“I sure wish I could!”
Once again the angle of the sun projected a distorted shadow of the sled on the water and the fish, large and small, shattered the surface in vain attempts to secure the reality of that shadow. Varian had Bonnard tape the attacks for later review. It was an easy way to catalogue the submarine life, she said.
“I sailed once on shore leave at Boston-Betelgeuse,” said Bonnard after the sun, and the predatory fish, had deserted them.
“You wouldn’t catch me sailing on that!” said Cleiti, pointing to the water.
“I wouldn’t, but something else would, wouldn’t it?”
“Huh?”
“Catch you, silly face!”
“Oh, you’re so funny!”
Additional fliers emerged from the clouds to relieve the net carriers who sped up and away, as if pleased to be free of their chore. The convoy, strengthened by the reinforcements, picked up speed, veering slightly east, towards the highest of the prominences. They were not, as Varian had assumed, going to have to cross the entire sea to reach a home base.
“Hey, That’s where they’re heading. I can see other fliers on the cliff top, and the front is all holey, with caves!” cried Bonnard, delighted.
“They live in caves to keep their furs dry, and their fledglings safe from the sea creatures,” said Terilla with unusual authority.” Birds have feathers, stupid.”
“Not always,” Varian replied. “And those fliers appear to have fur which is, sometimes, a variation of a feather, in some beasts.”
“Are we going to land and find out for sure?” asked Bonnard in a ponderous tone of voice so everyone caught his pun. Cleiti swatted at him and Varian groaned, shaking her head.
“No, we’re not landing now. It’s dangerous to approach animals when they’re feeding. We know where the fliers live now. That’s enough for one day.”
“Couldn’t we just hover? That won’t disturb them.”
“Yes, we could.”
More of the golden creatures emerged from crevices and caves in the cliff, and gracefully swooped up to the summit which Varian could see was relatively flat for about five hundred metres where it dropped off into very rough and boulder-strewn slopes.
“What’re they going to do now?” asked Bonnard. “That net’s too big to get in any one of those cave entrances … Oh …” Bannard’s question was answered as the entire group of fliers now carried the net up over the edge of the cliff and suddenly dropped one side, spilling the fish onto the summit plateau.
From every direction fliers converged on the catch. Some landed, wings slightly spread, to waddle in an ungainly fashion towards the shimmering piles of fish. Others swooped, filled their throat pouches and disappeared into their cliff holes. For all the varied approaches, the dispersal of the catch occasioned no squabbling over choice fish. As the four watched, there were periods when no fliers were picking over the fish. They did seem to be selective.
“Sharpen the focus on the viewer, Bonnard,” said Varian.” Let’s get some frames of what they didn’t eat …”
“Those fringe things, the small ones.”
“Maybe That’s why the fringe fliers were after us. They’d taken their young …” said Terilla.
“Nah!” Bonnard was contemptuous. “The fringies hadn’t eyes, much less brains, so how could they be sentimental about their young?”
“I dunno. But we don’t know that they aren’t. Fish could have emotions. I read somewhere that …”
“Oh you!” Bonnard gestured her peremptorily to silence.
Varian turned, worrying that his attitude might bother the child since his tone was unwarranted but she seemed unperturbed. Varian promised herself a few choice words with Bonnard. And then vetoed the notion. The young of every species seemed to work things out among themselves fairly well.
She peered into the viewer herself, to see the rejects. “Some aquatic creatures are capable of loyalties and kindness to their own species, but I’d say that the fringe organism is too primitive yet. They probably spawn millions of eggs in order for a few to survive to adulthood–to spawn again. Our fliers don’t include them in their diet, though. Nor those spiny types. Bonnard, you’ve been helping Trizein and Divisti: take a good look! Seen any of those in the marine samples we’ve given them?”