It was nearing nightfall by the time Skyla returned to the Enyd. As she entered the dome Heryniel looked up at her with a questioning look. Skyla simply nodded and made a beeline for her bed. She collapsed onto it, suddenly feeling completely and utterly exhausted as if she'd hiked a mountain. She fell asleep almost immediately. Skyla had no dreams that night.

When the Lombax woke up the next day, she didn't get up straight away, but rather lay in bed a while. A strange kind of peace had descended over her that she couldn't explain or fully understand, but she accepted it. It was the peace that came with no longer being ignorant to her past.

After breakfast, Heryn gave her another medical check up. She nodded in approval as she saw the Ess leaves had begun to peel away and Skyla's cuts were on their way to scabbing. Her body still ached, but her bruises were fading and she felt a lot better.

"You are a fast healer," Heryn told her as she washed and treated her patients injuries once again.

"How long until I can travel?" Skyla asked, mentally crossing her fingers that it would be some time soon.

"You are good to journey today, if you so wish," the elder replied and Skyla's heart leapt for joy. Today! That was better than she had dared hope for.

"Today? When?" she exclaimed, suddenly eager to be away. Not from the Enyd, as they were a lovely people and she enjoyed their company, but away to rescue her friends with all haste.

"I will ask around for an escort to take you to the old settlement. If you go by Medisalch and leave just after lunch, you should get there by late tomorrow morning," the Enyd told her. Tomorrow morning...that would give her a whole day to try and get the old technology in the settlement working to transmit her message. There were good and bad points to that plan, the good being that anyone could pick it up, the bad being that Baen could discover her location. If he picked it up before anyone else, he could possibly reach her before real help arrived. She couldn't let that happen. She'd have to make the call and hope for the best. Solana was a well populated galaxy, so if the authorities didn't pick up on her call, then others surely would. Someone would hear her cry. But first she had to actually reach the settlement.

Skyla spent the whole morning with Heryniel, talking and even laughing at times. They didn't talk about the Rínpadad or what Skyla had seen, instead chatting about anything else that came to mind, random things. Heryniel introduced her to some of her friends who had previously been too shy to talk to the Lombax. But they quickly grew accustomed to her and revealed themselves to be slightly childish young women who laughed a lot. Usually, Skyla was easily irritated by giggly young girls (though there hadn't been many at the facility), but she allowed her irritation to pass this time and instead settled to enjoy their company.

Unfortunately, they proved to be quite stereotypical young girls and insisted on giving Skyla a makeover. The Lombax was somewhat horrified when they came to her with flowers and multicoloured ribbons and it was all Skyla could do not to flee into the forest. Heryniel just sat there and laughed as her friends attacked Skyla with their weapons of mass decoration. In all fairness, they did wash Skyla thoroughly and mend her clothes, which the Lombax was very grateful to them for. But when they started sewing ribbons into the hemming of her clothing and picking out flowers for her hair, Skyla started to get a little apprehensive. Alas, there was little she could do and Heryniel was refusing to translate her pleas for them to stop, so she could only sit helplessly as they showered her with flowers and ribbons. They brushed her hair thoroughly and weaved it into an intricate braid which they looped around her head, interwoven with a variety of flowers. They all giggled and chatted happily as they worked, Skyla completely oblivious to what they were saying unless Heryniel chose to translate the odd statement like 'Loth says you have lovely hair' or 'Silme wishes she had eyes as blue as yours'.

When they were finally done, they showed her her reflection in a kind of polished crystal. The Lombax took a moment to take herself in. She looked as if she was half animal, half plant from the amount of vegetation covering her body. Her clothes were lined with colourful petals and ribbons, and they looked almost as if they'd been made that way and weren't the clothing of a slave. A crown of flowers sat on her head in delicate shades of lavender and white, braided into her hair with nimble fingers. But Skyla didn't see any of that when she looked into the mirror, what she saw was an entirely different spectacle.

She saw a creature who had seen horrific things, a creature who had known grief from an early age. A creature who's past was a mess and whose future was clouded and uncertain. She saw every cut and bruise on her body, telling of the hard times she'd been through. She would have scars now, without a doubt. Yet most of all, she saw a creature at a cautious peace with themselves. That wasn't to suggest they liked what life had handed them, and it was fair enough to say they hated it...but they accepted it. And in her eyes, there was no longer the tormented, ignorant soul that had been caged for so many years, but a calm, knowing being, just beginning to leave her confinement. The healing process had begun.

"Skyla?" came a voice and the Lombax looked around. All the young Enyd were watching her expectantly and she realised she'd been staring at herself for a long time.

