About an hour before high sun, Allan came into the room and sat down next to her on the bed. He put his arm around her and Tiyana burst into tears crying into his shoulder for the next fifteen minutes.
When she finally stopped crying, Tiyana looked at her father and asked the one question on her mind.
"What's going to happen to me?" She asked.
"Nothing actually," Allan replied. Tiyana stared at him.
"Why not?" She asked.
"Well, because we now have some much needed very important information." Allan looked at her. "Apparently, someone has bought our rainforest and plans to tear it down and build stuff in its place." He hesitated. "I probably shouldn't have told you that. Ky's not going to be happy." He looked at the ground. "Someone wants to see you." Tiyana looked down just in time to see her rescued four month old cat, Softball jump into her lap, disturbing Mr. Snuffles. Tiyana smiled and stroked the little kitten.
Tiyana remembered finding Softball about three months earlier. Allan had taken her hunting for Elk, which was plentiful in the forest. They had been out for several hours, and had still not found anything, when Tiyana had heard little meows coming from behind a fallen tree. She had leapt onto the trunk of the cedar and had seen a black kitten with white paws and a white muzzle with a little pink nose. It was being circled by a wolf. Tiyana had shot the wolf using her bow, sending the gray beast slinking off into the forest. Tiyana had then made her way to the kitten and had picked it up. The small bundle of fur was very soft. Tiyana had named it Softball for that reason.
Softball hadn't changed much. She was still black with white paws, a white muzzle, and a little pink nose. The only thing different was that she now wore a blue collar that Tiyana had hand-made for the kitten.
Looking down at the four month old now, Tiyana made a mental note to make a new collar to replace the old blue one.
Allan smiled and stroked the kitten's head. Softball purred contentedly.
"Your Aunt and Uncle arrived this morning, a little later than they had originally planned." Allan said.
"Oh, right!" Tiyana exclaimed jumping up and disturbing a now irritated Softball.
Allan's brother Andrew and Andrew's wife Alicia were the most frequent visitors from Tyro. According to Tiyana and her brothers, they were two of the most interesting. The other was Kyra's cousin Sierra who was known as Auntie Sierra or the one who blew stuff up.
Andrew looked exactly like his older brother. He was tall, with flaming red hair and blue eyes. The only differences were height, Allan was taller, and Allan's eyes were a little more mischievous.
Alicia was the shortest in the room at the moment. She had long hair that was yellow at the top and progressed to a beautiful red color at the end. She also had bright blue eyes.
"Hi Aunt Alicia," Tiyana said hugging Alicia. "And Uncle Andrew." Andrew pulled her into a hug.
"When did you get so tall?" He asked.
"When I found out you were coming to visit." Tiyana answered. Andrew grinned.
"You're so much like your father." He said. "With lots of your mother's personality." He added looking at Kyra. Kyra punched him lightly in the shoulder. Mr. Snuffles prodded Tiyana's foot. She picked up her snake and Kyra retreated to behind Allan.
"So," Kyra said. "What's new in S'moresville since you were last here?"
"Oh nothing much," Alicia said. "Sierra blew up Mira's house. Mira started, and finished, a fight with one dwarf and seventeen other people.. Lyssam discovered an old armory full of swords. Lucy explored more of the forest. Kyren shot a bullseye. Tokyo babysat. And we finished off the bread you gave us several months ago." She turned to Allan. "Why you let her cook is beyond me."
"She's a work in progress." Allan said. It was his turn to be punched in the shoulder by Kyra.
"I'm going to find the others." Tiyana said. And so she left the room to find her brothers and five cousins.
The rest of the day went smoothly.
That night, Tiyana followed Kyra into the boys' room. Kyra made sure both boys were completely ready for bed. Andrew and Kyren had expected this so there was not much to do.
"Goodnight boys." Kyra said.
"Goodnight, Mother." Andrew said.
"Goodnight." Kyren said. Kyra and Tiyana left the room.
"Goodnight Mother." Tiyana said.
"Goodnight, Tiya." Kyra said.
Tiyana couldn't sleep that night. She kept thinking about the human boy, Matthew, trapped in the room downstairs. Allan had requestioned him again earlier that day and had found out his name. Eventually, Tiyana decided to do the one thing that would put her mind at ease.
Windday dawned bright and clear. Kyra shook Allan awake.
"What?" He asked. "Is it another bread monster?"
"No." Kyra replied. "The human boy is gone."
"Oh." Allan said. "Well, if he tells anyone, they'll think he's crazy."
"Tiyana's gone too." Kyra said.
