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Show blue heads and were looking at their masters with interest. Easily triple the size of the Zetts who held their leads, the JumbleDogs were necessary to guard their masters against attacks by the SaurianLynx. And though the clairvoyant Zetts could always tell when they were being stalked by the huge leathery cats, there was little they could do to defend themselves- that was the job of the JumbleDogs. At last the family had all been served and Lodyan as both leader and matriarch could be served herself. One of the two males carved off the large piece on the breast he had saved for her and gave it to their leader on the end of his knife. Lodyan took i,t and opened her wide mouth, bit off a heroic chunk, and chewed it noisily. Soon the sated group was sitting in a circle under the shrubs and the JumbleDogs were finishing up the last of the bird's legs and huge wings. Yari, who had indeed won at the bones, came crashing out of the forest, his arms full of BauerMelons-in Zettian, the sweet Ch'anya. He passed the fruit around and then sat by his mother. "Lodyan," he said. "What do you see?" Lodyan's eyes had been looking at something far away. She had, little by little, drawn herself inward, dropping out of her family's laughter and talk, and the Zetts around her had become more and more uneasy. Yari, coming into the clearing, had noticed immediately that his mother was seeing. "I see much pain and fighting.. .and fear," said Lodyan faintly. "Who?" asked Yari. "Those-who-do-not-think? Or those-who-kill-for-nothing?" "Those-who-kill-for-nothing. . .the metaled ones." She stopped and her 283 |
