Winter in Eden

Armun. "I have just talked to one of the murgu I told you about.
    Come ahead, all of you, and do not be afraid. They will not hurt you. They are—my friends."
    It sounded strange when he said it like that, in Marbak, but it was the closest word that he could think of for the concept of efenselè. Family, that would be a better word, but he did not think that Armun would take to that very kindly. Or even saying that the murgu were part of this sammad. He hurried ahead, anxious to see and speak with the two males again.
    Winter in Eden - Harry Harrison
    Ortnar rolled free of the travois and dragged himself to his feet, stumbled after it. They came to the lakefront in this way, pausing under the trees beside the immense stretch of sunlit water. Imehei and Nadaske were waiting in motionless silence under a canopy of green vines, hèsotsan clutched in their hands. The mastodon was pulled to a halt and Kerrick was aware of the Tanu behind him, stopping, standing as unmoving as the Yilanè males. In the silence a flock of brightly colored birds flew low over the water, calling loudly as they went.
    "These are my efenselè," he called out to the males, stepping out into the sunlight so he could be understood. "The large-gray-beast-unintelligent carries for us. There is no need for weapons."
    When he turned back he saw that the little girl had her face buried in Armun's clothes: she and Arnwheet were the only Tanu not holding spears. "Ortnar," he said, softly, "you marched with these males, they never harmed you. Armun, you don't need that spear—you either, Harl. These murgu are no threat to you."
    Ortnar leaned his weight on his spear and the others lowered theirs. Kerrick turned away from them and crossed to the still rigid males.
    "You have worked hard here," he said, "have done much while I was away."
    "Are those small-ugly ustuzou young?" Imehei asked, weapon still at the ready.
    "They are, and they are Yilanè even when small unlike your young. Do you stand all day like gaping fargi or do you bid me welcome, offer me cool water, fresh meat? A female would. Are males inferior to females?"
    Imehei's crest reddened and he put the hèsotsan aside. "It has been so peaceful here I have forgotten the sharpness of your female-male speech. There is food and drink. We make your ugly efenselè welcome."
    Nadaske with some reluctance put his weapon aside as well. Kerrick let out a deep breath.
    "Pleasure-companionship," Kerrick said. "Welcome-at-last."
    He fervently hoped that it would stay that way.
    CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
    For the moment the sammadar was happy to see the two halves of sammad Kerrick staying well apart from each other. They were too distant, too alien, separated by more than language. He had freed the Winter in Eden - Harry Harrison
    mastodon from the travois and hobbled it under the trees where it grazed the young leaves happily. The creature was going to be a problem—since it was so large it was sure to be seen from the air. The answer was obvious; kill it and smoke the meat. They would have to do that, but not right now. There had been so much killing.
    Armun had lit a small and smokeless fire under a spreading, wide-branched tree; the children played close by. Ortnar was sleeping, while Harl had gone off to hunt—carefully slipping into the forest far away from the other half of the encampment. There was peace for the moment, time to think. Time for him to talk to the males. Keeping to the shadows he walked over to their encampment close to the lake shore. He admired the thick, leafy covering overhead.
    "You did this?" he asked. "Grew this cover so you could not be seen from the air?"
    "Brute force is a female trait, intelligence male," Nadaske said smugly, leaning back on his tail.
    "Endless labor cutting fresh boughs," Imehei added. "They dried and changed colors most quickly. So we cut poles and trained the ivy along them."
    "Work of intelligence, admiration-unbounded."
    Kerrick reinforced it with strong modifiers. The two males had worked in this unknown environment, facing difficulties they had never imagined in the security of the hanalè, They had secure cover now, and certainly had been eating well. "The hunting is good?"
    "We are expert," Imehei said. "In the art of fishing also." He waddled over to a pit in the ground filled with wet leaves, rooted through the leaves until he found what he wanted, returned with two large freshwater Crustacea. "We catch these. Desire-to-eat?"
    "Later.