Клэр Белл - The Named - The Complete Series

Ratha had him repeat the last part, not sure that she had heard him correctly. Thistle? Was Khushi sure that was who Thakur wanted?

“Yes. He made it very clear and he was very insistent. I don’t know why he wants her, but he does.”

Baffled, she asked Khushi other questions, all the while trying to figure out why Thakur wanted Thistle.

Unless he wants her there just because he is fond of her, Ratha thought. No. Thakur doesn’t do things for those sorts of reasons.

Fessran spotted Mishanti far down the beach and took off after him, leaving Ratha standing beside Khushi.

“My mother,” the young scout said with a grin. “She always complains about how much work it is to raise cubs, but she can’t seem to live without at least one.”

“One Mishanti is all anyone can manage.” Ratha watched Fessran’s efforts to corral the youngster. She began pacing down the beach, Khushi beside her. “How did Thakur find this other clan?”

“They were also hunting the face-tailed beasts.”

“Are these strangers like us?”

“I don’t think so, but they resemble us enough that Thakur and I were able to go in among them. They even have a language like ours. Thakur said he could understand their words.”

“Then why couldn’t he speak to them?” Ratha asked, puzzled.

“I don’t know. They said things that made no sense. His replies only confused them and made them angry.”

This surprised Ratha. Of all the Named, Thakur was the most sensitive and the least likely to commit a blunder that might offend a stranger.

They trotted up to Fessran, who was sitting on a squirming Mishanti. Khushi touched noses with his mother, but seeing that she was preoccupied, kept his greeting short.

Ratha told him to go back up to the cliff dens and get something to eat, for he looked hungry. At her words Khushi brightened and scampered back up the path. He was a good scout, Ratha thought. Even though he must have traveled a long way, he hadn’t eaten before he came down to the beach to find her.

Fessran freed a rather flattened and rumpled Mishanti.

“You keep blaming yourself for Thistle’s fits,” she said to Ratha when Khushi was gone, “but I think this little scamp here is another cause. He must drive Thistle a bit wild. I can handle him, but I’ve had much more experience raising litters than Thistle.”

“Shewanted to adopt him,” Ratha said.

“I know, and she is keeping to the agreement we made, but I know that she has been tempted to do more than sit on him. One thing she definitely has from you is your temper.”

Ratha grimaced at her friend’s bluntness. “She hasn’t bitten him yet.”

“No. She’s the one who gets bitten. By that nightmare of hers.” Fessran put a paw on the cub, who had started to creep away, tempted by some gulls nearby. “I told her that if she felt she was going to lose her temper with him, she should come to me. And she has. Several times. But I can’tcome to the beach as often, especially now in the rainy season. The Firekeepers need my help to keep the fires lit.”

“She’s not a clan member, Fessran,” Ratha said in a low voice. “I can’t order her to do anything, even if I feel it is for her own good.”

“Well, she should get away from this little mischief maker, at least for a while. Tell her that I’ll get someone to look after him so that you can take her to Thakur.”

The tip of Ratha’s tail twitched in annoyance. “I can’t take her anywhere unless she chooses to go. I doubt if she will. She hates to leave the beach.”

“Well, Thakur gave you quite a task, then, didn’t he,” said Fessran.

“Just take care of Mishanti, Singe-whiskers.”

Fessran grinned back.“Go chase a thistle, clan leader.”

Leaving her friend with Mishanti, Ratha paced back along the beach to bring Thakur’s request to her daughter.

As Ratha approached Thistle’s pool, her steps began to slow. Thistle was not the only one with reasons to deny Thakur’s wish. Ratha herself was reluctant to take Thistle along.

Suppose she falls into a fit and goes wild when Thakur is trying to talk to those new clan-cats. Surely he has thought of that problem. Why, then, does he want Thistle to come?

Thistle also had some deep disagreements with the Named about such things as capturing new animals for the clan’s herds. What if she decided that face-tails as well as seamares should be left alone? Ratha remembered the trouble Thistle caused when she freed the seamares that the Named had captured.

To her chagrin, Ratha had to admit that Thistle was right about seamares. The web-footed, horselike beasts would never have thrived if the Named had tried to treat them the same as their other herdbeasts. Seamares needed the freedom of the open ocean.

Near the lagoon were several low dunes. Thistle was still in the lagoon. Ratha settled on the crest of the nearest dune, waiting for her to come out.

She watched her daughter glide around the pool with easy strokes of paws and tail. All of the Named could swim if they had to, but Thistle appeared more at home in the water than on land. Ratha had seen Thistle follow the seamares when they plunged into the ocean.

At last Thistle waded out of the lagoon and shook herself. She looked worn, as she often did after such episodes. Hesitantly Ratha came to her and touched noses.

“Fessran still is with Mishanti?” Thistle asked.

“Yes. She can keep him for a while yet.”

“Don’t want him now. Later. Still shaky.”

Thistle settled on her belly in the crusty sand. She slitted her eyes and tucked her forepaws under her chest. Afraid that she might go to sleep, Ratha said hurriedly,“While you were in your pool, Khushi came back with a message from Thakur.”

Thistle’s milky-green eyes opened wide. “He came back soon?”

“No, he wants us to join him. Both you and me.”

“Why?”

Ratha repeated what Khushi had told her.

Thistle turned her nose toward the sea.“Home is here. Seamares are here. Mishanti is here. Thakur knows that.”

“I know he does. That he has asked you to come means that it is very important to him.”

“Help him talk to other clan-cats? Not clever at talking.”

“I don’t think that it is cleverness he needs,” Ratha said.

“What, then?”

“I don’t know. We won’t find out until we get there.”

Thistle’s face took on a stubborn expression. “Hard for me to leave. Thakur knows that,” she said again.

Feeling slightly annoyed, Ratha was about to point out how much Thakur had done for Thistle and that she owed him this if nothing else. But she bit back the words. The decision was up to Thistle herself. Trying to sway her would do no good.

“Thakur wants me,” Thistle said abruptly. “Do you want me?”

A quick yes would be an easily detected lie. Ratha decided to take the honest but more difficult route.“I can’t say that there won’t be any problems. Having you along will be difficult in some ways. You know why. All I can say is that I will give you every chance I can.” She paused. “I will ask you to do the same for me.”

“Can’t answer now. Have to talk to sea first,” Thistle said.

“The sea?” This was one of her daughter’s eccentricities that Ratha had not yet run into.

“I swim out with seamares. Waves break over my ears and tell me things.” Thistle got up. Letting her eyes meet Ratha’s briefly, she said, “You come here tomorrow. What waves tell me, I will do.”

Ratha knew she would have to be content with that. With a quick nose-touch, she parted from her daughter and trotted back along the beach to where Fessran was playing tag with Mishanti.

Fessran halted her game.“What did Thistle say?”