Safe under the sled's protective screen, they slept deeply and without a bother from the night creatures of Ireta.
Varian was aroused the next morning by something prodding her shoulder. She was still sleepy but again she was prodded, more emphatically this time, and her name was whispered urgently." Varian. Varian! Wake up. We got company."
That forced her to open eyes which she instantly closed, not believing her first sight.
“Varian, you've got to wake up!” Bannard's whisper was anxious.
“I am. I've seen.”
“What do we do?”
“Have you moved yet?”
“Only to nudge you. Did I hurt?”
“No.” They were both speaking in low tones. “Can you prod Kai awake?”
“I don't know how he wakes up.”
Bonnard had a point. It wouldn't do to rouse someone who erupted out of the sack like a torpedo. He'd known how to rouse her since he'd often done so when they'd first acquired Dandy.
“Kai's quiet if you do it as gently as you woke me.”
Varian grinned to herself. She wasn't sorry she'd included Bonnard on this trip: last night's discussion had proved how much he'd needed the encouragement as well as the opportunity to talk without reservations imposed on him by the presence of older team members or the two girls. It had been obvious last evening that Kai would have preferred to have made this a duet trip, and a complete break from the exigencies of leadership. Now she'd pried him away from his tape decks, she'd do it again, without a third party.
They had slept head to foot, so while Bonnard prodded Kai's shoulder with his foot, Varian whispered the warning to him.
“Kai, wake slowly, don't move. The observers are observed.”
She had her eyes half-open now, because the giffs were so closely ringed about the sled that, in her first arousal, she had seen a series of bright black eyes on a level with hers.
She almost giggled when a sharp orangey beak point tapped at the plascreen surrounding the sled, tapping gently as if not wishing to startle the sleepers.
“Muhlah!” was Kai's soft curse and there was a ripple of laughter in his tone.
“Is it safe for me to have a look?” asked Bonnard in his hushed whisper.
“Don't know why not. They're looking at us.”
“Can they get in?” was Bannard's anxious question.
I doubt it," said Varian, unperturbed. She wouldn't guarantee that the plascreen could stand a concerted attack of heavier adult beaks but she didn't feel that aggression was the giffs' intent.
“I thought you wanted to see their matutinal habits, Varian?” said Kai, slowly raising his hand from the sleep sack to prop it on his hand. He wasn't looking at her, but beyond her to the golden furred faces peering in.
“That was my intention.”
“As I recall it, I asked you what if it was their rest day?”
Varian couldn't suppress her laughter and Bonnard joined in, never dropping his eyes from the giffs.
“You mean, they're taking the day off to watch us?”
“They're at least starting the day doing it,” said Varian, raising herself slowly out of the sack.
The avians moved restlessly, wings awkwardly held up.
“Hey, they can rotate the wings at the wrist . . .”
“Yes, Bonnard, I'd noticed.” Varian had also seen the flexing of the three digits with the yellowed claws at the tips. The function of thumb and little finger had been incorporated into the wing so Varian couldn't see how they would be able to weave with the three wing digits.
“Hey, they're not all here,” said Bonnard, pointing up in a judiciously controlled gesture.
None of the giffs were perched on top of the plascreen so that the sky was clearly visible. Outlined against the clouds was a formation of giffs going in a south-easterly direction.
“I think we've got the youngsters here,” said Varian.
“The babes at that,” said Kai, pointing to the trail of brownish slime that drippled down the outside skirting of the sled.
Bonnard muffled a chortle. “So what do we do now? I'm hungry.”
“Then we'll eat,” said Varian and began to pull her legs out of the sack, slowly, to give the giffs no reason for alarm. “Yes, they're the young ones,” she said as she slowly got to her feet and stared down at the small bodies pressing in about the sled.
Seen in proper perspective, she realized none of these giffs were adult sized. The tip of the longest head crest came only to her waist. She'd estimated that a fully grown giff would be as tall as an average human, with a wing span of at least eight to ten metres.
“What do we do?” asked Bonnard.
“Sit up slowly. I'll bring you breakfast in the sack,” she said, moving carefully to the supplies.
Kai had pulled himself into a sitting position now and gratefully accepted the steaming beaker.
“Breakfast with an audience,” he said. sipping.
“I wish they'd move or talk or something,” said Bonnard, glancing nervously about him as he blew to cool the liquid in his beaker. He almost dropped it when one of the giffs stretched and flapped wings suddenly. “They're not even trying to get at us.”
“Look but don't touch?” asked Kai. “Frankly, I'd just as soon they kept to themselves. Those beak points look sharp.” He glanced at Varian who had a small recorder in her hands now, and holding it at waist level was slowly turning a full circle, recording the faces of their audience.
With equal care against sudden movement, she placed the recorder on one shoulder and turning again. stood so still for a long moment at one point that Kai asked what was up.
“I've the recorder directed on the main summit. There's quite a bit of activity here right now. I can't see what it's all about . . . Oh, yes, I do. It's the adults. I'd swear . . . yes . . . they're calling this lot.”
As reluctantly as any curious young creature, the juvenile giffs began to lumber awkwardly away, disappearing so suddenly that Bonnard cried out in alarm.
“They're okay, Bonnard,” said Varian who had a better view. “We're right on the cliff edge. They've just walked off it and if you'll glance over your shoulder, you'll see them soaring away, perfectly safe.”
“Muhlah!” exclaimed Kai with utter disgust. “We had 'em close enough and didn't telltag 'em.”
“What? And scare them into bringing momma and dad down on us? We don't really need to telltag giffs anyway, Kai. We know where they live, and how far they range.” She patted the recorder. “And I've got their faces all on tape.”
"They sure had a good enough look at ours," said Bonnard." I wonder if they'll remember us next time."
“All furless, crestless faces look the same,” said Varian with a laugh.
She was moving about the sled now without restraint and handed each a bar of subsistence protein. She perched on the pilot chair to munch hers.
When they had finished eating, joking about the manner of their awakening, they made ready to leave the sled. Kai and Bonnard carried the recorders and additional tapes, Varian had her gift of the grasses. Kai also wore a stunner, hoping he wouldn't have to use it. Not, he thought privately, that he'd have much chance the way those giffs could move.
As they emerged, the sun came through the cloud cover, for its morning inspection, Bonnard said. From the caves in the cliffs came hundreds and hundreds of golden fliers, as if called inexorably by the thin thread of sunlight. Bonnard quickly aimed the recorder and caught the spectacle of hundreds of giffs, wings raised, beaks open, carolling a curious warble as they turned in the sparse sunlight.
“Ever seen anything like that before, Varian?” asked Kai in amazement.