Tailchaser’s Song

“Jumptall is going to die soon," said Tailchaser. In the world above he would have been amazed to hear someone say such a thing in so calm a voice.

"He is no longer strong enough to live," agreed Pawgrip. "His tail name is all he has…"

In a cave on the rock wall above the Greater Gate, Roofshadow looked down upon the charnel life of the mound.

Dulled by the strain of countermanding her instincts, tired and frightened, she had groped her way steadily down into the throbbing center of the mound.

When the tu

Unable to catch her breath for a moment, she stumbled back from the lip of the cave and slumped, a shuddering mass, to the darkened floor.

Far behind her, close to the surface, the pale, twitching nose of one of the blind Toothguard had detected a strange thing: an unauthorized tu

Escape attempts were frequent, of course, but invariably they failed. This seemed different, though. The keen nostrils of the hairless creature who had discovered the hole perceived a curious fact: something had been digging in, not out…

Somewhere deep in Vastnir, a shape appeared from one dark hole and entered a darker one. Heat and air currents led the shape to what it sought.

"Master Hisssblood!" it called. There was a pause, then:

"Sssskinwretch, I have long sssince ceassed to be entertained by your a

Even in darkness, the shape's discomfort was recognizable.

"Pleassse, Lord, don't do anything foolissh. I bring you important newsss!" Another long silence, and Skinwretch could smell and feel Hissblood's approach as clearly as the Folk aboveground could see in the broadest daylight. He resisted the impulse to flee.

"What could you tell me that I might possibly find of value,'you old ssslobberer?"

Hissblood's tone suggested imminent, painful death, but Skinwretch recognized his opening and plunged in: "Only thisss, most wonderful Lord, only thisss: sssomething hass tu

Hissblood approached, until the heat of his breath raked his cowering subordinate.

"And why ssshould I care?" the leader of the Toothguard spat-but now there was a subtly reserved edge to his voice. "I sssuppose you have told even thing that waJkss. crawlsss or digsss between here and the lower Catacombss?"

"No. great Massster!" uhined Skinwretch, pleased that he had guessed correcty. "I came ssstraight to you!"

“Fetch me Nuzziedark. You are sssure it wass an entrance tu

"Oh, no," hastened Skinwretch, choking with fright. I’m posssitive, Lord. Absolutely sssure."

“Then I shall call on Basssst-Imret," said Hissblood in a cold, satisfied voice.

'You will involve the Boneguard?" quailed Skinwretch. Hissblood's teeth snapped, drawing blood trom the furless skin.

"Imbecccile! How dare you even draw breath in my presssence? Get out of my ssmell, you lick-ssslobberer. Get Nuzziedark, then go and crawl under a ssstone sssomewhere until I have forgotten that you exissst!"

Gasping, Skinwretch fled back into the lesser darkness. Hissblood licked his naked chops.

Trudging back from the excavations in the company of the other tu

"Mre'fa-o, star-face," said the Clawguard mockingly. "How are you getting along in your new home?" Tailchaser did not answer, but continued walking. Scratchnail did not seem offended.

"Still have your pride, do you? Well, that, too, will be attended to-I haven't forgotten you. Not at all." Scratchnail stopped for a moment to stretch, his mottled belly touching briefly on the cavern floor. Finished, he caught up to Fritti again in an easy lope.

"We'll have plenty of time for a chat later," he grated. "I just thought I would come by to make sure you were still getting your daily constitutional. Wouldn't want you to get fat and complacent, would we, my little slug?" Scratchnail stared hard at Tail-chaser's stoic posture, then continued, in a lower tone: "Something is going on just now. All of Hissblood's little blind salamanders are dashing about as if their nasty little tails were on fire. I just wanted you to know that I'm going to keep an eye on you, no matter what's happening. I have a feeling this may involve you-I don't know why. Don't bother to look i

Fritti stared at the ground as he heard Scratchnail's heavy feet padding away. He could only wonder what he was going to be made to suffer for next.

In his cave, only the motionless, unconscious form of Eatbug for company, Pouncequick was in the throes of a waking dream. Although his eyes were closed, he felt as though he were seeing as clearly as ever he had in the world above.

He felt himself standing once more upon the Slenderleap Ford, the Caterwaul roaring and thrashing beneath him. From his vantage point on the rock span he could see the mound in all its squat oppressiveness. A hole appeared in its side, and a line of dark shapes emerged. They moved in a strange dance, stiff with malice and alien purpose.

Pouncequick heard a loud, trumpeting sound, as if the sun had found a voice. The dark figures broke apart; they scurried in disarray, then fell to the ground and passed into the earth. The rushing of the Caterwaul became louder now, and from out of the waters stepped a great white form whose outlines were shifting and unclear. It walked across the valley. Where the black dancers had fallen and been swallowed up, trees and flowers burst full-grown from the earth. The white figure moved to the mound, and at its touch the vast cairn opened up, revealing itself as a great black rose, petals shot through with the colors of sunset. In this glowing light the white figure dwindled-no. did not dwindle, but was transformed into a mist, and rose upward.

Suffused with a sense of peace, feeling himself lifted with the dream-mist, Pouncequick did not realize for some time that he was being shaken. He unwillingly opened his eyes and saw the bony, sullen face of Longtooth, mouth asnarl.

"Oh, no, not you too. Bad enough the other one," the Claw rasped, indicating Eatbugs. "Get up-let me have a look at you." He gave Pouncequick a cursory nose-to-tail inspection. Longtooth looked over his shoulder, then turned to the youngling with a sour face.

"Scratchnail wants me to keep a close eye on you. The whole mound's in an uproar because someone got in who wasn't supposed to. I feel sorry for the stupid me'mre when they get their claws on him."

With a look of ignorant pleasure over the probable fate of the intruder, Longtooth settled down on the cavern floor. Pouncequick, although he closed his eyes again, had lost his inspiring dream. Dimly, he heard many creatures passing in the tu

Tailchaser looked uncomprehendingly at Pawgrip.

"What?" he asked groggiiy.

"One of the new Folk wants to talk to you. Don't ask me" said Pawgrip, shaking his head. "Over by the entrance shaft."

Pawgrip wandered back to his sleeping spot. Fritti, stretching, felt the ache in his shoulder and the thin pain of hunger in his belly. Stepping as carefully as his tired legs would permit, he made his way through the clutter of sleeping, groaning bodies. Near the front of the large prison-cavern, squeezed against a wall near the tu