The large wooden sailboat was very out of place. First, the monsters in the ocean could probably swallow it. Second, it was never meant to travel on water. Third, it was floating seven hundred meters above the ground and a couple of hundred meters above the trees below. My place was a couple of days east of the northern colony on Addison's World.

I brought the boat down close to the colony market area. The landing legs extending and the boat settled before I shut down the hydrogen reactor. I shut all grav systems down before I began to unload. Mostly it was small cages with brightly colored birds and bales of furs. There were bags of leaves and spices only found in the deep forest.

The float carts were waiting and the merchants I sold to with them. I was paid and headed towards my supplier. She grinned when I walked in with Jin and George walking on each side of me and Molly and Drake on my shoulders, "if it is not my favorite tree hugger."

I grinned as the two mini dragons leaped into the air to fly towards her as she held out treats, "why is it they behave right up until we come here?"

She laughed as she pet the two while they settled on the counter to eat. She absently tossed large treats for the two dwarf dragons who were just as eager. I sighed as I stopped to slid my comp across the counter for her to look at. She looked at the list and turned to begin bringing everything to the counter.

When she finished she began boxing it up, "you have a couple of tenderfoot hunters going out with you?"

I nodded, "with family. They are supposed to meet me at the boat in a couple of hours."

She pet the two mini dragons and snorted, "a constable was in asking for you. He wanted me to call when you came in."

I looked at her before shrugging, "call and let him know I will be at my boat."

Tina nodded and pushed the box towards me, "have fun with the big game hunters."

I grinned as I lifted the box, "yeah."

The crowd of tourist had grown but they moved aside as Jin and George walked in front of me. Molly and Drake flew from shop to shop which made people stop to look. When I saw the boat two men in tan custom hunter clothes were waiting with a couple of teenage girls. The older started to move in front of me but Jin growled and he quickly moved to the side.

I shifted the box and lifted it over my head to slid it onto the boat deck and turned to the men. The old one stepped forward, "do you know..."

I held up my hand, "I know who you are and I do not care. If you have the doctor's exam sheet stating you are capable I will take you. If you do not have it you can leave."

He frowned but the younger man moved up and held out his comp screen, "I have it admiral."

I glanced at him and took the comp to look at the reports before handing it back, "put your packs in the boat."

The admiral cleared his throat, "why not take a transport or flyer?"

I turned as a constable approached, "because my place is beyond the turn around range of a transport and out of range of a flyer."

The constable stopped and glanced at the men and girls before looking at me, "Terry Michael O'Henry?"

I nodded and he looked me over, "Paul Clint has been released from prison. He has spread the word he was going to kill those responsible for the death of his father and brothers."

I shrugged but he kept looking around, "there was a whole ship and crew responsible."

He looked at me, "the ship was destroyed by a missile while it was docked. The few other men that were involved on the raid have been killed. You are the last one alive and word is he is coming here."

I snorted, "Addison is not a good place to hunt a tree hugger."

He grinned, "perhaps but you are not in your trees now."

I looked at the two men listening, "I am headed out as soon as my clients put their things aboard."

He nodded and looked them and the younger man cleared his throat, "I will go get the bags."

The other man nodded and the constable looked around once more, "just watch your back Mr O'Henry."

He walked away and the older man cleared his throat, "I checked you out."

I looked at him before turning to gesture to the boat and all the dragons flew up and in. I climbed up and began to check the fuel and the systems. I did not tell him I really did know who he was too. He was fleet admiral Dollar, one of the few wild admirals that was respected by the regular crewmen.

It was an hour before his aide, lieutenant Allen appeared carrying three heavy bags. I grabbed the bags and tossed them to the hatch leading down into the boat. I moved my box down before starting the reactor and then the grav systems. The dragons all moved to the prow as I stood behind the wheel and pushed the two levers.

One to raise the ship and the other to get us moving. I spun the wheel as I checked the compass. The two girls went to sit in the prow while the admiral sat in the seat on the port side and looked out, "this is different."

I glanced at him but kept watching the altimeter, "it might not be fast but it gets me home and back."

He chuckled, "how does a fleet marine learn to sail?"

I smiled as I checked the wind and hit the button to unfurl the grav mainsail which would pull us along, "I was hooked after a week liberty on Keys with a pretty petty officer."

He grinned and the lieutenant cleared his throat, "that man that was after you..."

I looked at him as he stood and swayed and looked back before checking ahead, "Paul Clint? I never met him, his father and brothers were hard core killers leading a gang of planet raiders. They made a habit of slaughtering everyone they saw and detonating a dirty bomb after leaving the planet."

