Looking up to the sky, Brooks felt a tugging, nagging sensation.

Up there, merely five days ago, the Craton, his ship, had faced a massive threat, and he had not been there.

Jaya had informed him of all that had happened, up to and including her talk with Admiral Brax and Ambassador-General Abashidze's decision to stay.

He was glad, of course; that the Aeena had not attacked the Craton, that Jaya had performed so well, along with his response teams, and uncovered this horrible secret. He was relieved that they would not be fleeing, that he would not have to abandon the people here whom he had come to respect and admire.

He was saddened, of course; five of his crew were dead, killed in the line of duty by the machinations of a genocidal species. That the majority of !Xomyi did not have to die, that their world did not have to end if not for those machinations. That all of this suffering could have been avoided.

In the past, humans had painted their enemies as murderous monsters. Only very occasionally was it actually true. Most of the time it was only a tool of the ruling class, a way of driving fear into people to get their consent for the most heinous atrocities.

In the case of the Aeena, they were still slaves to their own pasts; it was almost unavoidable, but sapient life had the special ability to perceive its universe - and to change it. In this way, they could escape the traps of thought that had been honed to a fine edge by nature.

Humans had wiped out many other species on Earth in their history, some intentionally and many accidentally. The Aeena had done the same, but usually with intent.

It was one of the few things that was well known about them, for they bragged of it; they had tamed their world by destroying everything in it that competed with them. The predators on their world had been terrifying, its environment hostile, they had never domesticated animals and so never came to view some as partners. They had become conquerors of nature and life. Looking to the stars, even though they did not need to contend with nature anymore, they still looked at all life and saw an enemy.

Someday, they might grow up, he thought.

The !A!amo had sensed his tension, it seemed, and the space between he and they had grown more distant.

It was unfortunate, though. They still treated him in a very friendly way when they did interact with him - there was no outward hostility. But there was an uncertainty, there was something that had formed a wedge between them.

Perhaps tonight would help change that.

They were holding a ceremony, something important. Knows the World had come to him and told him of it, as well as what was expected of him.

Just after dark, he would paint his body in red ochre, as would the others. He was also to bring a large leaf, though its purpose had not been explained. A bonfire would be built, a huge one, and then two of the children would become men.

Bold Child and Wants to Hunt were both on the cusp of adulthood, but as with many societies, there was a ritualistic challenge they would have to partake in.

He was not clear on the details of the challenge, but he would see it soon enough.

For a moment, he had wondered if he was expected to be intimately involved in this, or if he himself was to be tested. In their eyes, he could see, he might not be considered to have passed.

But Knows the World had said nothing of that, and it seemed that he would stand among the other men. Kai had also been invited, she would be among the women, though apparently there had been some discussion of that, since they had never seen Kai do anything they considered womanly.

Kai had been amused at that, but had assured them that she was actually a woman, and agreed to stand with the others.

The light was already fading, the hour growing late, though the intense heat lingered.

Thank the stars his suit hadn't had any breakdowns yet, he thought, touching it. The !Xomyi had teased him about the strange, well-fitting outfit. They thought him foolish for wearing it, but he told them that he had to. With his tone, they'd accepted it, his reasons not needing to be said - it mattered to him, and that was enough.

Rising, he reached into his bag and took out more of the red ochre. Mixing it with a little water, he began to paint stripes over his face.

He was meant to tell his story in his paint, he knew. But he was not sure how. How could a life as complex as his be broken down to simple concepts told in a few images?

He did his best, presenting the Earth, with a crude arrow pointing towards a star. And then from that star here, to Ko.

It was almost embarrassing, he thought. Like a child had drawn it - his fingers weren't exactly the best tools for painting.

He headed out of the camp, down towards the river where the ceremony would be held. Along the way, he found an appropriately large leaf, cutting it free and tucking it under his arm.

The camp was near the river, but tomorrow they would be leaving again. The Keko!un had drawn close.

Were the keko!un a threat to the !Xomyi globally? The balance of power seemed entirely on the side of the Day Stalker, and given enough time might the creatures hunt the !Xomyi to extinction?

