The early morning rays through the canopy made me smile. Birds chirped in the distance, and the closer we traveled to the village, the safer it was.

Dengu pounced ahead, energy racing through the bond between us. He'd unlocked his next quest on the path to citizenship, which we'd already accomplished by completing a dungeon. That brought him to the next one. It was slightly harder, but doable.

[You have unlocked the Fourth Quest (Path to Citizenship): Give a needed Gift to a friend! ]

It differed from my quest, which was to Craft needed gift for a friend, but it made sense for beasts, who needed to learn to be civilized if they wanted to be citizens.

Before I could complete my quest, I needed to decide on a profession. I had plenty of paths I could take: Healing like my sister, Leader like my grandmother, Warrior like my father, and the list went on. Plus, I was pretty good with a needle, mending clothes or creating pretty patterns on armor.

The breeze blew a whiff of smoke in my direction, letting me know how close home was. For a moment, fear trickled down my spine. I'd ignored my parent's plan for me and gone off on my own to take my own path. I pushed away the fear as best I could. My family trusted in my footsteps, they'd forgive my brashness.

Each step brought me closer, the giant trees giving me the first sign that I was entering the village outskirts. The trucks stretched bigger than even the campsite tree. They stood close together to narrower trees, creating small gaps that limited the size of creatures reaching our village. The plantspeakers helped them grow strong.

Dengu slipped into one opening with a chirp.

"Hurry," he said aloud.

Even now, hearing his voice brought me joy.

The first nestled house came into view, the moss-covered stone and flowers planted on the roof helping hide it from casual view. The sunlight sank through the canopy, painting the path in shadows.

"Welcome, Dengu, you have grown," called a male voice from the plant-covered roof. Merel came into view, letting his stealth fall. His green chest blended into the leaves.

I waved with a bright smile. Merel always guarded this entrance and usually had the best gossip.

"Lenna, you as well." He paused before chuckling. "Your father will be pleased to see you. He has fretted the last couple of days."

"We completed our first dungeon, and Dengu is talking." I motioned to the raptor, who waited for me to catch up.

"Greet," said Dengu, before he bowed his head at the protector.

"Congratulations are in order." Merel smiled even at the incomplete word. "May your growth be like the tree guardians, and may you join the civilized with pride."

"Time to head home and stop the fretting," I said with a chuckle, thinking of my father pacing around the village waiting for me to come home.

Dengu took off down the familiar dirt path.

Flowers and short ferns lined the path through the trees as more houses came into view, a few with outside fires. The floral scent of bluemary blossoms brought back memories of my childhood and playing with tiny dinosaurs.

I waved at the other villagers who were busy, but didn't stop to greet any of them. Everyone tried to get thing they wanted done before the afternoon sun crested and brought even more heat. In the morning, the shade kept it pleasantly cool in the village, but once the sun moved directly overhead, the giant trees blocked less of it and the heat could be punishing.

A group of three children passed by, playing hide-and-seek among the trees that sprouted everywhere. None of the three paid us any mind as they played. Laughter erupted as a tiny triceratops joined them, stumbling after the group.

I spotted the hidden guardian who waved at my searching eyes. Children were always guarded. These three were the largest birth group in ages. I'd grown up alone, and my two cousins were in between me and these three children in age. The next oldest was my healer sister, who was an adult.

At least the others had a built-in friend group, though once Dengu had hatched I hadn't been nearly as alone. He'd helped more than I could explain.

"Mother," said Dengu, before racing down the path twice as fast as before. His tail vanished behind a small tree and I hurried to catch up.

A raptor met him outside my stone house, nuzzling his neck. Her scales were the same bright purple as his, but she had a longer tail with a single spike at the end. Bright green eyes studied Dengu, then me, and she bared her teeth in joy.

The insight ping made me bow my head toward her before turning to my own mother.

Standing next to the raptor, my mother had her dark green hair pulled out of her face in a ponytail. Her eyes softened as I approached.

"Rengu mentioned you were on your way." Her arms opened, and I stepped in for a deep hug. "Your father will be pleased to see you. He worries."

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This was the second time someone had mentioned him, which was new. My father never worried that much. I pulled her in tight as the smell of flowers filled my head, a scent which always lingered on her clothes.

"I knew you could beat the dungeon," she whispered into my hair. "But you need a bath."

"Not before I get a look at her," said my father, from somewhere unseen.

I stepped back, feeling the insight before I even turned.

He stood in the shade next to a tree, almost completely hidden until he stepped closer.

Worry filled me at the sight. I couldn't read his emotions at all, and his bonded companion wasn't anywhere near.

"You completed the dungeon early…" He frowned, and his fingers tightened around the bow at his side. "You took that human, Ham."

I nodded, but didn't dare speak at his sharp tone.

"But you didn't enter the hidden level?" he asked.

"No, I didn't even find the entrance," I answered, trying to figure out what was going on.

