I’m afraid of outsiders. I like things that are predictable, but I don’t get a lot of renters at the edge of the village. This one is so young. Paulo keeps coming by and watching the door. I think he wants to go inside because he doesn’t leave when I approach.

  I can hear sobbing. I wait with Paulo, then I pick him up and knock.

  - Sibsil Creed, Stories of Shurwinn, (2779)

  Pivot, lunge, strike, swivel, lean, reach, bend.

  It was day three of my Shurwinn adventure, and I was moving through Jendo forms in my casita.

  I'd decided to ignore clocks and calendars since I had no obligations, but every day I had awakened early because the desert sun dawned too bright to ignore.

  I'd naturally fallen into a daily routine: Jendo upon waking, enjoy the shops while the morning was still cool, then spend the afternoon watching stream shows in Shurwinn to practice the local tongue.

  I had a small floater that folded down to a size that fit in my cross-body Chula bag, and it was perfect for hauling my shopping. The open-air market was a fifteen-minute walk from the casita, so by the time I got home in the morning, the sun was getting high in the sky, and the day was heating up.

  There were so many great vegetarian restaurants in town, and I loved the thick curry gravies with veg and flatbread, or peppered veggies over rice, and the oasis-grown fruit was amazing.

  The fruit was everywhere, like it was falling from the trees all around me—date palms, coconuts, lemons, Marion berries. Lots of things I’d had before, but some new ones too.

  When I’d gotten here, my first taste of Shurwinn was costamelon juice from a street vendor. Costamelons were pale purple and pure heaven in the hot, dry air.

  I'd bought a huge load of the melons that were bigger than my head the day before, and I’d had so much fun eating them. When you cut them open, you had to scrape out the seeds to get to the lilac-colored, watery flesh that was sweet as sugar.

  It was the most refreshing thing I’d ever tasted.

  I wasn’t used to the dry heat. My sinuses felt parched, and my skin was tight and dry, so I drank water like never before, trying to stay hydrated. Even when I was exercising, the sweat just evaporated right off.

  I wasn’t up to sparring strength yet. My body remembered the forms like an old familiar friend, but I had a few weeks of regular training before I’d be in fighting shape.

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  And I felt like I could train every day. The pressure in my head had relaxed since I’d gotten to Shurwinn, and it was such a relief to be moving again.

  I let myself be carried away by the forms. I was the master of the forms. The forms moved me. Something happy and warm rose up within me.

  I was moving, and I was grace itself. I no longer thought. I moved.

  Happiness. Desire.

  Oh stars, I hadn’t felt this good in ages. I seriously needed a man or something. Whew, this was one hell of a workout!

  Mmmm. I let myself enjoy the rising heat, and it felt amazing. I was so ready for it, I barely even had to touch myself. It'd been so long, and stars above! It was pleasure beyond what I’d ever felt before.

  ALIVE! I was ALIVE! And I was on fire with ecstasy so intense I didn’t think I could stand it. I wanted release, but I didn’t want it to end!

  I couldn’t stop it. It crested and crashed through me in waves.

  I saw lights in my eyes. Stars! Could you see stars from an orgasm? What was that? Was it even possible?

  I was so charged I could barely see; it was nearly too much. How could it be this good?

  Was it always this way for vegetarians?

  I inhaled, blinking, trying to clear my vision, and came back down, slowing and stilling.

  And then my heart wrenched. I was alone, but I wanted to be held. Stars, it was so wrong to be this torn open, and there was no one there to hold me together. Sobs shook me, and my heart wouldn’t stop clenching in agony.

  Was this why they called it "heartbreak?" It felt like it would never stop, and the tears kept pouring down. There was too much pain inside me. Pain for what I’d lost and for all the confusion.

  Pain because I didn’t want to go back to my life. Because I'd married a man who hadn't loved me. Just like my family.

  Pain because I was alone. Always alone.

  Finally, I cried myself out and slowly began to return, breaths calming. I wasn’t shaking anymore, but I was covered in snot and tears, and my mouth was parched.

  I felt fragile inside. As if someone hit me with a feather, I’d break into pieces.

  I got up for some water, and the cool liquid on my tongue triggered a need to down more and more.

  I was midway through my second glass when I heard a soft knock. I paused, put the glass down, and waited. There it was again: three very soft knocks sounding like they were coming from the front door.

  The blue curtain was drawn over the shuttered door, so I pulled it back. Ritsken, the shy woman who rented me the casita, stood there holding a cute little mirka.

  I opened the door, and she placed the creature in my arms, then scampered quietly away.

  The little white furry animal draped itself over my left arm, with its legs dangling down towards the ground, and its smooth tail wrapped around my wrist.

  “Well, hello there, little friend,” I said to it in Starlend. “Do you wanna come inside?”

  The mirka thrummed, and it felt content to me, so I brought it inside and sat on the bed, looking over its white fur and brown left ear.

  I'd seen the mirkas running around the garden. They were a type of large rodent with long bodies and long legs, thin tails, and round heads topped with round ears.

  He was so soft. And I was sure it was a “he.” He just lay there on my arm, thrumming contentedly while I ran my right hand down his furry head and back.

  I felt calm come over me, and comfort.

  I kept petting the little mirka until I felt drowsy. Pretty soon, it was hard to keep my eyes open. I gave up and laid the mirka down, resting my head on my pillow. My eyes closing, I felt the mirka walk over me and crawl into my hair.

  It curled into a ball at my neck, and I knew no more.

  Dragonriders of Pern? Take to the skies with Diya and Shikra: