Hunters Unlucky Part 58

"It's someone from my clutter," hissed Roup. "Has to be. No one else would answer that call." He was pacing back and forth in the spill of moonlight at the cave's mouth.

"Wait," repeated Arcove.

The chittering came again, much closer. Arcove crouched, eyes fixed on the lip of the cave's mouth. Then the silhouette of a creasia's head popped into view. "Roup?" it whispered-a female voice.

"Lyndi." Roup's voice was undisguised relief.

She jumped down into the cave's basin. "Oh, boss. We've had a rough night."

Behind her, two larger shapes thumped down into the cave. "Halvery?" Arcove rumbled in surprise. "Sharmel?"

"Arcove," came Halvery's tired voice. "By all the ghosts... I was beginning to think we'd never see you again."

Arcove chuffed. "Likewise."

"Treace attacked us with at least three times our numbers," grated Sharmel. "They killed Ariand-"

"No," snarled Roup, "they left Ariand at the foot of the cliffs, dying, with his guts tangled in a bush, as a messenger. I haven't seen anything like that since the war."

Sharmel sagged visibly, and Halvery growled beside him. "We should have gone back for him. We shouldn't have run-"

"Yes, you should have," said Arcove. "If you hadn't run, you wouldn't be here."

"We wouldn't be here anyway," said Halvery, "if not for this little fellow."

A smaller shadow detached itself from Halvery's and came hesitantly towards Storm. "I knew who he was," whispered Teek. "Because of his short tail."

Chapter 6. Council in Hiding.

"Treace's followers killed the sentry at the foot of the trail to the council ledge first," said Halvery, "to prevent Arcove from getting a warning. Roup and Ariand's clutters were stationed in that part of the boulders. I'm sure Treace's cats were trying to kill them quietly. They probably ambushed a few before anyone knew what was going on, but Lyndi saw what was happening and ran to get me."

"They'd already surrounded the foot of the trail," put in Lyndi. "They were killing anyone who tried to get near it. I thought going for reinforcements made more sense."

The group had moved a little back into the tunnel, where their voices wouldn't carry. In the darkness, Storm could hardly see the outlines of the others. He kept glancing over to the puddle of shadow that was Teek, but the cub had lain down about halfway between Storm and Halvery. He'd grown so still that Storm thought he might be asleep.

"The waterfall really did work to their advantage," said Halvery bitterly. "I was stationed up there, and I didn't hear a thing until Lyndi came running out of the trees, shouting that Treace's cats were killing Ariand and his clutter. I had just enough time to give a few rally cries. Then the world went mad."

"They stampeded the ferryshaft herd," said Sharmel. "They were well-organized-driving the ferryshaft together in a ma.s.s and then pushing them towards the headwaters of the Igby. It was the easiest way to get them to cross the river, but it also sent a thousand panicked ferryshaft directly into my clutter and then Halvery's. As nearly as I can tell, four of my six creasia were killed-either trampled to death or injured and then finished off by Treace's cats."

"They had it easy," growled Halvery. "They just came along behind the ferryshaft, killing whatever limped out of the dust. Five of my ten cats are dead or missing. The rest of us ran. It was that, or be trampled."

"Did you see any lowland curbs?" asked Arcove.

"Not at the time," said Halvery, a curious note in his voice, "but later, as we tried to regroup and fight our way back to the council trail, we did see a few. They appeared to be helping Treace's cats."

"He's made friends in the Southern Mountains," said Arcove. "Continue."

"We tried to get back to you," said Halvery. "But, by the time we managed to separate ourselves from the ferryshaft herd and regroup, we were well south of the Igby, and Treace's cats were hard after us. I decided that it made most sense to split up. We needed numbers. I sent what remained of our clutters to our respective dens to warn them and to rally our commands. We had two cats left from Roup's clutter besides Lyndi, and I sent them home, too. I told everyone to come to Arcove's den, since I think it's the most defensible."

"Also, the most likely to be attacked," muttered Sharmel. "Treace's creasia are not playing by the rules."

"Do you think your messengers got through?" asked Roup.

