Tailchaser’s Song

"Aaaahh." The Toothguard beamed, his scarred face crinkling into a complexity of lines. "Hear that? Lisssten. Great thingsss are afoot… great thingsss." The naked snout took on a dejected cast. "The unfairness of it. That a faithful sservant, sssuch asss I…" He made a sniveling sound. Fritti, worriedly watching the Clawguard legions, nodded his head distractedly-forgetting momentarily that the other could not see him.

"I was born to sserve the Lord of All," Skinwretch lamented. "How could I have been brought to thiss low essstate?"

The Toothguard's reproachful words finally sank in. An idea began to form in Tailchaser's mind.

"Skinwretch. I have something important to tell ou." Fritti said in a low voice. "Let's move back up the corridor a bit."

When they had walked back to stand by the stu-porous Scratchnail. Fritti said: "You say you are loyal to the… Lord of All?"

"Oh yessss!" Scratchnail eagerly affirmed. "It iss my one purpose!"

"Then I can tell you my secret. Do you promise to keep it?"

"Oh, certainly, Tu

"Good." Tailchaser deliberated for a moment. "Lord He-the Master-has grave need of information from a certain prisoner. He does not trust his chiefs, though. Some of them, like… well, if I must say it, like Hissblood, have shown themselves to be unreliable-if you understand me."

The Toothguard was jiggling excitedly. "Of course! I understand. Like Hisssblood! Exactly!"

"Well," continued Fritti importantly, now warming to the deception, "he has chosen me to find and observe the prisoner. But no one may knowl You can see that it would be… well, unwise, especially now!" He was a little unclear himself on the logic of this, but Skinwretch seemed enraptured by the idea. "Anyway," he added, "the Lord of All has chosen me, and I am choosing you. You must find the prisoner for me, and no one must know why, or even suspect. Can you do that?"

"Clever Tu

"Good. The prisoner you must find for me is the fela who accompanied the escaping Tail… Tail…" He hemmed and hawed convincingly. "Tail-chooser. The one Scratchnail raves about. The fela who was with him survived, did she not?"

"I do not know, Tu

"Very well," said Fritti. "I will meet you on this spot when three work shifts have passed. Can you find it again?"

Tad WilliAiws

"Oh, yesss. Now that the Ssscalding Flume no longer boilss my earsss I can find my way anywhere."

"Move, then, and take Scratchnail with you-only, keep him out of trouble that will draw attention." Fritti especially did not want to be yoked himself to the powerful, maddened beast-who would be even more of a danger if his memory returned. "And remember," he added, "if you betray me, you betray your Master. Go!"

Fraught with newfound purpose, Skinwretch hurriedly roused Scratchnail, and the two went trudging away.

Tailchaser stifled an impulsive sneeze of pleased laughter as he watched them disappear. The hardest was yet to come.

With that matter settled, Tailchaser felt his fever-swift thoughts begin to slow down. He was very-hungry. This presented a problem. As he stood close to the tu

Another clutch of prisoners, overseen by a pair of surly Claws, moved along the passage below him. As they passed his hiding place, one of the slaves near the front collapsed. There was a great yowling and snarling as others tried to leap over the fallen one, and collided with their fellows. The two Claws, red talons shot, waded into the flurry.

Fritti seized this chance, bounding out of the tu

It will be easier to escape from one of these gangs than to live tike a phantom for very long, he decided. Also, who would hunt for an escaped prisoner in a prison cave?

"You little sun-rat!" rasped a voice. Tailchaser looked up into the heavy-jawed face of one of the guards. "I saw that!" the Claw snarled. "Try sneaking off again and I'll slit you from gorge to tomhoodi"

The crush of tu

Life with the slave gang was not as difficult as it had been before. He was stronger after his interval in Ratleaf; though the hunting had been sparse, still he had eaten better than the poor beasts with whom he was imprisoned. It saddened him to see the misery and suffering around him-but this time things were different: he had joined this press of captives by choice; he was operating in secret. Although his heart warned him against foolishness, he could not help feeling a quiet pride. He had a purpose, and so far he was succeeding remarkably. His luck had been dancing.

The prisoners, too, could feel the difference in the mound's atmosphere. The stirring, anxious sense of impending events had beaten them down. No prisoners told stories, or sang. Even the arguments were lackluster, dispirited. Collectively the slaves were cringing; they were waiting for the blow to fall.

One of the other captives told Tailchaser laconically of the rumors among their warders: about the lights and noises in the Cavern of the Pit, and of the assembling of Claws and Teeth into bridling, impatient units who were then sent out to farther tu

Fritti had been with the tu

The dirtv. back-bending digging time oozed by as slowly as ru

When the smirking Claw at the mouth of the tu

The sounds of the milling prisoners drifted down from above. For a moment, a burning golden eye looked down into the tu

The small cavern from which the tu

In the mirk where Pouncequick lay dreaming of the white cat, Roofshadow herself was also finally discouraged. The strain of anticipation-waiting for the return of the revengeful Clawguard-and the enforced helplessness of her situation had worn her down until she could no longer muster strength or worry to resist. Chin on paws, she had lain for a long time staring at the peaceful, helpless forms of Pouncequick and Eatbugs, and hopelessness had drifted over her like a warm mist. When the guard thrust his malignant head into the chamber he saw all three of the cats lying in deathlike stillness. With a yellow-fanged grin of approval, he withdrew.