Tailchaser’s Song

Big, grasping paws jerked him up in the air and squeezed him, and when they held him close to their faces their unpleasant breath made him squirm. When he pulled away the booming voices roared.

Fritti leaped to the window, but Huff-so-Gruff was stalking sentry outside, in an evil temper. Ru

"Hushpad!" he cried, prodding her. "Wake up! We have to leave this place!"

Yawning and stretching, the fela looked at him curiously. "Whatever are you talking about, Tailchaser? Leave? Why?"

"This place is not right for us," he said excitedly. "The Big Ones grab us and carry us, they feed us and stroke us… there is no place to run!"

"You are making no sense at all," she told him coldly. "We are treated very well."

"They treat us like kittens. This is no life for a hunter. I might as well have never left my mother Grassnestle's nest!"

"You're right," said Hushpad. "You're right, because you're acting like a nervous newborn. Whatever do you mean, 'leave'? Why should I go anywhere?"

"We can hide in the shell, as I did before. We can steal away and go back to the forest, the marshes anywhere," Fritti said desperately. "We can run where we want. We can raise a family."

"Oho, a family, is that it?" she said. "Well, you just put it out of your mind right now. I've had enough of your pawing and sniffing, Skydancer knows. I've already told you I'm not the least bit interested in that sort of thing. I'm shocked to see you acting so ridiculous. The forest indeed! Leaves and burrs in my fur, and nothing to eat for days at a time! Visl and Garrin and… Harar knows what else! No, thank you."

When she saw the hurt, startled expression on Fritti's face, her expression softened. "Listen, dear Tailchaser," she said. "You're my friend, and I think you're very special. I think you're just upset. The Big Ones can be noisy and frightening sometimes. Just stay away from them, and tomorrow everything will be as calm and quiet as before." She rubbed his muzzle with her nose. "Now, just go to sleep. You'll see later that this is all very silly." She laid her head down and closed her eyes.

Fritti sat and stared.

Why doesn't she understand? he wondered. Something is wrong here, I can feel it.

But what was it? Why should he feel as trapped as ever he did belowground?

Hushpad mewed in her sleep and flexed her claws.

I should be happy, Fritti thought. Finding Hushpad was my heart's desire,… wasn't it? Lord Firefoot said I would find my heart's desire here on Villa-on-Mar…

Tailchaser walked slowly to the open window and bounded up onto the sill. The great light from the hill above the dwelling cast its bright beam out across the dark waters of Qu'cef. The air was warm, and full of the scents of growing things.

When the shell-thing bumped against the shore, Fritti emerged from his hiding place. He bounded past the startled Big Ones, out of the shell, and onto the gravelly beach. The M'an flock made noises of surprise. With a flirt of his orange tail he was up the slope and into the Eye-lit meadows.

He stood on a grassy hill and thought of all the things he would do. Pouncequick waited for him at Firsthome. He must see him again. And his friends at Meeting Wall, of course. What stories he had to tell! So many places left to see!

And Roofshadow, of course. Firsa Roofshadow, dark and slender as shade.

A night bird trilled. The world was so big, and the night sky was so full of glimmering light!

Like a fire, like a star that burned in his heart and head, it came to him then; he understood. He laughed and bounded, and then laughed again. He leaped and whirled on the hilltop, and his voice rose in delight.

When his dance was finished he sprang down the slope and ran singing into the fields, his tail waving behind him. Meerclar's Eye watched calmly as his bright form vanished into the tall grass.

AUTHOR'S NOTES

With a very few exceptions, all the unfamiliar words to be found in this story are in the Higher Singing of the Folk.

The Folk, like all their warm-blooded brothers and sisters, and some others, possess two languages. The everyday language, the one they share with most other mammals, is the Common Singing, made up mostly of gestures, scents and postures, with a few easily decipherable sounds and cries to round out the range of expression. The Common Singing has been represented by a rough translation into English in this story.

For special times, or for specific descriptive chores where the Common Singing falls short, the Higher Singing is employed. Almost all ritual-and certainly all storytelling-falls into this category.

The Higher Singing is a predominantly verbal language, although meaning can be shaped with posture and emphasis. So the reader needn't be constantly looking up words, much of the Higher Singing in use has been translated within the text; there is, however, a glossary at the back for the faint of heart.

A few notes on pronunciation.

"C" is always pronounced "S": thus, Meerclar is pronounced "Mere-slar."

In the instances where an "S" has been used, it is only to clarify the pronunciation. For example, I felt that "Vicl," although the true spelling, was a little boggling; hence, "Visl."

"F" has a soft "fth" sound.

Vowels tend to conform to Latinate "ah-eh-ih-oh-ooh."

APPENDIX

Allmother, Meerclar, Creator of the Folk

Bandyleg, Firsthome cat

Bast-Imret, Boneguard

Beetleswat, young Meeting Wall torn

Bitefast, Clawguard

Bite-then-Bark, Rauro, Dog-king of Eatbugs' story

Blueback, a prince of the Folk

Bobweave, a First-walker

Brightnail, a prince of the Folk

Brindlesides, Fritti Tailchaser's father

Bristlejaw, Meeting Wall Master-singer

Brushstalker, First-walker Thane

Cleanwhisker, a prince of the Folk

Clearsong, Tirya, Tailchaser's oldest sister

Click, Master, a squirrel

Climbfast, a prince of the Folk

Cloudleaper, Cat-queen of Eatbugs' story

Crushgrass, Clawguard chieftain

Dandlegrass, Firsthome cat

Dayhunter, companion of Fencewalker

Dewtreader, Prince Sresla, Prince Consort to Queen

Sunback

Earnotch, Vastnir prisoner, storyteller

Earpoint, Meeting Wall elder, delegate

Eatbugs, mad cat, Tailchaser's companion

Eyeshimmer, Far-senser to the First-walkers

FenceWalker, Prince, son of Queen Sunback

Firefoot, Tangaloor, one of the Firstborn

Fizz, Master, a squirrel

Fleetpaw, young Meeting Wall torn

Fiickerswift, sister ofjumptall

Fumblefoot, Vastnir prisoner

Furscuff, First-walker; Squeakerbane's companion

Glideswallow, Firsthome cat

Glitterfur, a queen of the Folk

Goldeneye, Harar, father of the Folk

Grassnestle, Indea, Tailchaser's mother

Hangbelly, a First-walker

Hearteater, Grizrsz, one of the Firstborn; lord of Vastnir

Hissbiood; master of Toothguard

Howisong, apprentice Master Old-singer

Huff-so-Gruff, Villa-on-Mar dog

Hushpad, Tailchaser's friend

Jargum, a mythological frog

Jumptall, young Meeting Wall torn; delegate

Karthwine, a fox

Knet-Makri, Boneguard

Krelli, a young raven

Leafrustle, a young Meeting Wall torn

Longtooth, Clawguard

Lungeclaw, ancestor of Quiverdaw

Morningstripe, a queen of the Folk

Mudtracker, cat from Beyond-Edge-Copse

Nightcatcher, companion of Fencewalker

Ninebirds, mythical prince, progenitor of the Big Ones