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Merlescu swam slowly back to land. Leaning back so that she was floating upright in the water, she once
again addressed herself to Ehomba. But her words and her gaze encompassed all three of them.
We will need to find some vines. As she spoke a trio of adults leaped clear of the pond, across the
intervening open space, and into another, larger drifting body of water beyond. This may take a little
time. With that she turned her head and slipped back beneath the surface.
Vines? Simna frowned at his friend. What do we need with vines?
I am not even marginally vegetarian, Ahlitah added.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to swim to the bottom of a pond and be able to stare
right through the bottom? It must puzzle the fish. Stripping off his kilt and shirt, Ehomba kicked off his
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sandals and dove, naked and none too gracefully, into the water. A pair of the younger dolphins promptly
swam up to him and, chattering and squeaking, began a game of tag with him as the divider between.
Will you have a look at that. Simna was grinning and shaking his head even as he began removing his
own accoutrements. I suppose any chance to get clean is a welcome one.
Not at all. Lying down on his side, the litah promptly dropped his head onto the soft earth and closed
his eyes. Simna eyed the big cat disapprovingly.
Going to sleep again?
One piercing yellow eye popped open to fix him in its glare. When not hunting or screwing I usually
spend eighty percent of my time sleeping. It s what we big cats do. And we do it well. The eye closed
and Ahlitah rolled over so that his back was facing the human. Go soak yourself, if you must. It s a
human thing.
Simna started to turn away, then paused. An entirely impish smile spread across his face. Searching until
he found what he needed, he walked to the water s edge, knelt, and then retraced his steps, tiptoeing up
to the back of the cat.
The litah s roar as the swordsman dumped the contents of the hollow gourd onto the big cat s
slumbering face shook the transparent epidermis of the pond and caused cones to fall from the shading
casuarinas. With a whoop of delight, Simna had spun around and raced for the water. He had just
enough of a lead to beat his pursuer to the pond.
His face twisted into a black rictus of pure ferocity, Ahlitah paced rapidly back and forth along the
shore. You ve got to come out sometime, little man. When you do, I ll twist you up so tight you ll have
to drink your own piss!
Just as I ve always suspected. Treading water, Simna made faces at the outraged feline. The bigger
the cat, the smaller its sense of humor.
His eyes bugged and his expression was radically altered when, with a warning roar, the litah suddenly
crouched and sprang directly toward him. Ducking, the swordsman kicked frantically for the bottom of
the pond.
Massive paws dug at the water, but not for long. Soon Ahlitah was bucking and jerking as first one
dolphin then another prodded him from below with their snouts, or blew bubbles beneath his belly. A
smiling Ehomba joined in, and the big carnivore s initial outrage was soon forgotten as humans, dolphins,
and cat churned the surface of the pond to joyful froth.
It was midafternoon before the absent trio of water dwellers returned from their scavenging. Held in their
mouths and wrapped around their upper bodies were long lengths of strong vine, some green, the rest
brown. Ragged ends showed where sharp teeth usually employed in the catching of fish had torn the
tough lengths of plant matter free.
While Merlescu and Ehomba conversed softly, man face-to-face with dolphin in the water, Simna and
Ahlitah hauled themselves out onto the edge of the island to dry their bodies in the sun.
All right, Simna puffed, you win.
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Win what? Alongside him, the great cat was even more fatigued than his human companion.
Simna looked to his left, gazing across sand, gravel, and grass. I retract my earlier allegation. You do
have a sense of humor.
The litah was sitting up and cleaning itself with one paw, attempting to aid the sun in removing as much
water as possible from its ebony coat. Of course I do. But fair warning, man: Have a care when you
trifle with a cat s dignity.
Hoy, I allowed as how you might have a sense of humor. Nothing was said about dignity.
They verbally lunged and riposted in that vein until Ehomba rejoined them, pond water coursing in long
rivulets down his lean, muscular form. Our friends will make ready. I have to help them. Tilting back his
head, he studied the sky. We will have to spend another night here and leave in the morning. His gaze
dropped to his companions. They will help us.
How? Simna let out a querulous snort. By tying vines around us and dragging us from one floating
pond to another?
You will see. Turning, he loped back into the water.
Simna wanted to find out what the herdsman and the dolphins were up to, but he was too tired from all
the water play. Maybe Ehomba s occupation was the key, he mused. Perhaps the vines were to be used
as whips, to urge and guide the dolphins as the school towed the three travelers from lake to lake. With a
mental shrug, he closed his eyes.
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