Part 19 (1/2)

It hit-got a grip-and for half a dozen heartbeats it clung there in piggyback position. The larger bird twisted violently, to no avail, leveled out once more-

And the mojo spread its wings and dropped off and back. Making no attempt to pursue, it turned in a lazy circle and headed back to the crowd of Qasamans.

”What the blooming h.e.l.l?” Telek muttered.

Pyre couldn't have put it better himself.

Joshua's gaze returned to the street now. The herd was out of sight, and through the settling dust about twenty carca.s.ses were visible, mangled to various degrees. One of the Qasamans-Moff, Pyre saw-stepped out into the avenue and looked carefully in both directions. Holstering his pistol, he stepped back; and as if on signal, the other guns likewise vanished and the crowds began to break up.

Telek squeezed the mike hard. ”Yuri-everybody-find out everything you can about what just happened. Especially the thing with the birds.”

Silently, Pyre seconded the order. Though he doubted the contact team really needed that prompting.

Joshua certainly hadn't needed Telek to state the obvious-bursting with curiosity, he could barely wait until Moff had pushed his way through the dispersing crowd to fire off his first question. ”How did those animals get into the city so easily?” he asked.

Moff frowned, throwing a glance at York as well. ”I told you to stay back.”

”Sorry. What were those-bololins, you called them?-what were they doing here?”

Cerenkov and Rynstadt had joined the group now, as had most of Moff's a.s.sociates. ”The bololins migrate periodically,” he said, almost reluctantly. ”A herd like that always forms for a run, and you'll agree something like that would be almost impossible to stop. So we've built the city to pa.s.s them through with as little damage as possible.”

York glanced at the carca.s.ses in the avenue. ”As little damage to you, anyway.”

”Crews will be along momentarily to take them to a processing area,” Moff said.

”Both meat and hides will be saved.”

”You'd do better to split a few off from the herd and stop them before you shoot,” York persisted. ”Letting them get trampled like that doesn't do hide or meat any good.”

”What was all that with the mojos and those other birds?” Joshua asked as Moff started to reply. ”Do mojos hunt like that even when they don't intend to eat?”

”To-? Oh, I see.” Moff reached up to stroke his mojo's throat. ”Tarbines aren't a food animal. Mojos seek them for reproduction. Cerenkov,” he said, turning away from Joshua, ”we will need to cut short our visit to the marketplace if we intend to reach the art gallery during the time it will be cleared for us. If you wish, we can return here another time.”

”All right.” Cerenkov sent a long look toward the bololin carca.s.ses as Moff steered them down the avenue to the cross street where their car had been moved.

”Does this sort of thing happen very often?”

”Occasionally. Perhaps more often in the next few days-there is a major migration underway. But there's no need for concern. The probability you will be near the affected streets is small, and even if you are the rooftop alarms always give adequate warning. Come now; we must hurry.”

Conversation ceased. As they walked, Joshua nudged York and slowed his pace a bit. York matched his speed; and as Moff and the others pulled a few paces ahead, Joshua reached up to put his thumb over the microphone on his translator pendant. ”You've lived on a lot of worlds,” he murmured to the other. ”You ever seen a male and female of the same species that look that different?”

York shrugged minutely, his hand similarly on his translator. ”I've seen or heard of some that are even more mismatched than that... but I've never heard of a mating that looks that much like an out-and-out attack. Almost like-well, h.e.l.l, I'll say it: like a rape.”

Joshua felt a s.h.i.+ver run up his back. ”It did, didn't it? The mojos were hitting them like condorines swooping down on rabbits.”

”And the tarbines were trying like crazy to get away. Something really weird's happening here, Joshua.”

Ahead, Moff glanced back. Casually, Joshua dropped his arm back to his side and increased his speed, York doing the same beside him. They'd have to find some private way to clue Cerenkov in on this and get him to start probing, Joshua knew, already trying to figure out a way to do that. He hoped the other's silver tongue would be up to the challenge... because if the mojo's mating behavior was evidence of some significant biological principle here, it could be vital to root such information out.

And it was sure as h.e.l.l that the support team, stuck inside the Dewdrop, wouldn't be able to do anything in that direction.