18

(Historian's Note: One month after arrival on Terra.)

Craig and Saa'an were settling in to their life as a married couple on Terra. Saa'an attracted attention wherever she went, mostly because of the similarity in appearance to her now famous mother, and also due to the increase in information searches about the Mûr Tua'ansa people. More of her people had started to make the trip to Terra, though at first it was mostly those in academic, scientific, and business circles. Ami'an was also drawing attention after it was somehow leaked that she was a noble. The Sol Federation Secretary of State's office in Geneva, Switzerland, at first insisted on providing security for Ami'an, but after an impromptu demonstration of natural abilities by both Ami'an and Saa'an, and with respect for Ami'an wanting to keep as low a profile as possible, the government relented and did not force the issue.

There was another event that drew the most attention at the time: the return of the long-range scout ship, S.F.S. Nightwing, SLG-78, the I.E.S. Chel-Sar Se'nika of the Mûr Tua'ansa Star Empire, and…the open arrival of Naoia Anen-su'ena, as a representative of the near mythical First Ones. Her vessel, the huge living, bio-mechanical wolf ship that called herself Char'ena, proved to be an awe-inspiring (and to some, a frightening) wonder. While Naoia took the public eye, another First One, A'amahi Afer-ael'ena, walked the world of Terra using her abilities to keep herself hidden from the minds of others, to learn how the Terrans (and others either visiting or living on Terra) reacted to learning the First Ones did exist and were once again openly walking the galaxy.

While the population of Terra—and the Sol Federation of Worlds at large—were busy chattering about other events, Craig, Saa'an, and Ami'an quietly fulfilled Jaa'an's request and headed to Alaska to visit “The Place", as the glade was often called. They checked into their hotel near the little starport in Fairbanks. The short autumn had brought much cooler temperatures, and would be rapidly transitioning into the long, dark winter season, necessitating the three to wear appropriate warm clothing. Arrangements had been made in advance for visiting the glade, though they spent their first few days seeing the local sights. Saa'an and Ami'an were amazed by what they saw, for despite all of the modern conveniences of twenty-sixth century Terra, the people in Alaska stubbornly held to their traditional roots. Change came ever so slowly, if at all, to the ancient land and those who called it home.

Craig, Saa'an, and Ami'an took a pod on the mag-lev rail that ran parallel to the old Dalton Highway, which, perhaps not too surprisingly, was still in use by ground vehicles. The five-hundred-plus year-old road still followed the terrain as it had originally, though one concession had been made when a group of Thabbani builders offered to pave it in such a way that it would preserve the natural ruggedness of the corridor—and most importantly—it would last much longer than an ancient Roman road and not harm the environment.

When they approached the Hess Creek Spur, the pod slowed and switched over to it, and then came to a smooth stop.

“Well, here we are," Craig said, looking out the window at the wilderness terrain.

They were the only three in their rail pod that were getting off at this stop, the remaining passengers were traveling on to points further north. Shouldering their packs, for they would be spending the next two nights at the Gelfheim Lodge, Craig, Saa'an, and Ami'an stepped out onto the platform and into the chill autumn air. The door quietly hissed shut, and the rail pod continued its way north. Other than the temperature, the first thing that settled on the three was the silence, followed by the heady scents of the forest.

“It is so…quiet…here," Saa'an remarked, looking around in no small amount of wonder at what she saw. The vibrant colors of the birch trees in their fall plumage, and the darker greens of the pines and spruce were all about. To the south, the sun was lower in the sky than it was when they were in Chicago suburbs, even though it was still early afternoon.

“This is nothing like home, is it, Saa'an?" Ami'an asked as she, too, looked about and marveled at—to her—the distinct alieness of her surroundings.

“No, it is definitely not," Saa'an agreed.

“Well, c'mon, I think our ride is waiting for us down below," Craig urged, looking over the platform's handrail.

They descended the two long flights of stairs down to the ground, where there was a grav vehicle waiting that bore the logo of the Gelfheim Lodge.

“Hi, you Nicolini?" the skunk G.E.L.F. male, who was leaning against the vehicle, asked.

“Yeah, I'm Craig, and this is my wife, Ilen-Saa'an and our friend, Tsel-Ami'an," Craig said making the introductions.

“Nice to meet you folks. I'm Tommy, I'll be taking you to the lodge." Once they got their packs stowed in the cargo compartment and got into the vehicle, Tommy asked, “You folks visiting anyone up here?"

“Uh, no, we came to visit The Place. My mother-in-law had been here, and she insisted that we come, too," Craig replied.

“Oh, okay. Um, is she by chance…" Tommy started to ask.

“Ilen-Jaa'an, the model for Tend Interstellar?" Craig finished the sentence for him.

“Yeah, her."

“Yep, she's my shen-ma'en—it means about the same thing in our language as 'mother-in-law'," Craig said.

“Okay. I remember when she came here. It was a bit of a surprise, but she seemed like a nice lady for being famous and all," Tommy said, glancing up to look back in the rear-view mirror.

Their driver said little else during the short drive to the lodge, though Saa'an and Ami'an were too busy looking out the windows at the scenery. Since their eyes saw into the infrared and ultraviolet parts of the visible light spectrum, they were able to see a lot more than Craig, who could only see the trees.