"I don't know," said Halvery. "I...I really don't know. As night fell, we finally managed to put some distance between ourselves and our pursuers by climbing the cliffs. We headed back north, determined to find you or your body. Lyndi insisted on coming with us. We were excited when we finally crossed your trail, but then it ended at this fiord."

"Which, of course, I remembered," said Lyndi. "I figured that, if you were still with Storm, you must have gone wherever he went. But these two didn't believe me."

"It's not that we didn't believe you," snapped Halvery. Storm could tell that he was very tired. "We just couldn't figure it out. Treace's cats had obviously been following Arcove. Their scent and tracks were mixed up with everyone else's. There wasn't any blood, but we thought they might have pushed you off the cliff. Then we met this cub..."

Everyone paused and looked towards Teek. After a moment, Storm saw a stir amid the shadows. "There was a dead creasia in the trail when I ran down," said Teek, his voice creaking with exhaustion. "So I looked for someone to tell. But then a curb saw me, and he chased me, and there were a lot of them." Teek hesitated. "So I remembered some of the places that Storm and I went last year, and I remembered that lowland curbs don't like sheep trails, and I went to the trail that's near the crooked tree spring, and I lost them."

Storm sat up. "You ran that trail...after being gone for a season?"

Teek's voice held a note of defiance. "I ran the trail."

"You're lucky you didn't break your neck," said Storm.

"You're lucky I didn't break my neck."

That made Storm shut his mouth.

"I got to the top of the cliff," continued Teek, "and I couldn't go back because of the curbs. While I was watching, everyone came down from the council ledge, and I saw the curbs chase you, and I tried to follow, but I couldn't keep up." Teek drew a deep breath. "So, then it was night, and I'd been awake all day, and I was really tired, but there were still curbs around, so I was afraid to stop anywhere to sleep. I kept walking south, hoping I'd see you. Finally, I saw these creasia coming the other way. And I hid from them, but then I saw Halvery's short tail, so I knew who he was."

"You can stop mentioning that part," cut in Halvery.

"It's not his favorite feature," said Roup with a hint of mischief.

"He knew about the tunnel in the fiord," said Halvery, "although it took us a while to find the southern entrance."

There was a moment's heavy silence.

"What does Treace want with the herd?" asked Charder.

"He wants to eat them," said Roup.

Kelsy drew in a sharp breath.

"He wants to groom them as a food source," said Arcove more evenly. "He's not going to eat them right away."

"I thought," stammered Kelsy, "that creasia didn't like eating ferryshaft."

"You don't taste good when you're eating meat," said Halvery with a nasty smile in his voice.

"Why do you think I send the raids in winter?" asked Arcove. "I do not approve of talking animals eating each other. If I wanted you all dead, I'd kill you and leave you for the birds and the foxes." He hesitated. "You would not believe how your elders complained of that in the last war."

"You left bodies so they could be found to inspire fear," snapped Charder, and then closed his mouth quickly and looked away.

"At least I didn't eat them," said Arcove in a dangerous murmur.

"I think," ventured Sharmel, "that some of Ariand's command has gone over to Treace."

"I think most of them have," muttered Roup. "Treace has been working on Ariand's command for years. He's put a lot of cats into those clutters and dens. They share blood ties with his cats, and most of them are less than twelve years old. They didn't fight with us during the ferryshaft wars. They didn't see Arcove kill Ketch or...anyone else."

"If that's true," said Sharmel softly, "we were outnumbered two-to-one before he even attacked us."

"I would put one of my forty-year-old creasia against two of Treace's ten-year-old's any day," scoffed Halvery, "and watch mine tear his to pieces."

"I'd bet on yours, too," said Roup, "in a fair fight. But maybe not if they were surprised."

"Even if they were surprised," returned Halvery. "My cats actually go on raids, Roup. They still know how to kill things."

"You think killing panicked ferryshaft is good practice for war?" flashed Roup.

"We killed a telshee two Volontaros ago-"

"Enough," growled Arcove. "Halvery, Sharmel, you're in no state to fight right now. Sleep. We'll leave in daylight, after our pursuers have exhausted themselves. I suspect we will have to fight our way into my den."

