Decision at Doona

Chapter XI. THE FEAST

THE HUGE BONFIRE burned with a bluish-purple, orange-tipped flame, lighting the Common spectacularly. Trestle tables had been set up and hastily improvised benches had been extruded from plastic scrounged from the ship's supplies. To men long celibate there was the wonderful presence of women, coming and going between the mess hall and the barbecue pit. There Ramasan presided over the spit with the huge prong-horned urf buck slain by the joint efforts of Hrruban and Terran hunters for the occasion. Torches moved down the long slope from Saddle Ridge, across the river, as still more Hrrubans came to the feast. As the firelight threw shadows of grotesque parodies, Ken wondered that there were so many Hrrubans in the one village.

The women had pitched into the preparations with a determination that proved they were avoiding all thought of the future and its problems. Ken was not the only man grateful for feminine reticence, and thankful to whatever instinct prompted them to make this night one to remember.

Aurie Gaynor, as if to make up for her husband's allergy, stood at the bridge to welcome the Hrruban guests.

Julie O'Grady and the Colonel's Lady, whoever they were," she had flung at Lee Lawrence when she volunteered herself. "And if I can't purr, I can radiate charm, wit and personality."

Phyllis Hu, a delicate-appearing woman with luminous beauty, had taken a rapturous inventory of the available supplies of local produce. She told Ramasan he had been chef long enough and to please go turn that buck so it wouldn't char. She'd handle the rest. Imagine, letting a man fool with real food.

Akosua Adjei and Ann Eckerd (known as Anneck to distinguish her from Anne Solinari) took charge of setting up dining facilities. Sally Lawrence unpacked her treasured guitar and Ezra Moody proved how successfully he had been able to use local animal gut to restring his violin. Dot McKee and her twin teenage daughters volunteered as scullery crew.

Aurie Gaynor sent a message to Ken Reeve that the Hrruban women were coming laden with food and what did one do?

“Just show them where to set the stuff down,” Reeve told young Bill Moody. “With the exception of two tubers and some local fungi, we tolerate the same foods. And, Bill, those round purplish nuts are the best eating on this world or the next.”

Reeve had settled himself with Dautrish and Hu Shih and they were shortly joined by the captain and the supercargo.

“Like the old-timey pioneer days in the nineteenth century, if you get what I mean,” the captain was saying as the men watched the well-organized chaos around them “How much of this local smokable you got on hand, Mr. Botanist?” he asked Dautrish, relishing the taste in his pipe.

«Well, not a great deal. The Hrrubans don't smoke,» Dautrish began. «I gather it has medicinal properties for them rather than – whatever you call smoking.»

“I feel,” Hu Shih remarked, “the evening supplies its own pleasant intoxicants of good food taken in the presence of loved ones long missed, and of new-found friends.”

“I get what you mean,” Kiachif agreed with patient resignation.

Out of a pool of darkness cast by a small shrub, Hrrestan and Hrral stepped toward them. Reeve rose immediately and introduced the two Hrrubans to Kiachif and the supercargo. As he stepped aside to allow the two elders to seat themselves, Reeve caught sight of Hrral's tail carefully curling under the bench, and remembered his son.

“Good Lord, that child's still locked in his room,” he exclaimed with guilty remorse.

Hrral's wide mouth dropped in the Hrruban grin.

“But no, he has found that the tails of our cubs also do not come off. He was at the bridge and himself made a personal inspection. Or so I am informed.”

Reeve felt suddenly sick.

"How can I – " he began apologetically.

Hrrestan grinned and Hrral held up his hand politely to interrupt Reeve.

“He does not trouble, and our own young are curious that he has no tail. I believe the young of both races will be friendly together in the way of the young.”

“Young Master Todd in trouble again?” boomed the captain, his eyes sparkling with amusement, for he couldn't have understood the interchange.

Heartily embarrassed, Ken related Todd's breach of etiquette and his own remedy.

“What I don't understand is how he could get out of that locked room,” Ken finished, puzzled.

“Perhaps Pat let him out,” Dautrish suggested.

