Page 43 of Fall

She reached over to give him a hug without thinking, and he returned itenthusiastically, nuzzling her face fondly.

They were interrupted by a voice from behind them. After a teasing exclamationthat sounded like, “Hey!” Desh said, “No mating here. Mate cave. Hunt now.”

Both Lenna and Rone laughed and pulled apart, and they continued thelesson in hunting.

For about an hour, Rone showed them how to look for signs of animalsnearby, stalk them, move without making noise, and then go in for the kill.

Lenna actually had no desire to kill animals if she didn’t have to, butit wouldn’t hurt to know how, in case she ever was in the position to need to.

After the lesson was over, Rone sent her and Desh ahead of him to track asmall herd of deer in the distance and then try for a successful kill.

Rone was going to wait and come after them in a while so they could tryit alone, without his help.

Desh went off immediately, but Lenna paused to look back at Rone.

“Lenna hunt,” he said, gesturing toward Desh. “Lenna strong.”

Filled with affection more powerful than anything she’d ever felt beforein her life, she put down her spear and threw herself in his arms. “Rone good,good, good. Glad Rone mate Lenna.”

He chuckled and returned the embrace, being careful with her sore ribs.When he released her, he met her eyes soberly. “Glad Lenna mate Rone. Lennahome.”

She smiled rather wobbly, strangely emotional. Then she pressed a quickkiss on his mouth and picked back up the spear. “Lenna hunt.”

She was happy and excited and fond and off-balanced from feeling thingsso deeply as she hurried to follow Desh, glancing back once more over her shoulderat Rone—standing alone in the sunshine—before he was out of sight.

When she caught up with Desh, they smiled at each other as they moved inunison to track the herd.

They’d walked about a half-hour when they finally got close.

Lenna suggested a strategy, and she came from one direction to scare thegrazers, who immediately ran away from her.

Right toward Desh.

Before she knew what was happening, Desh had thrown his spear right intothe throat of a medium-sized female.

Both Lenna and Desh stared down at the dead deer.

“We did it,” he murmured, clearly astonished.

“I can’t believe it.” She didn’t look too closely at the dead animal,since it made her remember her poor little fawn too much, and that made her abit sad. “It was a great throw.”

“I couldn’t have done it without you.”

“Rone will be so proud,” she said, smiling and touching his arm in afriendly way.

Before Desh could respond, she heard a rustle from the trees nearby. Shewhirled around, holding Rone’s spear defensively, her heart jumping into herthroat at the thought that it might be Hosh hunters again.

The ones who had taken her were dead, but it was possible there could beothers.

It wasn’t Hosh hunters.

The man who stepped out from the trees was grinning at her in a veryfamiliar way.

“Leave it to Lenna,” he said, “to survive a planet dump and then attackher rescuer with a spear like some sort of barbarian maiden.”

“I am not a maiden,” she said automatically, focusing on the mostirrelevant thing first.

“Oh, I believe you,” Hall said, stepping closer to her. “So do you wantto be rescued or not?”