He heard Shaunee gasp in his ear, then begin to sob. Stan looked shocked. Walking over to the edge, he looked down for a long moment. When he turned back to them, he shook his head and squatted down next to them.
"And then there were three," Stan murmured.
There was nothing to do except say a few prayers for Shirley, then get back to work. The twin suns were getting closer to the horizon, and they definitely didn't want to be caught down in the clearing when night fell and the creatures returned. So Stan and Shaunee spent the last hours before sundown hauling up the last of the wood and water they'd gathered earlier.
As before, Piter sat, nursing his back. But it didn't get any better. In fact, his discomfort just got worse as the afternoon turned to evening. The pain spread fro
