Tad Williams - Tailchaser’s Song

"Do… do you want me to surrender?" he asked tentatively. The black cat looked at him appraisingly. A moment passed.

"Well? Get on with it!" said the stranger.

"Well… well… I won't give in to you!" blurted Tailchaser, in an agony of fear and confusion.

"Excellent!" boomed the black cat. "Now we're getting somewhere!" All four of the black one's companions now drew back from where he and Fritti crouched.

"I am Quiverclaw, Thane of the First-walkers," proclaimed the black cat, tail lashing back and forth hypnotically behind him. "Offer your face name, trespasser!"

"I am Tailchaser, of the Meeting Wall Clan… and I am no trespasser!" finished Fritti. He was angry now.

Quiverclaw seemed pleased by this, for he nodded, but nothing but readiness showed on his face. Hugging the ground even more closely, the black cat's haunches began a slow, rolling motion, and his tail thrashed wildly. Tailchaser unconsciously adopted a similar pattern. Their eyes locked and held.

Fritti suddenly realized that Quiverclaw was almost half again as big as he himself was-but as he stared into the stranger's eyes, it didn't seem important. What was important was that slinky black tail, lashing this way… and that way…

"Well met, Tailchaser," hissed Quiverclaw. "I commend your ka unto the bosom of the Allmother."

"Tailchaser!" cried Pouncequick, his voice full of panic. Fritti turned and pushed the kitten away from his side and out of danger.

"Be quiet, Pounce." He turned to the black one again and stared hard at the almond eyes. "Do not be so quick to neglect your own ka, Thane of Bullies." Fritti leaped forward. A whoop went up from the other cats, overwhelming Pouncequick's bleat of fear.

Everything seemed to happen at the same moment. Fritti felt a shock of impact as Quiverclaw sprang. Then he was on the ground, thrashing, trying to get away from the claws of the bigger cat. He rolled onto his back, bringing up his back feet to pummel the belly of his opponent.

Quiverclaw pulled back slightly, and Tailchaser was able to slither away and climb onto his feet. But it was only a moment's respite, and then the black cat was on him again.

Over and over they rolled-clawing at one another, yowling in sliding, swooping discord. Tailchaser gave as good as he got for the first few seconds- kicking at Quiverclaw's stomach, biting and scratching at legs and chest-but he was young and inexperienced. The black one was big, and obviously a veteran of many battles.

The two combatants pulled apart for a moment, and circled each other, hissing. They both felt the pull, though, the need for resolution; after a heartbeat they threw themselves together again.

Pinned beneath Quiverclaw, Fritti managed one final effort-writhing and twisting in the larger cat's grip, then wriggling free long enough to bite down hard on the black cat's ear and draw blood. Then his strength was gone, and he was again crushed beneath Quiverclaw's weight. He felt the jaws clamp down on the back of his neck.

"Do you cry 'enough'?" growled the Thane into Fritti's neck fur. Fritti was trying to catch his breath long enough to surrender when suddenly the jaws were gone from his neck and an ear-deafening yowl was echoing through the clearing.

Tailchaser rolled weakly onto his back in time to see Quiverciaw-leaping and twisting like a demon-cat-batting with his paws at Pouncequick. The kitten was hanging on grimly, needle-sharp kitten-teeth sunk to the gums in Quiverclaw's shiny black tail.

Finally able to dislodge the young cat, the Thane slid to the ground in pain and exhaustion less than a jump from where Fritti lay. Quiverciaw licked his wounded tail and stared reproachfully at Pouncequick, who haughtily returned the look.

The other cats surrounded Pouncequick, growling angrily, but Quiverciaw caught his breath long enough to wave them off, saying: "No, no, leave him alone. His protector fought bravely-and he, too, is courageous enough for his age. Not too wise in his choice of enemies, perhaps… well, no matter. Let him be."

Seeing Pouncequick safe, Tailchaser rolled onto his back with his paws in the air. First he saw myriad tiny spots floating above his eyes, and then for a time he saw nothing at all…

When he awoke, Fritti found that Pouncequick had become the center of attention.

The group of strange cats were huddled around him with expressions of surprise and amusement on their faces. Pouncequick was apparently telling them about Eatbugs; Tailchaser saw Quiverciaw laughing as Pouncequick attempted to duplicate one of Eatbugs' capering leaps.

Drawing himself quietly up into a sitting position, Fritti surveyed the cluster of strange cats. They seemed friendly enough, now-they had certainly put Pouncequick at ease-but Tailchaser was not so quick to trust. Who were they?

It was obvious that Quiverciaw was the leader. Even laughing, lolling on the ground, he had a look of controlled power and command. Beside him sat a fat, grizzled old torn, orange-and-black body striped like summer lightning, his stomach flattened against the ground between his stocky legs.

On the Thane's farther side were two more cats: one gray, one patched in black and white. Neither was as large as Quiverciaw, or the old tiger-stripe, but they were lean and well-muscled, with the quiet look about them of successful hunters.

The fifth cat, crouching along outside the perimeter of Pouncequick's audience, was very different. Seeing him, Fritti went cold all over.

The fifth cat was white as ice-thin, too; as slender as a birchtree branch-but this was not what disturbed Tailchaser.

He had strange, frightening eyes: milky-blue, and larger than any cat's eyes that Fritti had ever seen. Tailchaser remembered Pouncequick's story. For a moment he wondered if they were in some sort of cruel, slow trap.

But no… Pouncequick had told him of terrifying eyes, but Pounce must have seen this white cat.

Look at him, thought Fritti. If those were the eyes that frightened him, would Pounce be cutting capers for them? And not a red claw among them…

As Fritti looked from paw to paw, Pouncequick finally noticed him and called cheerily: "Tailchaser! Are you all right? Hangbelly said you would be. I'm just telling the First-walkers about our adventures!"

"So I see." Fritti walked forward to join the group. No one stirred to make room for him except Pounce-quick, so he squeezed in beside his small friend. Quiverciaw looked over to him with snake-slit eyes, but bobbed his head in affable greeting.

"Well met, Tailchaser. Did you have good dreaming?" he asked.

"I did not dream," Fritti replied. He gave Pounce-quick an affectionate nudge.

"Well now, well now…" said large Hangbelly, shifting his huge paunch to look Fritti over. "Here's the young warrior. You fought right well, nestling. How old do you be? Seen six Eyes, have you?"

"I shall have my ninth Eye in a few more sun-turns." He looked at the ground, embarrassed. "I am small for my age."

There was a moment of awkward silence, broken by the soft rasp of Quiverclaw's voice.

"No matter. Courage counts no Eyes. There is precious little enough, without we fail to acknowledge it. You answered the challenge, and fought as the Old Laws command."

Tailchaser felt he did not quite understand. "I didn't believe I had much of a choice." Hangbelly laughed at this, and Quiverclaw's lips curled in amusement.

"You always have a choice, laddie-kit," said Hang-belly, and the others bobbed assent. "Every day you have a choice, and if you want to, you can lie down in your fur and die anytime. But a First-walker never does y'see? And we respect your choice, too."

"I was protecting my friend."

"Very fair, very fair…" said Quiverclaw. "By the way, I would be doing a disservice to everyone if I did not offer face names. You and I have met through challenge, but my hunt-brothers are strange to you. Hangbelly you have spoken with." Hangbelly bared his teeth teasingly.