The lodge was a single-story building that from the outside, and appeared as rustic as the other buildings in the area that were partially visible through the trees. Tommy pulled up to the front of the lodge and parked the vehicle.

“I'll get your bags, just go on in—the desk is to the left," he said, opening the driver's door.

Craig, Saa'an, and Ami'an thanked Tommy for bringing them from the rail line and then headed inside. The interior of the lobby was decorated with typical embellishments found locally, though the one thing that stood out was the large fireplace—with a real fire burning in it. There were comfortable-looking over-stuffed chairs around a large area rug on the floor, and a fair number of carefully preserved old 2D photos on the walls. Between the front desk and the lounge area was a hallway leading to the individual rooms for guests. Tommy came in with their packs and set them down by the counter.

“You folks have a nice stay. Hope you'll find what you're looking for," Tommy said just before he left.

“Thanks," Craig said, giving him a little wave.

Saa'an, out of habit, walked up to the desk ahead of Craig, though when he stood beside her, he reached for the antique bell and tapped it. A middle-aged arctic fox G.E.L.F. female a came out from the office.

“Hi, I'm Craig, Nicolini, I have a reservation for three," he quickly announced before Saa'an could.

“Ah, yes, just a moment," the fox said, and looked up the booking on the terminal. “I have you in adjoining rooms, numbers nine and eleven." The fox reached to the wall behind her and removed two metal objects, each were fastened to a ring that had a tag with a number engraved, which had been hanging on small hooks with several others all in numerical sequence. “Here are your room keys, she said, handing the metal object to Craig, along with an area map and a brochure. “There's a menu in the room for room service, if you want to eat in, though the mead hall serves breakfast between six and ten in the morning, lunch from ten-thirty to two-thirty in the afternoon, and supper from five to eleven in the evening. Drinks and snacks are served from lunch until close at midnight. Oh, and the light switches are just inside the door." Seeing the confused look on her customer's faces, the fox added, “You won't find any automation here in Gelfheim…we keep everything as it was back in the early part of the twenty-first century. We're on the Historical Registry."

“Oh, okay, I guess that explains a lot. Um, were you able to get the longer beds that I requested?"

“Sure, they should be amply comfortable. If you need anything while you're here, feel free to ask and we'll do the best we can…within certain constraints, of course," the fox replied cheerfully.

Craig thanked the fox and shouldered his pack, prompting Saa'an and Ami'an to do the same. They went down the hallway and found their rooms.

“Geez, these things are antiques," Craig commented as he examined his key before inserting it into the lock.

“This reminds me of the lodging we spent the overday hours in while we were in nas-Erlas'en," Ami'an said when she entered the room. “Not the same, though a similar feel."

“I agree, there is a primitiveness to it that is in keeping with the land about us," Saa'an said.

Craig opened the door that was between the two rooms, only to find another door on the other side with no latch mechanism on his side.

“I guess you'll have to go around and open it on your side, Ami'an."

“There is a much easier way," she chuckled.

In a blink of the eye, and the faint sound of air rushing in to fill the void where Ami'an had been standing, she teleported herself into the other room. Shortly, the other door opened, revealing Ami'an who had a sly grin on her face.

“You of all should know that doors are no match for us."

Craig stuck his tongue out at Ami'an and said, “Show off!"

With a yawn, Saa'an sent, “I think I will take a nap. Having to be awake during the overday hours is annoying, though I am trying to get used to it."

“Even with so much to see and experience in the short time we will be here, I must agree with you, my friend. It is difficult to overcome millions of sun-cycles of our evolution in the time we have been here on Craig's world," Ami'an agreed. “And what of you, Craig?"

“Between having been on Mûr Zhæn for the past five years and having to do everything at night there, the three-week trip back home, and the time difference, yeah, I think I'll crash for a bit, too," Craig said. “It's going to take me awhile to get back into the swing of things again now that I'm back home."

A short while later, Saa'an sent privately to Craig, “It is a good thing the proprietors where able to provide a large enough bed. One your size would have been much too small for me."

“Yeah, well, we do have some tall folks," Craig sent back with a smirk.

“So I have noticed," Saa'an sent with a little smile. After a moment she added, “And speaking of noticing, our little one has noticed your nearness, beloved; you should reach to her."

Craig smiled—the idea that the developing consciousness of their unborn child could sense them, and they her, was still a weird thing to him, though considering that Saa'an's people were natural telepaths (and many other living things on her world also had some sort of mind that could communicate or at least sense others), it wasn't surprising.

