Hana tucked the diary into her waistband and walked back out to the sunlight. The air was hot and smelled of dust, a sharp contrast to the cold history she’d just touched.

Caspian and Kulu were already completing the first haul, their wings creating a mini-cyclone as they touched down. Raiden was being dropped off at the den with his precious mirror, and the Boars were working like a well-oiled machine.

Everything was perfect.

That is, until Lira stepped into the clearing, her eyes fixed on the silver crates with a hunger that had nothing to do with survival and everything to do with greed.

​"My, my," Lira sang out, her voice cutting through the sound of the wind. "Look at all these shiny toys. It’s almost a shame they’re being taken by someone who doesn’t even have a home to put them in."

Hana didn’t look up from her inventory check. "I have a home, Lira. And unlike yours, mine doesn’t require me to beg for my food."

Lira’s smile didn’t reach her eyes. She walked closer, her hand resting over her belly, her entourage of females closing in behind her. She was looking for a fight, and she was looking for it now—before the two powerful males could return for the second haul.

> [SYSTEM WARNING: PROXIMITY ALERT - HOSTILE INTENT DETECTED]

Yeah, I can feel it even if you don’t tell me. She thought.

Hana kept her eyes on the metallic tablet in her hand, her thumb swiping through the inventory of solar panels and water filtration units. She didn’t give Lira the satisfaction of an audience.

​"You should be resting, Lira," Hana said, her voice a flat, clinical drone. "Stress is bad for the baby. Or did the Falcon healers forget to mention that while they were busy failing to cure your Chief?"

​Lira’s face tightened, her nostrils flaring. She stepped closer, her bare feet kicking up the red dust of the ridge.

Behind her, three other Falcon females fanned out, their wings half-unfurled in a predatory display.

​"You speak a lot of big words for a land-crawler who just arrived," Lira hissed, her voice dropping into a venomous whisper. "You think because you played a few tricks with that door, you’ve earned the right to strip our mountain bare? These crates belong to the Sky Tribe." She dared to say.

​"They belong to whoever has the key," Hana countered, finally looking up. Her eyes were like flint. "And last I checked, you were trying to pry it open with a bone spear. How did that work out for you?"

​Lira let out a sharp, mocking laugh, glancing back at her entourage.

"Did you hear her? She thinks she’s a queen because she found a few silver boxes. But look at you, Hana. No wings. No tribe. Just a dragon who will grow bored of you and a fox who will sell you for a scrap of meat."

​Lira stopped only two feet away. She leaned in, the scent of her floral oils clashing with the ozone smell of the bunker.

"And now you’ve taken Kulu. My Kulu. You think he actually wants you? He’s only there because he’s a lapdog who needs a master. Once he realizes you’re just a cold, hollow shell, he’ll come crawling back to the ’Saint’ who actually knows how to warm a nest."

How was Kulu so blind to this foolish scheme? She’s not even that smart. Though I guess he’s not the smartest either.

​Hana’s expression didn’t change, but her grip on the tablet tightened.

"He’s not a lapdog. He’s a man who realized he was being used by a parasite. If you want him back, go find him. But he’s currently busy doing actual work. You should try it sometime."

​Lira’s eyes flashed with a manic, calculated light. She saw the Boars pausing their work, watching the two females. She saw the Falcon Elders hovering on the ledges above. This was her stage.

​"You’re so arrogant," Lira whispered, her hand moving to clutch her pregnant belly with exaggerated care. She took a step into Hana’s personal space, her shoulder dropping slightly. "But everyone here knows the truth. You’re a thief. And thieves... they need to be taught a lesson."

​Lira moved. It was a subtle, snake-like lunge. She didn’t aim for a punch; she reached out to give Hana a sharp, sudden shove.

​Hana saw the intent in the shift of Lira’s weight. She saw the way Lira was already preparing to gasp and fall backward the moment she made contact—a perfect setup to claim the ’Saint’ had been assaulted by the ’Wicked Outlander’.

​But Hana wasn’t a beastman. She didn’t play by the rules of honor or tribal posturing. She was a survivor of a world where if you waited to be hit, you died.

​Before Lira’s hands could even touch her silver dress, Hana’s hand shot out. She didn’t step aside. She stepped in.

​With a brutal, efficient shove, Hana slammed her palm into Lira’s chest.

​"Get out of my face," Hana snapped.

​Lira’s eyes went wide as the force of the hit sent her stumbling back. Her heels caught on the uneven red dirt, and she went down hard, landing on her backside with a heavy thud.

​The clearing went deathly silent. The Boars stopped mid-haul. The Falcon females gasped in unison, their hands flying to their mouths.

​"You... you pushed her!" one of the females shrieked, pointing a trembling finger. "She is the Saint! She is carrying the future of the Sky! And you pushed her. How dare you?!"

​Lira didn’t get up. She stayed on the ground, her face twisting into a mask of theatrical agony. She clutched her stomach, letting out a high, thin wail. "My baby... Kulu! Help me! Someone... she... she tried to kill my child!"

​The Falcon Elders began to descend from the rocks, their spears leveled. The air grew thick with the threat of a riot.

​Hana didn’t flinch. She stood her ground, looking down at the sobbing Lira with total disgust.

​"Oh, shut it," Hana’s voice rang out, cold and loud enough to stop the Elders in their tracks. "Stop acting like you’re something special just because you’re pregnant."

​Lira looked up, tears streaming down her face. "You... you monster! You would endanger a child because of your jealousy?"

​"Jealousy?" Hana barked a short, humorless laugh. "And what exactly am I jealous of?" She flipped her hair back.

"You... you probably are not as fertile and cannot carry a child. You are jealous of me. You..." she sobbed, and Hana rolled her eyes. This act was too horrible to watch.