Today was a day of wonderful things.  

First, there was a boy in Meg’s room, and he knew about fuzzy slippers and rubber ducks. And now? Now there was a girl in Palayta Village! 

Except—well, the girl liked kicking people.  

Jenny handed the radio receiver back to the Josharon in the communications hut and raced back to the center of the village where the red-haired visitor had been surrounded by warriors.  

As Jenny approached, two Josharon males lunged at the stranger. The Josharons were shorter than she was by a few inches, but they had claws and sharp teeth. And Jenny knew, from experience wrestling with Josharon kits, that they were extra slippery when you were trying to hang on to them. Their fur was hard to grip. But the stranger didn’t seem to be having a problem. 

She stepped back and sideways, flipping one Josharon head over tails as she kicked the second one in the ribs. Both Josharons went down at the same time, and two more rushed her. The girl turned a graceful kick and knocked the paws out from under the next Josharon. She punched the next Josharon in the snout.  

The girl hollered in pain with the motion, but she didn’t stop until all the Josharons were on the ground at her feet.  

As she straightened, Jenny eyed her left arm, the way it hung at her side and how the girl gathered it close as she prepared to attack again. 

It’s dislocated. Jenny frowned. Wow, if she can fight like that with a dislocated arm, what could she do with two working arms? She might be as strong as Meg! 

The Josharons were picking themselves up, and the chorus of growls and snarls from the perimeter made the air vibrate.  

This had to stop. Right away. The Nibe were strong fighters, but they had probably already summoned the Yodha. And if the Yodha arrived, it didn’t matter how good a fighter this girl was. She’d die.  

The Yodha didn’t take prisoners.  

Jenny ran up with her hands in the sky. “Wait!”   

The red-headed girl spun to face her, nose bleeding and eyes wide with adrenaline, but she froze when she saw Jenny. She clenched her fists.  

“Hey!” Jenny waved. “Hi! I’m Jenny.” She clapped her hands. “You’re really strong. Not a lot of people can fight Josharons like that. They’re tough. I meand, these are just regular Nibe Josharons. If you were fighting Yodha Josharons, you’d be dead.” 

“Who are you?” the girl snapped. 

“I told you. I’m Jenny.” Jenny smiled and then glanced over her shoulder at the other Josharons who were approaching, some holding spears, others holding staffs, all of them growling. “And these are the Josharons of Palayta Village.” 

“They’re fox people.” 

“Okay.” Jenny blinked. “If that’s what you want to call them, that’s fine. But they’re Josharons.” 

“They have tails,” the girl pointed. “And snouts and ears and—but they’re people. What is this? Where am I?” 

“Oooo-kay.” Jenny pressed her palms together. “This is going to take some conversation.” She nodded. “And that’s good, because I like to talk.” 

The girl spun around to face a Josharon that began to creep up on her from behind. “Back off!”  

“Tahir.” Jenny stepped closer to the girl, hands raised again. “Tahir, she’s okay.” 

“She is violent,” the Josharon clan leader snarled through barred fangs. “Siraj and Najam would have helped her, but she attacked with no declaration.” 

Jenny slid in front of the girl, between her and the snarling Josharon. “Sahib, forgive her. She’s new. Doesn’t know where she is. And she’s scared.” Jenny bowed. “I promise, she won’t hurt anyone else.” 

Jenny looked back at the girl. She still stood with her fists clenched and eyes alert, breath heaving in shallow gasps. This close, Jenny could see the injuries to the girl’s leg and shoulder as well.  

She fought like that with a dislocated shoulder and bleeding gashes on her legs and arms? Wow. Jenny turned to face her. “I’m Jenny.” 

The girl glared at her. “I heard you.” 

“What’s your name?” 

“Why are there talking fox people here?” The girl towered over her. “Where did the lab go? Where is my brother?” 

Jenny blinked again and brightened. “Your brother?” She gasped. “You mean—Jim?” 

The red-headed girl looked shaken. “Yes. Jim.” 

Jenny grinned. “Good. He’s fine. He’s safe. I just called, and he’ll be here soon.” She pointed to Prism Castle that loomed over Palayta Village in the distance. 

Slowly, the girl turned and stared, her eyes widening further. Maybe she hadn’t noticed the castle and was too busy fighting. 

“You–called?”  

“I did.” Jenny nodded. “On the radio. My sister found your brother a few hours ago.” 

The girl glared at her, green eyes full of fire. “He’d better not be hurt, or I’ll–” 

“He’s not hurt.” Jenny giggled. “You’re really protective. He must be your younger brother. You’re acting just like my sister does when she thinks I’m in trouble. It’s really annoying, but it’s part of her charm. I think you’ll like my sister a lot. She likes kicking people too.”  

“I–what—huh?” 

“Yup, yup, yup. You and Meg will like each other, after you fight.” Jenny laughed. “Because you’re gonna fight. Absolutely.” Jenny bounded around the girl and shooed the encroaching Josharons away. “You guys all go home. I’ll take care of the human, okay?” 

