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locate some edible roots. He had discovered these the year before, when idly experimenting, and not thought much about it. They didn't taste very good. But now he realized that these were their best choice. So he dug them out, identifying them by the colors of the stems projecting from the ground. They were covered with dirt, of course, and that didn't taste good, so he rubbed them off on grass to get them as clean as possible.
    Bl came over. Hu took a bite from a tuber, demonstrating its edibility. Bl tried a bite. He made a face. But it was food, so Bl took one to Jo and demonstrated. In due course they all were eating them and making faces.
    Another youth from a foreign band spied them and loped over. He was very thin, and his fur was splotchy; he had not eaten well. Because he was foreign, and not large, Jo had no problem figuring out what to do. He stood up tall, beat his chest with his folded hands, and screamed challenge.
    The foreigner immediately fell to the ground and rolled on his back, whimpering. He had not come to fight.
    Bl went over to him. Bl extended a hand. Hu and the others were bemused: offering friendship to a complete stranger? The youth seemed almost as surprised. On his back, he reached out and touched the hand. Then he got up and followed Bl to Jo. Jo roared again, and the foreigner dropped to the ground again. Bl nudged Jo, and Jo reluctantly gave the stranger the rest of the root he had been eating. The foreigner had been adopted into the band. They grunted at him, exchanging names. His name was Vk.
    After that Hu provided roots for the newcomer too, and showed him how to find them himself, by the colored stems. It wasn't hard, because there were many roots; no one else had thought to eat them before. Because Hu knew how to locate the succulent ones, it worked; without his knowledge, gained by sometimes bitter-tasting experience, it would have been an almost impossible task.
    There was a clamor behind them. Hu looked back and recognized Bb and his spiteful sister Ss. They seemed to have organized the scattered other outcasts into another band, and were coming to interfere with this band. Now there were more of enemies than friends, so the enemies had courage.
    Bl saw the problem immediately. He nudged Jo, and they moved on, away from the familiar home forest. Bb's band hesitated, not caring to brave the unfamiliar region, and was left behind. The groves became fewer, and the path faded out. Before them was a frighteningly open grassy plain. But how could they turn back? There was nothing there for them but mischief.
    Some distance across the plain was what appeared to be a new forest. Blgazed at it speculatively, then indicated to Jo that it looked promising. So Jo started toward it.
    But Vk suddenly became agitated. “Bad!” he cried, pointing to the forest and cringing in fear.
    Bl considered. But Jo, not deigning to respond to any suggestion by a scrawny newcomer, forged on, and Bl let it be. The others followed, with Vk nervously at the rear.
    As they approached the forest, a swarm of youths dropped down from the trees at the edge and charged out to intercept them. Now the nature of Vk's warning was clear; he had already encountered this hostile region. Bl reacted quickly. He touched Jo on the shoulder and signaled retreat. Jo, seeing the number of the attackers, agreed. Their band quickly moved away from the forest.
    But the foreign youths, once aroused, did not let it go at that. Five of them came on out, jeering and making insulting gestures. They spied the two young females, Be and Fa, and converged on them. Three hung back, not completing the charge, but two continued.
    Hu realized that they wanted to breed. Both females were too young, and of course no band brother of theirs would breed with them. But these were foreign youths, of age to be interested, and they evidently were not much concerned with age. Fa, though young, had a nice form and smell, and the foreigners were eying her. Be