Elowen

"You... you shouldn't have to do that."

Silas was alarmed, but he did not dare contradict her. He could only follow timidly beside her.

"Lead the way. I don't know where we're going."

Avery gave his arm a light poke.

The touch was so gentle that he went still for a moment.

Little by little, the tightness in his chest began to ease. She really did seem different.

He considered the paths ahead.

Usually, he took a roundabout route to the river before sunrise. There was a direct path through the settlement, but he had no right to use it.

He glanced sideways at Avery and chose the main path.

It did not matter what happened to him. He could not let her lose face.

The water source was not far away.

Silas walked nervously ahead, his fingers pressing into his palms. He did not know what Avery intended, but she simply followed in a calm silence.

Others fetching water gave them startled looks. He could only lower his head farther to escape them.

Breakfast was flourpod gruel again.

Avery herself had lost weight. Looking from her own body to Silas, who seemed as though a gust might carry him away, she hardened her resolve and took both remaining pods to cook.

If necessary, they could leave a little for midday.

As she ate the dreary mixture, barely flavored with salt, every instinct in her body seemed to cry out for meat.

She had just set down her bowl when the horn Bram had mentioned sounded outside. It reminded her of the cattle-horn instruments she had seen in videos about ancient communities.

"I'm going out to have a look," she told Silas.

"Have a little more. There's some left."

He glanced at the bottom of the pot. There was probably another bowlful. Females ate more than males, and he worried she had not had enough.

"I don't know what time I'll be back tonight. If you get hungry this afternoon, eat what's left."

There were no tables or chairs here. Everyone sat on the floor.

Avery stood, brushed off her hide clothing, and headed for the door.

Before leaving, she glanced back at Silas beside the hearth.

His frame was not particularly small. His shoulders were fairly broad. But he was so thin that there seemed to be nothing left over the bones.

His clothing hung loosely around him. When he moved, empty gaps showed on either side of his waist.

The wind must go straight through.

Nevertheless, she left.

The body's memories guided her easily to the clearing where the clan assembled.

The Leopard Clan was not large. A few dozen people stood scattered about. Hunting duties rotated, and the females here were mostly resting after the previous expedition. Their male mates accompanied them.

Everyone looked surprised to see Avery.

She studied them and realized they all carried baskets woven from grass and vines.

She alone had brought nothing.

"Avery? Are you..."

The gathering party was led by the clan healer.

Two roles mattered especially in a clan. The chieftain led the hunts, while the healer oversaw gathering. Healers had an instinctive sensitivity to plants, as though they were born knowing which could be eaten and which could not.

It was an inherited gift.

Their healer, Elowen, was regarding Avery with mild puzzlement.

"Healer Elowen, I'd like to join the gathering party today. May I come with you?"

The original Avery had considered this little clan beneath her and rarely spoken to its people. Both the healer and the chieftain had tried approaching her, only to retreat before her cold indifference.

That made changing her behavior less of a concern. At least her predecessor had not been the sort to shout and cause scenes throughout the settlement.

She had mostly kept everyone at a distance after losing her family.

Elowen looked her over with kind eyes.

"Of course. Of course, child. I'm glad you're ready."

She patted Avery's shoulder.

Another leopard joining the clan's work was good news. It might mean greater strength for them all. And this girl had come from Beastmeet. Who knew what she might be capable of?

Elowen believed Avery had simply been overwhelmed by grief and unable to see a way forward. Now, perhaps, she had found one.

"We all take vine baskets when we gather. Borrow mine, Avery. You can return it when we get back this evening."

Three male mates accompanied the healer. All four of them carried baskets, so lending Avery one was no hardship.

"Thank you, Healer Elowen."

Avery accepted without a show of reluctance. She genuinely needed it.

The entire clan was short of food and warm clothing. With the cold season approaching, nobody took gathering lightly. They set off without much conversation.

Avery walked among them, watching the females' obvious beast traits.

Ears and tails moved everywhere in front of her. She had never been especially fond of animals in her former life, yet she could not help finding those ears rather adorable.

"What are you looking at my tail for?"

Apparently, she had been staring too openly. The female ahead turned around and touched the base of her tail with some discomfort.

Before Avery could answer, the woman dropped back to walk beside her.

"You've got good, firm muscles. Life in Beastmeet really must be better than it is here."

As she moved beside another female, the male following her had little choice but to shift to her other side.

Beastfolk might be quick to fight, but their thoughts were not especially complicated. Among the females in particular, friendliness seemed almost natural.

Avery squeezed her own arm experimentally and smiled.

The wind was already biting. Beyond the houses, it strengthened, rushing into their mouths whenever they spoke. Soon the woman fell quiet and lowered her head against it.

They passed beyond the clan's territory.

Towering trees blocked out the sky. Dense foliage showed none of the barrenness Avery associated with the approach of winter.

She watched her surroundings and tried to remember the route.

Most people did not join the communal gathering party every day. Going together offered protection and a reliable share of supplies, but gathering alone also gave someone the chance to catch small prey. It could bring a better return.

Once she understood the area, Avery intended to see whether she could hunt for herself.

The trees sheltered them from the wind. After what felt like another half hour, Elowen finally called a halt.

"There are the flourpod trees. We'll stop here. Work quickly, everyone. The cold season is coming, and the light won't last. We need to get back early and avoid the larger beasts."

Her voice was gentle and clear, reassuring without effort.

She assigned several strong-looking females to range farther out and watch for predators preparing for winter.

Everyone immediately set to work.

Flourpod trees were easy to recognize. Unlike ordinary trees with straight trunks, these narrowed slightly at the base and swelled into a rounded shape higher up.

They stood roughly twenty-five feet tall. Only near the crown did their trunks begin to branch, supporting round fruits in dark green shells.

Avery had seen similar trees along the way, but those crowns had been bare. They must already have been harvested.

That was the trouble with having no farming to rely on. There was no steady food supply. You waited for whatever nature chose to provide.

She tipped back her head to look up.

Even having spent part of her childhood in the countryside, she was unaccustomed to gathering food from trees like these. Perhaps, untouched by human pollution, everything here simply grew as large as it pleased.

No wonder there were so few beastfolk.

Even getting food out of the plants was a struggle.