"I let us get past the farm buildings and all before I grazed her flank again. 'I am sorry, rabbit,' I said, 'but you can see why I was so concerned about your exercise program. This is not the pace of a healthy rabbit.'
"She called back then, and she was panting some; she even got her voice to crack. 'Well,' she said, 'I...I think I could go a...a little faster....'
"I was so sure I had her. 'Do you think so?' I asked, and I graze her flank again, but a little harder this time.
"'Oh, yes, I think so!' she calls back, her voice suddenly strong as ever, and, whoosh, she's off at a dead run. We'd come to the southwest corner of the Brackens by then, and she leaped away up into those little rocky bluffs they have down there.
"Well, I let loose a snarl and took off after her, my paws slipping on the gravel as she darts up and up between the boulders, and it suddenly hits me how much my legs ache and how I'm panting for ev'ry breath. And that's when I know she'd been leading me on just so she could get to these bluffs and lose me. But I just snarled again and set my sights on that fuzzy little tail flashing through the boulders ahead of me. She wasn't gonna get away from me.
"She keeps leading me higher and calling back, 'It's up here,' and I keep lunging after her, just missing that tail ev'ry time. 'Not much farther now,' she says. 'Just around this corner.' I'm panting, ev'rything getting steeper and steeper. 'Right up here!' she calls back, and she jumps up onto this little ledge on top of the rock pile. 'This way,' she says and scampers away. I drag myself up onto the ledge, and I could feel the foam at the corners of my mouth." Bobcat swallowed at the memory. "I, well, I don't like to think what I woulda done if she'd been standing there.
"But she wasn't. The ledge was this narrow thing curled around a knob of rock right at the top of the whole pile of boulders. I could smell her trail going along the ledge and around the other side of this little knob, so I start stalking her, following her scent out onto the ledge. 'That's it,' I panted out. 'Rabbit stew! That's all...you're gonna...gonna be...good for...when I...when I...'
"I step past this knob of rock and I'm about to follow her around when something flashes on top of it, and she's standing up there saying, 'But you haven't seen the pit yet.' I try to turn, but the ledge is too narrow, and then she's jumping down at me, and wham! She slams into my left side while I'm half turned around. I stagger sideways with my breath whooshing out between my teeth....
"But the thing is, there's no sideways to stagger to, and over I go into empty air. I tumble down and land with a thump at the bottom of this pit."
Fisher was rolling in the dirt. "I love it!" she whooped out, and even Skink was making dry wheezing noises.
Bobcat's ears were heating up again, but he had to admit it was sort of funny. "It took me a couple minutes before I could get upright again and another couple before I could breathe right. And then I hear her voice calling down, 'It's a nice pit, isn't it? You see, the exercise comes in jumping out. That shouldn't be too hard for you; after all, you are in such good shape.'
"I snapped my head up. It wasn't that deep a pit, but her head against the open sky still looked awful far away. 'Rabbit...' I growled.
"'The name is Rix,' she says, 'Garson Rix. You might want to remember that. Now, you go find someplace else to play, okay, kitty? Some of my field crew's in the hospital because of you, and they'll be there a lot longer than it'll take you to climb out of this pit. But you just go on your way, and we'll forget all about it. Okay?'
"I couldn't believe it. I mean, this rabbit was trying to make a deal with me! All the way along, she'd had this plan, coming up with it right when she needed it, and all to get me to leave the other rabbits alone! I couldn't think of a single thing to say.
"So I just sit staring up at her, and she says, 'Look, I'm not going to tell anyone about this, and you sure don't have to if you don't want to. So just leave the Brackens alone from now on, and everything'll be fine, all right?'
"She seemed to be waiting for something, but I couldn't find a word. I kept thinking about what would happen if this did get out, that this rabbit had kicked me into a pit and was blackmailing me into leaving the Brackens alone. I was, well, I guess I was still stupid enough to have an ego, and it had just been severely bruised.