* * * * *

Ami'an took off her boots and sat on the side of the bed in her room for a little while with her eyes closed. She wanted to get a “feel" of her surroundings by opening her senses and letting her mind touch whatever there was special about the area they were in. There was little in the way of noise, since they were far away any sizeable concentration of people. Eventually, as she relaxed further and further, Ami'an heard what must have been birds, and she heard the horn-like call of some animal or another off in the distance. There was a light breeze, so Ami'an focused on the sound it made as it passed through the trees. She found the whispering sound pleasant and quite relaxing, but then…she heard…something. It was soft and subtle, like a faint voice carried on the breeze. Ami'an searched for the source of the voice, and the closer she felt that she was coming to it, the more it sounded like multiple voices…whispering…and then they stopped. Ami'an called out to the voices she heard in the distance, “Hello?" She had remembered to use Terran Standard English instead of her native Tu'an. After a few more tries, Ami'an grew disappointed. “Perhaps they do not wish for me to intrude," she thought, and she started to pull away, but then she sensed something approach. Whatever it was, it was not human, nor anything else that she had ever sensed before. A ghostly image slowly resolved itself, taking the shape of a four-footed animal that sat and stared at her. Ami'an thought she had seen something similar before, but…where?

And then the ghostly apparition spoke to her.

“You not from here."

Ami'an was startled, but then quickly sent, “No, I am not, I come from…a very faraway place."

“We know. You stranger, not like others."

“Yes, but I was told to come," Ami'an sent.

The apparition cocked its head slightly to one side.

“Why?"

“To learn."

The apparition turned its head to look back for a moment as if listening to someone else. When it turned its face back towards Ami'an, its eyes came into sharp clarity, glowing with an inner light, and Ami'an felt a sudden chill course through her body.

She had seen eyes like those before…at the Temple of Hfa-Raleen.

“Sunset tomorrow. Come," the apparition said, and then it stood up, turned around and trotted away, fading into the distance.

Ami'an's eyes popped wide open.

“By the All-Mother…" she whispered to herself.

* * * * *

Saa'an and Craig slept peacefully together until the alarm went off, which Craig had thought to set before they took their nap. It was nearly time for dinner to be served, so they woke Ami'an and got ready to go over to the Gelfheim Mead Hall. It wasn't far away, according to the map they had been given, so they elected to walk. Along the way, Ami'an told Saa'an and Craig about the experience she had.

“Geezers, Ami'an, if anyone other than one of you two had said that, I'd have thought they were yanking my chain. I've heard stories about that glade, but I wasn't sure if I really believed that stuff about spirits and such talking to people. I know the native folks around here consider it a sacred place, and by law nobody can do anything that would desecrate it."

“As it should be for such a place. Sacred places should be respected, even if someone else not a part of the culture does not believe," Ami'an sent.

“Yeah, I understand that, it's just…there's something about that particular glade that doesn't care who you are, where you're from, or what you believe in, just as long as you follow its rules when you're there. I think it says something on that brochure we were given about it," Craig said.

“Ami'an, you should take more care—we have not forgotten what happen to you when we entered nas-Erlas'en," Saa'an sent. “Something similar might happen to you here."

Ami'an let out a little sigh, and sent, “As I am reminded."

“Well, there isn't anything on Terra quite like on Mûr Zhæn, as far as I know, but who knows how whatever there is about that glade might affect either one of you," Craig said. “I think both of you ought to be careful."

“We will try not to get too caught up in the experience," Saa'an sent humorously.

“Yeah, famous last words…"

Craig, Saa'an, and Ami'an entered the Gelfheim Mead Hall, and as most tourists, they looked at all of the photos on the walls before being seated. The Mead Hall was a wood log structure that had been carefully preserved and maintained since it was built back in the year 2015, and there was a lot of history behind the five-hundred-three-year-old building. They started with the most recent photos and worked their way backwards to the earliest. Ami'an found some that were of interest to the three of them.

“Saa'an, Craig…come see these," Ami'an sent to her friends.

She had found the photos taken of the time when Nightwing had landed in the open area near the mead hall.

“Geez, they actually landed her here?" Craig asked somewhat in awe.

“That was one of the ships that escorted us, yes?" Saa'an asked.

“Yeah, I wonder what it took to get permission to do that," Craig said.

“My cousin's uncle is the admiral who was in charge of the scout ships at the time," a woman answered from behind them.

When they turned around, they saw a woman that appeared to be in her thirties, and looked human, though her amber eyes and hair the color of wolf fur gave away her ancestry to Craig.

“Hi, I'm Cerri," she greeted Craig.

“Um, hi, I'm Craig, and this is my wife, Ilen-Saa'an, and our friend, Tsel-Ami'an," Craig said, making the introductions.

“Pleased to meet you folks. Do you know my cousin, James? He's the skipper of Nightwing," Cerri asked.

“Sort of, we met him and his crew back on Mûr Zhæn, that's where they're from," Craig said, indicating Saa'an and Ami'an. “His was one of the ships escorting our ship back after my parent's tour of duty at the embassy there was done."

“Oh, yeah, he said something about that when they got home, the Summer Wind, I think it was," Cerri said with a slight smile.

“Yeah, that's it. So, when did he land his ship here?" Craig asked.

“Oh, that was after their shakedown cruise just after her commissioning," Cerri replied looking past Craig at the photo. “It was quite a thing, seeing her up close for the first time. I'm sure James would have brought her here again, but after such a long mission, she's in the shipyard going through an overhaul."

“How long were they gone?" Craig asked.

“Five and a half years, give or take a little."

“Geezers, that's about how long we…I mean, I've been gone. We got here a month ago," Craig commented.

