The Game of Rat and Dragon

He grimaced. He had drawn a greedy old character, a tough old male whose mind was full of slobbering thoughts of food, veritable oceans full of half-spoiled fish. Father Moontree had once said that he burped cod liver oil for weeks after drawing that particular glutton, so strongly had the telepathic image of fish impressed itself upon his mind. Yet the glutton was a glutton for danger as well as for fish. He had killed sixty-three Dragons, more than any other Partner in the service, and was quite literally worth his weight in gold. The little girl West came next. She drew Captain Wow. When she saw who it was, she smiled. "I like him," she said. "He\'s such fun to fight with. He feels so nice and cuddly in my mind." "Cuddly, hell," said Woodley. "I\'ve been in his mind, too. It\'s the most leering mind in this ship, bar none." "Nasty man," said the little girl. She said it declaratively, withou