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the seat when she discovered it was still clean.
Lani came to join them. Kneeling down silently next to Shona, she held out her
arms to take Alex.
"No, thank you, sweetheart. I'll bear my own burdens for a while. Wla, this is
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our daughter, Lani," Shona said. "Also a good friend of Chirwl's. She comes
from a forested planet like yours."
Ivo gave a bored sigh and let his burden slip noisily into the high grass.
"Ah!" Chirwl exclaimed, diverted. "And presents I have for family, indeed.
Wla, where is Shnomri?
That ottle must have in the sharing."
With a quick glance at Shona, Wla responded in a series of whistles and
clicks.
Chirwl stopped her. "But to converse in Standard is more polite. Where is
Shnomri?"
"Is not coming," Wla said, tucking her head almost under-neath her body.
"What is wrong? Does Shnomri ail?"
Wla glanced up at Shona, blinked her eyes, and ducked swiftly into the nearest
bush.
"Did I do something wrong?" Shona asked.
"I think Wla wishes private conversation," Chirwl replied.
"We like her very much, Chirwl," Shona said, nodding toward the hidden
nurturer. "She's as cute as a button."
"Buttons make some sense," Chirwl said, and disappeared into the undergrowth
after his co-mate. The humans heard urgent cluttering, including a helpless
wail from Wla.
"& does not wish to come out of the pouch& for greet anyone
, especially you& the co-mate."
Chirwl emerged a few moments later, shaking his head.
"This is unsuitable in behavior. There is some foolishness that Shnomri wishes
not to appear in public.
This I do not understand."
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"It is outrageous," Thio agreed, siding with hir son. "I shall reason with
Shnomri." The ova-donor headed back toward the trees near the river. Shortly,
they heard loud remonstration from the pouches hanging over their heads. Thio,
hanging from a handy branch two trees away, was arguing with a dark blue-green
bag, which retorted in a mellow, determined voice. The bag emitted one
final-sounding comment, and Thio, looking affronted, turned head-down into one
of the bark channels.
"Disgrace, disgrace, disgrace," Thio said upon hir return, shaking hir head.
"I don't mind, Chirwl," Shona said, seeing that most of the clan was
embarrassed by Shnomri's refusal to appear. "I'm looking forward to visiting
the human settlement. Gershom and I should check in with them as soon as
possible, to let them know we're here."
"The thicket and a wide dell and another narrow copse only divide us," Tsanan
explained, pointing toward the east.
"Is not hard to find," Wla said, suddenly popping out of the undergrowth. "I
will lead you."
The winsome young female lolloped to the edge of the clearing, bounding over
the high grass, and paused coyly with her head bent to one shoulder, waiting.
Kai was jostled out of a stimulating discussion with a pack of ottles to join
the walk to the other side. Ivo seemed more than ready to get away from the
multitude of chattering aliens, and stumped away from his well-wishers. Lani
looked up at Shona, suddenly shy, no doubt, at the thought of meeting a crowd
of strangers.
"Can I stay here?" she asked.
"Certainly," Shona said, "if that's all right?" She glanced at her hosts.
"Of course it is all right," Tsanan said, sidling up to the girl and patting
her knee with a gentle paw. "A
pleasure to have her stay."
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"I will rousting out Shnomri in the midst of time," Thio said firmly.
'
/L +
"I'm excited we're going to see this settlement," Shona said. "It's probably
the most important one in the galaxy. I remember when it was founded, do you?
It must have been almost fifteen years ago because I
was still in secondary school. It's been held up as proof that humans can
coexist peacefully with another intelligent species."
"But of course," Chirwl said, diving in and out of the knee-high wiry grass.
"Are we not proof an example our two selves? I will be curious to hear how
good neighbors they are being."
"Oh, very so," Wla said. "Shnomri was ever visiting there, as were many
others. Friends they we make good."
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The ottles' path through the dense thicket was easily wide enough for human
feet to pass. Wla dashed energetically a few meters ahead at a time, pausing
every now and then for them to catch up. Shona, being small of stature, had
less trouble following her than the men did. The low overhang of the trees
suggested that humans seldom used the path; all of the men had to walk
crouched over. Shona reached up to push the branches back, and came away with
dozens of tiny thorns in her hands. No wonder no one had tried to clear the
path. It would take a blowtorch.
To Ivo's audible relief, the ceiling opened up within a hundred yards. A gap
in the forest canopy informed them that at some time in the past one of the
ancient trees had fallen, leaving a broad, rolling glen open to the sun. Wla
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