[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
There the beast dropped its burdens. With a black-clawed hand, it traced the chevron mark on the man's
brow. It gave a grunt of satisfaction before pulling together branch and brush to form a crude raft. It
rolled the bodies onto the raft which bobbed in the water. It watched the two for a long moment, and
scratched at its long, russet hair. Then it pushed the raft away with a large, callused foot and watched
the voyagers float downstream.
Below the city, dirty water ran like the River Styx to the ocean. Its pipes were massive, concrete and no
longer whole, becoming more of a spillway than a pipeline. Animals and other things found their way
through the ruins above to the depths where water even dirty water and life could be obtained.
A notch-earred wolfrat made his way down a warren run of trash and slime, bits of ooze clinging to his
coat. The notch that took off most of his ear scarred into his eye, drew it up and puckered it half-closed.
But he did not need his twilight sight to find water. He could smell it. His nails clicked on old plumbing
and foundation stonework as he lumbered downhill, his tail dragging behind him like some half-
forgotten reptile. The wolfrat shouldered his way through a jagged crack in the pipe. The cement edges
tore out more than its share of tufted hair from his mangy hide. The wolfrat's lips twitched in a snarl of
pain, unvoiced, for as pain went in the world, the discomfort was minor and unmemorable. As he hung
over the lip of the crack to dip his muzzle into the murky water flowing swiftly past, he sensed a
movement upstream.
The pipe was massive, and the water it carried past measured untold gallons. The wolfrat's ears
flickered forward. Sometimes the water also carried gifts gifts of garbage still fresh enough to eat.
Sometimes the water carried unfortunate critters who'd also come down to drink at one of the various
breaches and fallen in. That was how the wolfrat had nearly lost his eye and ear trying to fetch out a
hill cat, spitting and hissing in its fury. The wolfrat lost that dinner, and the hillcat its life, drowning in
the dark spinning waters before the pipe spilled it into the ocean. Better, perhaps, that it had allowed the
wolfrat to pull it out, and taken its chance fighting for survival in the dry tunnels.
The tattered ears twitched again. Unless the wolfrat missed his guess, something bigger and tastier was
floating downstream, coming right at him. The beast braced himself and hunkered lower, claws flexed
for grabbing. If the human scent daunted him, it was not for long.
A long shape barreled toward him. The wolfrat tensed, his tail anchoring his tenuous position, nails
stretched and elongated, his toes prehensile in their flexibility.
As the smaller of the two figures borne along faced toward him, he reached and snatched. Fabric tore,
and fresh cuts welled up with crimson, hot blood scent spattering the water's surface. But the raft
bobbed away, bumping up against the curvature of the waterway, halting only momentarily.
The rat lashed out again, fishing frantically. He nearly toppled in his enthusiasm, but his claws caught
and this time held. He drew back slowly, lest the water-burdened flesh he desired break away from
him again. He bared his teeth, long fangs beginning to slaver with anticipation. His shoulders hunched
as he drew the heavy burden closer to the jagged opening in the pipe. If the creature should begin to
fight, he would lose it, he knew. But it stayed limp in his hold.
Hot drool ran down his lips. Then the soft, tender flesh in his grip began to separate and he lost it as it
tore loose. With an aggravated squeal, the wolfrat perched a moment on the break in the pipe, then
backed out quickly. He raced through the warrens, knowing exactly where the next watering hole was.
He pushed his way through moldering earth and arrived in time to watch the raft float away right under
his nose.
The wolfrat stayed perched in disappointment for an instant, then, with a hissing sigh, lowered his head
to drink. The water, at least, was relatively fresh as water went beneath the ruined earth.
* * *
The dolphin swam in crystal clear seawater, felt the thermals and scents of an outpouring of landwater
into her pathway, and made to swerve. She disliked the sting and taste of landwater in her eyes and
airhole. But she had been summoned, and so she stayed near the spillway which erupted from the city
ruins. Then she tasted a scent she knew, and paused.
The being who had danced with her one moonstruck time not long ago rode that landwater. She circled
and searched the spillway, the foam in her wake bouncing upon the surface like gems. She bit the
thermal wash, tasting his essence more clearly.
She was not an ordinary dolphin, any more than he had been an ordinary man-thing. She rose and tail-
walked a few lengths to gauge where the wash originated from. As she spanned the waves, she saw the
two dark bundles flash out of the spillway and rise hesitantly on the crest. Then they began to sink.
The dolphin dove and sped toward the bundles. Her intuition had brought her fishing this coast and
now she was about to snag the unexpected.
She caught the raft up and flipped them about in the water so that their blowholes faced upward,
tending them like dolphin pups. Her keen hearing brought her sputterings of awareness. She nosed at
the two. One bled, a crimson cloud upon the water. The dolphin circled, knowing that the blood was
likely to attract deadly hunters.
