loosened her heavy coat slightly before
creeping into the nest of blankets between us.

It was painfully cramped, and chilly in spite of the self-heating
blankets; we crowded close together and Kyla's head rested on my
shoulder. I felt her snuggle closely to me, half asleep, hunting for a
warm place; and I found myself very much aware of her closeness,
curiously grateful to her. An ordinary woman would have protested, if
only as a matter of form, sharing blankets with two strange men. I
realized that if Kyla had refused to crawl in with us, she would have
called attention to her sex much _more_ than she did by matter-of-factly
behaving as if she were, in fact, male.

She shivered convulsively, and I whispered, "Side hurting? Are you
cold?"

"A little. It's been a long time since I've been at these altitudes,
too. What it really is--I can't get those women out of my head."

Kendricks coughed, moving uncomfortably. "I don't understand--those
creatures who attacked us--all women--?"

I explained briefly. "Among the people of the Sky, as everywhere, more
females are born than males. But the trailmen's lives are so balanced
that they have no room for extra females within the Nests--the cities.
So when a girl child of the Sky People reaches womanhood, the other
women drive her out of the city with kicks and blows, and she has to
wander in the forest until some male comes after her and claims her and
brings her back as his own. Then she can never be driven forth again,
although if she bears no children she can be forced to be a servant to
his other wives."

Kendricks made a little sound of disgust.

"You think it cruel," Kyla said with sudden passion, "but in the forest
they can live and find their own food; they will not starve or die. Many
of them prefer the forest life to living in the Nests, and they will
fight away any male who comes near them. We who call ourselves human
often make less provision for our spare women."

She was silent, sighing as if with pain. Kendricks made no reply except
a non-committal grunt. I held myself back by main force from touching
Kyla, remembering what she was, and finally said, "We'd better quit
talking. The others want to sleep, if we don't."

* * * * *

After a time I heard Kendricks snoring, and Kyla's quiet even breaths. I
wondered drowsily how Jay would have felt about this situation--he who
hated Darkover and avoided contact with every other