Rosewing (9) (The Underground Kingdom)

by Steve Elliott

  Tracey ended breast-feeding with mixed emotions. On the one hand, she claimed that she missed the bonding, but on the other hand she would have been pleased to relieve herself of the chore, mainly because Rosewing’s teeth were well developed by this stage. Thereafter, we all took turns with Rosewing’s feeding ritual but her pickiness drove us crazy. One day she’d devour everything put in front of her, but the next day she’d turn up her nose at anything we gave her, triggering exaggerated ideas of starvation to surface in our minds. It wasn’t until later that I found out why she chose to be so selective.

  We’d adopted the routine of letting Zen care for Rosewing for brief intervals when everyone else was busy. He’d provehimself to be an excellent and devoted Nanny to our daughter. I’d seen him pull her away from potential danger spots by clamping his jaws on her clothes and forcibly dragging her backwards and, unlike us, her cries of frustration and begging made no impact whatsoever on his actions. Anyway, one day when I’d just finished tidying the bedroom, I discovered Rosewing cheerfully eating out of Zen’s food bowl. Astonished, I stopped and stared at the unusual sight. Zen, of course, stood by her side as always, and they were taking turns at their communal meal. I didn’t know whether to laugh or be disgusted. It made for a comical situation and, in hindsight, I should have expected it. Rosewing and Zen were so inseparable that she probably thought of herself as part wolf, and I believed that Zen imagined himself to be just a differently shaped One. He was simply generously sharing his food with a fellow member of his pack.

  I tiptoed away to tell the others about what I’d witnessed. We’d always fed Zen the best of victuals and were very careful about what we put in his food dish, so I wasn’t overly concerned about it. Tracey, however, felt horrified.

  "She was eating out of his bowl?" she almost screamed. "Why didn't you are stop her?"

  "I didn't want to create a trauma that would lodge itself in her mind," I explained. "Yelling and shouting at that stage would have scared them both."

  "Stephen's right," Quina said, backing me up. "Making a fuss would simply reinforce the drama. Besides, she’s obviously been doing it for some time and it hasn't caused her any harm."

  "I agree with Quina," Trix declared. "When I was living in the wilderness, before I met you all, I used to eat all sorts of things to survive and it didn't cause any problems for me. In fact, I think I was healthier then than I am now. Hungrier, of course, but healthier."

  "So what are we going to do about it?" Thorn asked. "We can't let her keep doing it, surely."

  "No, imagine what the neighbours would say if they saw it," I smiled.

  "This isn't funny, Stephen!" Tracey scolded. "My baby is eating wolf food like a ….. a wolf!"

  "And she’s fine, dear heart," I soothed. "All we need to do is to break her of the habit. How about we simply put the bowl out of her reach? Then she won't be able to get to it."

  "Good plan," Quina agreed. "We'll put it on a little table so that Zen can reach it but not Rosewing. Then she’ll start eating with us again."

  And that's what we did. After a few days of sulking, and bestowing longing looks at Zen’s now inaccessible bowl, Rosewing consented to eat with the rest of us. Of course, we had to keep an eye on Zen as well because once or twice I’d caught him taking food from his bowl and dropping it on the floor in front of Rosewing who eagerly pounced on it and consumed it on the spot. We solved that little problem by feeding both of them at exactly the same time. Who said that raising children and wolves together was boring?

  Chapter 9

  Time flew past and Rosewing began walking. Non-stop. I never knew that anyone so small could have so much energy! Once she could walk, she quickly progressed to running and then she ran us ragged. She was forever darting off, with one of us chasing after her, fearing that she'd fall. And once again, I have to say, thank heavens for our Wolf Nanny because, no matter how fast Rosewing sprinted through the house, and how hard she tried, she couldn't beat Zen on speed. He was constantly beside her to stop her from falling over or tripping. That didn't prevent her from trying to outrun him, of course. It became a game for them both and we constantly heard her squeals of glee as she endeavored to win their races. However, it always ended up as a foregone conclusion because Zen was Super Wolf – faster than a speeding bullet and able to leap over tall furniture with a single bound. I felt a bit concerned about these contests, fearing that Rosewing would end up by being hurt, but that never happened. She had an incredible sense of balance and Zen was there to steady her if she stumbled.

