In Scalzi's Last Colony, what happened to the indigenous intelligent life found on Roanoke?

Question

Phrasing this question vaguely to avoid spoilers. Those who have read the book should find it pretty clear.

In The Last Colony, there is a sub-plot involving a intelligent native species on the planet of Roanoke. After an attempt to (in a sense) contact this species, the matter is dropped and they are never mentioned again. Considering the nature and habits of this species, and the fact that they are a new intelligent life form sharing this planet, the lack of further interaction seems hard to explain. What happened to resolve this situation, and why was it not at least mentioned in passing?

Answer 1

This was something I was criticized for (fairly) and addressed in "Zoe's Tale." The short answer is that the species in question followed a herd of migratory animals, which is why they don't come back in the timeframe of the events of the novel.

-- JS