“It does the boy no harm,” Kerrick explained patiently—and not for the first time. “And he wants to go.” He looked over to Arnwheet who was sitting with Harl, had fled there when his parents seized up the argument one more time. Armun followed his gaze, tried to be reasonable.

“Think of how I feel, not how he feels. He will grow up something different, half murgu, half Tanu. Like . . .”

“Like me?” There was bitterness in his voice. “Half of something, all of nothing.”

“That is not what I meant—or perhaps I did. You have said you are not a good murgu or a good hunter. Let him be a good hunter, that is all I ask.”

“He will grow to be a great hunter because he is not being raised by the murgu—as I was. You must not fear that. But to be able to talk with them, to know about their ways, is something of great importance. We share our world with them and I am the only one who knows anything at all about them. When he grows up, able to speak with them, then there will be two of us.”

Kerrick felt that argument was useless. This was not the first time that he had tried to explain to her, to make her understand his feelings, so this trouble would not be between them always. But she would not understand, perhaps could not. He seized his hèsotsan and stood up.

“I am going to see Nadaske. I will be back before dark.” She looked up at him, her face as set as his. “Arnwheet will be coming with me. There is nothing more to talk about.” He turned and walked quickly away, not wanting to hear anything more that she might say now.

“Can Harl come,” Arnwheet said happily, shaking his spear with excitement.

“What do you say, Harl?”

“Will you fish or hunt?”

“Perhaps. But first we go to talk with Nadaske.”

“You do not talk, you shake and gurgle,” the boy said with pentup anger. “I will hunt by myself.”

Kerrick watched him stamp away. He was less of a boy, more of a hunter every day. And he listened too much to Ortnar who filled him with his own bitterness. He should have others to talk to, not Ortnar alone. This was a good camp, there was little danger and all the food they needed. Yet there was unhappiness too. It was his fault—but there was nothing he could do about it. “Let’s go see Nadaske. It has been a long time since we talked with him.”