Paws and Planets Read Online Free PDF Page A

Quorko to the water site. When the two duos emerged Jaru
noticed from Dru and Anua’s flashing eyes, half-furled wings and
erect demeanour that something of grave import had occurred. Qian
and Quort looked furious, their green hides mottling dark and
light.
    In fact the
anger was bristling out of them.
    All four made a
direct line to where Jaru stood waiting.
    “Problems?” he
asked in a mild voice.
    “Problems,”
agreed Dru and Anua whilst Qian and Quort said nothing, for
precisely a heartbeat.
    “They are of no
import,” the words burst forth from Qian’s mouth and Jaru realised
at once that this was a continuation of an old argument. “This is
not a bar to us taking possession of this planet.”
    “They are sentient,” flashed back Anua while Dru rolled his eyes.
He looked tired, Jaru also noted, this argument had probably been
going on since the two Dglai had returned to their Quorko.
    “They are of limited sentience,” insisted Quort, challenge in his
green-skinned countenance, “well within parameters.”
    “They are not
and you know it,” shouted back Dru. “You know the rules. We must
not interfere.”
    “Rules must be
broken at need,” said Qian, although his visage wilted under the
withering and contemptuous look Anua gave him.
    “They are of
nothing to us,” said Quort, “and they are not many. This planet is
big enough for both of us. We can live apart from them if you
insist.”
    There was
contempt in his last words, Jaru realised, contempt for him and his
Lai and for Dru and his Brai.
    “The rules are
old,” continued Quort, his eyes gleaming with triumph, “they no
longer apply. Daiglon is a long way away.”
    “They still do apply,” said Zanfanu in a level voice. He turned to Jaru
and the others.
    “Shouting about
it will get us nowhere. Jaru and I don’t even know what it is that
you have found. Have you found intelligent life?”
    “Yes,” said Dru
and Anua.
    “No,” said Qian
and Quort.
    “Qian and Quort
found some creatures living at the edge of the lain,” Dru began.
“They came back when darkness came and found us waiting for them
and then they told us about what they had found. Anua and I
accompanied them back to the place when the sun came up.”
    “Just
creatures,” said Qian.
    Jaru raised a
wing and pointed with a fore-talon at the angry Dglai, “you’ll get
your chance to speak once Dru and Anua have finished.”
    Qian subsided,
a mutinous expression on his face.
    “Go on Dru,”
encouraged Jaru.
    “There was a
small group of them, small, almost hairless and they walk on two
legs. They do not have wings.”
    “An extended
family group I should hazard,” added Anua.
    “They are
primitive,” admitted Dru with a sidelong look at Qian, “but they
have discovered how to control fire. They also work with
tools.”
    “They were
living in a tipi. They had been hunting; we saw carcasses and bones
of animals,” Anua informed Jaru.
    “They were
cooking a carcass on their fire,” added Dru, “when they had gone we
went over to look. They have tools of different categories, ones
with projectile points, engraving tools, knife blades, and drilling
and piercing tools.”
    “Did they see
you?” asked Jaru.
    “No,” said Qian
and Quort.
    “They must
have,” admitted Dru and Anua, “although we tried to be as
inconspicuous and quiet as we could.” She cast a look of pure venom
at Qian and Quort and Jaru surmised that the Dglai had not even
attempted to stay out of sight.
    Jaru took a
deep breath.
    “They couldn’t
have helped seeing us,” insisted Anua, “Qian here didn’t make much
attempt at staying hidden. They made startled noises to each other,
I heard them and I can only assume that they were speaking in some
form of language. Then they fled deeper into the lian, picking up
their ltsctas as they went. From what I deduced from what I saw and
heard, they have more than an intuitive intelligence. We cannot
stay here. We must leave.”
    “We will