Page 14 of Alien Healer's Touch

"Does it work on humans too?"

"Your body temperature runs slightly cooler than ours, but yes. The principle remains the same."

As we continued, the forest thinned, revealing a small clearing. Several Nyxari worked alongside humans, constructing reinforced shelters. The sight remained strange – our people working together after generations of solitude.

"Storm shelters," I explained, nodding toward the activity. "For the seismic season."

"Hammond mentioned storms, but not... what did you call it? Seismic season?" Selene slowed, observing the construction.

"The twin suns align with the outer moon during this cycle. The gravitational pull triggers tremors, which feed the storms." I traced the celestial path across the sky. "Rain turns acidic. Lightning strikes with unusual frequency. The ground becomes unstable."

A stocky human male with a beard hammered reinforcement beams into place while a Nyxari held the structure steady.

"The acid rain," Selene murmured. "It burns skin?"

"And corrodes metal." I gestured to the shelters. "These designs incorporate vashkai – living stone. It secretes a neutralizing agent when contacted by acid."

As we passed the clearing, several workers nodded in our direction. The humans looked at Selene with curiosity, some with suspicion. I straightened, moving closer to her – a subtle message that she traveled under my protection.

"Your Commander has not taken the seismic warnings seriously," I said once we were beyond earshot. "The reinforcements on your shelters are insufficient for what's coming."

"Hammond thinks we've survived the minor tremors so far, so the warnings about the major storms are exaggerated." She shook her head. "Mirelle tried to explain the severity twice, but he dismissed her as 'compromised by alien influence.'"

"His pride may cost lives," I observed. "These storms are unlike anything you've witnessed since your arrival. The acid rain alone can burn through metal."

"I know," Selene said grimly. "I've treated three scouts with acid burns already from preliminary showers. But Hammond insists our technology can handle it—just another way to avoid cooperation with your people."

"Survival is not dependence. It is wisdom."

We continued through a grove of trees with bark that shimmered with copper highlights. The path narrowed, forcing us to walk single file.

"We should rest soon," I suggested as the suns reached their zenith. "There is a suitable place ahead."

The "suitable place" appeared moments later – a small clearing with a fallen log beside a stream. I gestured for her to sit while I checked our surroundings for predators.

"All clear," I announced, settling beside her on the log. I offered her dried meat and berries from my pouch. "The water here is safe too."

She accepted the food gratefully. "You make survival look so natural."

"I've had many years of practice." I selected a berry, rolling it between my fingers. "Though my family wanted me to practice different skills."

"What do you mean?"

I looked up at the twin suns, remembering my father's face when I announced my choice. "My bloodline has produced warriors for seven generations. My father leads the Northern Hunt. My brothers all took warrior paths."

"But not you."

"No." I dropped the berry into my palm. "I chose healing instead. My father did not speak to me for a full season cycle afterward."

Selene turned toward me, her expression softening. "They didn't support your choice?"

"They... accepted it, eventually. But the disappointment lingers." I ate the berry, savoring its tart sweetness. "The healer's path is honored, but differently. Less glorified. My mother feared I chose it out of fear."

"Was she right?"

The directness of her question caught me off guard. Humans often approached such matters with more subtlety.

"No. And yes." I met her gaze. "Not fear of battle. Fear of becoming something I am not meant to be."

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