'Great Leader,' he began. 'I am called the Carnivore. Do you
read the meaning of my hands?' The Mantis nodded.
'I am sorry for my presence on the mountain. As an outcast, I wished
only to live in the safety of your shadow, but was pursued here by a
Commodore, and forced to take refuge in the smaller cave above your
own.' He pointed, adding after an intentional pause. 'It seems
they have grown bold in your absence.' He looked up quickly, but the
Mantis didn't flinch.
'Great King,' he continued, anxiety rising with each coming
gesture. 'I am no longer one with my people, and live without a
home. The same is true of the female you saw with me. I would have her
as my own, but she is not yet able to protect herself in the wild.....
There is something I would ask of you.' Still the Mantis did not
move. There was no putting it off any longer. He would have to ask him
now.
'I know why you have gone away,' he began nervously. 'And why
you must leave again soon..... The mating of the spiders has reached
its middle season, and will not end for many days to come. You and your
god-friends have many battles yet to fight.'
'Why do you speak this lie?' signaled the Mantis angrily.
'Where do the hill-people hear such a thing?'
'My people know nothing of this,' he answered, as calmly as he
could.
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