From: "Dan'l Danehy-Oakes" <ddanehy@siebel.com>
Subject: RE: (whorl) Crocagators
Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2001 08:48:04 

Mark Millman wrote:

> At the risk of being obvious, allow me to point out that,
> unlike the inhumi, wolves, bears, sharks, snakes, crocodilians,
> and the like do not preferentially target humans as their prey.  

At the risk of being contentious, let me observe that only the
sentient inhumi do so. But in the universe-of-discourse where 
humans have come to "love one another," the sentient inhumi will
very specifically _not_ target humans; and the non-sentient
inhumi, well, won't.

    a) Special case: Given that the sentient inhumi have
       developed "human souls," it is possible and even
       somewhat likely that at least some humans will choose
       to voluntarily give blood to sentient inhumi so that
       their children will also have "human souls." This,
       of course, is not a "danger" situation at all; in 
       fact, this may represent the ideal state of society
       on the Short Sun whorls: humans _deliberately_ giving
       blood voluntarily to _all_ inhumi, so the nextgen of
       inhumi (and thereafter) will be non-threatening,
       sentient inhumi, who will continue to take blood given
       voluntarily by humans, etc. (Consider also in this 
       context Octavia Estelle Butler's horrendously effective
       story "Bloodchild.")

> Also, as I recall (and I'm afraid that I don't have the book
> here for reference, so we'll have to depend on my recollection),
> Fava had to be very careful not to kill Salica when she fed from
> the old woman.  

My recollection also.

> If Fava hadn't been living with the family at the time, she very
> likely would have been less careful.  

Are you sure? I'm not. Again, death-by-inhumi-attack seems to be
_exceedingly_ rare.

--Dan'l


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