The courtyard was quiet in the twilight, all of Tern seemed to be bedding down for the night. Fathers returning, mothers calling the children in from play, and smells escaping kitchens that told of simple feasts. Mandy walked, warmed by the seedlings' song and the small bit of Ternian wine the Elder had given her.

When she heard the first rumble from the sky, Mandy's heart skipped a beat. Fearing the worst, she turned and looked skyward, her only assailant being a few fat raindrops falling from the fast approaching clouds. It takes a good rain to cleanse a troubled spirit, she could always hope.

She reached the piers just as the waves started to roll, bits of foam clinging to the delicate vines that sprung from the sea to engulf the Enterprise. The vines, motionless in the ever increasing wind, bent their tendrils to allow her aboard.

Yet mindful of her charges, she first went below to the greenhouses. Here, in the warm light, the vine had taken over. Lush foliage covered every surface, every door forced open, and every plant in her nursery had given up their hydroponic moorings in favor of entertwining with the vine. Wide-eyed, she went in search of the Frodis.
"Hullo, Mother Hen!" cried a familiar voice.
She peeked into the opened door of the plant's soundproof room, "Hello?"
The Frodis too had seemingly forsaken it's small pot of earth for the twisting vines. On the floor before them sat a small young man, primitive notebook in hand, scribbling and sketching at every sound the Frodis made.
"That's Tuni," muttered the plant, "He's from the Institute of Diverse Life Forms, lah-tee-dah...He came with the vine.."
This seemed to break the spell the plants had cast on the small Tern, and he jumped up to shake her hand.
"And THIS," said the Frodis, with a flourish of fronds, "...is CARSON!!"
With this grand introduction, a flowery tendril wafted out and encircled her hand.
"P-p-pleased, I'm sure." stammered the maiden. She quickly tried to retrieve her hand, but the vine held her tight."He'd like it if you stayed here, Hen." spoke the Frodis, "He'd really like to talk to YOU, I can't imagine why..."
Frightened nearly to tears, she explained about her mission aboard the Enterpirse, retrieving the nitrogen canister for Farkin, and lying about how she was expected back at the Elder's home any time now.
Carson must have sensed the fear in the young woman's voice. The tendril let loose her wrist, curled back upon itself, and plucked a flower from the quivering vine before slowly extending itself to her.
Almost laughing aloud, she accepted the blossom and tucked in behind her ear with an apology and a farewell.

The vines parted just as gently as she left the ship, but the storm outside had doubled in intensity. She tucked Farkin's canister under her arm, and blindly made her way along the pier, feeling for solid ground at each step. Reaching the shore, she ran for the cover of the trees. There she found herself sharing the canopy with a wet and miserable lammbrui. The poor creature was soaked to the skin. It shook, sending droplets spraying the forest floor. Mandy shook herself, with similar effects, and the two peered out into the storm.
"You little folks are pretty smart, eh?" she asked the creature.
It blinked it's glassy eyes.
"I have to get back to the Elder's libraries, can you help me?"
With this, the creature slid it's head under her hand and led her blind again, into the storm.

She curled her fingers in the creatures hair, and followed it for what seemed an eternity. When she reached the door, she pulled the pin, and squeezed herself and the lammbrui inside before the wind took the door from it's hinges. She turned, expecting to find her friends, but finding only a two small women seated by a roaring fire. The two might not have looked alike in their youth, but age had made veritable twins of them. Identical small wrinkled faces and toothless smiles shone in the light of the fire.
"C'mere dear," the woman patted a cushion, "Sit yourself here and dry a bit..Oh what's that look for? You're in the right place! Your friends are in the library, just through that door. And you little lammbrui, you c'mere too."

The creature sat by the women at the fire, and Mandy took the offered cushion. She rested, drying herself, and listening to the voices in the other room. Boukey was continuing his story amid mutterings from the Elder and the Tern. The young Terran came through for another bottle of wine, and Mandy gave him the canister for Farkin before she returned to the warmth of the fire. One of the women held a large toothed comb, and began to brush the lammbrui, rolling it's long hair in her fingers. With each handful, she passed it to the other, whose shuttle clicked a steady rhythm. Mandy half-interestedly looked at the cloth the women were making. The roll was probably as wide as the length of her arm from elbow to wrist, delicate shades of lammbrui brown. She gasped as she began to unroll their history, panels showing the Enterprise landing on Tern, the fire, the vile mouse covering the sky....ending with the panel of a small five-fingered man making eyes at a lovely young woman with a slash across one cheek.