It screamed. The open mouth had no teeth, just a scissors-action serrated edge. The bird set itself whirling as it tried to snap at its belly. A third eye was behind the crest, facing backward.

The rest made their decision. They fled.

With his toes locked in branchiets, Alfin reeled the bird into knife range. By then Gavving had retrieved his own harpoon. He used it to pin the bird's tail while Alfin finished the kill, a performance that left Alfin's sleeves soaked in pink blood. A wide grin stretched his wrinkles into uncustomary patterns.

"Dinner," he said and shook his head as if he'd drunk too much beer.

"I can't believe it. We made it. We're alive!"

During all the years in Quinn Tuft, Gavving couldn't remember seeing Alfin grin. How could Alfin be consistently morose in Quinn Tuft, and happy while lost in the sky? He said, "If we'd hit something solid at that speed we'd all be dead. Let's hope the luck holds."

Missing citizens emerged from the green depths. Merrill, Jayan, Jinny, Grad. . . Minya. Gavving whooped and gathered her in his arms.

Alfin asked, "Where's Clave?"

The others looked around. The Grad tethered himself to the bark and

jumped toward the storm, with a turning motion. "I don't see him anywhere," he shouted back.

Jayan and Jinny burrowed into the foliage. Minya called, 'Wait, you'll get lost!" and prepared to follow.

"He's here."

dave was under the bark sheet. They moved it to expose him. He was half-conscious and moaning softly. His thigh bent in the middle~ and white bone protruded through skin and blood.

The Grad hung back, squeamishly; but everyone was looking at him, and it was clearly the Scientist's job. He set Alfin and Jayan to holding dave's shoulders, Gavving to pulling on the anlde~ while the Grad moved the bones into place. It took too long. Clave revived and fainted again before it was finished.

"That flying box," Alfin said. "It's coming here."

"We're not finished here," said the Grad.

The starstuff box fell toward them through the clear air between foliage and storm cloud. Men garbed in sky-blue clung to all four sides. The glassy end faced them like a great eye.

Clave's eyes had opened, but it didn't seem he understood. Somebody had to do something. Gavving said, "Alibi, Minya, Jinny, let's get the bark sheet out of sight, at least."

They turned it edgewise and pushed it down into the greenery. Gayving moved after it, and Minya after him, forcing their way through the thicket into dark green gloom. The foliage was dense at the surface. Underneath were open spaces and masses of springy branchiets.

"Grad?"

The Grad looked up. "Scientist."

"All right, Scientist. I need a Scientist," Alibi said. "Can you leave him for a moment?"

Clave was half-conscious and whimpering. He should be all right with two women watching him. "Call me if he starts thrashing around," he told them. He moved away, and Alibi followed.