“These images, they are of those who live here?" Saa'an asked.

“Oh…you're a telepath!" Cerri quietly exclaimed.

“Yes, all of our people have skills in the Mental Disciplines," Saa'an sent.

“That's interesting. Well, to answer your question, yes, most of those you see in these photos are either our kin or friends. Over twenty generations of us have called this little neck of the wilds 'home'. So, what brings you folks here?" Cerri asked.

“My Honored Mother has visited the…'glade'…I believe it is called in your language. She insisted that we come here as well," Saa'an replied. “Perhaps you may have seen her…?"

Cerri looked directly into Saa'an's eyes, and Saa'an felt a little uncomfortable for a reason she could not think of. Perhaps it was Cerri's amber eyes, or the faint glow of reflected light caught in within them, hinting at something ancient, primal.

“As a matter of fact, I have," Cerri said after a moment, softening the intensity of her gaze. “It's not often that we have visitors from other worlds here, though, occasionally, they do come. Your mother was here, with your father, and there was a Keori lady with them as well. The Keori are such wonderful people, very sensitive to certain things…" Cerri turned to look at Ami'an and then continued, “…as you are, I believe. Tomorrow evening, at sunset, we'll meet again. Enjoy your meal…the special tonight is really quite good."

Cerri smiled softly and walked gracefully towards the establishment's front door and disappeared through them. Craig, Saa'an, and Ami'an exchanged bewildered looks.

“How did that female know?" Ami'an asked her friends privately.

“Mother did not mention meeting anyone by that name when she was here," Saa'an said, giving her tail a twitch.

“Your mom meets a lot of people, babe, I'm sure she probably just didn't think of it, or else maybe that gal just saw your mom and recognized her from a magazine or something," Craig suggested.

Saa'an thought on that a moment, and sent, “I suppose that could be so."

“I guess we might as well get a table," Craig said, prodding Saa'an and Ami'an.

“We should, I think; after all, we did come here to eat," Ami'an sent with a humorous tone to her sending.

While they sat and waited on their food, other customers came in—mostly local folk, from the way they were dressed. Saa'an and Ami'an were amazed by the diversity of the people who came in to eat—humans and 'near humans', and a variety of G.E.L.F.s of different species. There were a large number of wolf, skunk, and cat G.E.L.F.s, who all seemed (to Saa'an and Ami'an) bizarrely related to one another by the way they talked and acted. There were others, too—coyotes, foxes, equines, lynx, martens, and even a couple of bears.

“Not even in my mother's cousin's eatery have I seen this many different kinds of people in one place!" Ami'an remarked.

“Don't forget when we were at the Chicago Starport," Craig reminded his friend.

“Ah, but those people were all on their way to or from places…these are all here, and seem to know one another," Ami'an sent, watching the growing crowd of people.

“Well, I suppose so, I think most live around here," Craig observed.

They were getting no few glances in their direction from the other customers, but that was likely due to Saa'an and Ami'an being the only two aliens present, and their unique appearance was rather attention getting.

“I believe I understand, now, how you felt on our world, beloved," Saa'an sent to Craig, noticing the frequent, though casual, looks she and Ami'an were getting. She could tell that there was only a general curiosity felt among the other customers.

Midway through their meal, many of the other customers, including the servers, all cheered and either raised their glasses or waved when another group entered the mead hall. Craig recognized them as some of the crew of the scout ship that had escorted the diplomatic transport that brought them to Terra, and so did Saa'an and Ami'an.

“Is that not the pilot of the black ship?" Saa'an asked.

“Uh, yeah, that's him," Craig agreed, looking over his shoulder towards the front just long enough to get a good look.

The ship's captain went around and shook hands, touched, or hugged many of the people…even giving a few of the ladies a smooch on the cheek, which prompted a round or two of joyous laughter or an “aww" from the crowd.

“I have not seen such a…what is your word for it…ah, 'gregarious' lot," Saa'an commented watching all in amazement.

“They're likely relatives of his, babe. I'm sure he doesn't get to see much of his family very often, since he commands a long-range scout ship," Craig said, turning back to concentrate on eating.

After the remains of their main course was whisked away, it was time for dessert. Craig ordered a piece of pie made with local berries, Ami'an ordered a piece of coconut cream pie, and Saa'an ordered a peach cobbler. Neither Ami'an or Saa'an had any idea what they were about to eat, though Ami'an had brought along a small food scanner so that they were sure what they had ordered would be safe for them to eat. Craig had also ordered, for the three of them, a small glass of mead.

“This is pretty good," he commented after taking a sip. It had been awhile since he had any alcohol, so he drank his slowly. It was strong enough that by the time he was halfway through his glass, his face was already starting to get a little numb.

“It certainly is sweet," Saa'an remarked as she took a drink.

“That's because it's made from fermented honey," Craig said with a smile.

Ami'an pulled out her pocket translator/dictionary and looked it up.

“This says it has…'alcohol', and that is…," she said thumbing through the index.

“Uh, that won't do anything weird to you, will it?" Craig asked, thinking that he should have thought about that beforehand.