"You...like?" one of the girls asked her hesitantly, Loth, if she remembered correctly. Skyla glanced at herself again, looking beneath the flowers and colours and into her very being.

"Yes..." she murmured, "I like."

When it was publicly announced that Skyla was leaving, there was a general feeling of sadness all around. The Enyd had grown fond of their furry companion and weren't happy to see her go. Lhach and Beleg had volunteered to escort Skyla to the settlement and had arranged their ride and supplies.

All too soon, it was time to say goodbye.

Quite a crowd had gathered outside Heryn's dome to bid the Lombax farewell. She said goodbye to them all in their own tongue which they seemed to enjoy. One of the children shyly presented her with a bracelet made of woven grasses and lilac coloured flowers. Skyla slipped it on at once and gave the little Enyd a hug in gratitude. The little creature hugged her back and soon all the children were hugging her.

It was Heryn who finally intervened when they'd all had at least one embrace.

"Are you ready?" she asked the Lombax. Skyla nodded,

"Yes."

"Then farewell, Skyla the Lombax. May peace times be ahead for you and those you hold dear." Skyla bowed her head then looked up at the Enyd elder,

"Gen hannon, Heryn Naneth...for everything," Skyla said as strongly as she could. Heryn did not smile, but her eyes sparkled,

"You are welcome," she replied in the common tongue. Heryniel came forward next, smiling sadly at the Lombax.

"I am sorry you must go, Skyla. You will visit us?" she asked hopefully. Skyla nodded,

"Yes, the first chance I get," she told her truthfully. Even in the short time she'd known the Enyd, she felt a friendship with her and would be true to her word, she would return one day, when she was a true, free creature. The two girls embraced fiercely.

"We will miss you," Heryniel whispered to her.

"And I, you," Skyla replied, squeezing the girl ever so slightly. They drew apart and Heryniel glanced at Lhach and Beleg, saying something to them in their tongue. The two men nodded solemnly.

The Medisalch turned out to be the 6-legged deer Skyla had seen when she first arrived. Some of them had been tamed and were used as mounts on long hunts and far reaching journeys. There were two of them waiting tethered for Skyla and the two Ohtar. Lhach helped Skyla onto one of them before swinging up in front of her. The creatures were female, obviously, as they had no antlers. Skyla figured it would be hard to ride a male with full grown antlers sticking out at you. They wore a kind of saddle made from thick plant leaves with thin reins travelling from their mouth to the rider. A pouch hung down the side of the one Beleg rode, containing the supplies they'd be needing for the day journey.

Skyla turned to wave goodbye to the Enyd as they began to move off. The children ran after them, waving and laughing and shouting good bye in their language. They stopped when they reached the edge of the village and simply stood waving enthusiastically. Skyla watched as they began to disappear behind the trees of the forest and her heart fluttered slightly. For some reason, she got the strangest feeling of dread, waving goodbye to the Enyd, as if she would never see them again. She shook her head violently, those thoughts were taboo. She would see them again, one day.

But nothing could erase the uneasiness that settled in her heart as she journeyed further and further away from the creatures who had shown her the greatest kindness, and deeper into the unknown.

Once they were a decent distance from the village, Beleg and Lhach broke into a faster pace, setting their steeds to a steady canter through the undergrowth. When this first happened, Skyla had been surprised at the increase in speed and instinctively gripped Lhach's shoulder's tighter. He laughed and called something to Beleg who also laughed and pulled alongside them. He grinned at Skyla,

"You like...fast?" he asked in a halting manner. The Lombax nodded giddily, not knowing how else to answer. Beleg and Lhach shared a glance and Skyla just had time to wish she hadn't nodded when they whooped and egged their mounts into a faster pace.

The forest whipped past Skyla as they galloped through the trees, leaping over fallen logs and bounding over low-lying shrubs. It took a while for Skyla to grow accustomed to their speed and a little longer for her hands to loosen their grip on Lhach's shoulders.

They travelled for a long time at that pace before slowing to their original canter for the rest of the day. The Medisalch had good stamina, it appeared, as the creatures did not seem at all phased by the long distance they were running. Eventually, when it was nearing nightfall and getting hard to see in front of them, they stopped for the night.

When Lhach helped Skyla down to the ground, she nearly collapsed as her legs groaned in pain. She'd never ridden before and her limbs were complaining whole-heartedly about the experience. She tried to sit down but Beleg gestured for her not to do that. He mimed walking about and she understood. It was painful, but after a few minutes of walking the pain had died considerably.

