Her tone was lightly cheerful despite her ominous words and when Kenley groaned, she added,
“Don’t do that to me, friend. You be as cheerful as I am. They understand tone, and that wasn’t a good one. Okay?”
“I gotcha.”
Varian had to grin at the intensity of his rejoinder. Then very slowly she extended her hand.
“Now, let’s see if we can make the first overtures of what I hope will be a lasting friendship.”
She watched Middle Giffs body, flicking her glance to his wings briefly but it was as curious about her next move as she was about the giffs reaction to it. Moving with great precision, Varian touched the wing claw of the giff. It twitched but the giff did not retreat. Varian let her fingers drift from the claw to the wing surface. “Hey, you feel almost oily. It’s not like fur at all.”
“That thing has fur? I thought birds always had feathers.”
“There’s a point in evolution when fur was feathers or the other way round. Giffs are furred.”
Varian withdrew her hand from Middle Giff who had been regarding her with unblinking eyes.
Now suddenly it blinked several times, for all the world like a small child which had steeled itself for an unknown experience and had received a pleasant surprise.
“There! That wasn’t so terrible now, was it?” she said, grinning in an honest reaction to its manner.
She turned her body toward the smaller giff and, allowing it time to withdraw, touched its wing claw lightly. It endured the contact but immediately took a small backward step.
“Okay, I get the message.” She looked at the other small giff and as if it sensed her intention, it, too, stepped back. “I receive you loud and clear.” She looked back at Middle Giff. “You’re the courageous one, are you?”
Something like a croon could be heard from Middle Giff. Its throat was vibrating.
“Oh, you agree with me, huh?” Slowly, once again, she extended her hand for the wing claw, its three digits lying loose. She took one between her thumb and forefinger and pressed very gently.
“An Iretan handshake. First contact between species.”
“You got guts!” Kenley breathed behind her.
“Just don’t move, Kenley.”
“Not a hair. I’ll leave it all up to you.”
She maintained the light grasp, and her wide smile, aware of the intense scrutiny of Middle Giff.
Then, tentatively, the claws lightly closed about her fingers. It felt warm and dry and she wondered what impression the giff had of its contact with her flesh. The claw released her fingers and she drew back her hand.
“Ordinarily, one says, hello, how are you today?” Varian inclined her body in a slight bow and gurgled with triumph as the giff rocked forward slightly toward her.
“I should have had that recorded, Varian. I really should. That’s what I’m here to do, isn’t it?”
Kenley sounded aggrieved and Varian had to contain her ire.
“If you hadn’t clattered down that ladder like the Galormis were after you.” Varian had to keep her voice pleasant but she was annoyed with Kenley for his entrance.
123
Anne McCaffrey – Dinosaur Planet II – The Survivors
“I wouldn’t have,” he replied with exasperation, “if I’d known you had this trio here. But I didn’t. How did they get here?”
“They flew.”
“Sorry. I guess I was in a hurry. Hey, I’ve got to get this recorded.”
“Just move slowly is all I ask, Kenley.” Varian held the gaze of Middle Giff.
It had made a slight noise, deep in its chest, and the other two giffs had begun to back away from Varian. Then, as if this were a much rehearsed courtesy, the Middle Giff began to back up, an awkward movement for one of its size. Then, with a second comment, the three giffs waddled with a certain stately dignity to the mouth of the cave and dropped off. Kenley raced to the edge, recorder trained on their exit.
“Wow! I got that recorded!” Kenley ignored the fact that it was his behavior that had caused him to lose the more impressive scene of the first contact.
Varian let out a sigh of intense relief. Sweat was standing out on her forehead and she wiped it away on her sleeve as reaction weakened her knees. She moved back to her stool and sat down heavily.