He hated to think of that. But the keko!un were not creatures that seemed willing to reason; to discover how would take months or years that they did not have. He might send up a message suggesting that genetic samples of the animals be taken, to see if they could revive them later - in a situation where they could be communicated with.

The smells of the water reached his nose, and pushing through foliage, he absently checked the drone network. Nothing was nearby of note, save the !A!amo. Good. He'd hate for this ceremony to be interrupted.

The bonfire, the pile of wood half his height, was already ablaze. It was, oddly, buried in the ground nearly a meter. The flames were intense and rising ever higher, though, and it would only grow more intense with time.

The !A!amo had split into two groups; men on one side and women on another.

Kai was already down there, and gave him a wave as he approached. She seemed blind to the shocked looks of the !A!amo women, who were studiously ignoring the men.

He joined the men, who had their backs to the women. Giving Kai a slight shrug, he turned away as well.

No one was speaking, but they were still waiting.

The rest of the tribe slowly filtered in, and when they were all present, Knows the World tapped two sticks together rhythmically.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

They turned, men and women, now facing each other and the bonfire between them.

The two children came forward. They were the only ones not decorated, even the other children had their own form of ochre decoration.

They approached Knows the World, who held a bowl with red ochre in it.

"Today you become men," he said. "You must dance with the flames. Show it, and us, that you are not afraid."

He reached out, making a single red stripe across both of their faces, just above their eyes.

The boys cried out battle cries, lifting their arms.

What were they to do? Brooks was feeling increasingly concerned for the youth, though they did not seem afraid.

They both began to dance around the fire, and the adults on both sides stamped their feet, chanting, though his system could not understand it.

The others all brought out their leaves, fanning with them. Were they trying to make the fire bigger? It seemed silly, it was not going to provide a lot of help at this distance . . .

Then Bold Child leaped. He flapped his arms, gaining height, and suddenly Brooks understood.

They were waving the leaves to give air to the children, not the flames. The fire was rising, but then so was Bold Child, on the fanned air and the rising heat of the fire itself. He nearly reached the height of the flames with his leap before coming back down.

Wants to Hunt seemed to have been studying. He waited until everyone was blowing together, and jumped in time, lifting high.

Then the updraft above the fire caught him. His wings spread wide, and he was lifted.

He did not fly; no !Xomyi was capable of that. But his leap took him over the top of the fire, and he came down on the other side, catching the wind of the women there, who were also waving in synchrony.

Knows the World was there to meet him.

"You have done well," he said, the words nearly lost to the cracking and popping of the fire. "You have been one with the sky. But now be one with the Earth."

He had a knife, and as Brooks watched, Knows the World slashed at the boy.

Brooks jerked, shocked - but Wants to Hunt did not flinch.

The knife cut his wings, starting near his armpit and going outwards in a downward diagonal direction. His wings were in two, blood seeping from the edges.

Brooks found his heart beating faster, but Wants to Hunt continued to bear the pain stoically.

"Go now, and be a man," Knows the World said.

The men all rushed to the boy-become-man, congratulating him. They pounded his arms, and despite the pain he now let show slightly, Wants to Hunt seemed delighted.

"Fire Leaper!" Diver called.

"Great Planner!" Good Hunter declared.

"I will be," Wants to Hunt said, speaking slowly. "High Reacher."

There were cheers, and High Reacher seemed very pleased.

But they had not forgotten about Bold Child. The group of adults all returned to their places, watching the other young man eagerly.

Brooks knew much was expected of this child. He was the son of Good Hunter, and it was easy to see how proud the man was of his son.

Bold Child was doing a dance, grabbing handfuls of dirt and lifting them, then throwing them into the air.

It seemed to be getting the crowd more and more excited. The meaning was lost on Brooks, but the careful movements of the boy, and the way he was letting the tension build was rubbing off on him.

"Go!" he yelled, in time with the others chanting. "Jump! Jump!"

Bold Child leaped, in perfect timing with the gusts.

He rose, gracefully, like a bird.

Cresting the fire, he tilted his wings, but not to the angle to bring him down.

