From publisher blurb: In a land of pasture, the Field Tribe reigns supreme in working the soil for food and commodities. For better or worse, it is on their farm fields tha ttney have hedged their future- but that future is threatened. Rats of unusual size plague their fields, stripping them bare, depriving the people of their food stores and trade goods for the coming year. There is too much work to be done- someone must deal with the rat nests, but there are too few hands to work the fields, keep the watch, and eradicate the creatures. Whether qualified or not, they will take on any hired hands that promise to help. They know the beasts are in a cave nearby, one must only find it, and deal with the dangers within. The future of the tribe may well depend on it.