The !Xomyi were letting out long, lamenting cries. Two of them had fallen to their knees, beating the Earth in some form of ritualized anger.

But the others were holding back another.

"I will save him!" Fast of Wing was screaming. "I will save him!"

"He is gone!" Old Hunter told him. "The keko!un wants you to follow so that it may take you as well."

"I will kill it!" Fast of Wing shrieked. "I will kill the beast that took my father!"

"There is nothing to be done," Old Hunter said with finality. "If you wish your line to die - then go. Your father is with the Sky Child. He will not thank you when you go to him too soon."

Fast of Wing let out a sound of anger and turned away.

"That was a keko!un?" Brooks asked.

Diver turned to him, but then looked back warily. "It was. It has taken one of the best among us. It wounds us deeply."

Tracker did not take his eyes away from the jungle. "It is not alone," he declared. "There are others. They wait. For us to make a mistake, to take our eyes away. We cannot stay."

Brooks looked out. He saw nothing, and his drones saw nothing. But that animal was small enough to get close to them before being detected. If he pushed out their radius, they might slip through entirely unseen.

He didn't think he had enough with him.

Looking down at his hand, he still held the pistol, though it shook in his grip. Slowly, he put it away.

"Y," he said. "I need you."

The drone appeared. "Yes, Captain? I can assist you."

"A predator just took one of my group," he said. "Can you recover the body?"

Y must have assimilated all the drone data, as he immediately replied; "The body is severely damaged, and was already being consumed before the animal left sensor range. Are you certain you wish to do this? I do not believe the !Xomyi will thank you - they will be disturbed by the damage to the body."

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Brooks wanted to yell yes, of course Y should recover it. But he had a point. A mauled corpse would be a horror for his son to see, and if they took it with them, it would give the keko!un a reason to follow them back to their camp.

"We must go," Old Hunter declared. "The he!ak's meat is tainted." He turned, walking back towards the base of the hill where Brooks had been left waiting before the hunt.

Brooks understood. It was not that the meat was truly tainted, but to save their own lives they would have to leave it to the keko!un now. If they stayed, they risked more members being picked off. If they left it . . . the keko!un would not follow, as it would have the kill to itself.

"This is an ill-omened day," Old Hunter added.

Brooks was startled by that, and his eyes went to the moon, which his people had dubbed Omen.

It was still there, as it always was. The glow around it was ominous.

How soon, he wondered. How soon until it comes down and kills he!ak, keko!un, and !Xomyi all?

As Old Hunter left, the others slowly moved to follow. Tracker stayed. "I will watch," he said.

When he noticed that Brooks was tarrying, he waved. "I will be safe. Go with the others. Stay close, my friend."

Brooks nodded, fingering the grip on his pistol. The whole attack had been so fast that he couldn't get there soon enough to help. If it had come for him, he wasn't sure if he could have even gotten his weapon out in time. Not without drone warning to be ready.

"Kai," he messaged. "Where are you?"

"A few hundred meters out, still. You all right?"

"Yes," he told her, his voice grim. "I want you to head back - and be alert. There are large predators about. I don't want to lose anyone else today."

----------------------------------------

The keko!un did not follow them on their return.

"They will come eventually," Old Hunter told him.

That was the extent of conversation on the trip back. The group was grim, even Tracker did not make jokes or laugh. Brooks saw little of him, nor Fast of Wing, who he suspected Tracker was keeping an eye on.

By dawn they had arrived back at camp. Already, the women of the camp knew; Brooks was surprised until he saw that Fast of Wing and Tracker had preceded the main group.

The group of men entered the village in a solemn, formalized way. Standing apart from the group was Knows the World, who had his head bent, folded under his wings.

Brooks felt he was supposed to be a part of this, he wanted to be. But he was not sure what role to take. He simply moved with the men, staying just behind them, and tilting his head down.

The women were letting out a high wailing, throwing handfuls of dirt into the air. The men moved among them, and Brooks could not tell if this was ritual or simply them wanting to be with their dear ones.

Fast of Wing and Tracker went to Knows the World and formed a circle with him, all of their heads down.

Old Hunter eyed Brooks. He, too, was standing apart.

"They mourn as family," he said.

"They were related?" Brooks asked.

"Knows the World was the father to Hard Biter. Tracker was his younger sibling. And you know that Fast of Wing was his son."

Off to the side, three of the women had formed a similar group, keening together. Old Mother was one of the group, along with Young Mother, wife of Tracker. The third he only knew from his system identifying her, as High Spirit.

A child joined them, who his system told him was Causes Trouble. The girl seemed to be in a stunned silence as she held onto Old Mother's leg.

"There is no body for us to bury," Old Hunter said. "I must still make a remembrance of my friend." He shook his head. "It is not right I should admit this to an outsider, No Wings, but I am shamed."

Brooks found the fact that he confided in him a positive sign, though he hated the situation that had brought it on. "You have done nothing wrong."

"I was the eldest on the hunt. It was my task to protect the others," Old Hunter said. "I should have known the keko!un was there. But I took too much pride in my friend's prowess."

"They are clever," Brooks said. "And they plan. You did all you could. Sometimes you can do everything right and still disaster happens."

Old Hunter regarded him a moment, then nodded. He moved away, towards his shelter.

Brooks considered what he should do. There were many possible ways to honor the dead hunter, a being whose life he had hoped to save.