The sound of hammers pounding echoed across the island. Real houses were being built, real stores, warehouses, manufacturing buildings, and a shipyard. Jack Enge, the bridge builder, pounded another stake into the ground to mark where the bridge would be. The bridge would span 2,500 miles to the mainland, but not in the way one might think. This would be a World-Bridge using the principles of quantum-entanglement that Mara had pioneered with her first World-Bridge. The bridge would serve as a pier for ships, but also connect the islands with the mainland where the cattle and horses would be sent to take advantage of the vast grazing lands. The livestock would reproduce into the millions and be capable of providing beef and farm horses for hundreds of worlds. Jack Dreamer and Jack Scholar stood bent over a table studying the plans for the electronic components needed to make the World-Bridge work. “We don’t have the manufacturing to produce any of this,” said Scholar. “I have a plan,” said Dreamer. “We’ll salvage the parts we need from an abandoned Atan Gate, just like Mara did the first time.” Scholar shook his head. “The only Atan Gates are out in real space, and Cael warned you about opening a door to real space.” “His exact words were the dead are not permitted to open a door. I’m not technically dead.” Scholar sighed. “I don’t think playing semantics with an entity as powerful as the Lord of Chaos is a good idea.” Dreamer reached for his blue crayon lying on the table where he’d been using it to add a few notes to the plans. Before he could pick up the crayon, it changed color to purple, and formed into a stick figure. The stick figure stood and stretched as if just waking from a nap. Jack jumped back from the table. “What the heck?” “I take it you haven’t seen it do that before?” asked Scholar. The crayon walked to the center of the table, faced Dreamer, and bowed. “Greetings, Blue Dreamer. I am Atok Dreamer, Foundation of Worlds, Lord of Mountain and Stone, Bedrock of Oceans, Keeper of the Crystal, Protector of the Living Flame…” The crayon fell silent and split in half. The new half turned red and hopped several inches to the left. “Hi, I’m the Living Flame and blah, blah, blah. Atok the Wise requests to speak with Jack the Wise.” Scholar leaned down and peered at the two little half-crayon pieces. “We do not have a Jack the Wise, but we may have the equivalent. I am Jack Scholar.” The purple half-crayon bowed its head. “That will be acceptable, Akot the Wise wishes to discuss trade options.” The red half-crayon hopped to the top of the schematic. “What are you building?” asked the red half-crayon. “These are the plans for a pier,” said Jack Dreamer. The red half-crayon studied the plans for a moment longer, then hopped back to the purple half-crayon and formed back into one piece. The purple crayon was silent for a moment before the stick figure reformed into the blue crayon and fell over. Scholar sighed. “That’s going to be a problem.” Dreamer nodded. “Yep, I’m guessing the Living Flame is the Red Dreamer. She must be from a civilization advanced enough to know we’re building something that breaks Cael’s rules about no technology. They got scared and ran. I don’t think there’s going to be any trade talks.” “Did you know your crayon could do that?” “No, I didn’t.” “Have the blacksmith build a soundproof box to lock your crayon in until you can learn more about how it works. We don’t need to make it easy for people to spy on us.” Dreamer looked up at the big man. “Do we have to tell Warrior about this?” “You know better than to ask that,” scolded Scholar. Dreamer lowered his head. “Okay, I’ll go tell Warrior what happened.” A shout from the perimeter guards caught Dreamer and Scholars attention. “STRANGER AT NORTH GATE!” Scholar glanced towards the north. “Now what, I thought nobody could enter this world?” “I must be doing something wrong,” replied Dreamer. “It’s like a train station here.” “Figure it out before Warrior packs us up and we march home,” said Scholar. Dreamer grabbed his crayon and headed up the beach towards the north barricade. Squads of Jack soldiers were running to their assigned defense positions. The Jacks did not like uninvited guests and had a tendency to view any stranger as a harbinger to an attack. Jack Warrior was already at the north barricade when Dreamer arrived. Beyond the barricade in the middle