should ever grow
up without a brother, only we never had the chance for Eddie." Loren
reached out absently and touched the brown and yellow neck of the
creature. "I called this fellow Eddie, though. Do you suppose that was
all right? He's not very pretty."

Kirk nodded, looking at the waving, funnel-shaped head of the animal.
"That was all right, Harry."

"Does she still braid her hair?" Loren asked, his eyes shiny.

"What?" Kirk said.

"Annette. Does she still braid her hair?"

"Why," Kirk said slowly, feeling his palms going moist. "Why wouldn't
she, Harry?"

A faint smile flickered across Loren's lips as he remembered.

Kirk watched one of the creature's claws, out of the corners of his
eyes. He opened and closed the fingers of one hand, testing. The claw
jerked slightly.

The blood of Kirk's new wound was drying, he knew, because it had been
only a surface cut. He wondered how it would be if the thing used its
claws with serious intent. Like it must have to make the cut that had
been raked into Loren's back. Loren was bending forward now, and Kirk
could see the tip end of that scar. Somehow Loren had managed to stay
alive and befriend the creature. Eddie. The lidless eyes stared.

Kirk knew that he had to make use of the moment. It could break apart
any time, the wildness could return, the unreasoning....

"Listen, Harry," he said, "we ought to get started, you know. There's no
use waiting longer."

"Started?" Loren said.

"Of course," Kirk said, trying to keep his voice matter-of-fact.
"You're going home."

Loren looked at Kirk and his eyes turned suddenly hard and his mouth
lost the faint smile. "I am," he stated flatly.

"Yes," Kirk said. "Of course."

"You're a liar."

"Now, Harry," Kirk said, his eyes flickering to the waiting animal. "I
surely wouldn't lie to you."

"You haven't come for me until after all this time, and now you say you
surely wouldn't lie to me."

It was like standing in a gully, Kirk thought, watching a boulder
teetering above you. It tipped this way and that, and you didn't know
when or if it was going to come hurtling down. You waited. But Kirk
couldn't wait, he knew. He had to do something.

"Harry, listen. It wasn't easy to find you, don't you see?" He hoped he
was making it sound as though all he had done for the last dozen years
of exploring was look for Harry Loren. He wished that the damned thing
would stop swaying its ugly head back and forth. Loren's hand