to figure out what makes you
different from the others, and why you aren't in liaison with Oren."

She smiled acidly. "You won't believe it."

"You'll tell it though," he growled darkly.

She turned to gaze at the door. "Earlich had a little girl--by his
first wife. She got stung eight months ago. Before she ran away, she
stung her pet kitten. I didn't know it. The kitten stayed with us.
_It_ stung me." She paused. "Here's the part you won't believe: before
Earlich killed it, I was coming into liaison with the cat."

"_God!_"

"It's true."

"Have you ever stung anyone?"

"No. Earlich didn't even know."

"Any desire to?"

She reddened slowly and set her jaw.

The old man giggled. "Wants ta sting a cat, ah bet, suh."

She shot him a furious glance, but didn't deny it. They sat for a long
time in silence. Morgan lowered the shotgun, then laid it aside.

"Thanks," she murmured, and looked really grateful.

But Morgan was staring thoughtfully at the oldster. "Your dogs ever
tree a panther?"

"Yas, _suh_, they're good at that!" He grinned and waggled his head.

"Many panthers in the swamp?"

"Lo'dy, yes--" He paused. His eyes widened slightly.

Both of them looked suddenly at the girl. Her eyebrows arched, her
mouth flew open. She put a frightened hand to her throat.

"Oh _no_! Oh God, _nooo_!" she shrilled.

Morgan glanced at the window, sighed, and stood up.

"It's getting light outside. We better hunt some food."

Morgan and the old man, whose name was Hanson, went out to prowl along
the outskirts of the swamp. They returned at mid-morning with a string
of perch, a rabbit, and a heart of swamp cabbage. The girl cooked the
meal in silence, scarcely looking at them. Her face was sullen, angry.
Morgan turned while he was eating and saw her staring contemplatively
at the back of his neck--where the Oren-sting was usually planted.

"Nobody's going to force you into anything, Shera," he said quietly.
"We won't mention it again."

She said nothing, but stopped glaring at him. He wondered how much the
Oren organ had affected her personality.

"Do you still feel the same--as you did a year ago?" he asked her.
"Any difference? Any loss of memory? Loss of function?"

"No."

"That means the alien organ exactly duplicates the neural circuits it
supplants."

"So?"

"So the rapport is the only special feature. Without it, you're
apparently still human."

"Thanks." It was a bitter, acid tone.

"I c