They traveled only at night as they moved steadily south, concealing themselves and the mastodon under the trees during the day. Hunting was good: raw fish and stinking meat only a bad memory. They were lucky in that none of the bigger murgu ranged the thick forest and the smaller ones, even the flesh eaters, fled before them. Ortnar was watching the trail carefully and found where they had to turn off toward the round lake. This path was narrow and overgrown and had not been used for a long time. It was impossible to follow it at night so they were forced to travel by day, hurrying across the infrequent open places, looking worriedly up at the sky.

Kerrick led the way, spear ready, for Ortnar had said that they were getting close to the lake. Going cautiously and as silently as he could he looked about carefully under the trees and into the shadows. Behind him he could hear the distant cracking of branches as the mastodon pushed through the forest. Ahead of him there was the snap of a breaking twig; he froze.

Something was moving in the shadows. A dark figure, a familiar form, too familiar . . .

A Yilanè—armed!

Should he try to reach his bow? No, the movement would be seen. She was coming closer, stepping into the sunlight.

Kerrick stood and cried out.

“Greetings, mighty hunter!”

The Yilanè spun about, staggered back, mouth gaping with fear, struggling to point the hèsotsan.

“Since when do males kill males, Nadaskè?” Kerrick asked.

Nadaskè stumbled back and sat down heavily on his tail, signing fright and death-approaching.

“Oh ustuzou who talks, you have brought me to the edge of death!”

“But not over the brink as I can see. You are alive and I am happy to see that. What of Imehei?”

“He is like me—strong and alert, and of course a mighty hunter . . .”

“And a fat one too?”

Nadaskè made motions of rejection and anger. “If I look fat to you now it is just because of our prowess in the forest. When all the good meat was gone we grew lean before mastering the craft of the hunt and of the fishing. Now we excel—there is something horrible coming!”

He raised his hèsotsan, then turned to flee. Kerrick called out to stop him.

“Dispose-of-fear, entertain-joy. My comrades come with a great beast of burden. Do not flee—but do go to Imehei now and tell him what is happening so he does not shoot us for our meat.”

Nadaskè signed agreement as he waddled quickly off down the track. There was more cracking as tree limbs broke and the mastodon pushed up beside him.

“We are very close,” he called out to Armun. “I have just talked to one of the murgu I told you about. Come ahead, all of you, and do not be afraid. They will not hurt you. They are—my friends.”