  Our baby girl was now mostly independent. She fed, clothed and bathed herself with the utmost seriousness and strictly forbade anyone to help her. She grew up faster than I would have liked, and I couldn't believe that her baby days were already over. Tracey felt the same, because I’d often catch her looking nostalgically at Rosewing’s baby clothes, packed away in the cupboard. She'd look at me and sigh, so I’d give her a comforting hug and we'd spend the next ten minutes or so reminiscing about all little things our baby used to do that still tugged at our heartstrings.

  And then came the day that all parents secretly dread. I had temporarily revisited the human world for routine maintenance on my body and the urgent need to settle some outstanding bills. The usual half-hour stretched into four hours and both of my clones returned to our fairy home to find utter chaos.

  "Our baby is gone!" wailed a distraught Tracey, flinging herself into my arms as soon as she saw me.

  "What!" I exclaimed, looking over her shoulder at a grim-faced Thorn. "What do you mean – gone?" Tracey was too distressed to answer, so I looked to Thorn for an explanation.

  "Traculimna and I went shopping," she began, "and when we came back, Rosewing was missing. And so were Quina and Trix."

  "They’ve probably gone for a walk or something, surely," I argued.

  "That's what we thought at first," Thorn replied, "but the pram is still here, and so is Zen."

  Okay, so that made things a little less simple. Weight-wise, Rosewing wasn't a baby any more, so carrying her around would have been tiring, and Zen always accompanied us on any walks.

  "But where could they be, then?" I questioned in futility. "Did they leave a note, or anything?"

  "Not a thing," Thorn confirmed, frowning. "And that's what has us so worried. It's been hours now and not a single word."

  "What could have happened?" I wondered. "Where on earth could they be?"

  "And why?" Thorn asked. "What could possibly cause them to disappear without telling anyone?"

  "Have you checked with the neighbours?" I enquired. "Maybe one of them saw something."

  "We asked around," Thorn confirmed, "but everyone was indoors."

  "This is impossible!" I exclaimed. "I can't see any sense to it whatsoever."

  "My baby’s been kidnapped!" Tracey sobbed, lifting up her tear-stained face to me.

  "No, she hasn't," I reassured her, brushing her tears away with my fingertips. "She's with Trix and Quina, although I can't fathom why. If there’d been any trouble at all, Zen would be going berserk right now, but just look at him. He’s as cool as a cucumber."

  And it was true. Zen remained curled up on the floor, intently peering up at us all. He didn't seem in the least worried and that reassured me no end. He wouldn't have been so nonchalant if Rosewing had been in any danger.

  "No," I announced, "wherever they are, it's because they thought it was safer not to be here." A sudden thought occurred to me and I glanced down at Zen.

  "And they left Zen behind to tell us just that, otherwise they would have taken him as well. Trix must have told him to wait for us."

  "But why?" Thorn demanded in a frustrated voice. "Why didn't they wait to tell us themselves? What could possibly have been so dangerous that they had to leave so abruptly?"

  "Whatever happened, or was about to happen, must have occurred so quickly that they didn't have time to leave a warning," I speculated.

  "So how do we find them?" Tracey
asked, stridently. "How do we find my baby?"

  "That's why they left Zen," I replied, with abrupt inspiration. "He can track them."

  Chapter 10

  Without further ado, we decided to undertake a search for Rosewing and, for the first time ever, Tracey wanted to accompany us.

  "This is my baby we’re talking about," she insisted, when we questioned her persistence. "Do you seriously think I'd stay here while she's in danger?"

  "First of all, dear heart," I told her, "we don't know that she’s in danger. In fact, Quina and Trix are there to ensure that she’s not. Secondly, we need someone here in case they come back. I know how much you want to come along, but it makes a lot more sense to do it this way. Can you understand that?"

  "I suppose," she agreed, with the utmost reluctance. "Someone has to stay behind and I guess I'm the most qualified. After all," she added bitterly, "I don't have Arugohumna’s skills for the outdoor life. All I’m good for is to stay at home and I can't even do that properly. I can't even protect my own child!"