"When I still didn't say anything, Garson clicked her tongue at me. 'Poor little kitty,' she says at last. 'It could've been worse, you know. I could've let you go on a little farther and kicked you off the other side of the ledge. That's a lot farther down. But you just keep your distance from now on, and it'll never come to that, okay?'
"I just stood there and stared up at Garson's little head peering over the edge. Clueless, I think, is the best word to describe me right then.
"'Okay,' she says with a shrug. 'I'll leave you here to think things over.' And her head disappears from the circle of sky above me.
"Well, I nearly panicked right then and there. What if she brought someone else? What if a whole bunch of little rabbit heads suddenly popped up around the rim of the pit and started laughing at me? She'd said she wouldn't tell anybody, but then she was a rabbit, and ev'ryone knows that rabbits're the worst gossips anywhere.
"But then, ev'ryone knows that rabbits haven't got brain one in their heads, and ev'ryone also knows that no rabbit could ever outsmart anything tougher'n a carrot. This Garson Rix, I decided during the three hours it took me to climb outta that pit, was not your typical rabbit, nothing about her that'd make you think she was a rabbit except her long ears, fluffy tail and twitching nose. I also decided maybe I would lay off the Brackens for a while. I mean, she'd said she wouldn't tell anybody, and maybe she'd change her mind if I kept stumbling around. I was just completely dazed and confused, so I staggered home and went to bed."
Fisher was wiping the tears from her eyes. "I'm gonna have to look this Garson Rix up when we get back. I've heard good things about her from Leigh Thax, but nothing like this."
Bobcat held up a paw. "But you haven't heard the rest."
A grin curled through Fisher's whiskers. "There's more?"
"Oh, yeah." Bobcat shuffled in the dirt a little. "I almost wish there wasn't, but, well, you've come this far..."
"Certainly. By all means," Skink piped in from the edge of his rock. "I can hardly wait to hear."
Bobcat grimaced. "Yeah. Well, I sorta crept around for a few days, waiting for the comments and the snickering, but they never came. Even when I saw other rabbits in town or in the woods, nobody seemed to have heard the story. I got more and more curious about this Garson Rix; I mean, you talk about your prime opportunities! This thing that Garson had on me has to be right up there on the list, and she wasn't doing anything with it, just like she'd promised she wouldn't.
"I got to thinking that no one was gonna find out, and I was sorta thankful to Garson for keeping her word. When I was sober, that is. And I guess that wasn't all that often, when I think about it. There was something bad in the catnip that year--I don't know, too much rain or something--but sometimes, when I'd had a roll or three, I'd get this burning lump in my gut, and I'd think about this Garson Rix and what she had on me. And the hate I felt for her, it was, gods, I don't even like to think about it now.
"And one morning just before dawn a couple weeks after the whole thing with the pit, after a really, really bad night and still higher'n the top of the Bailey Oak, I stormed outta my hole and tore off toward Brackens Farms. I'm not really sure what I was thinking, but I guess I figured if I went somewhere where there were lotsa rabbits, I could work my way through them till I got to her. I mean, I was more than wasted, just completely gone.
"I remember getting to the Farms, and I remember tearing stuff up outta the ground and screaming a whole lot. It was still before dawn and I guess only the field supervisors were there, so I didn't do a whole lotta damage before Garson jumps out in front of me and shouts, 'Here we go, kitty! C'mon; let's play!'
"I took off after her like, well, like I wanted to kill her, more or less, and she raced away
from the Farms and up into the woods. I threw myself at her, trying to snap off that fuzzy little tail, but, well, she was fast and I was all catnipped up and besides, it turned out she'd been planning for something like this ever since our first run-in.
"She leads me up into the woods to a place she's fixed up, runs between two trees, slips to one side, and slams a paw down on the lever she'd put there. I go barreling past, the net underneath me goes snap, and I end up bundled into a little ball dangling from a tree branch, whap, out cold.
"Garson told me later that she left me hanging there, went back to the Farms and told everybody she was all right. Her boss said she could take the rest of the day off if she wanted to, so she said okay, circled back around to where she'd left me, and sat there next to the tree till I came to.
