"Alan Dean Foster - Humanx 1 - Midworld" - читать интересную книгу автора (Foster Alan Dean)

A long low whistling came from the furcot's comer.
Born uttered an angry word. It seemed no one cared
whether he lived or died. He ripped the leafleather
screen aside and marched off toward Jhelum's place.

Most of the remainder of the day was taken up
in ^working out the arrangements of the exchange. In
the end, Jhelum agreed to prepare the new snuffler
in return for three-fourths of the grazer meat and
the whole skeleton. Ordinarily Born would never have
gone so high. He had worked nearly a week to get
the grazer, and taking such prey involved uncommon
risk. But he was tired, frustrated by the indifferent re-
ception, and confused by Brightly Go. Besides, Jhelum
showed him an exquisite section of green wood pipe,
almost blue in spots, that could be used for the
weapon. It would make an exceptionally handsome
snuffler. He would not be cheated, but neither would
he get a bargain.

23

He climbed alone into the upper reaches of the
village, to where trunklets started to rejoin to form
a single bole. From there he could look back at
the village and out at the forest wall.

The village center was the largest open space he
had ever seen in his life, save for the Upper Hell,
of course. Here he could relax and study the world
without fear of attack. As he watched, a glass flitter


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touched down alongside a pink vines-of-own blossom.
Red and blue wings fluttered lazily, the sun shining
through the transparent organic panes.

This was another thing that prompted some in the
village to call Born a little mad. Only he sat and
wasted his time watching things like flitters and
flowers, which could neither nourish nor kill. Bom
himself did not know why he did such things, but
something within him was gratified when he did.
Gratified and warmed. He would learn all there was
to know about everything.

Reader, the shaman, had tried numerous times to