"Stephen Goldin - Herds" - читать интересную книгу автора (Goldin Stephen)

elevate himself.

Garnna rose uncertainly and lifted himself out of the
Exploration box. Around him were nine other Zarticku, all
watching him anxiously. His eyes had still not completely
adjusted to the light, but he did not need his sight to know who
these others were. Standard procedure for waking an Explorer
upon his return called for all the other members of his iff-group
to be present. They helped provide stability during the first
confusing moments of reunion with the body. Psychological tests
had shown that it was much more beneficial to be surrounded by
one's iff-group at such a critical moment than by strangers.

One of the figures moved forward towards him. His sight was
just getting back to normal, and he recognized this person as his
mate, Aliyenna. Garnna let his eyes wander over the red-brown
armor plating on her back, her delicate legs and her long supple
neck. It was quite pleasant to have someone like this to come
back to. She was one of the most agreeable mates he'd ever had,
and he hoped that they would be together for a long time.

"Welcome home," Aliyenna said softly. Her hands caressed the
fur along the back ridge of his neck. "I get so worried every time
you go on one of these Explorations, and I'm so happy every time
you return safely."

With arms that were stiff from having been cramped in tha
Exploration box for so many hours, Garnna reached out to
return his mate's caress. Then he stopped. A mental image
flashed through his brain, a remembrance of the feeling of rage
that had possessed the alien killer on the planet he had just
visited. He imagined himself performing such an act, or reaching
out and grabbing Aliyenna's neck and choking the life out of her
until she slumped to the ground. Then he saw himself taking a
knife and hacking away at her body…

"What's the matter?" Aliyenna cried. Other members of the
iff-group were moving toward him to give him support. "Are you
hurt?"
 Garnna realized that his body had been swaying dizzily. He
made a conscious effort to steady his feet. "It's nothing," he said,
shaking his head. "I'll be all right. It's just an after-effect of
something I saw on my Exploration."

"How horrible," said Malbuk, one of his iff-sisters, "to have to
spy on weird creatures and watch them do disgusting things."

"Is it something you'd like to talk about?" asked Yari, the
senior ifi-brother.