“Uh, good day, Cross-eye. You wouldn’t mind, perhaps, if we discussed this further. After all, Buttons here . . .” he turned to glance down at his friend who was slowly sagging to the ground, “uh well, she appears somewhat frayed around the edges.”
Cross-eye and Toby quickly forgot the small squirrel in their fear for Buttons. She was indeed beginning to wilt. Exhaustion, fear for Sally . . . .
All three with one thought turned and made for the swamp’s shore. What had happened? Sara had disappeared so fast. And then there was the fight to finish. Buttons had done what she had always done when she heard Iggy’s voice as he fell. She knew what he would do. But, Sara? What had happened there?
As the three moved through the sand, Delph suddenly emerged from the swamp, a living torpedo of death roaring challenge upon challenge upon the inhabitants of Elderwood. He skidded to a halt as he viewed the three, with Iggy lagging behind. At least Iggy was glad to see him because as Delph burst into view, the small squirrel immediately raced for him, taking refuge between the eye knobs of the alligator who was pleased by the greeting.
Toby and Buttons could only glance at one another and shrug. Cross-eye grinned. His pleasure was real for he loved the irrepressible squirrel in his own way. Iggy had always been with him when he was a kitten. For that, the cat would even take on his best friend, Toby. Both knew it would never be necessary.
Buttons grunted once again. The others turned to see who was approaching now. Ssserek moved into view and slithered up the sand more leisurely. He was saddened by what he saw, but he never mentioned his fears for each of them, or the many doubts that had assailed his mind as he moved north. Clearly, the two felines had managed. Best of all, the squirrel, that tiny morsel of a squirrel, that maddening creature, that . . . somehow, he had done the impossible, reaching Sara, the smallest of dragons and friend to them all.
The rattlesnake smiled broadly. Only those who truly knew him could face that smile and actually greet the snake with genuine warmth in their voices.
Iggy leaped from Delph’s shoulders and raced to face Ssserek. “Wow, Ssserek, you should have seen it. The greatest battle I’ve ever seen. These guys were fantastic.” Then, his head dropped. “But, I . . . I don’t know about Sally. Sara took her up until . . . until even I couldn’t see her.”
Buttons simply sat and watched, never taking her eyes from the snake’s face. With his appearance, doubt and fears had disappeared. Still, she couldn’t completely dissipate the gnawing she felt deep in her body.
“Then listen my young friends. Listen well.”
He looked down on the small black dog as Delph approached, laying his head so that his nose just touched Buttons’s hind quarters. Iggy and the other two gathered about. Even JW, whose presence had been ignored throughout the fight, settled to the sand, his eyes wide with amazement. Of the relationship between snake and dog, he, like every inhabitant of the forest, knew, but never believed. From that time on, he would speak of it with wonder, and, for a crow, in soft tones.
“Delph and I met less than half of the way to our northern destination. We naturally compared notes, and as you will have guessed, the raven’s small minion of a cowardly blackbird had told us similar but differing tales. They did indeed got our attention, but we embarked reluctantly. Only slightly later, one of J. Wellington Crow’s friends caught us and told us the real truth.”
JW smiled and nodded with great pleasure, but could only nod his agreement. “Harumph,” he whispered. “Throat’s sore from yelling alarms! You do see?” He gazed down upon Buttons who smiled happily.
She rose slowly, her muscles aching badly from the fighting. She approached the large crow who slowly backed away, his eyes wide with amazement as Buttons stopped before him. Rising to a sitting position, she simply licked his beak once and returned to her friends. She smiled once again, with all of her companions joining in. “I understand, JW. We understand.”
The two felines would have joined JW, but Ssserek grunted. The two stopped immediately. As they looked at Ssserek, they both realized that JW had, indeed, almost more than he could tolerate. The excitement of the battle, Buttons, the bleeding and dying Sally, Sara, a dragon of all things, and two creatures such as Cross-eye and Toby, whose fights and roaming mischief within the Great Forest were already lengendary at their young ages. No! Those two he would best keep at a great distance.
Instead, Toby and Cross-eye simply nodded. “Our many thanks, great crow. You have done us, and Buttons, a great service this day. Many thanks.”
As for JW, this was something indeed to crow over for many a year. And, to the dismay of his many friends, he did indeed do just that.
Ssserek had waited patiently as Buttons and the cats showed their appreciation. It was only fit that they do so. Delph was not so sure. Besides, he wanted to hear all of the story. He grumbled mightily, nudging Iggy who happened to be leaning against his snout into a rolling ball of mud, muck, and leaves.
Iggy leaped to his feet when Ssserek suddenly dropped his head to be on eyelevel with Iggy. Ssserek smiled, as Iggy shuddered, “Well, you see, we immediately realized the significance of what the small blackbird had reported and returned as quickly as we could. You, Iggy, can tell us what happened next. Right?”
