in their homes. It was a collection of rectangular silk-like strips that were overlapped and sewn to a
cord that closed with a golden clasp about his neck. The strips hung loosely to his thighs. A tight-
fitting pair of emerald green pants covered the lower part of his body from the wing flaps down.
His gersh was in varying shades of white, green, and purple. However, being the Heir Apparent
of the Realm--albeit a reluctant prince on his part--he could have worn the purple of royalty.
     Now he stood lightly on his sandal-clad feet, resting easily against the railing and gazing hundreds
of feet down into the tree-filled valley below. Although following, with his eyes, the course of the
river that gleamed and glistened like molten silver under the bright sun and meandered aim-
lessly within its dark green frame, his mind was far away--far from royal duties.
     Soon he would have his Tetrad Degree in biogenetic engineering, the highest degree the University
had to offer. However, there was one tiny problem--his mother! He needed to make one more trip,
one final report to complete his thesis, but his mother had been very preoccupied during the past few
weeks. That preoccupation always boded ill for up-coming trips. Usually, he would postpone
journeys in deference to her premonitions. This time he could not acquiesce to her apprehensions
without sacrificing his degree. Seventy-five to one hundred years might pass before this graduate
program was offered again. Of course, seventy-five years was not really all that long, but he
was too impatient to wait.
     With vision, sharp as any predator's, Oshua caught a slight movement beneath the twisted branches
of a gnarled old tree upon which a few leaves clung tenaciously. At the edge of the forest, in the shade
of the precariously clinging tree which overhung the gently flowing stream, crouched a soft-furred
gerbit. Its two powerful hind legs folded under it accordion-style, ready to spring instantaneously
at the first hint of danger. Its front paws rested lightly on its chest, and its nose twitched constantly
like an olfactory radar in an attempt to detect any threat from its environment.
     Now, as Oshua watched the gerbit, one of his favorite creatures on the planet, a flicker of motion
from far below drew his attention up the river. Far above the water a torbu flew. Its wings were spread
wide, and its mouth--filled with dagger-like teeth capable of rending its victim limb from limb--swung
hungrily from side to side in its relentless quest for food. Gliding effort lessly on the invisible currents
that eddied above the river, the winged beast moved inexorably towards the gerbit's hiding place.
     Oshua projected the image of the torbu into the gerbit's mind, regretting that the warning was the most
he could do for the little animal. Genetic modification was forbidden on planets where intelligent life existed.
     The gerbit jerked as though it had been touched on the rump by a finger of lightning. Scampering
off into the safety of the forest, the little creature soon disappeared within its murky depths.
6
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