I looked back before looking ahead, "my ship was a corvette and we caught them on the ground after they finished killing over a hundred women and children."

I glanced at him, "most fought to the death and those that surrendered were judged by the captain and executed."

He shook his head, "and where was he?"

I shrugged, "caught selling stolen property from another planet and sentenced to three years."

I glanced at George as he looked back and chirped and looked ahead. I glanced at the lieutenant, "you need to sit down."

He frowned but the admiral cleared his throat and he sat in the starboard seat. I nodded and gestured, "I might as well get the warnings out of the way. In the air are large birds, the smaller birds stay close to or below the top of the trees. The larger birds are Dragoneagles, Firehawks and Rocks. They are more than large enough to yank you out of the boat or kill you."

I looked at the admiral, "the dragons do not come this far north normally. The most dangerous animal in the trees is a King Lizard. Both because of how large they can get and how they hunt. They are very fast but they can also be very cunning. They have been known to cling to the underside of a branch and leap down on their prey."

I watched a pair of Firehawks on the edge of the colony before looking at the men, "the most common threat is a pack of wolfapes. The further down the tree levels the larger the threats become. Leaf leopards and lions and Camo Tigers and if you go all the way to the ground there is the Elephant Wolf."

They nodded as I looked around again, "like I advertised I will guide you and let you hunt but I will not commit suicide. In other words I will not go all the way to the ground so you can hunt an Elephant Wolf. Beside the sheer size they tend to stay in packs."

I looked to one side as we passed over the trees and relaxed, "we are beyond the colony now."

The admiral and lieutenant both had been taking constant vids of the few birds that flew near. It was almost a day before I looked at the boat comm as static came out. I looked around and saw a transport way behind us but closing fast. I growled, "you might want to go below or get your pistols ready."

They looked and the admiral gestured, "get my pistol."

I smiled, "you might want to start wearing it."

He looked at me as I began bringing the boat lower to the trees and looking for a place to settle. I ducked into the cabin and returned with my sixteen millimeter carbine. The girls, Julie and Sidney had looked up from the small table but did not come out. I dropped lower and stopped below the top of three trees.

I set the grav anchor and turned to aim the rifle at the fast approaching transport. I was not surprised to see a couple of men in the side door. I waited and waited and one of the men fired an automatic rifle. I squeezed and the big plasma round went straight through the right engine. The transport lurched and dropped and tilted before suddenly striking the top of a tree.

It slashed through several more before catching and spinning as it crashed down into the branches. It was only a few hundred meters away and I looked at the two men with me and sighed, "okay I need to go check for survivors."

The admiral looked at me strangely but I turned to lift the boat and move it to where the transport had broken through the branches. I slowly started down, "Molly and Drake go scout. Jin and George find the transport."

The two mini's dived over the side while the two dwarf dragons leaped into the air. I looked at the admiral, "stay here and keep your eyes open."

I moved to one side and set the anchor again and then went to the side of the boat. I climbed over and dropped onto a branch and walked towards the trunk. It was easy to climb down before I had to start out onto the branches. The transport was a couple of hundred meters to one side with the wings snapped off.

There were rips and tears in the body and the closer I got the more damage I saw. The two dwarf dragons were waiting beside the ripped open door where I had seen the men. I had to use a vine to swing to the door and stood still as the transport shifted. Blood was everywhere with four bodies torn apart and scattered.

I turned and carefully moved to the pilot's cabin and looked in. The copilot was impaled on a large branch and dead. The pilot was alive but had one hand ripped off and a branch in his stomach. By their clothes I knew they were not from Addison, "who sent you?"

The pilot cursed as he shifted and glared, "you are dead."

I snorted as I looked at him, "so you are with Clint."

He fumbled with his belt and the weapon in a holster. Since it was on the wrong side he could not reach. I shook my head, "I would guess the larger predators will be coming within an hour. They might wait until you are dead to eat you. Most likely they will not and start while you are still alive."

He cursed again and I turned to leave. I gestured to Jin and George, "back to the boat."

I jumped and swung out and back to a branch while they waited to follow. Molly or Drake kept flying close to land and check on me as I began climbing back to the boat. When I climbed into it the admiral and his aide were looking around and the two girls were huddled together in the back seats.

I set my rifle aside as the dragons landed and shut the grav anchor off. I lifted and carefully made my way out of the trees before heading towards home. I fed power to the gravs and the grav mainsail and stayed closer to the tree tops. Of course that meant we lifted and dropped according to the forest floor far below.

