"Oh, yes," Kirk lied. "Of course." "I can't ask about Eddie, because we never had the chance," Loren said, his eyes still lost. "I always told Annette that no kid should ever grow up without a brother, only we never had the chance for Eddie." Loren reached out absently and touched the brown and yellow neck of the creature. "I called this fellow Eddie, though. Do you suppose that was all right? He's not very pretty." Kirk nodded, looking at the waving, funnel-shaped head of the animal. "That was all right, Harry." "Does she still braid her hair?" Loren asked, his eyes shiny. "What?" Kirk said. "Annette. Does she still braid her hair?" "Why," Kirk said slowly, feeling his palms going moist. "Why wouldn't she, Harry?" A faint smile flickered across Loren's lips as he remembered. Kirk watched one of the creature's claws, out of the corners of his eyes. He opened and closed the fingers of one hand, testing. The claw jerked slightly. The blood of Kirk's new wound was drying, he knew, because it had been only a surface cut. He wondered how it would be if the thing used its claws with serious intent. Like it must have to make the cut that had been raked into Loren's back. Loren was bending forward now, and Kirk could see the tip end of that scar. Somehow Loren had managed to stay alive and befriend the creature. Eddie. The lidless eyes stared. Kirk knew that he had to make use of the moment. It could break apart any time, the wildness could return, the unreasoning.... "Listen, Harry," he said, "we ought to get started, you know. There's no use waiting longer." "Started?" Loren said. "Of course," Kirk said, trying to keep his voice matter-of-fact. "You're going home." Loren looked at Kirk and his eyes turned suddenly hard and his mouth lost the faint smile. "I am," he stated flatly. "Yes," Kirk said. "Of course." "You're a liar." "Now, Harry," Kirk said, his eyes flickering to the waiting animal. "I surely wouldn't lie to you." "You haven't come for me until after all this time, and now you say you surely wouldn't lie to me." It was like standing in a gully, Kirk thought, watching a boulder teetering above you. It tipped this way and that, and you didn't know when or if it was going to come hurtling down. You waited. But Kirk couldn't wait, he knew. He had to do something. "Harry, listen. It wasn't easy to find you, don't you see?" He hoped he was making it sound as though all he had done for the last dozen years of exploring was look for Harry Loren. He wished that the damned thing would stop swaying its ugly head back and forth. Loren's hand was inching out toward the yellow and brown neck. "Look, Harry, these things aren't done in a day. We--" "A day!" Loren hissed. "A _day_! All this time and you say a _day_!"