The Ohtar set about making a rough camp, tethering the Medisalch a few metres from their position and removing their supplies for the evening meal. There was no fire but the weather was mild enough so Skyla made do with a blanket Lhach handed her. The men spoke very little of her language so she understood practically nothing of their conversation, but found them nevertheless good company. They were very amusing to watch, and Skyla quite happily spent the evening studying their interactions which were very animated (for her sake, she guessed) and humorous. They over exaggerated their facial expressions and gestures while they chatted good naturedly (at least, that's what Skyla gathered).

From what the Lombax could pick up, they were very typically male as she caught several words she recognised, like Heryniel, Loth, Silme and the Heryn in general. Girls, basically. Lhach seemed to be teasing Beleg about the females, while Beleg always retorted with pointed questions about Lhach and Heryniel which always made him blush. Skyla even laughed every now and again at their expressions of shock at something the other had said. Before she went to sleep, Skyla stripped herself of all trace of flowers and ribbons. Although she was grateful for the Enyd's...administrations, she knew they were not at all practical for her near future. The only thing she kept was the bracelet, while the rest was set aside to biodegrade naturally. Lhach and Beleg seemed to understand what she was doing, prompting Lhach to make a comment about one of the Enyd girls which had Beleg hitting him around the head.

They slept under the trees without a cover that night, as it was the Enyd way. Skyla was given a blanket to sleep on and another to use as a cover. To her surprise, the one she lay on was made of a kind of spongy natural material that was actually rather comfortable.

The next morning, they had a brief breakfast, cleared their camp, fed the Medisalch and were off again. Skyla's leg muscles ached from their ride but she refused to give in and forced herself to get back onto the Medisalch. They resumed their pace from yesterday, and Skyla found herself enjoying it a lot more as she'd grown increasingly accustomed to it. Her hair whipped behind her with the speed and she felt a rush of adrenalin as she raised her hands into the air at one point (not too high, though), feeling the wind rush through her fur. It felt delicious.

Just as Heryn had said, they arrived at the settlement late in the morning and they came to a halt a short distance away. Lhach pointed with a finger through the trees,

"There," he said. Skyla peered around him and looked to where he was pointing. She could just make out the start of a clearing and what was definitely a building of some sort. They dismounted and tied their mounts up before approaching the clearing on foot.

As they neared it, Skyla suddenly got an increasing sense of dread with each step they took and her animal instincts seemed to flare. They were just near the tree line when she stopped, pulling Lhach back from where he'd been about to walk out. He gave her an odd look but she put a finger to her lips, her senses tingling uneasily. The Ohtar's eyes narrowed slightly but he withdrew obligingly and let her go in front, staying with Beleg in the shelter of the trees. Skyla crept behind the tree furthest into the clearing which had a large shrub conveniently placed beside it. She half crouched on the ground and peered between the gaps in the vegetation.

The settlement stood before her, no more than a simple building, one storey high and not that big. It was made of metal and had several dishes on its roof along with a tall pointed thing Skyla took to be an aerial. It had technology, that was certain. But what else did it have. She waited, eyes narrowed slightly. It all seemed so quiet. Too quiet.

She couldn't see the entrance from where she was, but thought she saw movement just around it. Her heart began to pound violently and her throat dried as the movement became more pronounced. An unmistakeable figure stepped out of the building, standing just to the side, barely 30 metres from her position but right in her line of sight. It was a Snivelakian in recognisable uniform, a guard from the facility. Her heart froze in realisation.

Baen had beaten her to the settlement.

Baen had found her.

Skyla pulled back sharply behind the tree, had he seen her? No, he'd been facing the other way. She crept back to Lhach and Beleg as quick as she could. She began pointing and making subtle gestures that they should move back into the forest when all of a sudden, Beleg gave a great cry and collapsed to the ground. Skyla jumped and instinctively took up a defensive position, eyes raking their surroundings for any sign of an attacker. But there wasn't one. She glanced down at the Ohtar. There was no sign of an injury on him, no visible reason for his outcry. Shouts from behind told her the Snivelakian had heard them. They'd be caught any minute now if they didn't take shelter.

Lhach was on the ground with Beleg, cradling his friend gently. The two were murmuring very fast in their own tongue and though Skyla had no idea what they were saying, fear began to pool in her stomach at their tone. Something was wrong. Very, wrong. The sounds of footsteps rapidly coming towards them spurred her into action. They had to run – now.

Skyla tapped Lhach on the shoulder, desperately gesturing the oncoming creatures and indicating they should retreat into the forest. Lhach looked to be in shock but nodded and pointed at Beleg's legs. Understanding, Skyla scooped up the Ohtar's feet and helped Lhach move him back into the cover of the trees. The Lombaxes large ears picked up the sounds of the guards entering the forest and heard one of them call orders to spread out. There was more than one of them. The trio hurried away, seeking shelter as they did, anywhere they could hide.