I checked the comm and finally opened a channel, "north colony control this is Terry O'Henry. We were attacked by men in a transport."

I looked at the admiral, "the transport is down. All aboard are dead."

"Do you have ID's on the men?"

I snorted, "No."

"Copy. Be advised a second transport was stolen and is headed in your direction."

I sighed, "how long ago?"

"About an hour. They killed several people, including a constable."

I frowned, "thanks control."

I disconnected and began to think, if the transport left an hour before we had maybe five or six hours. I looked at the admiral, "it looks like we will be roughing it the rest of the way to my place."

He grinned, "sounds fun."

I looked at the two girls before thinking of the forest ahead. I grinned as I turned off course a few degrees and kept going as fast as the boat could, "would you girls bring up that box on the main cabin bed and split it into five portions?"

I glanced at the aide, "you need your packs and the bows you were told to bring and we each need one portion of the supplies."

He nodded as I watched the trees ahead and kept an eye on the time. Five hours later I turned and dropped down below the trees on the edge of a small lake, "we can not go lower than a hundred meters above the water."

I kept glancing into the trees and saw where the river flowed into the lake. I turned and slowed as I moved closer to the trees. I finally saw the old observation platform and dropped the sails and lifted a little to move onto it. I lowered the boat until the platform took all the weight and began shutting down, "grab your packs. Dragons scout."

I ducked below and grabbed my pack and bow and started to leave. I saw the small metal square on a seat cushion and picked it up. I growled as I looked out before I shut it off. I slipped it into my pack before going out onto the deck. I took my rifle apart and tucked it into the pack before putting it on and attaching the quiver to my left hip.

I added the supplies left for me and looked at the admiral and then his aide before finally looking at the girls, "stay together. Do not wander to look at anything. If you need to use the bathroom tell me. It is going to be at least two days to my place so do not hurry."

I dropped over the side of the boat and turned to help the two girls. I shook my head as I looked up Julie's skirt to see her bare pussy. The admiral dropped down beside me as I helped Sidney who made sure one of my hands slipped under her skirt to touch her bare pussy. The admiral chuckled as I turned my head, "I see my daughters want to be little whores."

The girls blushed as the lieutenant climbed down. I glanced around as I started for a branch, "I do not know about whores but I could use a tight pussy to pump cum into."

A few moments later I climbed a vine and turned to help the girls. I grinned when I realized they had anti grav harnesses on under their blouses. While the admiral and lieutenant were climbing up I tossed the metal box. I knew the fall would end with water. I glanced at Molly and Drake when they flew towards me quickly and pulled an arrow.

They swerved and spilt up, Molly landed on Julie's shoulder and Drake flared to land on Sidney's. Jin and George flew in from each side and landing on the branch in front of us before peeking to one side and down. I looked and gestured and the admiral and lieutenant followed my gesture. Below us was a leaf leopard stalking what looked like a flying lemur.

It struck quickly and quietly and the lemur did not even make a sound as it died. I glanced at the other two men before starting to move out the branch. My two dwarf dragons scouted ahead while the mini's seemed happy to stay with the girls. An hour and we were over three hundred meters above the floor and moving across to where two branches merged.

I glanced up as a transport flew over and turned to head back towards the boat. I glanced at the lieutenant and admiral as they watched and turned, "they can not land unless they crash and they can not return to the colony."

Barely a half hour later I heard the distant sounds of weapons from behind and below. I shook my head, "someone is dead and they just do not know it yet."

I looked at the lieutenant, "did you leave any other trackers?"

He looked at the admiral quickly who frowned as he looked from me to his aide, "trackers?"

Allen's face was white but he cleared his throat, "I do not know what you are talking about."

I smiled and turned to help the girls onto the other branch, "the only way you will live to return to the colony is if I am alive. I would say it is going to take them several hours to climb up to our level and by than it will be dark."

I looked around and started walking after Jin, "by then they will have the predators following and no shelter and no where to hide."

I glanced at the girls before pointing to a group of fruit vines, "Molly, Drake bring."

The two mini dragons leaped and flew out and each snatched a globe of fruit before returning. I opened my pack and looked at the others, "get out the chest pouches I told you to bring and put them on."

For the next few hours we collected leaves and fruit while moving with occasional shots sounding behind us. Just before it got dark I stopped at another intersection of branches where a third from another trees extended twenty meters above us. I sent Jin and George up and around it with a special cord.