Tad Williams - Tailchaser’s Song

"Retreat?" shouted Fencewalker. "Ran! Tail over whiskers like spooked Squeakers! And who could blame you?"

"Some stayed to fight, my Prince… like Squeaker-bane." Chastened, Fencewalker waved a paw for the Thane to continue.

"Anyway, we fell back into the outer chambers. There we met the Prince and his Folk, who had breached the minor gate. The Fikos forced its way out of the cavern, but did not seem to have purpose -it was destroying anything in its path, friend or foe. It seemed mindless. Following some urge, it shambled up one of the main corridors-that was all that saved us from complete rout, I think. Everything was chaos, Folk fighting and dying-"

Fencewalker interrupted, "It began to get dark, don't forget that."

Quiverclaw nodded gravely. "Indeed. It was as though that huge monstrous thing-or maybe Heart-eater himself-was drawing in all the light… taking a deep breath of light… I can't explain. We were fighting in the deepest blackness, then something… something like sky-fire, but underground… shot through the chamber, burning and crackling as it went by. Straight through, and into Hearteater's cavern, as if it had a will. I have never seen the like."

Fritti felt a strong joy deep inside himself. "I wish I could have seen it."

"From where we made our stand we could see the light bursting from Hearteater's chamber as if the sun had rolled down into a hole in the ground. The earth around us began to shake. There were great hissings and boomings, like… like the sky was tumbling down, or the forest was dancing above our heads. Fencewalker shouted out to run, to get all the Folk out-"

"That's true," the Prince inserted.

"-and everyone went racing for the tunnels leading out. Hearteater's creatures were running in circles like berry-drunk fla-fa'az, screeching and clawing at one another… it was a sight that will live before my dream-eyes forever."

"It was all falling down, then," said Fencewalker. "Falling down, and scalding mist and waters coming up through the floors… what a tumble that was for the Firstborn, eh? Who would have dared think of it?"

Tailchaser reflected on all he had heard. So much to think about. Should he try to explain what had happened to him? Was he even sure what had happened?

"Why?" he asked, finally. "What did Hearteater want?"

"We may never know, really," said the Thane, furrowing his pitchy brow. "Lord Hearteater, we can suppose, wanted revenge on the descendants of Harar. He had been long beneath the earth, and had been brooding since time beyond tail-tips on bringing the Folk under his sway. He must have been wearying of his poor copies of Meerclar's children, and their bobbing and scuttling… but he was of the Firstborn, and I do not think his purposes-or madnesses -will be wholly knowable to us. He called on things outside the earth-dance; it seems that a balance was disturbed. The dance is complicated, and a disturbance on the one side creates counterdisturbance." The Thane laughed. "I can see Fencewalker staring at me as if I had the foaming-mouth sickness. He's right, you know, Tailchaser-there's not much point in singing the song if you have to guess at the words."

Quiverclaw was interrupted again, this time by a high-pitched chattering from the treetops. Fencewalker and the Thane exchanged a glance.

"Teats on a torn!" groaned Fencewalker ruefully. "I'd forgotten."

"It sounds as if they are aware of that," said Quiverclaw, as the angry noises resumed. "Please, Lord Pop!" he called. "Forgive us our discourtesy and come down. We have been careless of time."

A procession of Rikchikchik-Lord Pop in the lead, a disdainful expression on his round, toothy face- shinmed single-file down the trunk of a poplar. Although Pop himself wore a look of insulted dignity, the rest of his train appeared goggle-eyed and nervous in the presence of the three cats.

Lord Pop drew the crowd to a halt. His own nose, however, remained pointing conspicuously skyward until Prince Fencewalker made an embarrassed coughing noise.

"Terribly sorry, Pop. Really am. Didn't mean any offense against Rikchikchik. We just forgot, you see." Fritti wondered if the Prince's discomfiture was due to his mistake, or having to apologize to squirrels.

The Rikchikchik chief eyed the uncomfortable Prince for a moment. "Only came to tell so-brave Tail-chase cat," he said, a little huffily. The squirrel-lord then turned to Fritti. "Pledge kept, you see-see. Rikchikchik do right. Now, must bring more Rikchikchik back-back. Badness most gone." Pop performed a jerky head-bob, and Fritti returned it.

"Your folk are very brave, Lord Pop," he said. "Is that Master Plink? You did well, courageous Plink." The young Rikchikchik buck fluffed his tail; the other Rikchikchik chittered admiringly. Lord Pop also clucked approval.

"Squirrels…" mumbled Prince Fencewalker. Pop fixed him with a bright eye.

"Tell Tailchaser what we have declared, Fence-walker," prompted Quiverclaw.

"Well…" said the Prince, embarrassed again, "well… Dewdaws! You say it, Quiverclaws. It was your idea," he finished peevishly.

"Well," assented the Thane, "it has been declared by Prince Fencewalker, son of Her Befurred Majesty, Queen Mirmirsor Sunback, that in recognition of their service the Rikchikchik may live unhunted by the Folk within the confines of Ratleaf, and that the First-walkers will enforce this ban to the best of their powers." Tiny whistles of approval came from Lord Pop's entourage. "Of course, outside the bounds of Ratleaf you had better look to your tail-plumes," Quiverclaw added in a not unfriendly way. Lord Pop looked at Quiverclaw appraisingly, and made a satisfied clucking sound.

"So," chirped the squirrel-lord. "Now all done-done." He turned back to Fritti. "Nut-gathering luck, so-strange cat." Lord Pop faced around and led his rump-bobbling procession back into the branches. Within a moment they were gone.

"I'm sorry, but it just doesn't seem proper," grumped Fencewalker. "Squirrels…"

When Smaller Shadows arrived, Roofshadow came to take Fritti to Pouncequick. She led him away from Fencewalker's camp into a grove of cloud-tall trees. When he saw Pouncequick's pale, fluffy shape in a patch of sunlight at the center of the stand, Fritti pulled away from her and dashed forward.

"Pounce!" he called. "Little cu'nre!" Pouncequick looked up at the sound of his voice, and rose-with a grace belying his kittenhood. Tailchaser was on him in a moment, sniffing and head-butting, and Pounce-quick's aloofness gave way briefly to pleased wriggling.

"I'm so pleased to see you finally!" Tailchaser declared as he circled his friend, smelling the familiar Pouncequick scents. "I never dreamed that we could all be together once-"

Fritti broke off, staring gape-jawed in shock.

Pouncequick had no tail! Where his furry plume had once waved there was now only a healing stump, curled tightly against the youngling's haunches.

"Oh, Pounce!" Fritti breathed. "Oh, Pounce, your poor tail! Harar!"

Roofshadow stepped forward. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. Tailchaser. I wanted you to see that Pounce-quick was alive and healthy first, or you would have been sick with worry when you yourself were in need of healing."

Pouncequick pulled a quiet smile. "Please, don't be so upset. Tailchaser. We all lost things and gained things in that place. When vou attacked Scratchnail in the Flume cavern you saved me from worse than this."

Fritti did not feel comforted. "If only I'd arrived sooner…" he groaned. Pouncequick met his eye with a knowing look.

"You couldn't have," said the tailless catling. "You know that you could not have. We all played our part. A tail is a small thing to lose so that one can find a tail name." Pounce's face took on a distant expression, and Roofshadow gave Fritti a worried look.