rried young Johnny in one arm, in her other hand his little bottle of
milk. Johnny was hungry--there was never quite enough milk for him--but
he was not crying. Ragnarok children did not cry....

She saw the pups and her eyes went wide.

"Prowlers--baby prowlers! Where did you get them?"

He told her and she went to them, to look down at them and say, "If you
and their father hadn't helped each other that day they wouldn't be
here, nor you, nor I, nor Johnny--none of us in this room."

"They won't live out the day," he said. "They have to have milk--and
there isn't any."

She reached down to touch them and they seemed to sense that she was
someone different. They stirred, making tiny whimpering sounds and
trying to move their heads to nuzzle at her fingers.

Compassion came to her face, like a soft light.

"They're so young," she said. "So terribly young to have to die...."

She looked at Johnny and at the little bottle that held his too-small
morning ration of milk.

"Johnny--Johnny----" Her words were almost a whisper. "You're
hungry--but we can't let them die. And someday, for this, they will
fight for your life."

She sat on the bed and placed the pups in her lap beside Johnny. She
lifted a little black head with gentle fingers and a little pink mouth
ceased whimpering as it found the nipple of Johnny's bottle.

Johnny's gray eyes darkened with the storm of approaching protest. Then
the other pup touched his hand, crying in its hunger, and the protest
faded as surprise and something like sudden understanding came into his
eyes.

Julia withdrew the bottle from the first pup and transferred it to the
second one. Its crying ceased and Johnny leaned forward to touch it
again, and the one beside it.

He made his decision with an approving sound and leaned back against his
mother's shoulder, patiently awaiting his own turn and their presence
accepted as though they had been born his brother and sister.

* * * * *

The golden light of the new day shone on them, on his daughter and
grandson and the prowler pups, and in it he saw the bright omen for the
future.

His own role was nearing its end but he had seen the people of Ragnarok
conquer their environment in so far as Big Winter would ever let it be
conquered. The last generation was being born, the generation that would
meet the Gerns, and now they would have their final ally. Perhaps it
would be Johnny who led them on t