The next morning, Kragon began assembling his gear to go on a trip. He was secretive about it, but it seemed to be about some new Geeryo factory they had uncovered. This time, she wouldn't be needed to "fool the security" into thinking she was a Ponu, so they could get in. He mentioned he would be back the next afternoon. This meant a whole day and a half of being alone, with the parts of the "Geeryo Guard" android in their tent. Back in her scavenger clothing, she spent much of the day with her friend JaMaya. They talked and worked and occasionally laughed. Their friend JaLena would join them at times throughout the day, and for a while, things seemed like the times before the mission, before she realized she was a Ponu, before she realized she was the enemy. As night approached, she dreaded being alone with the parts of the Geeryo Guard. She tried to sleep but found it increasingly difficult.

  Miles away that night, back in the cave city, a celebration was taking place. The Dowath raised drinks to Drookan and cheered. Thanks to his finding new ways to produce their crops, the cave would not have to endure rationing in the future. He stood against the cave wall as his fellow Dowaths first cheered him, then Lana, who helped, then their cave, and by the end, they were cheering the drink itself. Lana, standing by Drookan, said, "You should be happy, your cave is honoring you with this celebration". Drookan only scoffs, "It's just an opportunity for them to drink. Besides, you have more to do with any good yield on the crops. The only thing I did was just research the old Dowath scrolls and some human books to find the methods, and then brought them to you. I did nothing". Lana smiles, "You know, Drookan, one day you're going to have to learn to be less...gentlemanly all the time. This is your night, take it."

  Drookan nods. His thoughts are elsewhere, though. He leaves and walks towards the entrance of the cave. He has been trying to deny it, but his mind has been filled with thoughts of one person, one Ponu. Even now, he tries to tell himself he should focus on other things, but the thought of her, Kaela, drives him to fulfill an urge, a primitive calling that he shamefully must follow.

  Back in the scavenger camp, Kaela feels an urge too. She looks over at the unfinished Geeryo Guard; she can't sleep with this thing there. Her body feels anxious, a restlessness she can't explain. She gets up from bed and feels the need to just get some fresh air. She feels different in a way, like her body is pulling her. She chalks it up to her fear of being around the Geeryo Guard. She first reaches for her scavenger clothes, but then, instead, grabs her Ponu suit to put on and sneaks out of the camp, past the half-asleep sentries, and into the woods.

  Miles away, Drookan flew through the night air to a spot away from the cave, to the north, near the scavenger territory. He found a small hill, and there he let out, not a scream or yell, but a howling type of sound. It's a call his people sometimes make to their mates. He is ashamed he has done it, but felt compelled. How can he consider himself civilized, he thinks, when he is still captive to such primitive urgings, like a mating call.

  Not that far away, Kaela is enjoying walking through the woods. The bareness of the suit is not bothering her; in fact, she feels like she is embracing it.

  She doesn't understand the emotion or science behind it, but it's almost like something in the suit is activating whatever latent conditioning she inherited as a natural-born Ponu. She is feeling one with nature, from her feet on the ground to the wind through her hair. The wind gets stronger, and she likes it. She sees a clearing with a large boulder in the middle. She climbs onto it and, standing on top, she feels the wind rush around her and seemingly through her. A small smirk comes on her face. She knows, maybe subconsciously, that he will get the message.

  Back on the small hill, Drookan sits, before heading back to the cave city, contemplating his shame, then, for a moment, he could have sworn he caught a whiff of...Kaela.

  Back in the clearing, Kaela is now hiding behind the same boulder she had moments ago stood on, happily presenting herself to nature. She had seen a procession of Lizard Men walking by, 4 or 5 of them. They hadn't seen her, and she wanted to keep it that way. She watched them from behind the boulder. Lizard men don't generally like humans. They think most humans are foul, ugly creatures. However, they hold a special hate for Ponu, whom they consider to be especially hideous and disgusting.

  She hears one sneaking up from behind her. She waits until she thinks he's within range and makes her move. She turns, with quickness, knocking his spear out of his hand and running as he stops to grab his weapon. The other Lizard men notice and start chasing. They get closer and closer, and with each step, she starts to regret this late-night walk. She knows if she is caught, it will be either death by one of their spears or, for fun, they might clobber her with their large lizard tails, crushing her to death.