“Ah, no, there is nothing to worry about, my friend. We do not metabolize the substance, so it will not have any odd effects on us," Ami'an said, putting the device away.

“You mean, you can't get drunk?" Craig asked somewhat surprised.

“From this…no, though there is a fruit on our homeworld that I believe has a similar effect on us," Ami'an replied, grinning slightly. “You have had some, as I recall."

“I did?"

“Asa'an gave you some one time. Do you not remember eating jhi'ani fruit?" Ami'an asked, raising an eyebrow.

“What did it look like?"

After Ami'an described it, Craig said, “Yeah, I kinda remember it. Wasn't bad, I suppose."

“Did you feel any different afterwards?"

“I don't think so. The next evening after I got up, something I ate the night before sure cleaned me out, though," Craig said, recalling the time.

“Then it had no other effect on you, yes?" Ami'an asked.

“Not that I could tell at the time, no."

“Then for Saa'an and I to drink this will likely have no effect on us. It does have a rather nice flavor…"

After dinner, Craig, Saa'an, and Ami'an took a walk around the area. It was already dark, and the air was chilly, but the sky was clear that night. Overhead, they could see the aurora borealis, or northern lights—a ribbon of shifting green light tinged here and there with pinkish shades. Saa'an held Craig against her as they both stood there admiring the natural lightshow together with Ami'an.

“It is much more pronounced here on your world, beloved," Saa'an commented.

“Maybe it's because we're closer to our sun than Mûr Zhæn is to its own," Craig suggested.

“Perhaps so," Saa'an agreed.

A few minutes later, they heard haunting voices howling—first one, then others joined in, some near and some farther away.

“Wolves…," Craig said, “…and I think some of the G.E.L.F.s are joining in with them."

Saa'an and Ami'an listened carefully, and found they could hear that some of the voices were more melodious, though they all blended together in a harmony that was as old as the land itself. If they knew the truth of it, similar songs had been heard for ages beyond count out among the stars. Even though there were no words that they could discern, the howling song “spoke" of communion and kinship, and the simple joy of being alive. Saa'an and Ami'an found the alien howling beautiful, and they made it a part of their memories that they would eventually take back to their distant world and share with their own kinfolk. The howling eventually ended, as it had begun, gradually fading away among the trees and hills.

A short while afterwards, while Craig, Saa'an, and Ami'an continued their walk, they met the local wolf pack. These were not of the normal sort, being somewhat larger, longer lived, and far more intelligent, for they were some of the descendants of the original wolves of over five hundred years earlier who had been a part of the original G.E.L.F. Project. The pack walked casually among the other people of the area, having long been accepted as family, friends, and neighbors, as their own ancestors had for many generations. When they were about to cross paths with Craig, Saa'an, and Ami'an, the wolves stopped to look at the strange visitors.

“Hello," Saa'an heard in her head, a voice like none she had ever heard before.

One of the wolves approached her with ears relaxed and tail wagging slowly.

“You not from here, you from someplace far away, up there?" the voice asked.

The wolf that approached Saa'an sat down in front of her, and looked up.

“I am Amka[1], who are you?"

Saa'an knew then that the voice she had been hearing in her mind was that of the wolf in front of her.

“I am Ilen-Saa'an, the human is my mate, his name is Craig Nicolini, and the other is our friend, Tsel-Ami'an," Saa'an sent.

The wolf lifted her paw and held it out, which Craig recognized as an offer to shake. “Shake her paw, babe, just like you would a human's hand."

Saa'an knelt down and greeted the wolf. “Pleased to meet you."

The wolf smiled and dropped her ears momentarily, giving her tail a quick little wag.

“You look like one other who been here before, last season," Amka said, cocking her head a little to one side.

“My Honored Mother was here, yes. She told us to come visit the special place," Saa'an sent in acknowledgement.

“Our cousin said to say hello if we saw. We go see other cousin now. We see you later," Amka sent, and then got up to rejoin the other wolves.

“Nice meeting you, Amka," Saa'an sent.

“Wuf!" Amka said as she walked away.

Saa'an stood and watched the wolves trot off across the road and disappear into the woods.

“Your world is full of wonders—so many different kinds of sentient life all of one world," Saa'an sent in amazement to Craig and Ami'an.

Later that night, Saa'an thought about the wolves she had met while they were watching a news program. During one segment, the huge alien ship that had accompanied them on their way to Terra was shown again.

“That ship… in form, it looks remarkably like those wolves we met this night," Saa'an commented.

“That's weird—yeah, it does, doesn't it," Craig agreed, looking more closely at the image. “I wonder what possessed its builders to make it look like that. Definitely not like any ship I've ever seen."

“Perhaps it is because those who travel in it look similar," Ami'an suggested.

Craig recalled the time he met the strange alien female who looked like a much taller than normal wolf G.E.L.F., only with eyes that had an odd wildness to them.

“If that one looks like a G.E.L.F., but isn't, it would be one heck of a coincidence that we have…wolves…and wolf G.E.L.F.s…," Craig said, trailing off, his eyes widening as he looked at Saa'an and Ami'an.

