Foster, Alan Dean Quozl

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incomplete thought. His first impression was that for a Shirazian it was very small. Even making
allowances for its nonexistent ears it appeared unusually tiny. He was struck instantly by the nakedness of
the arms and face, made even more grotesque by the unruly knot of fur which adorned the skull. Long
strands of the stuff hung down the back of the native s neck.
Its back was distorted by a huge growth, until Runs realized that it was not organic but instead a kind of
flexible container not unlike the one slung over his own right shoulder. The legs were tightly bound, a
practice which struck Runs as foolishly confining. Perhaps it had something to do with the naked-ness of
Shirazian skin. It might be ashamed to reveal itself.
Finally there was the typically impossible Shirazian footgear, which not only protected the bottoms of the
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feet but also completely enclosed them in stiff, unyielding material. It was as impractical a piece of design
as could be imagined. They made Runs uncomfortable just to look at.
Both lawbreakers gaped at each other for a long moment before the native made a noise. It was
astonishingly loud. Runs s ears folded in response. As it spoke, its naked facial muscles jumped wildly, as
out of control as the Shirazian libido.
Wow! What areyou?
Runs-red-Talking had spent many days immersing himself in native lan-guage study, usually finishing at or
near the top of his study group, but in the shock of the moment his knowledge deserted him. Unable to
formulate a sensible response, he settled for familiarity. Reaching out and forward with his right hand, all
fingers spread and extended, he penetrated the native s Sama in the vicinity of its face.
He had completely forgotten that it was precisely that gesture which had resulted in the honored scout
Burden-carries-Far s death at the hands of another native.
What is your name? Even as he mouthed the words he felt a chill, wondering if he would be
understood or if his response would be dangerously misinterpreted.
In any event, the native did not respond in a hostile fashion. It did not appear to be armed. Taking a
moment to reflect on its diminutive size, Runs decided it was either a juvenile or very young adult.
Regardless, it reacted eagerly.
Hey, you can talk!
Somewhat to his surprise Runs found he could understand the words. They were no different from what
he had encountered in his studies.
Sort of, he said, wishing the native would moderate its tone.
It looked at him slightly sideways. Perhaps one eye was more efficient than its companion, Runs thought.
You sound weird. Like a cat that s trying to hum.
The short native promptly emitted a series of rapid barking sounds, issued like its words at deafening
volume. Runs winced as he tried to make sense of them. Remember! Why can t I remember?
Then it came to him. The last sounds were not whole-thought communi-cation but rather amusement
expressed aurally. Instead of indicating laughter normally, via gestures and expression and body language,
the Shirazians em-ployed highly individualized variants of the barking sound. Runs was pleased. If the
native was amused, it could not be angry. He lowered his right ear to indicate that he understood.
Hey, that s neat! How did they stand such loudness, Runs wondered? His ears throbbed as the native
continued, pointing with a five-fingered hand. And how did they build anything with only ten fingers?
What else can you do with those? He fingered one of his own pitiful organs of hearing.
Runs was at once excited and confused. Was the juveniile Shirazian so different from the adult form?
This one was openly friendly.
Of course, creatures like that existed on Quozlene itself, as well as Mazna. Species whose grubs or
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larvae were quiescent when disturbed but whose adult form reacted violently to contact. And like the
Shirazians, the adults also
varied wildly in size and shape from one another. Diversity gave rise to competition, which implied
eternal conflict. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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