  They get closer and look like they will overtake her. Then suddenly, the two closest lizard men are snatched up into the air, Kaela and the remaining Lizard Men stop. It's a Dowath, fear grips everyone, but soon the fear vanishes for Kaela, turning into a smile, it's Drookan. He lands with the two struggling Lizard men. Laughing, he says to Kaela, "Is this what you do for fun these days?"

  One of the remaining Lizard men throws his spear at Drookan, who quickly turns, blocking the weapon by putting one of the Lizard men he was holding in the path of the spear. It makes contact, and the Lizard man screams in pain. "Why did you try to kill your friend?" Drookan mockingly asks. The Lizard men, terrified, run off, leaving their captured friends. Drookan lets go of his grip on the two Lizard men he was holding. One runs away to join his friends. The other, injured one, lay on the ground with the spear still stuck in him.

  Drookan looks at the Lizard man, he says they can't remove the spear, or he may bleed out. There is nothing to bandage him. Kaela is shocked by his concern. "He was trying to kill me. Why are you trying to help him? We should leave him." Drookan looks at her disappointed and says, "Kaela, he is what he is; that doesn't mean he should have to die because of what he is, not if we can avoid it. Have you changed so much in so little time?" She does not reply.

  He flies her and the Lizard Man to a nearby settlement of his kind. Drookan screams out to alert the Lizard Men of their presence, then he flies off with Kaela, leaving the injured Lizard man to be attended to by his kin.

  Landing back at the boulder that Kaela was standing on earlier, the two finally have a chance to talk.

  Kaela looks up into his eyes, "How did you know where I was?" Drookan, ashamed to admit it was something so primitive as her scent, or the implications of that, only said, "I...was in the area. I didn't realize you were this close".

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  "You're lying," she says with a smile. "It's ok, at least I know you're not perfect, Drookan lies from time to time". He looks embarrassed. "It's ok," she continues, "I'd rather know you were someone with flaws than a perfect machine incapable of doing anything wrong."

  As she talks, she climbs on top of the boulder.

  She lies on her back with her legs hanging off the side of the boulder.

  It's a vulnerable position that leaves her feeling totally bare. She does not care; in fact, a part of her likes being and feeling bare around Drookan and wants to see him notice. She looks at his muscles and enjoys the view.

  Likewise, he looks at Kaela and tries not to stare. He sees Ponu women all day, but Kaela is to him the most beautiful sight he has seen. She makes his logic fail him.

  He turns, she raises her leg and with her toes traces down the back of his powerful thigh.

  "Oh did I touch you without permission, sophisticated Dowath?" she says slyly.

  Kaela smiles, "I'm glad you were here. I....I'm sorry I left so abruptly. I had to go."

  They talk in the clearing for half an hour, Kaela and her Dowath. She, looking up at the night sky, feeling and enjoying the breeze over her Ponu-suit-covered body. He talks to her about how he missed her and what all has happened in the cave since she left. He wants to ask her more about where she has been, but he hesitates. He feels he might not like the answer, or worse, the answer might put him in an awkward situation. For now, he would rather not know.

  As they chat, she makes up a story of searching for her Ponu friends in the woods. She catches herself before she goes on; a leaf has fallen on Drookan's head, the sticky kind that is hard to remove. He tries to get it off and is struggling with the task. The sight of the large indestructible Dowath struggling with a leaf sends Kaela into belly laughing. Finally, he gets it off, and it flutters down, attaching to the leg of her suit where it ends, at her ankles.

  She raises up to a sitting position. Drookan puts his hand on her back to steady her. One touch was all it took; she feels the magical touch. Her eyes close, and she gasps as she feels it throughout her body. Softly, almost like a whisper, she says "Yes".

  The Ponu woman in her longs for this. The scavenger says, No, Kragon is waiting. The camp is waiting. Drookan moves in for a kiss. At the last moment, she says "no no no....I...I can't do this. I have to tell you something. I didn't just leave to find my friends; another reason was that there is someone. Someone who was and is waiting on me...I am sorry. You were there and have been there for me, and if there were any other way, my heart would be yours. But it belongs to another."

  Drookan takes a moment to take everything in. He looks at Kaela, suddenly realizing this could be the very last time he ever sees her. "I...understand Kaela. Thank you for telling me this. It allows me some closure, and for that I am appreciative.

