Meredith Sue Willis Books

The story takes place on a planet where a group of interstellar colonists have broken down into rulers-and-ruled. Food is difficult to find or produce, and violence and oppression ensue. One small group escapes and tries to establish an alternate way of life based on doing no harm in the new world. The protagonist is Soledad, who has an ability to collaborate with the planet's sentient beings, called yaegers. Her openness to the yaegers offers her group its best chance to prevail against the harsh desert, the difficulty of staying fed, and—worst of all—the growing threat from human enemies.