  "Stop that!" I scolded, taking her into my arms. "You're a marvellous mother! Nobody could have foreseen this, and I won't have you saying those things about yourself. You're a wonderful, caring parent and I defy anyone to disagree with me." Thorn also joined the hug and gave Tracey a consoling kiss on the cheek.

  "We'll find her, Traculimna," she promised. "Try not to worry. And Stephen's right. You're an incredible mother. Don't be so hard on yourself."

  "Easy for you to say," Tracey murmured, half-smiling and half-crying. "Waiting at home will be the hardest part of this whole affair."

  "I know it," I concurred. "Be strong, beloved. I won't rest until our daughter is safely back in your arms."

  "Don't be too long," she whispered in a broken voice. "I don't know how long I can stand being without her."

  "We'll be as fast as we can," I pledged.

  Thorn and I made hurried preparations for our investigation. Since we had absolutely no idea where the rest of our missing household had gone, we packed provisions for a lengthy search. Then we urged Zen to begin tracking Rosewing by letting him smell some of her baby clothes. As usual, my other clone stayed behind to comfort Tracey and to relay any information Thorn and I discovered.

  As we left, Tracey dissolved into tears and pleaded, "Stephen, please find my beloved Rosewing for me! I can't live without her."

  "We will," I told her, giving her a final, encouraging hug. "I swear we'll move heaven and earth itself until we do." I kissed her consolingly. "Just keep remembering that she's with Quina and Trix, so she’s not alone. We just don't know why, that's all. But we’ll find out, I promise you."

  "Hurry back," she whispered.

  "Stay strong," I murmured, giving her a last caress.

  Zen seemed to understand what we wanted, because he had no hesitation in leading us.

  "Where do you suppose they are?" Thorn asked.

  "I have absolutely no idea," I shrugged. "In fact, I haven’t the faintest notion of what's going on here. I think they ran away from something dangerous, but what? I don't understand anything at this stage. Hopefully, Zen will lead us to the answers."

  "Suppose Traculimna is right and they were kidnapped?" Thorn speculated. "What do we do then?"

  "I can't picture that scenario happening," I replied, thoughtfully. "Zen wouldn't have been peacefully waiting for us in a case like that. He'd be chasing the kidnappers until he either rescued Rosewing or died trying. He's a hundred percent loyal and totally devoted to her welfare."

  "You're right, of course," Thorn grunted. "So our theory is that Trix told him to wait for us?"

  "Unless you have a better one?" I enquired.

  "No," she agreed. "It fits all the facts, but we still don't know why. I mean, it doesn't make any sense! Why hide? And in such a hurry that they couldn’t even scribble down a line or two?"

  "It's a mystery all right," I conceded, "and all of our conjecture won't bring us any closer to the truth. We'll just have to be patient and trust in Zen’s nose."

  "I wonder where we'd be if Trix never found Zenith in the wilderness that day," Thorn reflected. * "He saved us on quite a few occasions in the past and now one of his puppies is still doing the same today."

  "I couldn't agree more," I told her, as we hurried after Zen. "And if you want to trace it further back, where would we be if we hadn't stumbled across Trix during that picnic of ours? ** Or, you could go right back to the very beginning, and consider what our lives would be like if I hadn't been walking in the woods the day I first met you."

  "Life’s full of these funny little coincidences, isn't it?" Thorn offered. "If any one of them hadn’t occurred, our lives would have been totally different."

  "I don't believe in coincidences," I stated. "Everything happens according to a plan. I agree with Quina’s ‘Thread of Destiny’ theory. I think we were all meant to find each other."

  "Be that as it may," Thorn said softly, taking my hand. "Thank heavens that it did happen, because it brought the two of us together and that’s something for which I’ll be forever thankful. I mean, if we’d never met, I’d probably still be the angry loner who spent all her time fighting with her sister."

  "I’m grateful too, sweetheart," I informed her, sincerely. "You've changed my life to one of joy and that's something I never thought would happen. If not for you, I’d still be the social misfit dreamer that I always was. We’ve all had our lives changed by each other, hopefully for the better."

  * See ‘Zenith (4)’

  ** See ‘Trix (3)’

  Chapter 11

  Zen showed no sign of slowing and, to my surprise, led us out of the settlement and into the surrounding wilderness.

