Page 487 - Enders_Game_Full_Book

up certain trees, touching and speaking to others. The other piggies were much more restrained, only occasionally joining him in his antics. Only Mandachuva hung back with the human beings.
"Why does he do that?" asked Ender quietly.
Mandachuva was baffled for a moment. Ouanda explained what Ender meant. "Why does Human climb the trees, or touch them and sing?"
"He sings to them about the third life," said Mandachuva. "It's very bad manners for him to do that. He has always been selfish and stupid."
Ouanda looked at Ender in surprise, then back at Mandachuva. "I thought everybody liked Human," she said.
"Great honor," said Mandachuva. "A wise one." Then Mandachuva poked Ender in the hip. "But he's a fool in one thing. He thinks you'll do him honor. He thinks you'll take him to the third life."
"What's the third life?" asked Ender.
"The gift that Pipo kept for himself," said Mandachuva. Then he walked faster, caught up with the other piggies.
"Did any of that make sense to you?" Ender asked Ouanda.
"I still can't get used to the way you ask them direct questions."
"I don't get much in the way of answers, do I?"
"Mandachuva is angry, that's something. And he's angry at Pipo, that's another. The third life-- a gift that Pipo kept for himself. It will all make sense."
"When?"
"In twenty years. Or twenty minutes. That's what makes xenology so fun."
Ela was touching the trees, too, and looking from time to time at the bushes. "All the same species of tree. And the bushes, too, just alike. And that vine, climbing most of the trees. Have you ever seen any other plant species here in the forest, Ouanda?"
"Not that I noticed. I never looked for that. The vine is called merdona. The macios seem to feed on it, and the piggies eat the macios. The merdona root, we taught the piggies how to make it edible. Before the amaranth. So they're eating lower on the food chain now."
"Look," said Ender.