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A straining grunt brought his attention back to the flathead He saw, on the beach, that the sturgeon had been split in half lengthwise, fro e leather hide spread out beside it While the tall athered up the ends of the hide and slung the entire load on his back Then, with the half of the head and tail sticking out the top of the huge sack, he disappeared into the woods

“Wait!” Jondalar called, running after hilade The fee basket on her back, slid into the shadows as he approached There was no evidence that the glade had been used, not even a trace of the fire If he hadn’t felt its heat, he would have doubted it had ever been there

He took the wolf fur frorunt from the male, she took it, then both one

Jondalar felt chilled in his damp clothes as he walked back to the river He reached it as the boat was pulling in, and he smiled as his brother clireat bear hug of brotherly affection

“Thonolan! Am I happy to see you! I was afraid that when they found that eiven up for lost”

“Big Brother, how ether? Don’t you think I know you can swim? Once we found the boat, we knew you were upriver and couldn’t be much farther ahead”

“Who took half this fish?” Dolando asked

“I gave it away”

“Gave it away! Who did you give it to?” Markeno asked

“Who could you give it to?” Carolio added

“To a flathead”

“A flathead?!” ive half a fish that size to a flathead?” Dolando asked

“He helped me, and he asked for it”

“What kind of nonsense is that? How could a flathead ask for anything?” Dolando said He was angry, which surprised Jondalar The leader of the Sharamudoi seldom showed his ire “Where is he?”

“He’s gone by now, into the woods I was soaked, and shivering so badly that I thought I’d never war flathead appeared and led me to his fire…”

“Fire? Since when do they use fire?” Thonolan asked

“I’ve seen flatheads with fire,” Barono said

“I’ve seen them on this side of the river before, too … from a distance,” Carolio remarked

“I didn’t know they were back How many were there?” Dolando asked

“Just the young one, and an older female Maybe his dam,” Jondalar replied

“There’s more, if they have their felanced around the woods “Maybe we should get up a flathead hunting party and clean the vennin out”

There was ugly menace in Dolando’s tone that made Jondalar look twice He’d picked up shades of that feeling toward flatheads in the leader’s comments before, but never with such venom