season, a good time for a caravan to visit.
Killer's long tongue lashed into the bronze vegetation and out. Then Killer itself lurched into motion. "Something must have come out of a burrow," Thonny said softly. "It wants the rest of the family."
Jane called, "Thonthonthonny! You owe me four checks!" Jane was only eight.
Greegry called, "Curdis, there's someone on a bike. He's stopping near our bikes!"
"I'll go see," Curdis said. He stood, and Junior joined him. Jemmy got up too, but Curdis gestured him back.
Killer was in the Destiny weeds. They heard the snap! snap! snap! of Killer's whip tentacles. Jane had crawled close to watch.
Thonny was probably right: it was trying to reach prey in a burrow. A whip could be trapped that way.
The whip sounds came less frequently. And here came Curdis, jogging. 'We've got to move Killer," he panted. "Jemmy, see if you can get him to follow the pop-hopper."
Jemmy picked up the cage. The pop-hopper didn't look good. "What's up?"
Margery was in range by now. "That girl was from the Council," she called to all. "All fees forgiven if we take Varmint Killer to the Tavern before sunset. The caravan's come early."
They could use the money! Jemmy moved toward the Destiny weeds. Killer had to be approached with respect. He stopped twelve meters away and lifted the cage into view. You never got closer than ten meters, because that was the range of its whips.
Killer was motionless.
So was the pop-hopper.
The wind would be out to sea, and that meant he was downwind. Jemmy began to circle, the cage held high. Dad swore that it didn't matter; Killer couldn't smell; it sensed Destiny life by some other means.
Curdis lost patience. "We'll have to catch another one. Greegry, get down from there. Thonny, find a stick. You get to the far side of that clump-that clump, way away from Killer-and you beat your way through. Anything jumps up, whack it. You're trying to scare it this way, right? Greegry! Find a stick and go help Thonny. Jemjemjemmy?"
"It's dead, Curdis."
"Dump it and stand by with the cage. Get your gloves on."
Jemmy opened the cage and dumped the little shelled corpse and the withering weeds he'd put in with it. He began picking fresh yellow and bronze lace.
Killer wailed, a long, loud cry of warning. Then its whips began flailing around it, lashing the Destiny plants at root level. It slid slowly through the dark patch, lashing everything in its way. Though it was not moving straight toward Jemmy, Jemmy eased back.
The decrepit machine didn't take orders anymore. It sought Destiny weeds and Destiny animals. When they were not about, its tropism was weak and it went where it would.
A tree-sized Destiny plant balked it. Killer pulled in its whips until it had rolled past. Plant life was only part of Killer's job. A human- Curdis-would pull up the stumps Killer left behind.
"Hyah!" Curdis bellowed, and three boys leapt on something that tried to sprint out from under them. Jemmy ran toward them. Thonny trapped its beak in a bag. The others were sitting on the shell; its short legs scrabbled in futility.
The Destiny thing was a bit big for the cage. They pushed its bulk in with the butt of a stick. "Good enough. It's jammed in, it can't crawl out," Junior said.
Killer had slashed away most of the weed patch. It rested now. Curdis picked up the cage and walked toward it.
Killer began to move.
Curdis retreated. Killer wasn't fast. They moved down toward the Road, Curdis and the cage, the old machine following.
The heavy cage was passed to Jemmy, then to Junior, and back to Curdis before they'd crossed three and a half kilometers to Warkan's Tavern. Curdis had Thonny and Brenda making bike runs to get lemonade to the others.
The sun was still high, and Quicksilver a bright spark above it. The dust plume that must be an oncoming caravan was closer now, but not close. Other young adults were beginning to gather.
The Warkan place was the Bloochers' neighbor, down the Road on
Killer's long tongue lashed into the bronze vegetation and out. Then Killer itself lurched into motion. "Something must have come out of a burrow," Thonny said softly. "It wants the rest of the family."
