Resuming

"It's been three years and she hasn't made a move," said Krenen sitting at the table where they always shared meals, games, and talks. "It's very smart of her, truly. We've been playing it safe, and haven't gone out to spread the songs and knowledge, which in turn has prevented us from growing our settlement. The only new folks we have are the ones that have been born here."

"And we haven't even named this place," Irimena complemented. "We've let ourselves become stagnant. We need to be careful, yes, but we can't let fear rule our lives."

Afena knew all this, but hearing it from her fellows only confirmed what she'd been thinking. It didn't mean any of them were right to think like that, but it did mean she wasn't the only one feeling like things had frozen to a complete stop. Even she, who had more than two hundred years on them, and knew how to wait.

"Yes, I know," she told them. "And in fact, I think it's time we sent Irimena out to a town."