of the road was a girl dressed in blue medical scrubs, bright orange shoes, and a bright orange backpack. Her hair was dark brown and pulled back into a ponytail. Dreamer immediately saw what had gotten everyone riled up. In her arms she held Bolt, one of the younger male tiger cubs, and named for the stripe on his neck that resembled a bolt of lightning. Dreamer stopped next to Warrior. “What’s happening?” “I don’t know yet,” said Warrior. “I’m waiting for the hostage recovery team to arrive.” “Maybe we should just ask who she is and why she has one of our cubs.” “Good idea, you stall and distract the kidnapper while we get the team in place.” Dreamer rolled his eyes. “Not quite what I meant, but okay.” The girl smiled pleasantly as if nothing was wrong. Dreamer stopped in front of her, but didn’t smile back. “You guys are intense about security,” said the girl. “Do I have to take my shoes off and walk through an x-ray machine?” Dreamer casually waved a hand at the little tiger. “Why do you have one of our cubs?” The girl’s eyes flicked past Dreamer to the barricade and the guards with cross-bows, then to her side at Mara Valiant and her squad sneaking through the weeds. “Oh, I see what’s going on. You lost a cub and got a good fright, and now you think I’m tiger-napping this beautiful baby boy. I found him wandering around on the old road outside. And I can certainly see why he was out there. This little guy is sick and felt my presence. He came looking for help.” Mara Valiant stood and approached with a low growl. “Why do you say he’s sick?” The girl’s eyes widened. “Oh dear, your tigers can talk. Cael didn’t tell me that.” “What’s wrong with the cub?” asked Jack Dreamer. The girl turned the little tiger over in her arms. “See how bloated he is? The mother has been ignoring him?” “Now just hold on, don’t come in here making accusations,” said Jack Dreamer. The girl’s lips tightened. “It’s normal with tigers. Sometimes the mother will ignore her cubs. You can’t judge tigers by human standards. Talking tigers or not, they’re still tigers and have their own ways. Have you been feeding him from a bottle?” “Yes, we have,” said Valiant. “What kind of milk are you using?” asked the girl. Valiant sniffed at the cub to make sure he wasn’t injured. “Cow’s milk,” replied Valiant. “Cow’s milk will work, but it’s not ideal. He needs goat milk, it has a higher concentration of fat the cub needs to be healthy.” The girl reached into her pocket, retrieved an orange crayon, and spoke into it. “I need an exotic cat emergency medical team, stat, and bring twenty goats.” A woman’s voice replied from the crayon. “I can have them there in twenty minutes.” The girl looked up at Jack Dreamer. “We need to get this cub some relief. I need a warm wet cloth to massage his belly to induce a bowel movement. And you need to start filling barrels with purified water. I’ll give you the formula for the mixture of electrolytes I need added to the water.” “Who are you?” asked Dreamer. “I’m Doctor Alani, the Orange Dreamer. I’m the Dreamer in charge of the animal kingdom.” “You’re a little young to be a doctor,” protested Jack Dreamer. “We can discuss my experience and credentials later, right now this cub needs a little love.” Dreamer shrugged and looked to Valiant. “What do you want me to do?” Dr. Alani looked confused. “You’re asking the tiger what to do?” “Uh, yeah, she outranks me.” “What…? But… you’re the Dreamer, you’re in charge.” “Not here I’m not.” Valiant growled. “I’ll take the doctor to the nursery and brief her. You go get the water she requested.” “Okay, I’m on it,” replied Dreamer with a snappy little about-face. “Come with me, Doctor,” said Valiant. “You can tell me about yourself while we walk?” “Not much to tell. My father was a country vet, I was his assistant since I could walk. I’m the youngest person on my planet to graduate from Veterinary School, and that’s how I died and ended up in this mess.” “Explain,” said Valiant as they passed through the barricade. Doctor Alani saw the glance between Valiant and a large man at the barricade. The man nodded slightly to the tiger, then fixed his eyes on the road. They were going to search her medical wagon when it arrived. That’s why they had dismissed Jack Dreamer so quickly, he was the voice of reason, and they didn’t plan on demonstrating any reason. Well, at least their Dreamer had some common