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It turned out Wrin hadn’t brought us here for the valoree trees. The small grove backed onto a rock formation with a shallow cave sheltered by a shelf overhead.
“It’s not much, but it’ll hide us from scans for the night.”
Once he’d dragged a fallen tree trunk into place in front of the cave, we took a seat. He pulled out foil-wrapped bars and handed me one. It tasted fruity with the slightly chalky feel of protein powder mixed in. I devoured it, ravenous from having missed lunch.
Wrin tried to give me a second bar, but I pushed it back to him. He was two times my size and had done most of the hard work of running and carrying me all day.
As he ate, he explained more about this world I now found myself in. The aliens called this region of the galaxy the seven sectors, and there were four known species. He showed me pictures on his phone. The Grug were huge gray pyramids who controlled almost all the trade and technology via their telepathic hive mind. The Tula were lizard aliens, specializing in mining, and the Sjisji were bird aliens who supplied most of the food.
“And the Zaarn?” I asked. “What do they do?”
“We are the least populous of the species, but our planet has resources found nowhere else in the seven sectors. Our politicians work carefully to barter them for everything those on planet need.” His lips twisted. “And the banished Zaarn fall back on my people’s other expertise—we’re warriors, for hire.”
“Banished?”
“Three times as many males are born than females. Any unmated male is banished and sent to Roam at twenty.” That ache I’d seen in his eyes returned.
My heart pinched. Somehow, I knew this part of his story was no act. “This is you? You’re one of these banished?”
“Yes.”
“Why—”
“Me do it! Me find dinner!”Max ran into the clearing and dropped a brown-furred animal at my feet.
“Oh!” I jerked my eyes away. Growing up in a city hadn’t really prepared me for the reality of how animals lived in the wild. We hadn’t even had a pet—they were so expensive only the wealthy could afford them.
I cleared my throat and said, “That’s great, but I’m full. Why don’t you have it?”
“Me ate already. Me got this for you.”
“That’s really sweet, Max.” I stumbled to a halt. How could I turn him down without hurting his feelings?
“My name not Max. My name Maximum Good Hunter.”
A snort of laughter escaped before I could lock it down. “That’s a very long name.”
“Yes.”Pride rang through his voice, and he pranced back and forth in front of me, his tail waving high in the air. There was something odd about the end of it.
“My full name is Captain Vivian Mei Lee, but that’s pretty long, too. My best friends call me Viv.”
“Viv is special friend name?”
“Yes.” I reached out to scratch around his horns. “Do you have a special friend name?”
“If you Viv, me Max.”
“Max it is, then.”
“As long you remember me really Maximum Good Hunter.”
“Of course.”
“You tell big one my real name.”
I turned to Wrin and fought to keep from laughing. “He wants me to tell you we can call him Max, but his real name is Maximum Good Hunter.”
The corners of his lips twitched, but he tipped his head solemnly toward the cat. “It suits you. You are indeed a good hunter.”
