"Janet Kagan - Mirabile" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kagan Janet)

We didnтАЩt get one at first. Whatever it was was mad as all hell, and launched itself at
the door hard enough to rattle the window and make the three of us jump back en
masse. The door held.
Leo said, тАЬItтАЩs been doing that all the way from Last Edges. HasnтАЩt gotten
through the door yet, but IтАЩm a little worried it might hurt itself.тАЭ
тАЬItтАЩs not itself it wants to hurt,тАЭ Susan said.
тАЬYouтАЩd be pissed, too, if somebody wrestled you away from your mama and
shoved you into the back of a truck headed god-knows-where,тАЭ Leo said.
The door stopped rattling. I got a foot on the back bumper and hoisted myself up
for a second try. LeoтАЩs present glared at me through the window and snarled. I
snarled back in the same tone.
Since it was a youngster and I was an unknown, it backed off with a hop, letting
me get a good look. In overall shape, it was kangaroo, but it had the loveliest set of
stripes across the hips IтАЩd ever seenтАФand the jaw! Oh, the jaw! It opened that jaw to
warn me to keep back, and the head split almost to the ear, to show me the sharpest
set of carnivore teeth in history.
тАЬOh, Leo,тАЭ I murmured, stepping down from my perch. тАЬThatтАЩs the nicest
present anybodyтАЩs ever brought me.тАЭ I gave him another big hug and a thorough kiss
for good measure. тАЬLeonov Bellmaker Denness, I accept both your gift and your
suit.тАЭ
He beamed. тАЬI knew I got it right.тАЭ
тАЬOh, shit!тАЭ said Mike, from behind me. тАЬSusan! ItтАЩs a goddam kangaroo rex!тАЭ He
stared at Leo in disbelief. тАЬAre you telling me this man brought you a kangaroo rex
as a courting present?тАЭ
Susan, in turn, looked at Mike in disbelief. тАЬItтАЩs perfect, you idiot! It means Noisy
knows exactly what kind of person she is, and how to please her. DonтАЩt you
understand anything?тАЭ
That would have developed into a squabbleтАФthatтАЩs the usual outcome when
those two get goingтАФbut the kangaroo rex slammed against the door of the trunk
again and brought them both back to their senses.
тАЬLeo,тАЭ I said, тАЬgo on over to my house and get yourself cleaned up. WeтАЩll
wrestle the thing into a cage. Then I want to hear all about it.тАЭ
He nodded. тАЬSure. Two things first, though. Pick the right cageтАФI saw that thing
jump a six-foot fenceтАФthen contact Moustafa Herder Kozlev or Janzen Herder Lizhi
in Last Edges.
I told Moustafa IтАЩd make the official report on his DragonтАЩs Tooth but I doubt he
believes me.тАЬ He examined a set of skinned knuckles. тАЭNot when I punched him to
keep him from shooting it.тАЬ
тАЬMy hero,тАЭ I said, meaning it.
He kissed my hand and vanished in the direction of my house. I turned to my
available team members and said, тАЬDonтАЩt just stand there with your eyes hanging out
of your heads. LetтАЩs get to work.тАЭ
By the time weтАЩd gotten an enclosure ready for the creature, Chie-Hoon and Selima
had returned from up-country, where theyтАЩd been watching those damned hopping
fish in the act. Just as well, because it took all five of us to maneuver the kangaroo
rex safely out of the truck and into captivity.
Most of us wound up with bruises. It was still mad as all hell. It slammed each
side on the fence in turn (didnтАЩt take it but two hops to cross the enclosure either)
and once shot up and cracked its head on the overhead wire. That settled it down a
bit. I sent Selima to get it some meat.