She nosed at the favored one's appendage, more limp than a fin, but stronger, too, though not for [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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There the beast dropped its burdens. With a black-clawed hand, it traced the chevron mark on the man's
brow. It gave a grunt of satisfaction before pulling together branch and brush to form a crude raft. It
rolled the bodies onto the raft which bobbed in the water. It watched the two for a long moment, and
scratched at its long, russet hair. Then it pushed the raft away with a large, callused foot and watched
the voyagers float downstream.
Below the city, dirty water ran like the River Styx to the ocean. Its pipes were massive, concrete and no
longer whole, becoming more of a spillway than a pipeline. Animals and other things found their way
through the ruins above to the depths where water even dirty water and life could be obtained.
A notch-earred wolfrat made his way down a warren run of trash and slime, bits of ooze clinging to his
coat. The notch that took off most of his ear scarred into his eye, drew it up and puckered it half-closed.
But he did not need his twilight sight to find water. He could smell it. His nails clicked on old plumbing
and foundation stonework as he lumbered downhill, his tail dragging behind him like some half-
forgotten reptile. The wolfrat shouldered his way through a jagged crack in the pipe. The cement edges
tore out more than its share of tufted hair from his mangy hide. The wolfrat's lips twitched in a snarl of
pain, unvoiced, for as pain went in the world, the discomfort was minor and unmemorable. As he hung
over the lip of the crack to dip his muzzle into the murky water flowing swiftly past, he sensed a
movement upstream.
The pipe was massive, and the water it carried past measured untold gallons. The wolfrat's ears
flickered forward. Sometimes the water also carried gifts gifts of garbage still fresh enough to eat.
Sometimes the water carried unfortunate critters who'd also come down to drink at one of the various
breaches and fallen in. That was how the wolfrat had nearly lost his eye and ear trying to fetch out a
hill cat, spitting and hissing in its fury. The wolfrat lost that dinner, and the hillcat its life, drowning in
the dark spinning waters before the pipe spilled it into the ocean. Better, perhaps, that it had allowed the
wolfrat to pull it out, and taken its chance fighting for survival in the dry tunnels.
The tattered ears twitched again. Unless the wolfrat missed his guess, something bigger and tastier was
floating downstream, coming right at him. The beast braced himself and hunkered lower, claws flexed
for grabbing. If the human scent daunted him, it was not for long.
A long shape barreled toward him. The wolfrat tensed, his tail anchoring his tenuous position, nails
stretched and elongated, his toes prehensile in their flexibility.
As the smaller of the two figures borne along faced toward him, he reached and snatched. Fabric tore,
and fresh cuts welled up with crimson, hot blood scent spattering the water's surface. But the raft
bobbed away, bumping up against the curvature of the waterway, halting only momentarily.
The rat lashed out again, fishing frantically. He nearly toppled in his enthusiasm, but his claws caught
and this time held. He drew back slowly, lest the water-burdened flesh he desired break away from
him again. He bared his teeth, long fangs beginning to slaver with anticipation. His shoulders hunched
as he drew the heavy burden closer to the jagged opening in the pipe. If the creature should begin to
fight, he would lose it, he knew. But it stayed limp in his hold.
Hot drool ran down his lips. Then the soft, tender flesh in his grip began to separate and he lost it as it
tore loose. With an aggravated squeal, the wolfrat perched a moment on the break in the pipe, then
backed out quickly. He raced through the warrens, knowing exactly where the next watering hole was.
He pushed his way through moldering earth and arrived in time to watch the raft float away right under
his nose.
The wolfrat stayed perched in disappointment for an instant, then, with a hissing sigh, lowered his head
to drink. The water, at least, was relatively fresh as water went beneath the ruined earth.
* * *
The dolphin swam in crystal clear seawater, felt the thermals and scents of an outpouring of landwater
into her pathway, and made to swerve. She disliked the sting and taste of landwater in her eyes and
airhole. But she had been summoned, and so she stayed near the spillway which erupted from the city
ruins. Then she tasted a scent she knew, and paused.
The being who had danced with her one moonstruck time not long ago rode that landwater. She circled
and searched the spillway, the foam in her wake bouncing upon the surface like gems. She bit the
thermal wash, tasting his essence more clearly.
She was not an ordinary dolphin, any more than he had been an ordinary man-thing. She rose and tail-
walked a few lengths to gauge where the wash originated from. As she spanned the waves, she saw the
two dark bundles flash out of the spillway and rise hesitantly on the crest. Then they began to sink.
The dolphin dove and sped toward the bundles. Her intuition had brought her fishing this coast and
now she was about to snag the unexpected.
She caught the raft up and flipped them about in the water so that their blowholes faced upward,
tending them like dolphin pups. Her keen hearing brought her sputterings of awareness. She nosed at
the two. One bled, a crimson cloud upon the water. The dolphin circled, knowing that the blood was
likely to attract deadly hunters.
She nosed at the favored one's appendage, more limp than a fin, but stronger, too, though not for [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]