“The First Ones had walked our world in the distant past…might they have walked your world as well?" Ami'an suggested, her own eyes widening at the thought.

“Geezers…that…might be an explanation why there were so many different kinds of hominids on Terra millions of years ago, but only one ended up either absorbing or outlasting the others to become us humans. I remember back in school it was mentioned that humanoid life seems unusually prevalent in the part of the galaxy that we've explored so far, and there's no reason why it should. You think maybe…?"

“That the First Ones may have been the reason for that?" Saa'an asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Wouldn't that be something."

“No doubt, beloved," Saa'an agreed.

The next day, Craig, Saa'an, and Ami'an explored a little more around the area of what was really a small, nearly hidden town nestled in the wilds of Alaska. They spoke with some of the locals, and generally enjoyed the clean, cool air, absorbing the history of the area known as Gelfheim. After dinner that evening, just as they were coming out of the mead hall, there was a woman waiting for them. She wasn't alone, for with her were the wolves they had met the night before.

“It's waiting for you," she said cryptically, lowering the hood of the blue woolen cloak she wore.

It was Cerri, the woman they had met the evening before in the mead hall.

“Follow us, we will take you to the glade," Cerri said with a smile, and started walking away before anyone could say anything.

Craig glanced up at Saa'an and Ami'an, giving a little shrug of his shoulders. They fell in behind and followed Cerri and the wolves across the road and up a lane that they likely would have missed for it was hard to see. They walked silently until they came to a log house.

“Who lives there?" Craig asked.

Cerri paused and looked at him and said, “No one…and everyone." When she saw the confused look on his face, she chuckled and added, “That's our family's homestead—no one lives there, but we still have special family gatherings there. It's been preserved just as our ancestors had it when they lived. More than twenty generations of our family have called it 'home'. Sometimes, you can still feel something of them there. We always come back here, no matter how far we may travel, because this is where it all started."

“All of what started, if I may ask?" Saa'an sent.

Cerri smiled and replied, “The first human-G.E.L.F. mixed family; where Kapik offered to give her Gift of the particular kind of telepathy we now have to all of us; where Kapik's children, Aurora and Fionn, began to teach the world The Great Lesson which is now the basis of our society. 'Here, you will find only love and acceptance', as it's been said."

Saa'an thought on Cerri's words as they continued on the path towards the glade.

“Is this why Craig is the way that he is, how he feels as he does for not only myself, but also for Ami'an…and especially for Khy'an? Even though Ami'an and I are so different from the peoples of this world, they all seem to simply accept us as we are, no matter where we go on this world. As close as Craig and I are, there are still things which I do not understand of him. Will I find the answers I seek, at this 'glade' they call it, as my Honored Mother suggested? I do now understand how Craig felt when he came to my world—it was strange to him, just as we were, though he quickly enough accepted us. This world of his is no less strange for Ami'an and me, yet, I find it oddly enchanting."

Ami'an also thought on what Cerri had said.

“The people of this world could certainly teach many this 'Great Lesson' they speak of and have apparently written so much about. Even as old as Saa'an and Khy'an's people are, and my own, too, for we came before them, we all could undoubtedly learn something from this remarkable world. Perhaps if we had learned what these people had many a long night ago, how would the vines of our own society have grown?"

It was a pleasant walk through the alien evergreen trees for Saa'an and Ami'an—the sun had set, and the land grew hushed as the daytime animals went to their rest. Overhead, the aurora was beginning to appear as the daylight faded into night, allowing those on the ground—and even in the heavens above—to watch the ribbons of greenish light slowly and majestically dance to whatever song they alone heard. It was not long before the view opened before them as they entered the glade. There was only the slightest of breezes, a mere whisper of breath gently heard among the trees, but not enough to have an effect on the wisps of fog that was starting to settle in. The glade itself was a roundish clearing, with a narrow pond on one side of it that was fed by a small stream that flowed down from the ridge to the north. In the center, was The Rock. It was the size of an old-fashioned, twentieth-century refrigerator lying on its side, or so what protruded from the ground appeared to be sized. Since no one had ever been allowed to disturb the earth within the glade, it was speculated that the large stone in the center must be larger than it seemed, much as an iceberg has its bulk below water. Saa'an, and especially Ami'an, felt something they could not quite put their finger on. They had felt traces of a similar nature on their own world in places such as nus-Sava'en, and at Mûr thel-Raleen. But here, the sensation was so much stronger. Ami'an had to sit down as soon as Cerri brought them before The Rock, due to the intensity of what she felt. Craig and Saa'an sat next to Ami'an on the ground, and—to their surprise—the wolves laid down around the three.

After a few moments to settle in, Cerri said in unusually rich, though gentle voice, “We say 'come to this place with an open heart and an open mind, and take from here only that which you can carry in your heart,' and we mean that. What you may experience, I cannot say, though even if it might only be a sense of peace and calm, each of you will experience something. Open your minds and your hearts, and feel the experience."

Just as Craig, Saa'an, and Ami'an started to relax and clear their minds, the wolves began to howl. While they sang their ages old song, Craig, Saa'an, and Ami'an felt their spirits join in the eternal dance with their four-footed companions.