  "Where on earth did they go?" Thorn demanded. "And why out here, of all places?"

  "It makes them harder to find, I presume," I reflected. "And remember that Trix was raised in the wilderness. She knows it like the back of her hand, so what better place to lose yourself in than here? I just wish I knew what was chasing them, if that's what happened."

  "My thoughts are chasing themselves around in circles," Thorn admitted. "I just can't see any logic to any of this."

  "Neither can I," I told her. "My mind’s a blank."

  "Well now, that's a first," Thorn remarked, glancing across at me with a sly grin. "I've never known you not to have a theory before. Usually, you have a bucket full of them."

  "Hey, all geniuses have an off day now and again," I informed her. "We can't be brilliant every single minute of the day."

  "So, you're a genius now?" Thorn questioned, her smile broadening.

  "An underrated one, yes," I confirmed modestly, buffing my nails on my shirt front. "Isn't it obvious?"

  "No, not really," Thorn smirked. "I only wish that Nix was here right now. He’d be having the time of his life with you."

  "Wouldn't he just," I agreed. "He’s the undisputed Master of Sarcasm. To return to our earlier theme, I wonder what would have become of him if not for us."

  "I guess he would have remained a One-hating borgulessa," Thorn replied. Then she paused, thoughtfully. "You know," she added, "all of these changes we've experienced are due to you, Stephen. If not for you being here, none of this would have happened."

  "It wasn't all one-sided," I protested. "You've changed me, too, you know, so don't blame me for everything. You’re all just as much at fault as I am."

  We stopped talking at that stage and concentrated on keeping up with Zen. It amazed me how fast he could move, even with his nose to the ground. His tracking ability was phenomenal, just like his father before him. I thought wistfully of Zenith, and wondered how he was coping in his role as patriarch of the Cave Wolf Clan. In my mind, Zen and Zenith intermingled because they were almost carbon copies of each other, physically and mentally. Zen may have been a little more impulsive, being younger, but the two wolves were identical in their devotion to our family. My thoughts turned to my daughter, Rosewing, and I prayed that she r
emained safe. I knew that Quina and Trix would never let her come to any harm if they had any say about it, but I wished I knew the circumstances behind this mystery. Without any facts to use as solid building foundations, my mind spun fantastic and horrific insubstantial, web-like story outlines, full of logical holes, but those billowing, theoretical structures made the heart beat faster with anxieties.

  An hour later, we were still following Zen.

  "Are they going to the ends of the earth or something?" Thorn grumbled. "Just how safe do they want to be?"

  "I'm worried too, beloved," I told her. "It must have been something terrible to drive them this far into the wilderness."

  "I just hope that Zen knows what he’s doing," Thorn told me.

  "So do I," I agreed.

  "Do you suppose this is simply a diversion?" Thorn mused.

  "What do you mean?" I asked, puzzled.

  "What if Trix told Zen to lead us in any old direction, just to get us out of the way," Thorn answered.

  "Why would she do something like that?" I demanded.

  "Who knows?" Thorn shrugged. "It makes as much sense as anything else in this crazy setup."

  "I suppose it does," I admitted. "Are you saying that we’re providing a distraction for whatever it is that’s chasing them?"

  "It's a possibility," Thorn declared.

  "But that means that whatever it is, it’s following us right now," I stated, reflexively looking behind us.

  "I'm afraid so," Thorn agreed.

  "I'm not sure that Zen would understand that sort of a command," I challenged. "I know he’s clever and everything but still ……"

  "It’s just a thought," Thorn acknowledged.

  "And it's as good a one as any," I confirmed. "We'll put it up there with all the other theories for now. We'll just have to wait and see which one of them is correct."

  Chapter 12

  Another hour went by and I wondered if Thorn’s latest theory happened to be the correct one after all. Where the hell was Zen leading us? Did he even know where to go? Maybe we were simply a distraction to give Quina and the others time to escape. I didn't really think so, but this whole affair seemed to be like groping in a dark room after a black cat, and I began to suspect that the cat wasn't even in the room, but was sitting outside on the fence, washing its face, and smirking at us.