"Let them look." She finished bandaging my arm, her hands lingering on my skin. "We'll be ready."
A small voice interrupted us. "Excuse me?"
We turned to find the eight-year-old girl from the facility standing nearby, watching us with curious eyes.
"Hello, Lira," Kalyndi greeted her warmly. "This is Redmon, the one I told you about."
The child studied me without fear, which was remarkable given her circumstances. "You broke the windows to save us."
"I did," I confirmed, softening my voice as I'd learned to do with young ones.
"Thank you." She stepped closer, reaching out hesitantly to touch my arm, examining the distinctive patterns on my hide. "I have these too, see?" She showed me the ridges along her forearms, so similar to mine but more delicate.
"Very impressive," I told her seriously.
"Dr. Vega says my father is like you. A map... mapin..."
"Mapinguari," I supplied gently.
"Yes!" Her face lit up. "Will I meet him?"
Kalyndi and I exchanged glances. "We're going to try very hard to make that happen," Kalyndi promised.
Lira nodded, accepting this answer with the resilience of childhood. "Good. I have questions for him." With that pronouncement, she returned to the other children, apparently satisfied.
"She's remarkable," I murmured, watching her go.
"They all are." Kalyndi's expression turned thoughtful. "Magnus Terra was right about one thing, these children are special. But they deserve freedom, family, choice."
"And they'll have it." I took her hand in mine. "We'll make sure of it."
Elder Marok approached, his ancient face grave, but his good eye gleaming with approval. "War Chief. You've done well today."
"I'm not War Chief anymore," I reminded him.
"Perhaps not to the tribal council," he conceded. "But to those who matter? Those who follow the old ways of honor and protection? You've never been more worthy of the title."
Dr. Vega joined us, looking exhausted but determined. "We've identified the locations of nine sets of parents," he reported. "The remaining three..." He hesitated.
"Speak plainly, Doctor," Marok encouraged.
"The remaining three sets of parents are deceased. Official records claim natural causes or accidents, but..." He couldn't meet our eyes.
"But you suspect otherwise," Kalyndi finished for him.
"They resisted. Demanded their children back." Dr. Vega's voice was barely audible. "I never knew, I swear. But the dates align too perfectly with their complaints to senior management."
Silence fell as we absorbed this grim revelation. Finally, I asked the question that needed answering. "How do we proceed?"
Marok spread a map before us. "Three teams. Each retrieves three sets of parents from different regions. We rendezvoushere… " his claw indicated a point in the foothills to the east "...in ten days. From there, we travel together to the Eastern Territories."
"Magnus Terra will have every available force searching for us," Dr. Vega warned.
"Which is why speed and stealth are essential," Marok agreed. "Small teams move faster than large groups."
I studied the map, noting the locations marked for parent retrieval. "Kalyndi and I will take the northern route. It passes closest to Fanghorn territory, and I know how to avoid their patrols."
Kalyndi nodded her agreement. "When do we leave?"
