The next morning, Spock and the others had something for breakfast and then got on their way again. It was another day of walking through the jungle and then they came to the scraggly forest. "I wonder why these trees are different," Ajah said as he touched the foliage on the tree which was similar to a juniper tree, but like a fir tree as well.

"I believe we are walking on a different type of soil," Spock said.

"Yeah." Ajah scooped up a handful of soil. It felt and looked like a mixture of sand and loam. He went on following the others.

They could still see the tracks of the horse but they were less defined and seemed to have no guided direction. "It looks like the horse was just wandering," Solan said.

"I agree," Bones replied. "Maybe Jim was just riding and didn't know where they were going."

"That could have been true the whole time."

It was another long day of walking for the team. They noticed the beauty of the planet, but they also noticed the silence. "Shouldn't there be some sort of animal noises?" Bones asked.

"I do not know," Spock replied.

"This place gives you the creeps," Cax said. "It's like being on a dead planet, but you know those bird people are here."

"It is obviously not dead because there are green trees here."

"Yeah, but it's like nothing else lives here but those bird people."

"Maybe they wiped everything else out," Solan said.

"Why would they do that?" Bones asked. "One species can't live on a planet alone and not have any help from another to survive. It's impossible."

"Perhaps everything simply makes no sounds," Spock suggested. "We must focus on our mission rather than on frivolous facts which we cannot understand."

The others fell silent after that reprimand. However, Bones could not remain silent. "I never heard of a planet where nothing makes noise," he declared. "Everything makes some sort of noise. I haven't even seen any insects."

"And you're complaining about that?" Carol asked. "I would have thought you would be glad there were no vicious insects."

"I think we all make more noise than this planet has seen in decades," Solan said. "Maybe centuries. Just sitting here in space minding its own business, and then suddenly humans arrive and it's all chaos."

"We are not causing chaos," Bones replied. "We're trying to find Jim."

"We have not heard from Helek again," Spock said. "Hopefully he moved the ship to another location ahead of us."

"I didn't hear it if he did."

During the afternoon, they came out of the scraggly forest into another forest of tall trees, and as they walked, they suddenly saw something ahead lying on the ground. "Jim!" Carol exclaimed and started running.

"Carol, wait!" Bones called but she was not listening.

Carol fell beside Jim. "Jim," she said as she touched his face.

Bones knelt on the other side of him and grabbed his medical scanner. "He's alive," he said with relief. "But he's dehydrated, almost hypothermic, and definitely intoxicated."

Suddenly, they heard a loud whinny and looked up to see a large horse coming toward them. Bones and Carol jumped up and moved back with the others as the large animal galloped over and stood over Jim. It whinnied loudly at them and stomped the ground.

Spock and the others just stood there a moment in wonder. "What do we do about that?" Solan asked as he aimed his weapon at the horse. "Stun it?"

"He's protecting him," Ajah said. "Maybe we can convince him that we're his friends."

"Or you can get stomped," Bones replied.

"Well, it's worth a try."

"If we cannot persuade him, we will stun him," Spock said. "However, we cannot stun him while he stands over Jim like that, or he will fall on him."

"Well, just how do we get him to move?" Solan asked.

Carol stepped out from the others hearing their quiet protests, but she took two steps toward the horse. Renegade flared his nostrils at her and stomped the ground. "We're here to help him," she said. "He's my husband."

Renegade stared at her with one eye, but then he shook his mighty head and whinnied and stomped the ground. "Carol, do not go any closer," Spock warned as he aimed his own weapon at the horse.

"He doesn't understand," Carol replied.

"No, he doesn't but he could kill you."

"So, who's going to be brave enough to make him mad enough to move away from Jim?" Solan asked.

"I'll do it," Ajah volunteered.

"You'll do no such thing," Bones said. "That animal could kill you before we can even stun him."

"We have to help Admiral Kirk."

"Not by getting yourself killed. He would not agree with that."

Before they could say anything else, Ajah stepped out and walked toward the giant horse. "Hey, he is our friend and you're keeping us from helping him!" he yelled. "Why don't you come after me?"

Ajah moved over to the other side of the horse which was watching him with one eye and stomping the ground. As Ajah came closer, the animal became more agitated and finally had to step away from Jim enough that they could stun him. The big animal crashed to the ground, and Spock fired another stun bolt to make sure he would stay down.

Solan went over to Ajah. "Are you crazy?" Solan asked. "He could have killed you!"

"I got him away from him, didn't I?" Ajah asked.

Bones and Carol knelt beside Jim again. He was completely unconscious, and his clothes were torn almost to shreds. "We have to get him into a suit," Bones said.

"Guard the horse," Spock said to Solan, Cax, and Ajah. He knelt beside Jim with Bones and Carol and opened the pack he had brought which contained Jim's own electro-suit.

