Dusk had begun to fall upon the ship and most of the crew stood on deck. Captain Gilian stepped out of his cabin and leaned over the railing to address the passengers and crew on the main deck.

“Well, as most of you know, even with rationing, we have two or three days of water left. Not far up this coast there is a small river delta. We can land there and send a small group a short distance up the river to get fresh water. It will only add a half-day or so to our journey. I apologize to my passengers for this delay, but there is nothing to be done about it. It is necessary. I will need at least ten crewmen to go and acquire this water.”

“Captain.” Godakai smiled and waved his hand in the air. He couldn’t believe his luck. “Among my people I am a hunter and tracker. I would like to volunteer to go with your men and help. I may even be able to bring us back a little fresh meat for dinner instead of the salt pork we have been eating.”

“Your assistance is appreciated, but the hunting may be impossible. The Savage Anai that live in this area have a strong dislike for hunters on their land.”

Quinn looked up in surprise. Savage Anai? That was an oxymoron if she ever heard one. Her years of training as a diplomat came to the fore. “Captain if you’d like, I could go with. I speak the Anai tongue, and even if they do not approve of hunting, I’m sure they would see our plight. If nothing else, some fresh fruit and vegetables may be good for the crew.”

“If you think you could be of help, I suppose. Turuth! Get a detail of men to go at first light.”

“Aye, Captain.”

At dawn three skiffs left the side of the Silver Dolphin, each one carrying a number of barrels. Beyond the delta the river was flat, wide, and lazy. Using the oars the three skiffs made their way up the river. There were sailors that had traveled this lane their entire life and had never set a foot on the wild shores of Telnir. There was a nervous silence over the skiffs. Even the stoutest of hearts looked at the shore nervously. The banks of the river seemed guarded by the overhanging limbs of the trees that framed the river. Many of the trees were not only taller, but wider than most of the homes these sailors kept while not at sea. Even though it was mid-morning the sailors could see only a few feet beyond the banks. Whether it was darkness or overgrowth, no one was sure.

These lands teamed with life beyond anything that they could have expected. The cries of birds and animals, unseen by the sailors, were a constant reminder of this. The animals seen were no less disconcerting. Drinking from the water, a deer with long, thin, curled horns was of some novelty, and the red field mouse larger than most house-cats, was of some humor. Upon seeing a snake larger around than a man’s thigh and easily twice the length of a skiff swim lazily in their path, Turuth decided to take his men to the far banks. The sooner they got water, the sooner they could leave this place. They spent half the morning traveling upstream, and the river was as fresh and clean as it would ever get.

Filling the barrels wasn’t a hard task, but once they were filled, loading them back in to the skiffs was a great deal of work. Fifty gallons in an oak barrel weighed as much as three men. As the crewmen began to load the barrels, Godakai and Quinn took up overwatch positions with their bows.

From high in the canopy, backlit by what little sun could filter through, a lone thin figure, easily Turuth's height, bounded from limb to limb quickly, and descended upon them. The tanned, olive tone to his skin blended into the leather jerkin he wore. It was unclear whether the streaks of dark green and brown were painted or tattooed onto his skin. The leaves braided into his long brown hair seemed to grow directly from him.

“Heads up folks. We got company.” Quinn gritted her teeth. In this dense brush she might get one shot off with her bow. Her left hand slid down to her belt and undid the leather hasp on her saber.

“Easad noi Anaiumat?” The crew nearly jumped at his gruff bark, and started to look at him nervously.

She could now see why they were referred to as Savage Anai. The Golden Anai of the Whitestone Isles spoke lyrically, with few hard accents and contrasting sounds. The Savage Anai spoke the same language and the pronunciations were similar, but he spoke sharply and with little rhythm. “Yes, I speak the tongue of your people.” Quinn smiled.

It was now the Anai’s turn to be surprised. It was not often that a human spoke his tongue with such ease, even if it was with the accent of his weaker golden relatives. “Why are you here?”

Quinn mentally compared the Savage Anai before her and the members of the Anai consulate in Kensington. Physically, in many ways, they were still similar. Inhumanly tall and thin. Sharp, angular features with very large eyes and tall, pointed ears. The differences were just as notable. The consulate members' eyes were typically pale shades of green, blues, or purples. The piercing amber eyes of the Anai before her were nearly feral. The Golden Anai tended to have pale hair and skin, with often both being bone white. She also couldn't recall seeing an Anai, other then one of their marines, wear anything but the finest silks and gossamer. It appeared at least that they were as reasonable as their more civilized kin. “We are simply seeking some water. Our ship was damaged in a storm, and we will die without it.”

The Anai looked her over thoughtfully. “Is this all you have come for?”

“We had thought to bring some fresh food back to the ship as long as we had landed. As these are your lands, can we offer you something in trade for these things?”

The Anai was taken aback. It was not like sea going humans to offer to trade for simple supplies. Perhaps for now, they could be trusted. “We have one of the humans that was lost and we found. We have offered them our hospitality, but it is best for them to be with their own kind. Also, that one.” The Anai pointed at crewman Rollo. Rollo was a fat, slovenly sailor. Both his pack and his clothing had numerous grease and food stains on them. Rollo swallowed audibly. “He is . . . too full. He carries extra food on his person that he certainly does not need. He will leave his pack for our brothers in the wild.”

“We accept. And we thank you.” The Anai took what looked like a small turtle shell from his belt, and shook it. With a rattling sound the canopy came to life. Godakai fell to the ground, startled, as the bush in front of him stood up. Sixty or seventy Savage Anai, each painted in different patterns of greens and browns, suddenly came into view. Switching to Durish, Quinn muttered “And aren’t we glad we accepted their bargain.”

“As am I.” Lead out by a pair of warriors wearing, it seemed, more moss than leather, a beautiful young woman dressed in rough hides decorated with bits of bone and shell, came into view. Although obviously human, her deeply tanned, ruddy skin and long black hair was like no human any of the crewmen had ever seen. She couldn’t have been older than sixteen summers, yet the sad, haunting look in her violet eyes made her seem ancient.

“Hello . . . Do you understand Durish? Are you willing to go with us?” It suddenly dawned on Quinn why these Anai made her so nervous. She counted sixty warriors in plain sight, at least three of which were carrying captured game, and yet nowhere did she see a single weapon.

“If you will have me, I thank you.” Two of the Anai warriors dropped a pair of the strange looking deer while a third dropped a bag that Quinn assumed contained fruits or tubers of some kind.

Quinn turned to the Anai, nodded her head sharply in thanks, and turned back to the crew. “The game and the bag are ours. We are free to take as much water as we need. All we have to do is take this young lady to safety, and Rollo, you’re going to have to give up your satchel. They seem to think you’re ‘too full’.”

“Uh, what’s that supposed to mean? I haven’t even had lunch yet.”

“It means yuir too fat ye piggish bastard. Missin’ lunch may do ye some good.” Turuth and the rest of the crew roared in laughter while Rollo’s jowls turned red.