Where is the Salayan leader?

Anaya was very worried. It was not common for her mother to stray far enough from the settlement while hunting that she needed to remain out overnight. Other parties did so routinely, but as the tribal chieftain, Caryn rarely did so for one night, and certainly not for five. She and the two women she was with were experienced hunters and game was plentiful in the area, so there was no reason for such a delay unless they found something unusual, or something had happened to them.

Anaya wanted to search for them herself, but was convinced by the other senior warriors not to leave camp, since she was the chief's heir and would be sorely needed for continuity of leadership, should the worst have happened to her mother. So she worried, thought of many possible reasons for the delay, and worried some more, while she waited for the searchers to return with word. They had set out just that morning, so Anaya didn't really expect to hear anything for at least a day.

In the meantime, she took what steps she could. She sent guards with the women working the fields so that they could do their jobs while dedicated observers kept watch over them to avoid distraction. She doubled up the outlying sentries so that no one could be surprised while alone. She restricted everyone else to camp, unless they came to her for permission to leave and with a good reason why it was necessary. Beyond that, even within camp, everyone was told to keep their weapons close and ready, just in case. All this would seem like overkill, except that their hunters had recently run into indications that someone else was in the region. Thus far it was only the occasional indication that someone or something was moving through the area with purpose, but no indication of who precisely or what. They knew from communication with other tribes that their world had been invaded, and they had learned from their own experiences that they had never been the sole owners of planet earth. As yet though, they had no indication if anyone in their area represented a possible friend or a potential enemy. Only time, and perhaps the fate of her mother, would tell.