"I'm gonna give him some medicine while you two figure out how to get that on him," Bones said.

It was not an easy task, but they finally sealed Jim into the suit. "How do we get him out of here?" Solan asked.

"We will take turns carrying him," Spock replied. "We must move before the horse awakens. Perhaps he will not be able to track us. I will attempt to contact Helek."

Solan put his phaser rifle over his shoulder and then got Jim up onto his shoulder. "I hope you guys are going to watch for that horse while I'm carrying him," he said.

"Do not worry."

They all began moving through the jungle as Spock was trying to reach Helek on the communicator…

Helek had moved the ship to a desert area that was ahead of Spock and the others. He had not seen them when he moved but he was hoping they were coming that way. He could see that the sun was sinking on the horizon again and he hoped they could communicate soon.

After about fifteen minutes, Spock and the others heard a loud whinny which sounded angry even for a horse. "Man, somebody better be ready to do something about that," Solan declared panting.

"Get behind that tree," Spock said.

Solan moved behind one of the trees and the others hid as well. They had stun bolts ready for the horse, and finally, it came charging through the trees with its hooves pounding the ground like thunder. Spock let the horse get close hoping he would stop running, but he did not. He fired a stun bolt and the mighty beast went down, shaking the ground.

"You think he's hurt?" Ajah asked.

"Hopefully not," Spock replied. "We must move before he awakens. Perhaps now I can reach Helek."

They started moving again with Ajah carrying Jim this time. Spock attempted to reach Helek again. This time, he got a staticky reply. "Helek, can you hear me?" Spock asked.

"Barely," Helek replied.

"We are being pursued by the horse. We need you to pick us up. Can you trace this signal?"

Helek checked that. "Maybe," he said. "I moved out to a desert place to avoid the bird people if possible." He started the ship and lifted off. The trees were so tall he was concerned that he might not find a place to land. He was sure the transporter would not work. He finally found a place big enough to land. "Spock, do you read me?" Helek asked.

"Yes," Spock answered through a lot of static.

"I'm about two-hundred meters ahead of you."

"We will be there soon."

Helek watched outside the ship and soon saw several bird folk descend into the clearing around the ship. Helek's eyes began to glow and he hurried to the back of the ship. He opened the hatch and looked out. "I told you to stay away from this ship," he said. He pointed his finger at the one who had been at the ship before and shot an electrical charge at him that shocked him. "There's more where that came from," he said. "Now, get away from this ship!"

The bird people did not back down but screamed at him with a hawk-like scream. Helek channeled his electrical energy until his hair was like a fiber optic display. He climbed out the hatch and dropped to the ground. Then he began drawing from the magnetism of the planet itself until he created a negative charge and was even suspended above the ground.

Helek let go of the biggest charge he had ever created and made sure it hit the ground but he was sure it must have singed some feathers. "Back off!" he demanded with his voice sounding almost electronic.

Helek's electrical display did not deter the bird people, and he found that their spears also drew electrical charges from the magnetic environment. He was surprised for a moment but he was also glad he was immune to their electrical charges.

As Spock and the others came to the edge of the clearing, they could see Helek and the bird people. "Is that normal?" Bones asked.

"He's drawing power from the magnetism," Ajah said. He looked at them with glowing eyes. "I'll help him while you all get to the ship."

"I didn't know they could do that," Solan remarked as he got Jim onto his shoulder again.

"Wonders never cease," Cax replied. He had certainly never seen anything like that. "Let's get in that ship."

They hurried around the side of the ship opposite to where Ajah and Helek were. A birdman was at the controls to the boarding ramp when Carol came around the side of the ship. She fired at him, stunning him. She ran to the controls and lowered the boarding ramp while Spock and Cax kept the bird people from going up the ramp. Solan got into the ship with Jim and laid him on a cot. Bones got in next, followed by Carol. Spock and Cax stayed at the end of the ramp. "Helek, Ajah, we must depart!" Spock said.

"Just when we were having fun," Helek mumbled.

Ajah lowered to the ground and let go of the last big charge he had and hurried to the ramp. Helek followed close behind. The bird people were still charging that way, but Spock and the others got up the ramp so that it could close as Solan was already starting to lift off. Before the ramp closed, one birdman flew into the ship and crashed to the floor.

"Stay there!" Cax yelled as he was aiming his weapon at the intruder.

The being just lay there still. "Take me with you," he said. "I want to leave this planet and see what the rest of the galaxy is like."

Spock stared at him a moment and then lowered his weapon. "You are with us for the time being," he replied. "If only so you can tell us what is happening on this planet."

"They don't want us to know how the outside galaxy is."

"Who?"

"Those who are in control. Please, take me with you."

Cax looked at Spock. "Well, you're not going to make him stay after he risked his life to get into this ship, are you?" he asked.

