Billy stared in to the dark overhangs of boughs and the high tanglefoot of shrubs bordering the trail he and Cartoush were following. He couldn't be sure, but the path looked vaguely different than he thought he remembered it. Cartoush bounded along, following the worn needled trail under the redwood boughs, around the bends, over the deadfalls, fording the small stream, around the .... he stopped so suddenly that Billy nearly fell off, and the tub of lab plants swayed dagerously. Around the curve of several boulders which emerged into the trail, a series of dark shadows suddenly moved across their trail, and in the star-shadows of the forest night, a moving array of faintly reddish glowing eyes could be seen. They held their breaths, their hearts pounding, as the dark shadowey forms moved closer to them. Their ees gradually made out the profiles of a dozen of the mild-mannered lammbrui creatures, their long coats glinting in the moonlight, hemming them in, and pressing them from all sides.

"Hell, it's just a bunch of dog-faced gerbils!" shouted the Trid. "Cut 'em down!!!". And suiting his actions to his thoughts his fast right hand, ready to deal out hot phaser death, moved ot his belt...

And stayed there, securely wrapped by a tiny green tendril that had intercepted him faster than an Algorean Netsnake, and twined itself three times around his wrist before he could draw. Larger vines from the dense underbrush had wrapped themselves around Cartoushe's carapace and underbelly, and a third, the thickness of Billy's wrist, had gently encircled the plant tub and pulled it softly into the underbrush.

The circling lammbrui stepped closer, and Billy the Trid saw a baleful scarlet gleam in the eyes of two of them as they raised high on their rear legs, pawing the night air, and crashed down on his skull with a flash of lightning, pain, and a quick lapse into blessed unconsciousness.