
Part 1
In a barren world of endless scrub, a colossal creature called a silth lumbers across the plain, its three‑hundred‑ton frame shaking the ground with each step. Arnek, one of its two‑headed minds, wrestles with resentment toward the domineering logic of his mate, Ptarra, as they pursue the distant herds that sustain them. Their uneasy partnership is tested when the female silth spots a strange, perfectly shaped cylinder half‑buried in a sun‑lit basin—clearly not a meteor but a tiny, artificial ship.
Inside the alien wreck, two diminutive beings scramble, their bright fur and frantic movements betraying panic. As the silths close in, Arnek’s instincts clash with his lingering contempt for crawling life, forcing him to decide whether to crush the intruders or spare them. The encounter sparks a tense chase that pits raw hunger against a flicker of unexpected empathy, setting the stage for a conflict that could reshape both species’ understanding of one another.
Language
en
Duration
~27 minutes (26K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2020-02-15
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1915–1993
A major figure in American science fiction, this writer helped shape the genre both on the page and behind the scenes as an editor. He is especially remembered for early classic stories, popular books for younger readers, and his role in building the Del Rey Books imprint.
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by Lester Del Rey

by Lester Del Rey

by Lester Del Rey

by Lester Del Rey

by Lester Del Rey

by Lester Del Rey

by Lester Del Rey

by Lester Del Rey