Storm wondered whether Arcove was worried that Treace had killed his mates and cubs. If so, his voice gave no sign. As the others spread out along the pa.s.sage to find comfortable sleeping places, Storm inched towards the spot where he'd last heard Teek. The cub had gone, and Storm followed his scent along the tunnel to the darkest corner-a place where no ferryshaft eyes could pierce. His nose told him that Teek was there, somewhere in the shadows.

All year, I've tried to get you to sleep alone. And every night you've come crawling over to curl up beside me. And now...now it's the other way around.

"Teek?" he whispered.

For a long moment, Storm thought he wouldn't respond. Finally, he heard fur shift over stone. "What?"

"Aren't you cold?"

"No."

Storm took a step back. He felt as though someone had filled his legs with cold sea water-heavy and numb. Storm curled up against the wall. Should I go with Arcove's cats tomorrow? Why? Should I try to find my herd? Won't I just get killed? Storm felt a faint brush of fur against his hip. He turned in the darkness, but he could see nothing. Cautiously, he leaned over to sniff...and then recoiled as something hissed and eye-watering pain shot down his muzzle.

Storm yelped. All his muscles tensed and he suppressed the urge to jump up, to lash out, to bite, to kick. Instead, he laid his head on the ground and took slow, deep breaths through his stinging nose. He scratched me pretty good. Storm tasted blood in the back of his throat. Teek came to him then and burrowed up against his neck.

"I'm sorry," whispered Storm.

Teek didn't say anything. He curled up against Storm's neck and chest. He was trembling with exhaustion and, perhaps, Storm hoped, with relief. A moment later, Teek was asleep.

Roup was restless, but knew he mustn't disturb the others. He allowed himself one circuit of the tunnel before settling down. On his way back, in the darkest corner, he saw the outline of Storm and Teek, sleeping. The cub was cuddled up to Storm's chest, his head resting across the ferryshaft's shoulders.

Roup felt a mixture of warmth and apprehension. Maybe it won't end badly this time. Maybe.

Although things aren't looking so good right now. Roup did not have a large clutter. He knew every one of them-every one that had died today. Mourn them later, fight for the ones still alive. That's what Arcove would say.

He pa.s.sed Lyndi, curled up near the entrance. At least you're alright.

Arcove sat just within the cave's mouth. The sky outside was growing lighter. "My turn," said Roup. "You sleep."

Arcove didn't argue, but he didn't go anywhere, either, just laid his head down on his crossed paws. "I should have killed Treace," he muttered, and now Roup could hear all the doubt that never entered Arcove's voice in council.

"I agreed with you about sending him away," said Roup. "So did Halvery. I thought Treace would make trouble if he stayed in the wood, but I never thought he'd come back and do this. If I had seen it coming, I would have told you. I didn't."

"Ariand-"

"Was suffering," said Roup.

Arcove gave a little snort. "I didn't kill him when I broke his neck. I killed him when I didn't kill Treace."

"You'll kill Treace," said Roup.

They were silent a moment. "Roup, how long did Ketch rule?"

Roup considered "Three years, I think."

"And Masaran?"

Roup didn't like where this was going. "I don't know. Maybe eight."

"And the king before that?"

"Arcove, stop it."

"Creasia kings don't get old," murmured Arcove. "Twenty-three years is a long time."

"You're not old," said Roup. "Do you know how many cats will die if you don't win this? Ferryshaft, too."

Arcove's eyes flicked up and he gave a little smile. "Charder suggested they could help us...in exchange for ending the raids."

Roup laughed. "I think that's a good idea."

"The day I need ferryshaft to fight my battles for me is the day I'm done ruling Leeshwood."

Roup didn't agree, but he was relieved to hear the spark return to Arcove's voice. "And, besides, they wouldn't," continued Arcove.

"Don't be so sure."

"I'm sure." Arcove stopped suddenly and c.o.c.ked his head. "Roup, do you...hear something?"

"Something?" Arcove did not seem inclined to elaborate. Roup listened. "A few morning birds." He shut his eyes and concentrated. "Nothing else."