Ami'an thought she saw shapes begin to form in the light fog, and she sensed the psychic impressions left by the many who had been there before. Some were stronger than others, either due to being more recent, or because the individual had a stronger personality, or had felt stronger emotions while there. But there was something about the stone itself, she sensed. It was no ordinary stone, she thought, but it seemed natural enough to her.

“Perhaps it is simply a gift to this world given by the All-Mother Herself after all," she thought to herself.

Ami'an saw that there were pathways to other places and times, and she searched down a few of them. Remembering what Cerri had said about the house they saw on the way to the glade, Ami'an chose to concentrate on that. She began to see those who had built and lived in the house, and felt the intense love and caring of the generations of family who called it their home. Ami'an felt her eyes begin to moisten as the feelings washed over her.

“Ah, these Terrans…do they truly understand the gift they possess and share with so many?"

Something else caught Ami'an's attention—amidst the other images and feelings she was experiencing, there was a glow that seemed to be coming closer. She felt a new presence, an incredibly strong one, that was making its way towards them.

Saa'an, while not as psychically sensitive as her sister-friend, Ami'an, as a full telepath, she was naturally more sensitive than many other races who did not have the same level of talent as the Mûr Tua'ansa people. She, too thought she could see shapes form in the light fog that moved about. She felt the impressions left behind by many who had come to the place before her. One of these she recognized immediately was that left by her own mother, which brought a smile to her face. Saa'an began to notice that some of the shapes drew near, taking an interest in her specifically.

“A child of two worlds…" she heard one say.

“Of ours and theirs…" said another.

“Of what shall we give them?"

“What we can give to those who are family."

Saa'an asked politely, “Who are you?"

One of the shapes answered, “He knows."

The vague forms slipped away into other places, and she started to try and follow, but then she saw a glowing light coming towards them. When it was close enough, Saa'an saw a globe of swirling light, and within it was a barely discernable shape, though the shape had eyes, eyes that blazed like stars, but were shaped much like ones she had seen before…somewhere.

Craig, being of the world, as most humans had since the early days of his kind, the howls of the wolves stirred some primal kinship, though he himself did not understand it. He only knew that the wolf song was something that deeply affected many humans. As Khy'an had taught him, Craig opened his awareness to his surroundings. Before him he imagined a gateway or a conduit of sorts, that led to other places and times. He wished strongly that Khy'an was there with them, experiencing this for herself, instead of reliving it later through their memories. Even though it was a crazy thought, Craig reached out.

“Khy'an…if there's some way you could hear me, I wish you were here. I miss you, and…yeah, I love you, my friend. I really wish you could be here…"

Craig could not know, that at that moment, his thoughts were carried, after a fashion, across the lightyears of distance all the way to Mûr Zhæn. As Ami'an had said several times, their vines were so tightly woven together that the four of them would never truly be apart. Saa'an, and Ami'an, too, had sent their own wishes to their distant friend. Bren-Khy'an, Imperial Guard, First Grade, and member of the fearsome Che'maht Sahn'rah—the elite personal guard of the Empress of the Mûr Tua'ansa Star Empire, was heading to her meal break when a sudden wave of nostalgia washed over her.

“Craig…Saa'an…Ami'an…my friends. You are missed. Your absence is…annoying, but…I hope you are well."

When the wolves finished their howling, Craig slowly opened his eyes. At first, he thought he was seeing something, maybe someone carrying a bright lantern coming towards them, but when the light came into the clearing, he had a flashback to when they were on the K'ratori space station. Or, so he thought it was a flashback. The swirling ball of light silently came towards them in the deepening night. As he remembered it from back on the space station, there was a vague form within the light, and a pair of blazing eyes that he knew by now their lupine shape. He quickly glanced over to Saa'an and Ami'an—their eyes were open, too, and they were seeing the same thing he was. The light began to coalesce from a sphere to a more familiar shape that had two arms, two legs…and a tail.

“Greetings," the unusually tall wolf woman said as she approached, holding her hands out in a familiar gesture of greeting, with palms up. “We meet again, my child—we met one other time, far from here," she said looking directly at Craig, who stood up to greet the newcomer.

“I…it's a little fuzzy, but…yeah, I do remember you…," Craig said, hesitantly putting his hands palm down on hers.

The wolf woman looked down at Craig, and smiled, her intense eyes seemed to look into the deepest part of his soul.

“I am Naoia Anen-su'ena, that is my proper name, Craig Nicolini of Terra, though there are those who may know of me by other names." Naoia turned to Saa'an and said, “And you are his mate, Ilen-Saa'an, of House Ilen, of Mûr Zhæn…you are very far from home, my dear, but, you will find a home here as well. And you," Naoia said turning to Ami'an, “Finding a Khea this far from home…I trust your instincts still serve so that you always know where home is, do they not, Tsel-Ami'ana, of House Tsel, of the line of Tsel-Sight Giver?"

Saa'an and Ami'an exchanged surprised glances as Naoia seemed to know each of them quite well, even though neither of the two women had sensed anyone attempting to probe their minds.

“How…how do you know us?" Saa'an asked.