  She looks up at him, hoping he is not too hurt.

  She sits on the boulder, her face in her hands. "What's wrong?" The Dowath asks.

  She looks up, eyes weary, almost watery, "There is so much happening now that I wish so badly I could tell you. I am unsure of so many things in my life; I am unsure of people I thought I knew. I don't know what to do, I ...I don't even truly know myself anymore. This is not who I am, or how I am, it's like I am becoming a different person. When people see me now... those Lizard men, they only saw a Ponu they wanted to kill, most scavengers only see a Ponu, the enemy, the Dowath outside the cave, they only see a target, a victim, it's like I am learned to live as something other than what I thought I was. Even the people I loved want me to help them hurt others. I've never felt this alone before."

  She looks up at him, a tear falling down her cheek.

  Drookan looks at her for a moment, as if there is something he wants to say but holds it in. The sadness in her face was so different from the vibrant Ponu woman moments ago, who exulted in the power of attraction she held over him. Now he saw a broken person, or one who was on the road to being broken. It, in turn, broke his heart to see her like this.

  A grin comes to his face. "I'd like to show you a place." he says. Kaela's curiosity gets the best of her, so she gets on his back to be carried to this new destination.

  It's a Vari village. Kaela knows about the small humanoid creatures. A person from the 20th century would say the Vari look like the "grey aliens" from sci-fi stories of the time. Only with more human eyes than the black bulbs for eyes that the greys are famous for, and also wearing simple cloth clothing.

  "A Dowath entering a Vari village?" she questions. Drookan laughs, "They know me. Tonight is one of their celebration nights. I have been to their village many times."

  "They don't like scavengers," Kaela says, forgetting her cover momentarily.

  "They have reason to, the scavengers, Lizard men, and Sky Reapers all think they are objects of scorn and ridicule. Pathetic little creatures, they might call them. But they have history, culture, and they love art. They are trying to survive. Also, they love the Ponu," he says, looking at Kaela.

  He was right, she thought; most scavengers thought the Vari were pathetic, certainly not worth getting to know anything about. Still, she had never seen one of their festival days, so she was curious.

  The Vari guards instantly welcomed Drookan, a sight which shocked Kaela, who expected the little creatures whose height only came up to her chest, to run in fear.

  They played music on their strange instruments and ate food. They gave a cheer of welcome upon seeing Kaela. Some of the female Vari moved forward to offer her food.

  She watched the Vari dance in the middle of their village. They formed a large circle and seemed to skip and twist as the circle rotated counterclockwise.

  Soon, they pulled her into the circle. The hilarity of it made her laugh. Drookan smiled.

  After a couple of spins, she dizzily walked back over to him. "You're walking like the first time you dismounted from me."

  They laugh. "And I fell right on my backside," she says.

  Behind them, a drunk Vari stumbles back towards the center of camp from taking a break to relieve himself.

  He sees Kaela, or rather, he sees her butt. The way the tight fabric of the Ponu suit stretches thin leaves little to the imagination as every curve and crevice is revealed. He's instantly in love.

  He drunkenly stumbles towards the object of his love when a clawed hand blocks him just as he is within touching distance of the soft Ponu woman.

  "Woah little fella, you've had too much fun tonight, maybe?" Drookan says. The Vari looks up, confused. Then the drunk Vari's family pulls him away and chastises him for embarrassing them.

  A female Vari comes over to apologize to Kaela.

  She accepts but can only laugh some more. "Why did you bring me here, Drookan?"

  He looks at her, "because I wanted to show you that not every place in this world hates the Ponu, or wants to hurt them, enslave them or devour them. There are places where your people are celebrated."

  She holds his hand and looks into his eyes, "Thank you".

  They spend a little while longer before deciding maybe they have also had a little too much fun for the night.

  _______________

  She has him fly her within walking distance of the scavenger camp, but pretends that her Ponu friends are in the nearby woods. He asks if she is sure she does not want him to take her closer, that he can almost see it from here.

  Kaela is shocked. She wonders if he knows? She does not push it, but says, No, she will find her friends. He leaves. She walks back.

  The next morning, in her bed, she wonders if it could have been a dream. Then she sees the sticky leaf stuck to the ankle of her ponu suit. She removes it and saves it.