Skyla's heart skipped a beat as she heard the guards crashing through the woodlands. They had perhaps seconds. Spotting a large clump of shrubs she gestured madly with her head towards it. Lhach followed her gaze and they headed straight for it, crawling under the branches and dragging the incapacitated Ohtar with them. The hiding place was very weak and it wouldn't take much for them to be found, but as the sounds of footsteps began to echo all around, they had no choice but to stay. Ears bolt upright, Skyla lay on her stomach, peering through the leaves as she endeavoured to hear or see the whereabouts of their pursuers. Hearing no-one in the immediate vicinity, she risked a glance back at the Ohtar.

Beleg was breathing heavily and looked to be in a great deal of pain. His eyes were screwed shut in silent anguish and he was whispering fiercely to Lhach, voice slightly strained as if it was an effort to talk. Lhach's voice was hoarse as he murmured questions and Skyla saw tears begin to drip down his face, one by one. Utterly confused and out of her depth, Skyla moved over to them. She studied Beleg carefully. He bore no sign of physical harm, but he was in such obvious pain that he had to be suffering somehow. Maybe it was a mental pain, but how would that work? Then again, she knew next to nothing about the Enyd and their anatomy. She looked at Lhach, brow knotted in distressed confusion. She didn't know what was going on, so therefore could not help. Lhach blinked back tears and pointed to his friend.

"Sister, dead," he muttered thickly and Skyla's heart plummeted, "he dead...soon."

"How?" Skyla whispered. Beleg muttered something and his voice cracked with emotion, tears beginning to fall unchecked down his own face.

"Enyd...attack," Lhach told her. Skyla's heart hit the bottom of what felt like a very deep pit.

"Who?" she croaked, but she already knew the answer.

"Bad...men. With guns. Attack Enyd, now," Lhach replied.

"They're under attack now?" Skyla exclaimed, then clamped her mouth shut, that was perhaps too loud. Lhach nodded slightly,

"Attack now. Soon, all die." Skyla blinked rapidly, this couldn't be happening. The Enyd were under attack...from Baen? How was that possible? Had he found out where she was? But she wasn't there anymore. And they were a day away from the Enyd, so there was nothing they could do to help.

Lhach reached out a hand and placed it over Beleg's heart.

"Nin gwanur," he said solemnly and Beleg's lips twitched into a weak smile. His breaths were becoming shorter and shorter with each passing second.

"Nin gwanur," the other Ohtar echoed feebly and coughed. Though he tried to keep it quiet, Skyla sensed they'd been heard. And she whirled around as footsteps approached their hiding place. She crouched low, positioning herself so she was ready to attack whoever it was and at least protect the Ohtar. Through the branches, she saw two thick legs stop beside the bush and the figure leaned forward to part the vegetation. Skyla looked up, readying to jump. Then she paused.

It was Grignak.

The Reaper stared at her, surprise momentarily reflecting on his features as he registered her presence. His eyes flicked to the two Ohtar and then back to Skyla. The Lombax simply looked at him, waiting for him to move. She didn't know why, but she was going to let Grignak decide what happened right now. He could call out, turn them in, or...what?

For a moment, the Reaper and the Lombax just looked at one another. Grignak's face remained as impassive as ever, and Skyla gazed solemnly back, displaying no fear, merely a curiosity to what he would do.

"Grignak?" called a voice from behind the Reaper. There was more movement. Skyla refused to blink as she continued to meets the guard's yellow eyes. All of a sudden, Grignak pulled away, letting the bushes fall back into place naturally. Skyla remained frozen to the spot as he moved away.

"Grignak," the voice again and Skyla could just see another pair of legs through the leaves belonging to another guard, barely five metres from her position, "did you find anything?" Skyla's breath caught in her throat and she felt the air seem to tense around her as she waited for his answer.

"No," the Reaper replied simply and moved off, closely followed by the other guard. Seconds ticked by one by one and silence descended over the forest once again as the guards fell back to the settlement. Grignak had let them go. They were safe, for now.

Skyla turned back to the Ohtar and her heart stopped for a few seconds. Beleg was lying on the ground, no longer moving...no longer breathing. Lhach was weeping uncontrollably by his friend, holding his hand and grasping it tightly, whispering words in their own language that sounded like a prayer. The Lombax looked on the Ohtar who appeared to be sleeping, a smile still hanging around his lips. But already there was an emptiness about him that told anyone he would never wake again. Not knowing what else to do, Skyla put an arm around the mourning Ohtar, offering whatever comfort she could as another being to share in his loss. She may not have known the man long, but she had liked Beleg a lot...yet she still didn't understand why he was suddenly lying lifeless on the ground.

