Would
this territory be so guarded? If so they had better go carefully now--
Sssuri suddenly struck off at an angle, heading not northeast now, but
directly north. The brush lands along the foot of the cliffs gave way
to open fields, bare except for the grass rippled by the wind. It was
not the type of country to attract the night runners, and Dalgard
wondered a little. They should discover water, preferably a shallow
stream, if they wanted to find what the monkey creatures liked best.
Within a quarter-hour he knew that Sssuri was not going wrong. Cradled
in a sudden dip in the land was the stream Dalgard had been looking
for. A hopper lifted a dripping muzzle from the shore ripples and
stared at them. Dalgard contacted the animal. It was its usual curious
self, nothing had alarmed or excited its interest. And he did not try
to establish more than a casual contact as they made their way down
the bank to the edge of the stream, Sssuri splashing in ankle-deep for
the sheer pleasure of feeling liquid curl about his feet and legs once
more.
Water dwellers fled from their passing and insects buzzed and hovered.
Pages:
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27