noticed them. (Admittedly, with even more luck the maccaneeks had moved completely out of the area and the whole plan would prove unnecessary, but he wasn't counting on quite that much luck.)

Peskis guided his kaadu to trot alongside Tarpals's. "You seem pensive this morning, Captain," Peskis remarked cheerfully.

"I'd prefer 'reserved', but I suppose it looks the same," Tarpals replied. "I have been reviewing our options, should this plan fail, and they are becoming rather few."

"Then this would be a good time to ask the gods to grant us success," Peskis suggested.

"I'd feel as though I'm asking for the impossible."

A smile twitched the side of the Ankuran's mouth. "It never hurts to ask for the impossible, Captain. You might just get it."

Tarpals turned to peer at his riding companion. "Have you ever aspired to be a Shrine Keeper, Lieutenant?"

"Me? Hardly." Peskis waved a hand carelessly. "Believe me, sir, there are many people much more religiously inclined than I." He paused for a few moments. "After all, you are the commander who, as a young soldier, bypassed the standard rite of passage for officers by taming and riding a zalaaca, which hadn't been done successfully in years."

Tarpals grimaced. "Does everyone know that story?"

"I believe Orrin chose to enlighten a few of us with it."

"Orrin really needs to learn when to keep her mouth shut," Tarpals grumbled.

Peskis smiled. "Perhaps. But I noticed that both the Naaboo and the militiagungs were most impressed by the tale. I suspect that's one of the reasons they've agreed to follow you. This is a pretty bold move, after all – taking on maccaneeks with a divided force and few weapons."

"The difference is it's not just my neck being risked this time."

"No one succeeds without risk. And you're right – our people need all the information about the maccaneeks we can get if we're going to defeat them. Even if it means getting that information by cooperating with the Naaboo."

Tarpals gazed around at the Gungans riding through the meadow. Satisfied with their formation, he said, "I've noticed you've been in favor of it since this entire journey started."

Peskis smiled. "Yes, I have. I've been in favor of it since the beginning." He inclined his head politely. "If you'll excuse me, sir, I believe it's my turn to ride point." With that, he urged his mount forward and took up the lead position.