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ing, waiting to catch the scent of the Home to come
seeking us one by one in the night. If it is such a
monster, then we would do better to seek it out first
and slay it as it sleeps."
Sand nodded slowly, stared around at the people.
"Very well. Who will go with Born to sniff out the
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trail of this demon?"
Born turned to look at his fellow hunters, silently
imploring. Long silence, defiant stares. Then, star-
tlingly, a response came from an unexpected quarter.
"I will go," Losting announced. He stood and stared
smugly across at Bom as if to say, if you're not
afraid of this thing, then there can be nothing to be
afraid of. Bom did not meet the other man's eyes.
Reluctant assent came from the hunter Drawn and
the twins Talltree and Tailing. The other hunters
would eventually have given in and agreed out of
fear of appearing cowardly, but Reader raised the
axe. "It is enough. I will go, too, despite my better
judgment It is not appropriate that men should visit
one of the damned without an authority on damnation."
"That's for sure," someone muttered. The laughter
this provoked was a welcome release from the solem-
nity of the proceedings.
Sand put a hand over his mouth delicately to hide
an unchiefly chuckle. "Now let us pray," he intoned
forcefully, "that those who seek out the demon shall
find him sickly and weak, or not find him at all, and
return to us whole and sound." He raised both hands,
lowered his head, and commenced a chant
No Earthly theological authority would have recog-
nized that chant. No minister, priest, rabbi, or witch
doctor could have identified its source or inspiration,
though any bioengineer could. What none of them
could have explained was why this chant seemed so
effective there under the crying night sky and leaf-
leather canopy.
Triple orbs glowed like hot coals, reflecting the dance
of the distant flickering fire. Ruumahum lay in the
crook in the branches and stared down doubtfully at
the gathered people. His muzzle rested on crossed
forepaws. A clumsy scratching and clawing sounded
on the limb alongside bis resting place. A moment
later, forty kilos of awkwardly propelled fur and flesh
crashed into his flank. He growled irritably and glanced
back. It was the cub who had attached itself to the
orphan young person. Din.
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"Old one," Muf queried softly, "why are you not
at rest like the others of the brethren?"
Ruumahum turned his gaze back to the distant
leafleather canopy and the chanting humans beneath.
"I study Man," he murmured. "Go to sleep, cubling."
Muf considered, then crept up close to the massive
adult and likewise stared down toward the fire. After
a pause, he looked up questioningly. "What are they
doing?"
"I am not certain," Ruumahum replied. "I believe
in some ways they are trying to become like the
brethren ... like us."
"Us? Us?" Muf coughed comically in the rain and
sat back on his several haunches. "But I thought
we strive to become like the persons?"
"So it is believed. Now, go to sleep, shoot!"
"Please, old one, I am confused. If Man is trying
to become like us and we are trying to become like
Manthen who is right?"
"You ask many questions, cub, you do not fully
understand. How can you expect to understand the
answer? The answer is . . . That-Which-Is-Sought, a
29
meeting, a conjoinment, a concatenation, an inter-
woven web."
"I see," whispered Muf, not seeing at all. "What
will happen when that is achieved?"
"I do not know," Ruumahum replied, looking back
to the fire. "None of the brethren know, but we
seek it anyway. Besides, Man finds us interesting and
useful and believes himself master. The brethren find
Man useful and interesting and care not about master-
ing. Man thinks he understands this relationship; We
know we do not. For this contented ignorance we
envy him." He nodded in the direction of the as-
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sembled persons below. "We may never understand it.
Revelation is never promised, only hoped for."
"I understand," murmured the cub, not understand-
ing at all. He struggled awkwardly to his feet and
turned to go, then paused to look back. "Old one,
one more question."
"What is it?" Ruumahum grumbled, not turning his
gaze from the prayer gathering.
"It is rumored among the cubs that we neither
spoke nor thought till the persons came."
"That is no rumor, budding, that is truth. Instead,
we slept." He yawned and showed razorlike teeth and
tusks. "But so did Man. We wake together, it is
thought."
"I know," Muf admitted, not knowing at all. He
turned and rambled off to find a sleeping place for
the night.
Ruumahum turned his attention to the persons once
more, considered how fortunate he was to have a
person as interesting and unpredictable as Bom. Now
there was this new thing they would go out to find
tomorrow. Well, if the world was to change tomorrow,
he thought as he yawned, it was better to face change
having had a good night's sleep. He rolled over on
his side, tucked his head between fore- and midpaws,
and went instantly and peacefully to that country.
Bom was all for starting before the morning mist
had lifted, but Reader and the others would not hear
of it. Losting viewed the originator of such a pre-
posterous, dangerous idea with pity. Anyone who
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