Winter in Eden by Harry Harrison

who had led them here stood to one side, signing respective obedience when Vaintè looked her way. Vaintè waved her over.
    "Your name?"
    "Melikelè. Is low one permitted to know identity of high one who is speaking?"
    "This is Vaintè," Akotolp said, making sure that all the highest marks of respect were associated with the name.
    "Do you wish to follow me, Melikelè?" Vaintè asked.
    "Wherever the path goes; I am your fargi."
    "To the place of eating first. Then I wish to know more of this city."
    Akotolp had seen Vaintè's radiant leadership before, yet respected it anew. In this city on a rock in the sea, where she had never set foot before—she still commanded instant obedience. And she spoke of food, excellent idea. Akotolp snapped her jaws together loudly at the thought.
    Melikelè led the way back down the hillside to the shore, and along it to an enclosure beside the beach.
    Since it was not the usual time for eating, the open area under the translucent cover was empty. Tanks lined the wall and the attendant fargi were pulling large fish from them, slicing them with string-knives, gutting and cleaning them and putting the resultant slabs of meat into enzyme solutions.
    "A waste," Akotolp pronounced. "For hundred-year-old nenitesk steaks this treatment might be needed—not for fish. Let me see what they have in the tanks. Small Crustacea, delightful when fresh—behold!"
    She seized a large one between her thumbs, snapped off its head and limbs and shelled it in one practiced movement, popped it into her mouth and chewed with pleasure. Vaintè cared little for the food she ate and took a slab of fish on a leaf instead. Melikelè did the same as soon as Vaintè had turned away.
    Winter in Eden - Harry Harrison
    Akotolp muttered to herself with happiness while a mound of discarded husks grew at her feet. Radiating pleasure-with-eating she took no notice of the fargi working around her, or of the Yilanè who emerged from an adjoining structure. Who looked at her, then looked again more closely, who then approached.
    "Passing of time—ending of separation," the newcomer said excitedly. "You are Akotolp, you must be Akotolp, there is but one Akotolp."
    Akotolp looked up in amazement, a fragment of white flesh caught on her mouth, the nictitating membranes of her eyes fluttering with surprise.
    "A voice familiar, a face familiar—can that be you, thinner-then-ever Ukhereb?"
    "Fatter-as-always, years-since-parting."
    Vaintè watched with interest as Akotolp and the newcomer laced thumbs in the affectionate embrace of efenselè, though the gesture contained a modifier that slightly altered that relationship.
    "Vaintè, this is Ukhereb. Though we are not of the same efenburu we are as close as efenselè. We grew together, studied and learned with ancient Ambalasi, she who was old as the egg of time, who knew everything."
    "My greetings to you, Vaintè, and welcome to sea-girt Ikhalmenets. Friend-of-friend is doubly welcome.
    Now away from this public place to my private one of great comfort for pleasure-of-eating there."
    They passed through the adjoining laboratory, Akotolp making a great fuss over all of the equipment, and on to the comfortable chamber beyond. Soft places to lie or sit, decorative hangings around them to relax the eye. Vaintè did just that, leaning back and listening to the two scientists as they talked. She was patient and waited until the conversation left the area of old associates and new discoveries, until Ukhereb asked a more pointed question.
    "I have heard that you were in Alpèasak, when all of Inegban< went there. I have read of some of the research carried out, the abundance of new species discovered—what a wealth of joy-in-discovery it must have been! But now you are here in Ikhalmenets. Why travel here to our islands when you had a continent of discovery at your feet?"
    Akotolp did not answer, but instead turned to Vaintè for aid. Vaintè silenced her with a gesture of understanding and