The next morning, Lucianne thought of looking for clues about the intruder who followed her and Xandar to the freesia field. But when she recalled it rained for a few hours the previous night, she aborted her plan. Any tracks or trails left would’ve been washed away. She shifted and began running down the familiar path.

When Lucianne reached the river, she was a little disappointed that Xandar wasn’t there. But when she started sniffing again, she caught a faint scent of acacia wood and forest trees so she turned to look around in anticipation. When she found nothing, she started sniffing the air before a large pair of arms...