Jane called, "Thonthonthonny! You owe me four checks!" Jane was only eight.
Greegry called, "Curdis, there's someone on a bike. He's stopping near our bikes!"
"I'll go see," Curdis said. He stood, and Junior joined him. Jemmy got up too, but Curdis gestured him back.
Killer was in the Destiny weeds. They heard the snap! snap! snap! of Killer's whip tentacles. Jane had crawled close to watch.
Thonny was probably right: it was trying to reach prey in a burrow. A whip could be trapped that way.
The whip sounds came less frequently. And here came Curdis, jogging. 'We've got to move Killer," he panted. "Jemmy, see if you can get him to follow the pop-hopper."
Jemmy picked up the cage. The pop-hopper didn't look good. "What's up?"
Margery was in range by now. "That girl was from the Council," she called to all. "All fees forgiven if we take Varmint Killer to the Tavern before sunset. The caravan's come early."
They could use the money! Jemmy moved toward the Destiny weeds. Killer had to be approached with respect. He stopped twelve meters away and lifted the cage into view. You never got closer than ten meters, because that was the range of its whips.
Killer was motionless.
So was the pop-hopper.
The wind would be out to sea, and that meant he was downwind. Jemmy began to circle, the cage held high. Dad swore that it didn't matter; Killer couldn't smell; it sensed Destiny life by some other means.
Curdis lost patience. "We'll have to catch another one. Greegry, get down from there. Thonny, find a stick. You get to the far side of that clump-that clump, way away from Killer-and you beat your way through. Anything jumps up, whack it. You're trying to scare it this way, right? Greegry! Find a stick and go help Thonny. Jemjemjemmy?"
"It's dead, Curdis."
"Dump it and stand by with the cage. Get your gloves on."
Jemmy opened the cage and dumped the little shelled corpse and the withering weeds he'd put in with it. He began picking fresh yellow and bronze lace.
Killer wailed, a long, loud cry of warning. Then its whips began flailing around it, lashing the Destiny plants at root level. It slid slowly through the dark patch, lashing everything in its way. Though it was not moving straight toward Jemmy, Jemmy eased back.
The decrepit machine didn't take orders anymore. It sought Destiny weeds and Destiny animals. When they were not about, its tropism was weak and it went where it would.
A tree-sized Destiny plant balked it. Killer pulled in its whips until it had rolled past. Plant life was only part of Killer's job. A human- Curdis-would pull up the stumps Killer left behind.
"Hyah!" Curdis bellowed, and three boys leapt on something that tried to sprint out from under them. Jemmy ran toward them. Thonny trapped its beak in a bag. The others were sitting on the shell; its short legs scrabbled in futility.
The Destiny thing was a bit big for the cage. They pushed its bulk in with the butt of a stick. "Good enough. It's jammed in, it can't crawl out," Junior said.
Killer had slashed away most of the weed patch. It rested now. Curdis picked up the cage and walked toward it.
Killer began to move.
Curdis retreated. Killer wasn't fast. They moved down toward the Road, Curdis and the cage, the old machine following.
The heavy cage was passed to Jemmy, then to Junior, and back to Curdis before they'd crossed three and a half kilometers to Warkan's Tavern. Curdis had Thonny and Brenda making bike runs to get lemonade to the others.
The sun was still high, and Quicksilver a bright spark above it. The dust plume that must be an oncoming caravan was closer now, but not close. Other young adults were beginning to gather.
The Warkan place was the Bloochers' neighbor, down the Road on
Similar Books
Beautifully Shattered (The Beautifully Series Book 1)
Courtney Kristel
Lost Tribe of the Sith: Purgatory
John Jackson Miller
Shadow Creatures
Andrew Lane
Always
Lynsay Sands
Addicted
Ray Gordon
The Chronicles of Beast and Man
J. Charles Ralston
The Doctors' Baby
Marion Lennox
Homeward Bound
Harry Turtledove
He Loves My Curves
Stephanie Harley