Under the purple of morning, however, two weeks later, it happened.
"They've been here," said Sanza.
Jarry moved to the front of the installation and stared out.
The snow was broken in several places, inscribed with the lines he hadseen before, about the form of a small, dead beast.
"They can't have gone very far," he said.
"No."
"We'll search in the sled."
Now over the snow and out, across the land called Dead they went, Sanzadriving and Jarry peering at the lines of footmarks in the blue.
They cruised through the occurring morning, hinting of fire and violet,and the wind went past them like a river, and all about them there camesounds like the cracking of ice, the trembling of tin, the snapping of steelstrands. The bluefrosted stones stood like frozen music, and the long shadowof their sled, black as ink, raced on ahead of them. A shower of hailstonesdrumming upon the roof of their vehicle like a sudden visitation of demondancers, as suddenly was gone. Deadland sloped downward, slanted up again.
Jarry placed his hand upon Sanza's shoulder.
"Ahead!"
She nodded, began to brake the sled.
They had it at bay.
They were using clubs and long poles which looked to have fire-hardenedpoints. They threw stones. They threw pieces of ice.
Then they backed away and it killed them as they went.
The Catforms had called it a bear because it was big and shaggy andcould rise up onto its hind legs...
This one was about three and a half meters in length, was covered withbluish fur and had a thin, hairless snout like the business end of a pair ofpliers.
Five of the little creatures lay still in the snow. Each time that it