Страница 39 из 97
It had been Laughs Brightly, Branch Leaper realized, and turned his awed gaze upon the older male. Weaker than a human mind glow though it might have been, still the sheer, raw power of his demand for Golden Voice to live had dwarfed anything a male should have been able to produce. Yet even as that sense of awe touched him, Branch Leaper wondered why he felt it. So far as he knew, never in all the history of People and humans had both halves of a mated pair also adopted humans… and never before had a female with the mind voice and mind glow of a memory singer bonded with any human. Laughs Brightly and Golden Voice had passed into territory none of the People had ever explored. No doubt it was only natural for them to discover things there which the People had never expected.
Songstress agreed after a moment, but if her mind voice was a bit more subdued, there was no less disapproval in it.
Songstress demanded.
Golden Voice replied calmly, Songstress glared at her for a moment, but then her tail flicked in acknowledgment. Golden Voice’s mind glow was clear and bright, and Songstress tasted her sincerity as clearly as any other person present.
Golden Voice continued.
Songstress retorted, but her gaze fell once more as she tasted Golden Voice’s gentle rebuke. Songstress was hands of turnings older than Golden Voice, yet in that moment Golden Voice had somehow become by far the elder, and her mind voice was chiding.
she said almost kindly.
Songstress began, then hesitated. The moment of hesitation stretched out, and then it became something else. The memory singer met Golden Voice’s eyes once more, her very silence an admission of the younger female’s point, for she had tasted that hunger and need in the memory songs of others. As no one but a memory singer could, she had shared it and become one with it, and as such, she knew—as no one but a memory singer could—how impossible it was not to answer.