Four weeks later

  "Vor'ti, come here. What are you doing? Do you want the suit...Or don't you?"

  Vor'taalnis stands a short distance off, near the bank of the river, his arms crossed over his tiny chest. Disappointment shows on the toddler's face.

  "No!"

  "Vor'taalnis! Come here. Right now!" Teresa says, careful to refrain from using a loud tone.

  "I do not want it. I cannot distappear like my d`oij."

  "How do you know? You haven't even put it on," Teresa responds, placing both hands on her hips.

  "Mifbon told me. She said it isn't a real suit. I cannot distappear. I don't want it. I want to be like d`oij!"

  "You're too young, Vor'taalnis. When you are older, you can have a suit like Elder Scar. This is all we have for now. At least, you can look like Elder Scar. He even made sure you have plenty of beads for your hair. You will look so handsome, Vor'ti. Please, come here."

  Vor'taalnis' shoulders droop and he makes his way toward Teresa. She smiles and spreads her arms wide, Vor'taalnis' miniature mesh suit gripped tightly in one fist. The toddler begins to run as he gets closer. Dr. Boyd allows him to leap into her arms.

  "Oh gosh, you're heavy. No more y'ha root for you."

  "Mother!" Vor'taalnis protests in a strained voice.

  "I'm only kidding. Give Mommy a kiss."

  Vor'taalnis pecks Teresa on the cheek and giggles in his childish hybrid way. He leans back in Teresa's embrace, so that he can easily see her face.

  "I cannot kiss you the way d`oij kisses you. I cannot do that," the childling says with an impish laugh.

  "Does everyone have an opinion about Elder Scar and me? Even my own childling," Teresa exclaims, rolling her eyes.

  "I miss u'hsk. But I love d`oij! D'oij take care of mother and Vor'ti. I love you, Mother. Mother happy with d`oij."

  "Huh? What? How do you know that, Vor'ti?

  "Mother no cry at night. When u'hsk gone...Mother cry. With d`oij...Mother not cry."

  Teresa releases a deep sigh and lowers Vor'taalnis to the ground. She holds the mesh suit up to the toddler's chest, distracting herself from the turmoil in her heart.

  "It should fit. Come on. Let's see."

  Moments later, Vor'taalnis stands on the shore wearing his imitation cloaking suit. He raises both arms in the air and roars. Teresa doubles over with laughter and presses her palms to her knees. Taking this as a cue to continue his antics, Vor'taalnis bends forward and roars a second time.

  The toddler's game is ruined when Elder Scar materializes beside him. Vor'taalnis jumps, mid-roar, and his roar becomes a deep gasp. Scar chuckles loudly and grips the childling under the armpits. He lifts Vor'taalnis into the air and inspects the toddler's mesh suit. When he is finished scrutinizing Vor'taalnis, Elder Scar turns to smile approvingly at Teresa.

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  -

  Later that evening

  Mifbon rocks Enilka and Erilnis in a wooden standing rocker created by Sajgoh--the settlement's gifted wood crafter. Erilnis glances at his sister as she plays with one of her taloned feet. His eyes struggle to stay open as he battles against the slumber overtaking him.

  "Such a silly childling," Mifbon utters. "Sleep now and you will be well rested for your play tomorrow."

  Enilka tilts her head to one side and stares at Mifbon. She performs another tiny wave with her hand.

  "Mifbon!"

  The childling sitter's eyes widen and she gapes at the miniscule being in the wooden rocker. Mifbon's tuskless mandibles flare open with excitement.

  "What did you say? Did you say my name, Enilka?"

  Enilka's answer is a deep chuckle. Followed by a repeating of the same phrase.

  "Mifbon."

  Teresa steps into the main living space the same instant that Enilka speaks for the second time. A smile crosses Teresa's face and she gently places the bundle of packages she was holding onto the nearby table.

  "Wow. That's truly remarkable. Talking already. I knew Vor'taalnis was intelligent, even as a newborn. I could see it in his eyes. It was that place. The shock...The torture. Vor'ti could speak all along. Or, most of the time."

  Teresa strolls across the living space and stands beside her stunned friend. She drops to her knees and hugs Mifbon tightly.

  "I've been teaching her in private. I wanted to see if she could really speak at such a young age. I chose your name because I knew it would mean so much to you. After everything you've been through on this forgotten world. You're not some throwaway, Mifbon. You're an elder's daughter. And the godmother of my childlings. Thank you, Mifbon...For being here."

  The older female hybrid's face drops, and she pulls Teresa into a tighter embrace. Mifbon's voice becomes choked with emotion, dropping an octave lower than her usual deep tone.

  "You cannot imagine how this makes me feel, Teresa. I have never felt such emotion in all of the cycles of my life. I am honored you have given me this title. And this responsibility."

  "It's not a responsibility, Mifbon. This isn't like on your kind's home world. Caring for others is a choice. A choice you can reject at any time. You don't have to do this. I only ask it of you, because I trust you, and I love you. There is no one on V'Daha I trust more."

  "Oh, that's not true," Mifbon mocks. "What of Elder Scar? He is teaching young Vor'ti to read and speak yautja. And has he not also captured a piece of your heart. Do you not trust him to keep it intact?"

  "That's different," Teresa exclaims, batting at Mifbon's left forearm. "We are not quite vilpar, but very much lovers. That is an entirely different situation. And yes, I do trust Elder Scar. So there."

  Finishing her statement, Teresa sticks her tongue out at Mifbon. The hybrid sitter is used to such immature behavior by now. She shakes her head and rolls her purplish-yellow eyes ceilingward.

  "I have always seen why Elder Scar loves you. You are very much like his past lover. She also had a sharp wit and a fierce tongue. There were nights I would hear them arguing over some silly business. Nothing serious. The next moment, I would hear the mixed sounds of their n'fiis. I think he enjoyed winding her up. And she enjoyed being wound up. It was like a game to them. He loved her greatly."

  Mifbon's eyes take on a faraway look and she leans back in her chair. Erilnis is now asleep, but Enilka still plays with her toes. Mifbon continues to rock the wooden apparatus with one clawed hand.

  "It is a feeling I wish I could feel again. My vil'par was old...In ooman terms...When we made n'fiis. He was the son of an Elder named G'lfer. I don't remember the clan. I must ask Halyiis again. J'difij died from an inherited ooman disease. Yau-tala says that the ooman term for the disease is diabetes. There wasn't much left of J'difij after a time. But I loved him. I have not found a love like his since."

  "Why not Halyiis? You do have business with him. Why not try making it a little more personal? He too is seeking a vil'par. Have you thought of this, Mifbon?"

  "Halyiis is also in want of a vil'par? He has never said this to me."

  "What male would? Unless, you give him a reason to believe you are interested in what he is offering. When was the last time you've even spoken with Halyiis?"

  "It has been some time. Our paths do not cross often. He is an archiver. When he's not tending his vineyard, Halyiis spends much of his time with his head stuck in a book. Or one of those devices he and Elder Scar devised. He has no time for me."

  "Try again," Teresa says with a wink. "You won't regret it. I guarantee it."

  Mifbon's mouth works as she considers the possibility. She nods her head slowly, deep in thought.