"We will decide this later," Spock replied. "Right now, we must get Jim to the Enterprise so that he can be treated."

Solan was all to glad to leave that planet behind as he rocketed up toward space. The Enterprise orbited the planet, and Lieutenant Jarvis suddenly got a reading. "The ship is on its way back," she said with relief.

"We're receiving a hail," Uhura said and stood up.

Solan appeared on the screen. "I hope that shuttle bay is ready for us," he said.

"Ready and waiting," Uhura replied.

"Great."

Solan guided the ship into the shuttle bay and back into its slip. When he got to the back of the ship, he found that Jim had started to wake up and he was trembling all over. A medical team was there with a stretcher to take Jim to the medical bay.

"Jim, can you hear me?" Bones asked. He deactivated the helmet. "Jim?"

Jim did not answer but was still shaking all over. "Jim, do you hear me?" Carol asked.

They got him onto the stretcher and headed for the medical bay. By the time they got there, Jim was starting to groan loudly. They got him onto a medical bed with him starting to fight. Bones grabbed some hyposprays. "Jim!" he said as he leaned over him.

Jim stared at him with wide eyes for a moment but then he started to fight again. Bones gave him the hypo-spray and he was out. Carol stood beside the bed. "Why doesn't he know us?" she asked.

"All I can guess is that it's that drug or whatever it is," Bones said. "I'm gonna get him fixed up here and then I'm going to have some questions for our guest who jumped onto the ship!"

"You're not the only one."

Once Bones had done all he could for Jim, he left him in the care of nurses and left the medical bay. Carol had intended to go with him but she did not want to leave Jim. Bones went to the Bridge but did not find Spock there. "Where's Spock?" he asked.

"He's in the conference room," Uhura answered.

"Has he got that intruder in there?"

"I think so."

"Good."

Bones went to the conference room and simply barged in rather than asking to go in. Spock raised an eyebrow at that intrusion, but he did not reprimand him. "Doctor McCoy, I assume you have something to discuss?" he asked.

"You better believe I do!" Bones declared. He glared at the birdman who stood in the room. "I want to know what that planet did to my friend! What kind of…gas or whatever is it?"

"I am not certain of how to answer you," the being answered. "The fragrance comes from the trees especially this time of year. It is what is called Spring on your planet."

Bones folded his arms. "Are you telling me the trees put out some sort of pheromone and it affects humans?"

"It has different effects to the inhabitants of the planet, but the humans have all been affected by it the same way your friend has."

"And just how are the others affected? I want to know how to help my friend!"

"They have all been through the same stage as your friend. Garath has created a formula which stops their symptoms when they agree to stay on the planet. Then they lose their will to leave and just become part of the tribe. It is another way of multiplying to them."

"Are you telling me there's no other cure?"

"I do not know. I have never been off my planet until now. I do not know if he can be normal again."

Bones looked at Spock. "Is he going to the Brig?" he asked.

"Doctor, this being is not responsible for Jim's condition," Spock replied.

Bones could not deny that. "Well, I suggest you put him somewhere before Carol gets hold of him," he said. "She's just a little angry."

"Everyone aboard my ship will act with dignity and civility."

Bones chuckled at that. "How do we know how it's going to affect him to be off that planet?" he asked. "We should take him to the medical bay. How do we know what sort of parasites or germs he could be carrying?"

"The medical bay is his next stop."

"I guess I can't ask for anything besides that." Bones walked over to Spock. "What are we going to do for Jim if he doesn't get better? He didn't even know Carol or me."

"We do not know what is causing his stupor. We will simply have to wait and see what happens. Then we will go from there. I am deeply concerned, as I know you are, but we must be logical and know our options before we act."

"You didn't see him."

"He is my friend as he is yours, Doctor," Spock said.

"He…well, I want that guy in the medical bay."

"Leonard, while I will honor your request, remember that you are not the chief medical officer aboard this ship now."

Bones frowned. "Does that mean you're going to turn Jim over to someone else?" he asked.

"No, but you must work with the medical staff here."

Bones was not used to taking orders anymore, nor doing something someone else's way. "I'll try to remember that." He looked at Spock. "It was you who wanted me to come along, wasn't it?"

Spock paused only a moment. "I believe it was you who wanted to come along."

"Can we just go?"

"Lead the way."

Bones turned and left the conference room, and Spock followed along with the unexpected guest. When they arrived at the medical bay, Bones suddenly did not know what his place should be. He stopped and looked at Spock. "Well, what do you want me to do?" he asked.

"I believe you have more experience in this sort of examination," Spock said. "I would rather you conduct it. I will speak with Doctor Dansen."

Bones nodded slightly and looked at the birdman. "Come on," he said.