The captain's chuckle started deep in his belly. The super regarded his captain with disgust. “That young man won't be kept within any bounds. It's a jolly good thing, mister,” and the pipe was waggled at Reeve, “that he has a whole planet in which to range. He'll need it, and you will too, if you get what I mean.”

“Todd'll get what I mean,” replied Ken grimly, determined not to allow a six-year-old's precocity to stride roughshod over an entire colony.

The supercargo's snort of derision spoke volumes for Ken's good intentions.

“Is it permitted to ask whether they speak of your young one?” asked Hrrestan politely.

“To my embarrassment, yes,” Reeve replied.

“Speak of the devil,” the supercargo growled and two small figures stalked out of the shadows. One was an Hrruban cub, a full head taller than his Terran companion Reeve recognized him instantly as the taller of the two ball players he had met in the woods. The cub's tail was wrapped around the waist of young Todd Reeve.

Ken sat down weakly as the two marched directly up to Hrrestan.

"This one is sad, father, the Hrruban cub said, "because he has no tail and wishes mine. I have told him I cannot give him mine. He asked where I got it and I told him. So he asked me to take him to my father so you could give him a tail, too."

The humor of the request evidently did not escape the cub but he made his recital solemnly.

“Hrriss, my son, you have great kindness,” Hrrestan replied with equal solemnity. He put his arm around Hrriss. “But tell me, since you do not speak his language nor he yours, how did you understand his desire?”

The cub looked surprised. “He is understandable,” he said finally with a shrug of his narrow shoulders.

“I want a tail,” said Todd, suddenly vocal and, after a longing look at Hrrestan's appendage, he leaned trustingly against the elder's thigh.

“Little one, we cannot always have what we want,” Hrrestan said, circling Todd's shoulders with his other arm.

"Hrrestan said – " Ken started to translate.

“I heard him,” Todd interrupted bluntly.

“How can you? You don't know his language,” Ken demanded, his words tinged with anger.

Todd turned his head to look at his father, his lips pursing with disgusted exasperation for adult obtuseness. “All you have to do is listen to him,” he explained reasonably.

The captain guffawed so hard he choked on the smoke he had just inhaled. The supercargo pounded him on the shoulder blades until the captain was reduced to a weak, weeping rasp of a laugh.

«All – you – have to – do is listen, the child says,» the captain finally managed to get out.

«Hrriss,» Hrrestan said, releasing both boys and turning them toward the Common, «take Zodd (he could not quite master the labial stop of the 'T') and play together, listening carefully to each other. That is the way to make friends – to listen.»

The two moved off without a comment, Hrriss's tail tucked around Todd's waist.

“Your youngest will gather much credit for you,” Hrrestan remarked, turning around to the adults.

Reeve set his jaw against a swift flash of jealousy that Todd would so easily accept the native and disregard his own father.

“Hrriss shows the wisdom of an adult,” he managed to say, politely turning the compliment.

“If I were you, mister,” Kiachif said, having cleared his lungs and stopped wheezing, I'd let the catmen raise that young man of yours. He's a throwback in more'n those blue eyes of his. He needs room.

“Are you suggesting I can't control my son?”

The captain guffawed wheezingly and the supercargo gave a short bark of derisive laughter. At this moment, Pat, wild-eyed, came rushing up to Ken.

«Oh, Ken, I've looked everywhere. Todd's broken out of his room. I mean, really broken out. That window – the whole frame was unscrewed.»

Grabbing her hands to calm her, Ken reassured her.

«He was just here, and he's in good – hands, Pat,» Ken said, feeling more and more antagonistic toward the subject of son Todd with each passing second.

"You mean, we've got a tail on him,'' the captain exploded, roaring at his own witticism. "If you get what I mean," and he dissolved into another paroxysm of laughter.

Ken half-turned, about to pounce on the captain, when the air whistle cut across the babel in the Common, and Phyllis Hu announced over the loudspeaker that the feast was now ready to be served.

Under cover of the cheer of approval, Pat pulled Ken back to her, giving him a moment to get his anger and resentment under control.