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The Wanderer Fritz Leiber 37710K 2023-09-02

"Yes, want talk," she interpreted "Monkey cat have great gossip, eh?" She slowly shook her green-masked face from side to side "No! Be all chatter-questions - one, ten, five thousands! I know apes"

His expectations cru to hiralish, but deliberately chose not to - veryany language flawlessly will hang onto his accent and his first, makeshift constructions to emphasize his exotic individuality, and also as a subtle criticislish pronunciations and of its swarerishka tes I will tell" Then, at court-stenographer speed, and a little singsong, as if it were very boring to her: "I cohts, sail hyperspace, live forever if want, blow up suns - all that sort stuff Look like animal - resue - (psychophysiosubmicrominiaturization! We stay superior) You not believe? So listen Plants eat inorganic: they superior! Animals eat plants: they superior Cats eat fresh : a mess!"

Then without pause: "Wanderer sail hyperspace Yes, star photos, I know Need fuel - ood woodpile So No need you et hot and bothered"

After she broke off, Paul continued to seethe for all of five seconds, utterly enraged at her heartless oversi whatever he could do about it He took a deep, slow breath and cal less red Then he held his hand tightly over his mouth and suddenly threw it out, as if to say: "Aith the gag"

It also occurred to hiahts, but immediately on the heels of that caaaerishka see as she slowly shook her head - s her upper lips so that her five-bristle mustaches made little circles

He took another tack He repeated the "Aith the gag" gesture, but i his hand to hisFinally he laid his forefinger across the center of his lips

Tigerishka&039;s star-shaped pupils narrowed to points as she stared at his eyes "I let you drink le word?"

Paul nodded solemnly

She took from her kit a limp white flask of what looked like half-pint capacity and held it against his lips "I squeeze gently, you suck," she said, and brushed the back of her other forepaw across his cheek and chin Sensation flashed back into the his dry and aching throat After a bit the taste came: milk Milk with a faint musky tone He wondered if it were feline or synthetic, huerishka&039;s judge of his thirst was quenched, he reached up his hand to take over the job of squeezing She neither rebuffed this gesture nor immediately relinquished her hold on the flask, so for a few ers and hand, the velvet of her pads and the resilient silk of her fur and, through the latter, the hard curve of a sheathed claw Then she withdrew her paw, saying only: "Gently, remember"

When the flask was crushed flat, he handed it back to her, unintentionally adding: "Thank you" - but before the words could co was back again

He wondered dully if the gag was a estion or some impalpable filnation - cafaphoresis, doctors actually called it! - or whatnot else - but a thought-ju over his body and s? That too was too hard to think about

Drowsily he realized that the saucer&039;s invisible indoor sun had faded to twilight Through sleep-ainst his left wrist and ankle, so that only his right ankle still fettered him

He folded himself into a uterine position and drifted toward deeper sleep

The last thing he are of was Tigerishka&039;s neutral, " &039;Night, monkey"