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Lissel is distressed and confused at Penna's seeming lack of concern over her brother's impending death

Penna got up and peeked out the door to her room. Standing before her, dripping wet from the torrents outside, was Lissel. Penna came out, and the two friends embraced. Sennef came out and joined them, and the three of them hugged as they had done in Renlar. This time they were crying tears of joy and reunion.

"My parents said they would let me travel to a neighboring village anytime there is a merchant group going there," Lissel said. "Since much of your mother’s inter-provincial business has followed her to
Fenmon, I will have many more chances to see you."

"Please make yourself at home, my good friend," Penna invited her.

"I’ll get you some water mugs and wait for you in your loft," Lissel suggested.

Sennef and Penna nodded and proceeded with their getting up business, as Lissel dropped her travel pack in the spare bedroom.

After a moment, Sennef and Penna, fully dressed and awake, joined their city friend in their loft.

There was so much to talk about and get caught up on. Since she had just been on the road, Lissel went with Sennef and Penna to the Fenmon bathing pool. The three of them returned to the house to begin their new day as the Nenmaran sun began to set.

"I want to show you something down in the nellar trees, Lissel" Sennef said, as he rinsed and filled a spare bucket with water.

Penna sported an impish grin, but constrained her urge to tell what was in the nellar trees."Nellar trees!" Lissel exclaimed. "What good are nellar trees, except to play in?"

"You’ll see," Sennef replied. "Just come with us."

"I’m really anticipating something, now," Lissel said. "Let’s get going. I can’t wait to see this whatever it is." She stayed close to Sennef as they walked across the field toward the tree line—Sennef with bucket in hand.

As they approached the pellar in the nellar trees, Lissel’s expression changed from anticipation to alarm, and she stopped suddenly. Her expression then changed to deep disappointment."We can’t go there now," Lissel said. "Look, there’s a pellim out in the nellar trees."

"Isn’t that a bit far out of the fimmen forest for a pellim to venture?" Sennef asked, teasing her a little.

"You’re right, it is," Lissel admitted. "But that makes me worry even more, because that particular pellim seems to be especially bold. It’s even eyeing the three of us. Look how it’s torn up the nellar trees. I don’t want to go any closer. I’ve been traveling all day, and I’m too tired to have to run from a pellim in an open field."

"I’ll approach it by myself, and you two can see if it attacks me," Sennef teased further. "Besides, I think your being tired from your trip has dulled your wit, because since when do pellims chase people into open fields, or even go to the field side of the nellar trees?"

"I see your point," Lissel said. "But I also see the pellim. I guess I’m just too tired as well confused.

Lissel felt Penna take her by the hand, and whisper, "It’s all right."

The two girls stood still while Sennef went straight up to the animal in the nellar trees. 

"Aaaahhhh, ooooohhh!" Lissel wailed. "That pellim is attacking Sennef’s neck. Look, it’s tearing out his throat! Oh, it’s dragged him to the ground and now it’s making a meal of him. Oh, poor Sennef! I feel like a part of me died with him.

"Penna looked at Lissel and chuckled.

"I don’t understand you, Penna," Lissel choked. "You’ve betrayed all of your talk about being heart to heart with your brother. How can you take his death so lightly?"

"I haven’t betrayed anything—just watch and see." Penna gestured toward the tree-line.

Sennef got up. He picked up the filled water bucket, and set it down next to the creature that had him pinned to the ground a
moment before. He then picked up the empty bucket and walked toward the girls, with the animal beside him.

"That beast is approaching us," Lissel said. "It must have affected Sennef’s mind because he’s walking with it as if it were a pet lennar."

"It’s like a big lennar," Penna chuckled.

"Penna," Lissel said, in low tone of horror. "Let’s run, before it attacks us!"

"Does my brother seem hurt to you?" Penna asked.

"No."

"Then why should we run?"

"I’m too confused to even think," Lissel confided. "Right now, I think I’ll just sit down and let it have me if it’s hungry."

"I’ll be happy to sit down with you," Penna replied. "But it won’t hurt any of us."

The two of them sat down on the ground.

"My mind is scrambled," Lissel sighed. "I can’t think. We’re going to die."

Sennef joined the girls, and had the creature sit with them.

"I don’t believe what I’m seeing," Lissel said.

"Come to Penna, good baby," Penna said to the animal. She offered her neck for it to nuzzle, as she caressed it.

"This is what we wanted to show you," Sennef said to Lissel."She’s not a pellim at all. She’s a friendly animal called a pellar, and she eats nellar leaves and bark. She’s also stronger than a pellim, and probably could kill one in a fight. Her fur is useful for making
sleek fabric, which our mother will be making. She’d love to have you pet her."

Trembling, Lissel reached over toward the pellar. "Hello, you pellar creature," she said. "Oh! It responds to my voice too!" The pellar turned to nuzzle her neck. "Being nuzzled by such a large creature is a strange, new feeling," Lissel said.

"We’ll be getting a mate for her in about 35 days," Penna said.

"From where?" Lissel asked.

"From the spaceship people," Penna replied.

"From who?"

"Sennef and I have figured out where our parents were that night your father came over to our house. He was so worried that he had left them at some rendezvous point. We figured out the people your father had been meeting with were these two people in the spaceship. Their names are Barmeth and Kaggla, and they created this pellar by turning a pellim into this good creature."

"Barmeth and Kaggla," Lissel repeated, still trembling as she stroked the pellar. "What non-Nenmaran names! What province are they from?"

"They’re from a totally different world," Penna replied. "They’re from a place called Gatton, and it’s nothing like Nenmar. It’s too hot to live outside there, so the people there have to go underground. They traveled here in a spaceship they have. Sennef and I figured out it’s the same spaceship your father was meeting."

"Some of the strange conversations I overheard my parents having are beginning to make sense," Lissel said. "It has something to do with that strange storeroom in their loft. Now I’m more curious than ever."