Sixth of the Dusk (2014)

Sixth of the Dusk is a cosmere novella by Brandon Sanderson set on the minor shardworld First of the Sun.

An excerpt is available on Brandon's website.

The complete novella is also now included in Arcanum Unbounded.

Synopsis
Sixth of the Dusk, set in a never-before-seen world, showcases a society on the brink of technological change. On the deadly island of Patji, where birds grant people magical talents and predators can sense the thoughts of their prey, a solitary trapper discovers that the island is not the only thing out to kill him. When he begins to see his own corpse at every turn, does this spell danger for his entire culture?

Characters

 * Sixth of the Dusk -A trapper working on the island of Patji. He knows much about Aviar, is very practical, and mistrusts people from the mainland. He both loves and hates Patji.
 * Vathi- A capable noblewoman with a thirst for exploration. She was educated on the mainland and travels with a band of explorers. She meets occasionally with the Ones Above. While she respects trappers, she supports technological advancements.
 * Kokerlii- An Aviar - a cognitively-gifted bird who can shield Sixth's cognitive markers so other animals that track cognitive signals cannot find him.
 * Sak- An Aviar - a cognitively-gifted bird who can warn Sixth of the Dusk of danger by showing him visions of his own corpse in locations where it might be if he makes a mistake, so that he can avoid those places. Sak is not a member of a species native to Patji or any island of the Pantheon. Sak was instead brought from the mainland to the place on Patji where Aviar go to get their talent, or cognitive ability.
 * Ones Above- A spacefaring race that have visited First of the Sun and possess advanced technology.

Setting
This book takes place in the Cosmere, on a planet known as First of the Sun. Most of the story takes place on and around Patji, the largest island in an archipelago called The Pantheon. Patji is considered the father of the islands of the Pantheon, being the largest and the one that all Aviar must go to to get their talent. It is treacherous, with creatures such as Meekers, which are mice that can be trained to harm others, trees that attract different animals so after they kill each other their soil is made rich from the blood of the dead, and nightmaws, which are terrifying birdlike creatures which hunt by finding somebody's cognitive signals.

Postscript
"The events of this story occur farthest down the timeline of any of the stories included in Arcanum Unbounded. It was brainstormed on Season 8: Episode 16 of Writing Excuses, and is set on a new Shardworld, First of the Sun. The setting is inspired by Brandon's fascination with Polynesian culture. A sequel is currently being written."