The Josharons snarled in a rumbling chorus of displeasure.  

Jenny sighed. “Meg’s coming.” 

The snarling stopped almost instantly. The Josharons all recognized Meg as someone they could trust, so using her name usually always got them to calm down. Sheenan still growled as he brushed past Jenny on the way back to his hut, grumbling under his breath.  

Jenny glanced around the center of the village, eying the Josharon matrons who stood in the doorframes of their wooden huts. A Josharon female with brown fur and a silver mane waved to her from the hut nearest the gathering hall.  

“Aha.” Jenny waved back. “Peghra will help. She’s a rebel.” She turned back to the girl. “Okay. So, you’re safe here. Nobody’s going to hurt you.” 

The girl barked a laugh. “Yeah, not buying that.” 

Jenny set her hands on her hips. “The Josharons are peaceful. They only attacked you because you attacked them first.” 

The girl sputtered.  

“I’m Jenny.” Jenny held out her hand.  

“I. Heard. You.” 

“And you didn’t tell me your name, so does that mean I can just call you Rude?” Jenny chuckled. “I can do that. Miss Rude. Rude-Face Ruder-Than-Rude Rude-Person.” 

The girl glared at Jenny and then at the castle and then at the Josharons that were still staring at her. “You said my brother is coming?” 

“Yes. I promise.” Jenny offered her hand again. “He’s safe, and so are you.” 

The girl winced and took a step back, holding the bleeding gash in her dislocated shoulder. “Barb.” She eyed Jenny’s hand but didn’t shake it. “Barb Taylor.” 

Jenny beamed. “Good to meet you.” She beckoned. “Come on. Let’s have tea.” 

Barb scoffed. “Tea?” 

“Tea is always appropriate.” Jenny hurried to where Peghra stood in her doorway and flung her arms around the Josharon female’s neck. “You don’t mind patching her up?” 

“Of course not, Jennifer.” Peghra flashed a toothy smile, her brown eyes full of light. “Poor dear. She’s quite overwhelmed.” 

“I know!” Jenny waved Barb toward her. “Barb, this is Peghra. She’s a Josharon, and this is her home. Her mate is Balach—who I think you kicked earlier.” 

Barb shifted, staring openly at Peghra. “Sorry about that.” 

“He’s had much worse.” Peghra stepped back from the doorway. “Come inside. Sit. We will see to your injuries.” 

Jenny held out her hand to Barb again, but the girl ignored her and limped inside, eyes darting to every corner in search of a threat.  

She’s very different from her brother. Jenny pulled a stool out of the corner and set it at the center of the hut. “Have a seat.” 

Barb didn’t sit right away, but eventually she lowered herself down. She hissed as she settled herself and sighed once she was seated. 

She must be in a lot of pain. 

Peghra busied herself under the loft bed built into the wall of the hut where she kept her herbs and salves.  

Barb had fallen silent, her wide eyes taking in every detail of the inside of the hut as though she expected an attacker to jump out at her any moment.  

Jenny sat on the dirt floor at her feet. “You can calm down.” 

Barb looked at her in surprise.  

“I promise you’re safe. Nobody’s going to hurt you.” 

Barb’s eyes narrowed. “You’re human.” 

Jenny nodded. “Yes, but I’ve lived here almost my whole life.” She shrugged. “I was just a baby when we fell into this world, but I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. This is the most perfect, most beautiful place ever, and the Josharons make the best stews and curries, and I have an orchard all to myself. I make all sorts of jams every season, and I—” 

Barb set her palm over Jenny’s mouth. “You do like talking.” 

Jenny nodded happily. “Your brother is handsome. Is he strong like you? He doesn’t seem super strong. He seems really skinny, but people can surprise you. Oh, Peghra has tea.”  

Peghra returned with a carved wooden cup of steaming tea and lowered it for Jenny to take.  

Jenny sniffed it and nodded. “This is sukhadaya tea. It’s a natural painkiller, so it should help with any pain you’re having.” 

Barb snarled. “You’re probably going to poison me.” 

“Why would we do that?” Jenny laughed. “We wouldn’t have any friends if we gave them poison tea. Wow, that would be terrible. Imagine, poisoning tea. That’s just not nice.” 

Barb gave her a look that questioned her sanity. Jenny was used to those looks. Tzaitel looked at her like that all the time.  

Jenny handed the cup of tea to Barb. “It will help. Promise.” 

Barb twitched. “Why should I trust you?” 

Jenny grinned. “Because I’m a nice person.” She gestured to her bright pink kurta. “And I wear happy colors. You can always trust a person who wears happy clothes. They’re always comfortable and never grumpy.” 

Peghra chuckled, folding her clawed hands across her saree. “Tolan’s logic is flawless as ever.” 

Jenny laughed with her.  

Slowly, Barb sniffed the steaming cup, and she took a hesitant sip. She wiggled her nose and took another drink.  