Brooks realized that the child was showing off, lingering over the flame as long as he could, wanting to soak in the attention, gain not just their approval, but their adoration.

Don't, Brooks had time to think.

Something in the fire shifted, the sticks suddenly collapsed downwards, sending sparks flying into the air that hit and bounced off Bold Child's wing membranes.

He cried out, his wings crumpled, and he fell - into the flames.

His screams turned to a new pitch as he tumbled down the bonfire, down into the lower part.

Brooks found his body felt sluggish, but everyone seemed to be moving in slow motion as well.

Bold Child was still screaming, but he was on the other side of the flames. Brooks knew he could not leap them himself, he would have to go around-

Kai dove in. She came down just short of the pit, her arms going down into the flames, her face grit in determination against the heat beating into her face.

She pulled Bold Child from the flames, scrambling backwards. Even from a glimpse, Brooks could tell it was bad.

The !A!amo women rushed in, their voices high, and took Bold Child from Kai's arms. They put him on the ground.

Cool River came over, issuing quick orders for water. The women rushed towards the river.

Brooks could see that there were still embers on the boy. He was breathing, but it was laborious.

Brooks approached, realizing as he was almost there that the crowd was parting for him.

They were watching him. All of them, even Cool River.

The moment had come, he realized. All of the distance in their behavior, it was because they suspected what he had done, that it was he who had rid the children of their fevers.

And now, they thought he could save Bold Child.

"Y," he said. "Emergency help. Burn victim, !Xomyi male child."

He knelt next to the boy, and before he had even lowered his face the drone came in. The !A!amo collectively gasped as it did so. They had always regarded it as something . . . semi-spiritual, and given it a wide berth.

It hovered over the child.

"He is badly injured, Captain. I cannot help him without it being obvious," Y said.

"Forget all the secrecy of before. Save him. Do what you have to."

Brooks reached out, touching Bold Child on a spot that was not burned. "You will be whole," he told the boy.

The drone dipped in, an injection going into him.

"I believe I can save him," Y said. "But it will take all our medical nanites. If you get injured, I won't-"

"Do it," Brooks said.

"As you order," Y replied. The drone moved in to rest on the boy's chest. He stayed there only a moment.

"It is done," Y said. "Give him time. I cannot guarantee he will live, but I have done all I can, given the circumstances."

Brooks stayed with the boy, kneeling over him. He wondered if this was the sort of time where humans of past ages would have prayed.

He simply waited. If Bold Child would live or not was up to him. Shock was the enemy, and the child was deep in it. He knew that the medical nanites were tailored for humans, and though their specific work in a body could be altered on the fly, their make-up could not.

This was not just curing a fever; this was repairing the body itself, a far more difficult task.

Bold Child took a deep breath, his eyes opening.

The !A!amo screamed, clamoring, rushing towards the boy.

"M-other?" he said.

Good Gatherer grabbed her son. He winced, but it was clear from even a simple look at his wounds; they had closed. He was not bleeding, even if his flesh was still charred on the surface.

"Your mother is here, my child," she breathed. "You are my gift, my blessing, and I am here . . ."

Knows the World approached, and the group grew silent, watching him. Only Good Gatherer did not look to him, her eyes still on her son.

"He lives," he breathed. "He lives, and he has experienced the pain. He is Touched by Flames." His eyes went to Brooks. "He was blessed by the Stranger from afar, by No Wings . . . by Giver of Gifts."

It took Brooks a moment to realize that Bold Child had just gained his new name . . . and so had he.

Giver of Gifts, he rolled the name in his head. It should not be meaning this much to him, a part of his rational mind told him. Yet he felt . . .

His knees felt weak, and he sat down on the ground.

He heard Knows the World speaking to Kai. She was Reaches Into Flames. She seemed pleased with the epithet, but it did not hit her as it had hit him.

He looked at the others, and they looked at him. On their faces was love, friendship. Was it worship? He hoped not, he did not think so. Something negative that had grown, a suspicion that they could not understand the reason for being secret, had come forth.

Now they knew, despite how strange he was, how far he had traveled to be here, he had come to help them.