They went over to a medical bed and Bones instructed his new patient to lie down. "I'm sure you've never seen a medical device," he said. "But I'm going to scan you so I can get some idea of how your anatomy is put together, and see if you're going to poison us all in some way."

"I am Kuaya. You have never seen a person like me?"

"I can't say I have."

"Perhaps it is because we are not allowed to have contact with the outside galaxy, and when someone comes to our planet, they are…enticed to stay there."

"Enticed? More like forced."

"It is true that Garath and some others do use force."

"I've heard some crazy things about that planet. Why was Jim sent out on some horse like they were trying to help him?"

"I do not know. He must have come from Garath's tribe. I do not live there."

"Oh. Great."

"You do not like our planet?"

Bones sighed. "I don't like what I hear about it so far. Are all the tribes against visitors and letting people leave?"

"Yes."

"But you don't agree with it?"

"I do not."

"Then why do you go along with it? Why don't you speak up and try to make a difference on your planet?"

"I would be alone."

"Surely everyone on that planet doesn't agree."

"I do not know."

Bones finished his scan. "Well, I don't find anything that could be categorized as a virus or anything, not even a parasite," he said.

"Does that mean I am not dangerous to the people on this ship?" Kuaya asked.

"Medically, yes, but I want a sample of your blood."

"My blood?"

"Yes. Don't you have doctors or healers on your planet?"

"No."

"So what do you do if you get sick?"

"I have known of no one getting sick."

Bones scowled at that. "You mean no one ever gets ill? Sick? Doesn't feel well?"

"No."

Bones could hardly believe that, but he drew a sample of blood from Kuaya. "Well, you just stay right there while this blood is analyzed," he said. "Right now, you're a patient."

"A patient?"

"That means you have to stay on this bed."

"Oh."

Bones went over to the lab to have the blood analyzed, and then he went to Jim's bed where Spock and Carol were now. Jim was still unconscious. Bones scanned him again. "Maybe we can keep him asleep until it all gets out of his system," he said. "He might be fine after that. Question is: how do we get it out. This is not like anything I've seen before. It's like a plant allergy but it's also like he's been on some sort of drug for all this time."

"Perhaps you should treat it as an allergy," Spock suggested.

"Treat him in steps," Carol said. "Treat the allergy first and then treat the withdrawal."

"It's hard to treat withdrawal without knowing what sort of drug it is. Severe withdrawal," Bones replied. "I think that's what was wrong with him when we got him here."

"How long do you think this will take?"

"I don't know, but we're analyzing that air sample I took from the planet. Maybe that will help, but like I said, it's not like anything I've ever seen. Maybe if I could talk to one of those elders, they might know more about it."

"It is the trees which emits the toxin," Spock said. "It is most likely no different than any other drug since most come from plants."

"I agree with that, but this is different. Like I said, it's also like an allergen. If that guy, Garath, knows how to cure the effects, we may not have any choice but to go down there and try and get the formula from him."

"I believe we would find that difficult, and likely impossible."

"This is Jim's life we're talking about, and if Garath knows about it, someone else has to know." Bones looked across the medical bay at their winged friend. "Maybe Kuaya knows who else would know."

"Do what you can, Doctor," Spock said. "I must contact Starfleet if possible. We may have to move away from the planet in order to send a message because of the interference."

"Right."

Bones went back over to Kuaya. "Okay, I want to know who else knows a cure for this besides Garath," he said. "There has to be someone else."

Kuaya was silent a moment. "Perhaps some of the elders," he said. "They hide some humans so they are not forced to become part of a tribe."

"Would you go with us to talk to them?"

"We could put them in danger. If the others found out that they were helping us…"

"Why didn't they hide Jim?"

"He was riding the horse. They could not explain the horse."

"That horse was trying to protect Jim. Why?"

"The horse is only an animal. It does not know the difference between the beings on the planet. It only knows it was treated with kindness."

"So, you think it just took up with Jim because he was good to it."

"Yes. It would have fought even the bird people for him."

"Why would Garath send him out on an animal like that if he knew this?" Bones asked.

"It is all part of the game…the hunt. Garath knew your friend would eventually succumb to the effects of the trees. He would have eventually found him and made him part of his tribe and your friend would not have known that he had no desire to be there anymore."

"And you think one of the elders could know how to help him?"

"It is possible, and likely, because they help some."

Bones went to find Spock and told him what he had found out. "We have to go down there," Bones said.

Spock considered that. "It would be quite dangerous for us to return to the planet," he replied. "However, I know Jim would do the same for either of us. We must find a way to do this without being known to the other tribes."

"How can we do that? It's not like they have space traffic."

"True. It will be difficult, perhaps even impossible. However, we know the approximate location of the elders' village. Get a team together, and we will discuss this further."

Bones left there with a little more hope of finding a cure for Jim…