sense. She could protest and remind them that medical personnel had a protected status among every civilized species; even the Eroden didn’t attack or take medical personnel prisoner. But, that would probably just get her kicked off their world, and only the cubs would suffer for it. She continued her story without letting them know how transparent they were. “I finished my internship and was on a transport to one of our colony worlds to take a Resident position at a zoo for exotic animals, with a specialty in endangered big cats. The transport went through a rip in time and space caused by the anti-matter engines of a ship in front of us exploding. I was the last fragment to arrive in this nightmare universe, but I guess at least that much was fortunate for me, I didn’t have to go through all those early years where my sister fragments were struggling to survive.” “And why were you out on the old road just now at the exact moment Bolt needed rescued?” asked Valiant. Doctor Alani’s face flushed with anger, but hid it by cuddling the cub she was carrying. She had never been treated so badly before. Most people were happy when a doctor showed up to provide medical care for their animals. “Cael sent me. He doesn’t want any of the Dreamers to wander around alone in the Crystal Universe if possible, it’s too dangerous, even for us. So, we work in pairs – Purple and Red, Green and White, Gold and Silver, and of course, Blue and Orange. The Blue Dreamer is going to be my partner.” The big tiger stopped. “Here is the nursery.” Doctor Alani looked at the tiger in confusion. There was nothing here other than a few crates and a stack of lumber. “Is this a joke?” “Look around you, Doctor. Do you see a city, or even roads? No? Because perhaps we have only just arrived a few days ago. We did not ask for a Doctor, nor do we need one. We have survived for 1,400 years without ever once receiving a visit from any of your sisters, which I assume are mostly doctors, though I’m certain that a few of the Alani fragments are not, just as not all the Jack fragments are soldiers.” Alani’s temper exploded. “I have never been treated with such disrespect!” “Stick around, I’m just warming up,” retorted Valiant. “You swoop in here like you’re our savior and tell us how we’re not caring properly for our cubs, and then stick your nose in the air at how we run our community. Where were your sisters for the last 1,400 years as we lost an endless line of cubs to disease? Where were your sisters when I first arrived and held my Jack in my arms as he died from a mortal injury defending me? Where were your sisters when I wandered alone through the Crystal Universe until the other Jacks found and rescued me. If you want a nursery, grab a hammer. Or leave, I don’t really care. You may go anywhere you like on this island, and treat anyone that agrees to be treated, but know this, Doctor, if you cause harm to anyone here, you will live only moments longer than their first cry of pain.” Valiant turned away from the open-mouthed and shocked doctor to face one of the other tigers that had followed them. The other tiger was much younger than the older mature Valiant, perhaps four or five years old. Valiant roared her anger at the younger tiger. “You have grieved long enough for Dash. Dreamer made the right decision sending Dash with Jack Climber out into the Land of the Living. Dash will live a long and wonderful life as a companion to Climber. Would you have denied either of them that? And now you have hidden the birth of Bolt from Dreamer. He deserves to know he has a son. Take care of your cub, and fix this with Dreamer.” “Wait… what? Bolt is my son?” The tigers, and Doctor Alani, turned to see Dreamer rolling a water barrel in front of him. In all the yelling and roars, they hadn’t seen Dreamer approach. “How is that even possible?” asked Alani, horrified. Dreamer rolled his eyes. “I’m obviously not the biological father. Gah, what’s wrong with you? If you want to understand our bond with the Maras’ and their cubs, ask Scholar, he’s got a whole theory about it.” Alani noticeable relaxed. “Oh, I get it, you’re the pet father.” Dreamer’s eyes widened. Every tiger bared its teeth and roared. Dreamer jumped over the barrel and held his arms out to stop the attack. “Hold on, hold on, she doesn’t know what she said.” Alani lifted her orange crayon and screamed into it. “CAEL, HELP!”