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twisting the eye off their Presider myself and eating it, before starting in
on the rest, dead or alive." The humans listened with growing dismay as the
rest of the reports continued, with no word of improvement or hope. Each
successive Speaker, indeed, ended its report with some mention of a bitter
determination to wrest supplies from the wealthier city. Suddenly Green-Orb,
who had been watching the humans steadily, interrupted the complaints with a
question.
"How valuable are you, travelers, to the icerugs of Windward City?
Perhaps we could trade your ... safety, for an ample supply of coelashark
meat." The prospect of being held hostage stunned George, and Richard tensed
himself warily.
Deirdre had not lost her detachment, however, and said coldly, "We have
no value to either you nor any other icerug. Our species of being is so alien
to yours, we are worthless, as you are to us." Inside her helmet, Foxx sat
stiffly erect, and reacting to the tension she felt in her mistress, her
sibilant hiss curled around and through the woman's words. The Prime Speaker
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intervened with calming words, and began what gave the promise of being a more
traditional, lengthy icerug speech, full of vague generalities. No one glanced
at the humans as they slowly moved towards the entrance, and the speech was
still going on when they left. Deirdre, always sensitive to mood, felt
uneasily that the speech would come to an abrupt end as soon as the humans
were out of hearing; if indeed violence was to be considered, and she was very
much afraid it was, the icerugs would not want these alien humans to hear
anything of their plans. The snow crunching beneath their boots was the only
sound as the crew walked through the dwindling city past triangular living
areas only half-filled with pale icerug flesh, and between deserted buildings
and tunnel entrances without life or activity visible.
George, Deirdre, and Richard climbed back into the airlock on
_Dragonfly_ and stayed there while Arielle made the short trip across the lake
to where they had put the flouwen in the water. Cinnamon's voice spoke through
their imps. "Joe has collected some preliminary reports from the flouwen
through the comm link. And they're not cheerful ones. Let me play back some of
them for you." The crew listened to the grim account.
^All volcanic vents quiet. No living things left but coelasharks.^ That
was Little White's steady voice.
*But coelasharks doing fine!* enthused Little Red. *They _huge_!*
Little White continued with its report. ^No hot water from vents to
keep coelasharks away. They eat everything around vent. Nothing left but
rocks, and big coelasharks chew them too, looking for food inside.^
It was soon obvious that the cessation of hot water activity from the
volcanic vents had exposed all the vulnerable plants and small animals to the
full fury of the coelasharks, who had left nothing uneaten. The surviving
coelasharks were now hungry, battle-scarred, and larger and meaner than ever.
#Here come two coelasharks, yelling,# came a later report from Little
Purple. #Talking@Sticks listen for you. I tell what they do.# The imp on
Little Purple's suit passed on the underwater sounds and Little Purple's
narration. The listening humans could then picture the events which followed,
both by the flouwen's brief words and the coelashark's screams. The two
coelasharks under observation by the flouwen were desperately hungry, and
feinted at each other with their sharp-pointed rocks.
"Great bag of guts, I'll poke out your _other_ eye!"
"Not while I've got teeth left to tear you apart, you cringing coward!"
Human eyes might have missed the rapid motions, but the flouwen's sonar
sensed the sudden closing with great precision.
#One lost most of tail. Stuff coming out of hole in other one's belly.#
Little Purple was interrupted by a shout from Little Red. *Here comes
trouble!*
The humans heard great screams of rage and pain, and Little Purple
described, with commendable detachment, several more of the veteran
coelasharks who had kept this skirmish under careful scrutiny and now saw
their chance. With brute savagery they ripped and tore the flesh of the two
wounded battlers. In seconds, the last scrap of their bodies had been gulped
down, and the number of surviving coelasharks was reduced by two.
#Soon only one coelashark be left. Then what?#
"You'd better come back now," Cinnamon called to them. "We're coming to
pick you up."
* * * *
By the time the _Dragonfly_ landed, the flouwen were already waiting for them,
while _Babble_ could be seen making its way back over the surface of the
water, its progress hindered by the ice floes choking the slowly cooling lake.
As Cinnamon and Deirdre helped the flouwen out of the water and into
the airlock, they asked the flouwen further questions.
"Were there any coelashark young?" asked Deirdre.
*No!* replied Little Red with certainty. *All eaten!*
"Were there any signs of mating behavior?" asked Cinnamon. "Sometimes
desperate circumstances trigger sexual activity."
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^No unusual activity,^ replied Little White.
#Only activity of coelashark seems to be eating,# added Little Purple.
#Everything. Especially each other.#
"I cannot see the sense in it," declared Deirdre.
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