Her senses were still on high alert as they were still too close to the guards for her liking. They had to move, and soon. She squeezed Lhach's shoulder gently and he looked up at her, tears streaming down his face. He must have seen the confusion and urgency in her eyes as he nodded.

Together, they crawled out from the bushes, pulling the limp Ohtar with them. Picking him up as they had done before, they hurried back to where the Medisalch were tethered and waiting, having been undiscovered by the guards. They lay Beleg on the ground gently and Lhach sat down with him, alongside his friend. Skyla glanced towards the settlement, and then the direction the Enyd village lay. What now? She glanced at Lhach who was staring at Beleg.

"Lhach?" Skyla murmured and when he looked up at her with empty eyes, a cold feeling washed over her as if she was looking at a creature with nothing left to live for, a creature who had lost everything. The Lombax shrugged her shoulders helplessly as if to say, what now? She didn't want to be rude or disrespectful to Lhach, but she was honestly clueless what to do. She still needed to reach the settlement, but if the Enyd were in trouble...

Lhach shook his head as if reading her thoughts and stood up. He pointed to her and then to the settlement.

"You...go," he said in a shaky voice. The Lombax's eyes widened,

"What? No! I'm not leaving you," she said firmly, pointing to the ground for emphasis. Lhach shook his head again and pointed once more to the settlement.

"You go. Find way...find help, you," he spoke very haltingly, but Skyla understood well enough. She shook her head,

"No. I'm staying here."

"You go or he die...nothing. Nothing more. Enyd die, nothing more. You go," Lhach told her. Skyla's brow knotted,

"I...don't understand," she said weakly, "I want to help. The Enyd are in trouble, I want to help." Lhach looked at her sadly,

"Enyd no need help. Enyd die. All."

"How?" Skyla cried, desperately confused. What was he saying? That the Enyd were all dead? How?

"No know. Not live more longer. Some flee. Not live long. Me die soon," the Ohtar said sorrowfully. Skyla's eyes shot up in surprise,

"You're dying? How? I don't understand," she repeated in a frustrated manner, feeling much like a child who struggles to comprehend death. Lhach tapped his head,

"Enyd brother, sister," he held up his hands and then linked his fingers together, joining his hands, "one. When brother die," he let one hand fall, "sister die," he let the other hand fall. He pointed to Beleg,

"Sister die, he die," then he pointed to himself, "sister nearly die, me die soon." Comprehension began to dawn on the Lombax. Somehow, Enyd twins were connected, so when one died, the other did to. Skyla looked desperately at Lhach, now knowing she was looking on a creature to whom death was close to calling.

"I want to help, how can I help?" she asked. Lhach pointed once again to the settlement,

"You go. Remember Enyd." He began untying one of the Medisalch and handed the reins to her. Skyla took them automatically, looking from Lhach to the creature to Beleg to the settlement.

"I don't want to leave you," she whispered, feeling tears begin to form behind her eyes. She blinked them back furiously. Lhach smiled gently, then quite without warning, hugged her.

"You Heryniel friend, my friend," he whispered into her ear, "thank you, Skyla Lombax." Skyla froze in realisation, Heryniel was dead too. Suddenly, a wave of grief washed over the Lombax and she hugged the Ohtar fiercely, forcing herself not to cry. Heryniel, her friend, was dead. Was there no-one she could meet and call friend who would live longer than her?

After a moment, they drew apart, Skyla choking on her own emotions. Lhach looked at her sadly and squeezed her hand that held the reins.

"Take Aesuithiel. She fine Medisalch. Will carry well," he told her, gesturing the creature. With that, he began to lift Beleg's body and set him on the other mount.

"I go bury, far way. Then die. Peace," he said as a way of explanation. He swung up onto the Medisalch's back, though Skyla could see the movement was a strain on him. He looked down at her and she saw sweat beading on his brow. He was dying, and he knew it.

"Good bye, Skyla Lombax," he said, voice shaking only slightly. Skyla bowed her head, hiding her face as a single tear escaped her eye. She swept it away and looked up at the green skinned man.

"Navaer, Lhach en Ohtar," she said, using the few words Heryniel had taught her of the Enyd tongue. Lhach smiled gently, though his eyes were half closed. He turned his steed around and began moving off into the forest. All too soon, he was gone. Skyla was alone once again.