Tailchaser’s Song

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.

"This is Bobweave." A nod from the gray as he and Fritti sniffed at one another. "The fine, amusingly spotted cat-whom the Squeakers do not find at all laughable-" the black-and-white torn inclined his mottled head-"is Scuffledig. And the proud fellow who sits by himself is Eyeshimmer." The white cat turned and made the tiniest inclination of the ears toward Fritti, who took it as a greeting and returned a nod.

Scuffledig piped up, "When he isn't being mystical, he's been known to catch a vole or two himself."

"He is our Oel-var'iz. Eyeshimmer is Far-senser to the First-walkers." Pride was in Quiverclaw's voice, and respect. Fritti was impressed. What an unusual cat Eyeshimmer must be, to earn such regard from a natural leader like Quiverclaw!

"I am afraid that I am only Tailchaser," he said quietly. "I am not particularly special-and, I am afraid, rather on the small side… as I mentioned."

Hangbelly leaned over and nudged him with his broad head. "Here, then, nothing wrong with being small. Our Lord Firefoot was the smallest of the First!"

"Speaking of the First-with all respect-" said Tailchaser, "may I ask why you are called the First-walkers?"

"Ah, yes, there are many things that you young cats do not know," said Quiverclaw.

"And do you always hunt in a… pack, like this?" Fritti asked.

"Well…" began the black cat.

Pouncequick eagerly chimed in, "And what can Eyeshimmer do?"

Bobweave yawned enormously, then said in a disgusted tone: "They certainly are good with questions. I'm going to go kill some breakfast." He bounded lithely away.

Quiverclaw watched him go, then turned back to Tailchaser.

"Bobweave is not patient-but he has other qualities that more than compensate. I will try to answer some of your questions."

Hangbelly snorted behind him.

"The First-walkers," Quiverclaw began, after darting a glance at the hulking torn, "are the last pure line of those Folk who ran with our own Lord Firefoot in the days of the First. My blood ancestor, Lungeclaw, served him during the time of Prince Blueback.

"We are sworn to a paw-and-heart oath to guard that heritage. The days of valorous combat and oath-bonds and truth will never completely die, as long as the First-walkers survive." Quiverclaw looked solemnly at Tailchaser and Pouncequick. "If the Rules and Commands are not obeyed, life becomes scrabble and scrape; without dignity. We First-walkers keep the laws of the First, and give them life. It is not always easy… many whose blood runs true ca

The black head turned slowly past the assembly, then faced away into the forest. "Our numbers have dwindled," Quiverclaw said.

"And smaller still will those numbers shrink," said a delicate, high-pitched voice. Quiverclaw and the rest turned to look at Eyeshimmer, who still crouched some distance away.

"So you have said. So you have said," rasped the Thane wearily.

"And maybe that's not such a bad thing, now," rumbled Hangbelly, a touch of anger in his voice. "There are some 'walkers about now as I, for one, could do without!"

Fritti was still curious. "Do you always travel in such great packs? Strange, indeed!"

Scuffledig and Hangbelly laughed at this. Quiver-claw hastened to explain.

"No, of course not. Strange it would be for the followers of Tangaloor Firefoot-who most often walked alone-to go a-roving like a great clump of Growlers. No, there are too few of us to walk all together. All told, there are only a pawful of other thanes, besides myself. Each one of us has his territory, and though we meet on the night of the Eye with one or two of our closest neighbors, we usually move alone."

"But there are five of you here!" commented Pouncequick.

"Ah, but this is an exceptional time. We have been called to the territory of my Thane-brother Sourweed. All the First-walkers who have heard will gather there. There have not been so many of us together since my father's day."

"We shall dance, and sing, and tell lies," chuckled Scuffledig. "Quiverclaw will wrestle with Sourweed, and Hangbelly will sniff too much catmint and embarrass us all!" He dodged a blow from the old torn.

"Yes," grated Quiverclaw gently, "but unhappy purposes demand this meeting, and there is more to think of than merriment."

"Aye, that's true," growled Hangbelly, "like what dung-dog it was that did for poor Brushstalker."

Quiverclaw nudged him. "You are a fearsome hunter, old friend, but your mouth sometimes outruns your eyes. The fate of Brushstalker is not a pretty song for young i

It was obvious to Fritti that sparing their feelings was not Quiverclaw's only reason for throttling the conversation. The wily black Thane was no more willing to abandon all caution and discretion at first meeting than Tailchaser himself had been. Fritti found himself once more admiring Quiverclaw's control.

"Well, I think that it's high time we followed Bobweave's example and knocked down some breakfast." The Thane got to his feet. Pouncequick bounced up also.

"Will you tell us more later?" the kitten asked. "About your meeting-and Eyeshimmer?"

"All things in earth's season, young Pouncequick," said Quiverclaw affectionately. The expression, which Fritti had heard before from the mouth of Bristlejaw, echoed in Tailchaser's thoughts as the cats separated to hunt.

Breakfast finished, the group scattered around the edges of the clearing to attend to grooming and napping. A light rain had begun to patter down, and Tailchaser watched the drops raise little puffs of dust from the powdery ground. The tapping sound of the broad leaves over his head lulled him. He could feel his eyes becoming heavy.