Two figures dressed in hunters' fatigues crept through the undergrowth, trying not to disturb the tangle of grass and shrubs. They kept their weapons - bolt-action rifles - close to hand. Whoever they met out here as likely to be armed and just as wary.

"There!" The smaller of the two piped up in a high-pitched and breathless voice. She pointed to a stand of trees no more than fifty metres away. "I think I saw something."

The other figure pulled his mask down, revealing a lined and dirty face. "You sure, Stacey?"

"Course I am, dad."

"Good girl." The man fumbled a battered pair of binoculars to his eyes and adjusted them, focussing on the grove of spindly trees. He watched in silence for a moment. "Oh yeah. Got it. You got sharp eyes, Stacey."

Beneath her mask, Stacey blushed with pride. She enjoyed it when her father praised her. "You think it's a babbler?"

"Could be. There's only one way to find out. Get your gun."

Stacey shifted to bring her weapon up, and sighted it towards the nearby trees. She could just about see her target - a shroud of camouflage fabric behind a boulder. "Got them."

"Good girl." Stacey's father stood up slowly, keeping his rifle down by his waist. He looked directly at the trees. "You know what to do." Then he strode forward. "Hey! You!" his voice boomed. "We need to talk!" There was no response, but Stacey saw the stranger shift slightly.

"Come on! We're friendly!" Stacey's father put his rifle down and waited, watching the trees. "We won't shoot you!"

"Vizhny?"

The syllables sounded wrong to Stacey. Babbler. She thumbed the safety catch on her gun and tried to get a clear line of sight.

Her father raised his hands. "See?"

The figure behind the rock got to its feet, uttering nonsense syllables. Now Stacey could see it clearly. She recited the mantra her father had made her learn when he taught her to shoot. Sight. She looked down the barrel of her weapon. Exhale. She felt her body relax. Squeeze. Her gun barked. The babbler stopped, a look of surprise on its face, then it crumpled silently to the ground.

Her father turned to look back at her, a smile on his face. "That's my girl. Now, let's make sure you did a good job."

"Yes dad."