“Oh, I know a great many things, my dear. You would too, if you were like me," Naoia said with a sly grin.

“And, if I may…what are you?" Ami'an asked hesitantly.

“Why, I'm what you children call a First One. We call ourselves by a different name, but it might be a little difficult for you to pronounce, so 'First One' will work as well, I suppose. After all, we are the first beings to be born of this universe. I'm not the oldest of us, but the one who is just happens to be the mother of my great granddaughter's best friend and her brother…who is the best friend of my great granddaughter's mate. Ah, there are so many to keep track of these days, but then, I have been around for…well, more time than anyone would care to know, I suppose."

Naoia chuckled and shook her head a little. “Oh, and we have other friends…you are a cousin of that dashing fellow, James…Cerri, is it?" Naoia asked reaching out to greet her.

“Y-Yes, ma'am," Cerri acknowledged, placing her hands palm down on Naoia's as she had seen Craig and the others do.

“You are very much in tune with this area, I see," Naoia commented, cocking her head slightly to one side.

“This is my place, where I've always been," Cerri said.

“Ah, yes. James thinks you're pretty special. I tend to agree with him." Turning to the wolves, Naoia's body erupted in a multi-hued shimmer and changed to that of a large, four-footed wolf. “Always best to greet our little cousins properly," Naoia said, and greeted each of the wolves in true wolf fashion, before resuming her previous physical form. She took a seat on The Rock, and said to Craig, Saa'an, and Ami'an, “I know you three have questions about certain things, so, as long as I'm here, I don't mind answering a few. First of all, how you came to be carrying his child, Ilen-Saa'an…it's really quite simple. The one you knew as Aama-Ael'an, is really A'amahi Afer-ael'ena…she's one of us, and she just happens to be good at making things grow, you might say. She simply made sure that what would work, would, and what wouldn't, got removed. It's as much as an art as it is a science, after a fashion, and A'amahi has a lot of experience tinkering with whole genomes, and all that. Not my thing, which, by the way, happens to involve getting from one place to another. When they were still little, I used to bring all sorts of interesting things from different worlds to give to my great grandchildren. Red Moon, bless her heart, always liked my stories. I'll tell you a good one in a bit. Now then, where was I…ah, yes. Your child will grow up fine and healthy, and A'amahi is going to make sure she does, so don't be too surprised to get a visit from her from time to time. I've met with her since I've arrived, and I told A'amahi to be a little discreet when she visits. No sense in startling your neighbors," Naoia said with a little smile. You were right to think that you probably wouldn't be able to have a child together, Craig, because, normally you two wouldn't—all of that biology stuff makes you too different. But…A'amahi is a whiz at such things, and if it wasn't for her, you wouldn't have your little Ilen-Khy'an Nicolini growing inside you. So, why you two? Well, let's just say for now that your child is going to be a very special girl when she grows up, and she will be the best of both worlds. We may talk about that sometime later. Now that we've met, don't think this is the last you're going to see of me after tonight. We've been sitting back letting things go about their own way once we got it all started, but…there are others who have been a pain in the tail for far too long, so we decided to make our presence known again. We haven't forgotten the worlds we've guided since the beginning, and we're not about to let them fend for themselves when things get really interesting…and it will before long, but in order for you to understand that, I first need to tell you a story…"

A jug and some small bowls, about the size of coconut shell halves, suddenly materialized out of thin air in front of them.

“Feel free to help yourselves. Now then, where to begin? Ah, yes…Y'Nahra, a lovely world…I took your cousin James there, Cerri. This story is really about him and his crew, and also of the ship and her crew of your own people, Ilen-Saa'an and Tsel-Ami'ana. It all started, for them, oh, back during that little scuffle with the R'Hinsi. That was when James met Mindy and Sylvia. I'll tell you all about them in a bit. The story really starts to get interesting about two weeks before Nightwing was completed in that shipyard up there near this world's moon. Luna, you call it—interesting choice of names, by the way. Now, where was I…ah, yes, James and his ship…"

* * * * *

While Craig, Saa'an, and Ami'an sat and listened in awe and wonder at the tale being told to them by the First One known as Naoia Anen-su'ena, across the planet, those who could watch stopped what they were doing, stared in wide-eyed wonder at whatever device they were able to view, and watched as the story and its awe-inspiring images played out on the screen.

/* “Newly declassified information has been released by the government of the historic joint mission of the Sol Federation's long-range scout ship Nightwing and the Mûr Tua'ansa Star Empire's I.E.S. Chel-Sar Se'nika, showing incredible images of an ancient civilization that the two ships had visited on their amazing journey. What you are about to see is…simply astounding." */

The voice of Captain James Daugherty, the commanding officer of Nightwing, was heard in the recording as he and his crew stood before the ship on the alien world.

/* “This is where we ultimately began, billions of years ago, on the world of Y'Nahra, one of the first such worlds whose development was guided by the First Ones. We thought we only knew of them and of this place from stories, but…here we are standing on the surface of this…beautiful and fantastic world. There's no real words to describe it…" */

[1] Amka – Inuit girl name that means, “one with a friendly spirit." 

(On to the Epilogue: https://www.sofurry.com/view/1234267)