"That's good." His hands relaxed, and a smile finally crossed his face, making him look younger. "While it's an honor to serve, I know you wish to travel the stars."

The sudden change from warrior to father, left me uncertain, especially with that comment. Still, he held out his arms for a hug and I stepped forward into the scent of wood smoke and trees.

"Level 29 already! You're growing so fast. We will need to find an apprenticeship for you." He saw the quiver on my shoulder. "A magic quiver as well? You must have done extraordinarily well."

"Yes, the dungeon went well," I said, bowing my head and making sure he could see more of the quiver.

"And Dengu, you have grown as well!" He bowed his head to the two dinosaurs, who stood close together.

"We go to join the others," said Rangu. "Congratulations on your growth, Lenna. Dengu chooses well."

The two Raptors vanished down the path to celebrate with their own traditions.

"I need to bathe and rest after the dungeon," I said with a smile, trying not to think about how dirty I needed to be for my mother to have made a comment.

"I need to get back to Sivgu and spread the good news that you are home." My father chuckled to himself before nodding. "A bath would be good."

I sniffed myself lightly, wondering if I smelled like Ham, or something worse.

"Tonight we feast!" He bowed his head at me and then blew a kiss at my mother before he padded out of sight, heading back to his bonded.

"Well, let me grab some soap and we can go get clean," said my mother, direct as always.

#

After soaking in the hot springs and getting clean from my hair to my feet, I finally felt rested. I felt like the jumps I'd made in my leveling had finally taken hold within my body. One of the key lessons we learned as children: growth needed to root itself in your core before it took hold.

The walk back to our house felt slow after the last several days.

Finally, I gave in to the question that rested in the back of my mind. "What did father mean about the hidden level? About not being able to see the stars?"

"You don't need to worry about being confined," she whispered. "The law is only for Singers, to protect them."

"You mean the Forgers, right? But they haven't been seen since grandmother's time."

"They are still out there." My mother shook her head, her hand clutching the staff she always carried. "Someday you'll see, when you leave. Not that you don't have time yet, and many levels to grow."

"I want to see the stars, and the many worlds," I said with enthusiasm, shifting the basket of damp clothes from one side to the other. It'd been my dream as long as I could speak. Each night, wishing the stars luck and promising I'd see them in person someday.

She chuckled. "At the gathering this year, you will need to search for a potential guardian. Or your grandmother can help with that, maybe a little sooner."

"What can I help with?" asked a soft voice. My grandmother sat on a mat outside our house. She stood as we approached with the baskets in our hands.

"Grandmother," I said, bowing my head respectfully. She led our people, as one of the only elders in the village.

"I heard the good news." She smiled at me, picking up her carved staff. "I am so proud of you! I told your father that you could complete that dungeon. You and Dengu are such a team!"

My mouth opened, but before I could respond she motioned to a bunch of clothing on that mat she rose from.

"I brought you a gift. New armor."

"Thank you." I quickly bowed my head. "You didn't need to."

"Of course I did. I had it made as soon as you started training with that boy, Ham." She tilted her head at my mother. "Plus, your mother will take over leadership duties a little early, since I will travel to the conclave. It gave me time to work on the armor."

A look flashed between the two of them.

"You might get to join me on this trip. I know it isn't to the stars, but you haven't seen Arboria. Or much of our villages to the north."

I forgot to breathe for a second.

"You mean it?" Arboria was the largest city on our planet, except for Skyreach, which had the portal to the Megacity. The council met in Arboria, and grandmother attended the conclave each year. "That's what mother meant!"

My grandmother chuckled. "You will need to prove yourself to a guardian if you want to explore the stars and Megacity. We don't have many who volunteer for the duty."

"I will prove myself worthy," I said with conviction. "Dengu has completed his goal to learn to speak, and will complete his quests as well."

We both wanted to explore and discover new places, but until we found a guardian who was willing to protect us, exploring the rest of this world needed to be enough.

Mother and grandmother exchanged another set of looks, this time not as bright.

"Growth is good, but you will need to rest before you push yourself again," said my grandmother. "This will be a good time to learn more about leadership and connecting with others. Has Ham mentioned anything about any other humans?"

"He's hoping others join him from the Sanctuary. As you know, several have exited through the northern tunnel," I said with a frown. "Why? The humans have been friendly, even the ones that moved on closer to Skyreach."

"None of them tried the dungeon, except for Ham. I expect he will let any others who exit know of its location," explained my mother.

"It's our duty to protect and guard the dungeon," added my grandmother. "It's part of our village's duty."

"But the Four Temples Dungeon is a place of learning. Why wouldn't we want the humans to learn our rules?" I asked, trying not to think about Alex, and why I hadn't mentioned her.

"This dungeon is special to our people. These humans don't have the same histories as us…" Grandmother nodded at my mother and motioned to the path that led to the center of the village. "I must get to work on the feast for tonight, to celebrate your growth. You do us proud, Lenna."

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