Looking Ssserek directly in the eye at close range was not what Iggy would have preferred. He could only stutter. “Well, well, you see. Ah, gee whiz, Ssserek. You know, I don’t know how I did it. When I really need her, she’s simply there. You had a word for it. But, well, but . . . I can’t remember things like that.”
Iggy rapidly backed away so that he stood far enough back to see all of the great snake. That was close enough.
Ssserek smiled and was about to speak when Buttons looked up in quick anticipation. She yipped as she began to wiggle, hope and fear chasing one another across her face.
Cross-eye nudged Toby who had had little experience with the smallest dragon. Iggy had told Cross-eye repeated tales about the dragon. Well, he could wait.
Buttons was standing straight and square as the small dragon leveled out above the swamp and drifted into a neat landing pattern. But she was watching for Iggy who had raced down to the water’s edge. Just in time to see one of Sara’s wings catch itself upon a tall clump of brush.
“Whoops,” she yelped in surprise as she somersaulted into a splashing heap of soft brown fur tangled in weed and old broken tree limbs.
Iggy shrieked as he raced into the water, only to disappear beneath the surface of the swamp.
Toby took two quick bounds and was in the water, reaching beneath the surface as Iggy emerged atop Sara’s nicely rounded skull, her small ears deceptively laid back along her head.
Toby’s nose almost met Sara’s directly on as he, too, rose from the water, decaying rottening vegetation hanging from his nose.
Sara could only giggle as she nodded in agreement, almost sending Iggy once again into the swamp.
“And, you must be Toby. Nice to meet you. Iggy has such tales to tell about you two. I’m most honored.”
Toby could only mutter as Sara rose slowly from the swamp, Iggy’s arms tightly clamped about her neck. She was impressive, even disheveled as she was. The young bobcat backed slowly up the beach, never taking his eyes from the form of Sara whose bright eyes and smile had totally captivated him.
Toby was even more impressed as Ssserek and Delph approached and slowly bowed.
“Good evening, Princess Sarandra. Once again, you have come to our rescue.”
Delph pushed forward. Like the others, he loved the young princess. But he was, after all, an alligator. In this case, he spoke for all.
“Princess.” His voice was filled with worry and deep anxiety. He knew both Buttons and Sally so well.
Sara placed one soft paw on Delph’s head. “Not to worry, great friend to our Buttons and Sally. Our beagle recovers slowly, but will do well.”
She looked around. “Indeed, we need to be underway if we are to return before sunset
.”
She beckoned to Cross-eye, “Come, my feline friend. You fight like a bobcat, almost.”
Cross-eye smiled and grinned at his close friend. He displayed the claws upon his right paw. Wide for a tomcat, they in no way matched his friend’s. “Well, if I chew his down a bit, I might make it.” He grinned once again.
Cross-eye approached Sara as Toby was about to respond. Turning, he said to Toby, “Well, friend, you can hold on to me. Come on.”
With that and a supple leap, he sat upon Sara’s shoulders, just behind Iggy, who was grinning hugely, enjoying the scene as he did.
Toby began to back away, but found himself leaning against Ssserek who raised one eyebrow.
“Uh, guess you’re right,” he grinned as he quickly regained some composure. He was soon beside Cross-eye, and the two felines hugged Sara as best they could for they quickly found out that however sharp their claws, they could barely get a grip on her soft fur.
Cross-eye winked as they took flight. He had known. Nonetheless, like Toby, his stomach took off as they rose almost too quickly and could not meet Toby’s sickish grin for several moments.
Ssserek heaved a sigh of relief. With the two cats and Iggy out of the way, it was only necessary to have Buttons mount behind Delph’s eye knobs, and they were off.
Above them, JW flew to and fro, announcing the great news to all the creatures of the Great Swamp. Ssserek could only smile as Delph and Buttons traded jokes. If JW had appeared to play a slightly greater-than-great role in the whole affair, why not? He deserved it.
Soon, they were approaching Brokenleaf Beach upon which Sally was now resting among Sara and those who came with her. It would be several weeks before she could again roam the field and forest. It was Iggy who spotted the snake and alligator with Buttons sound asleep between Delph’s eye knobs as he wandered toward the beach.
He had turned to watch Sara as she spoke with his friends. Normally, the small squirrel would have been miffed, if not outright jealous, at such a sight. Not now. He felt so happy seeing her again. His heart was full of her as he rambled down the beech. Spotting JW who stood watch alone at water’s edge, Iggy strolled up, and leaning against the highly surprised crow, murmured, “Some day, old friend, huh?”
JW only nodded. He wanted to say something that would put the impudent scamp in his place. Instead, he simply nodded, “Indeed, indeed!”
The End
Table of Contents
Cover Page
The Adventures of Button
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Preface
Ssserek’s End
The Story of Delph
Buttons and Great Horde of Rats
Mommy Kitty
How the Littlest Dragon Saves the Day
The Raven of Elderwood
The Adventures of Button Page 19