“Tastes like dirt,” she muttered.  

“Smells like it too,” Jenny said, “but it’s brilliant.” 

Jenny smiled up into the girl’s face.  

She had freckles like Danny, just not as many, and her hair was similar to his. Red, but deeper red rather than his bright carrot-colored red. 

After a few quiet moments had passed, the tension in Barb’s face had faded. Her expression didn’t seem as strained.  

“Better?” Peghra asked.  

Barb looked at the Josharon matron. “Yes. It is.” She sounded surprised. 

Peghra nodded and stood, gathering some of her medicinal herbs and some bandages. Jenny waited at Barb’s feet.  

“What’s your world like?” 

Barb glanced down at her. “What’s it like?” 

Jenny nodded eagerly. “I don’t remember anything about the other world. I was too young when we left, and I’ve always wondered what it was like.” 

Barb frowned at her. “It’s—nice. I guess. I don’t know what to tell you.” 

“Is the sky blue? Is the grass green? Do all Terraners have red hair and blonde hair? What languages do you speak?” 

“Whoa. Slow down.” 

“Sorry. I get excited.” 

“No kidding.” Barb straightened when Peghra returned and pointed to the gash in her shoulder. “What? What are you going to do?” 

“Treat your injuries.” The Joshaon smiled, showing her teeth. “Unless you’d like to bleed out on my floor.” 

“What are you using?” 

“It is a salve of lace moss, winter cherry root, and chandan sap.” 

Barb’s face twisted in disgust. “Why would I let you put that on me?” 

“It’ll stop the bleeding and cleanse the wound.” Jenny poked her in the kneecap. “You’re so suspicious.” 

“There’s a talking fox person trying to rub junk off a forest floor in an open gash, and you think I’m being suspicious?” 

Jenny snapped her fingers. “Actually, Peghra, she’s right.” 

“I am?” 

“We should put her shoulder back in first.” Jenny began to stand up.  

Barb pushed her back down. “No.” 

“It’s dislocated.” 

“Really, I hadn’t noticed.” Barb spat and held up her hand as Peghra advanced again. “Look. Fine. I get the herbal medicine thing. You probably don’t have emergency rooms here—wherever here is.” She sighed. “You can treat the gash. I’ll put my shoulder back in after you’re done.” 

Jenny sat up and stared at her. “You’ll put it back in?” 

“I just said that, didn’t I?” 

“But–that will hurt. A lot.” Jenny blinked. “Even Meg doesn’t do that.” 

Barb rolled her eyes. “It dislocated a long time ago, and every now and then it just pops out by itself. So I do it all the time.” 

“Wow, that cannot be healthy.” 

“Can we just get on with this please?” 

Who was this girl that she could reset her own dislocated limbs?  

One-armed, Barb shed the durable jacket she wore, leaving her in a sleeveless green shirt that bared her collarbone and shoulders.  

Peghra lifted a clawed hand, holding a strip of fabric soaked in one of her astringent salves. “This will sting,” she said, “but it must be cleaned.” 

Barb shrugged and winced. She hissed as Peghra pressed the cloth against the bleeding wound.  

“So where am I?” Barb cast her gaze around the hut. “San Francisco is weird, but even we don’t have walking fox-people.”  

Jenny settled back at her feet. “You’re in Palayta Village, the capital village of the Nibe Clan.” Jenny folded her skirts around her legs. “This is Rainbow Valley.” 

Barb shook her head. “All that tells me is that I’m not in Kansas anymore.” 

Jenny gasped. “Kansas? You know about Kansas?” 

Barb drew back from her excitement.  

“We were born in Kansas!” 

“Good for you. Geez, kid, calm down.” 

Peghra laughed as she finished treating the wound in Barb’s shoulder. “Jennifer is easily excited. She brings brightness everywhere she goes.” 

Jenny pointed to herself. “Happy clothes.” 

“So this is some far off magical land where human-size foxes walk upright and drink tea with random loud kids from Kansas?” 

Jenny smiled. “Sounds like a good enough description to me.” 

Barb blew her breath out. “I don’t know what’s going on.” She eyed Jenny. “You’d better be right about my brother.” 

“I am.” 

Barb shook her head. “I don’t know why, but I believe you.” 

Jenny giggled and took Barb’s hand in her own, whispering, “Happy clothes. I’m telling you.” 

A loud shriek sounded outside Peghra’s hut, and Jenny turned where she sat.  

“What was that?” Barb tensed.  

“Someone’s in trouble.” Jenny released Barb’s hand and scrambled to her feet, running to the doorway. “But why?” She yanked the curtain over the door back and stuck her head outside.  

“What is it?” Peghra called after her.  

Jenny blinked in the bright sunlight, not sure she was seeing what she thought she was seeing. At the center of the village, a massive swirling portal had opened like a yawning mouth. Hanging halfway out of the darkness inside of it, a creature flailed arms that were too long and had too many joints.  

“Uh.” Jenny started. “I think we better call Meg again.”