"I couldn't figure out what was going on. The 'nip had run its course, the hangover pricking at the base of my ears, but when I tried to shift around to see where I was, I hear Garson saying, 'What am I going to do with you, kitty? I thought we had an agreement?'
"By this time, I'd figured out I was tangled up in a net. 'What... Who... What...' I managed to say before the fur at the back of my throat got too thick. But I knew who, and I knew what, and, well, I think you can figure out how much of an idiot I felt like.
"Garson came around to where I could see her. 'I kept my part of the bargain, kitty,' she says. 'I'd hoped I wouldn't have to use this little item, but you forced the issue, and so here we are. Now, are we going to talk like reasonable folk, or am I going to start selling tickets to my new pin-the-tail-on-the-bobcat booth?'
"Whatever stupid pride I'd had was gone. 'Yeah, okay,' I said, 'we'll talk. But can't you let me down, please? I...I don't feel so good....'
"She goes back around behind the tree, and after a minute, I'm sliding downward. Then the ground's under me, the net's loosening, and I flop forward onto the forest floor. I just lay there awhile, my head feeling like some giant bell just waiting to slam out a clang and snap my neck clean off. But pretty soon I hear leaves crackling, and Garson's standing next to me.
"She clears her throat, and, oh how it echoed through my swollen head. 'All right,' I said without looking at her, 'you win. I give up. Go get your rabbit friends and staple me to the side of your barn; believe me, the way I'm feeling, I'd rather be skinned alive.'
"I heard her sigh. 'Well,' she said, 'I can see you're in no condition to talk right now. Can you walk any? It's not far.'
"I didn't know what she had planned for me, but I didn't care. A rabbit had beaten me, chewed me up and spit me out; whatever she was gonna do, I deserved every bit of it. I somehow got to my paws and trudged through the trees after her, my fur feeling like pins sticking into me and visions in my head of her taking me down to the Farms, all the rabbits gathering around, shaving me bald, burning my whiskers off, tying me up, and throwing me into the River. I couldn't've run even if I'd wanted to, and I didn't want to. All my stupidity had poofed away, and I saw that I was just this drunken idiot, not even a match for a rabbit.
"Well, Garson led me down and around the forest, and I had no idea where we were going. But at last she says, 'We're here,' and I look up to see this tree stump, all nicely carved and done up with awnings and flower boxes. 'You can stay in the guest room till you feel up to it, and then we'll have that talk.' And she opens the front door and ushers me in.
"The halls're big enough for me to walk through, and she opens a door into a cozy room that smells like lavender after a rain shower. 'Sleep it off,' she says. 'We'll talk this evening. Okay?'
"I couldn't move, kept expecting the torches and pitchforks, but Garson just pushed me into the room and closed the door. The pillows and blankets in the corner were too nice to ignore, and I was curled up and asleep before I could wonder what was going on.
"And when I woke up I don't know how long after that, I just lay there on the blankets and looked at the little fern garden outside the window. It was late in the afternoon, and I would've thought I'd dreamed the whole thing if it hadn'ta been for, well, the room and ev'rything. I heard scratching at the door, and Garson poked her head in. She asked if I was feeling better and asked me to stay for dinner."
Bobcat stopped, his head full of words and feelings, and looked off down the dusty path along the bluffs to the end of the valley where the sands of the desert glowed in the late-afternoon heat. "And we talked--I mean really talked--something I hadn't done with anyone in years, and, well, I'd never in my life talked to anyone like Garson before. We ended up getting along, I guess; at least she doesn't seem to mind that I come visit her every few days." He looked down the trail some more. "Gods, I miss her..."
Things stayed quiet for a while, the hot breezes chattering through the pinon pines, the sky a deep blue, sharp as the jags of rock poking up into it. Then Bobcat shook himself. "So, that's the story. Sorry I went on so long; it's just, well, I've been thinking about her and all that stuff a lot, maybe too much. A pretty good story, though, I think."
Fisher gave a chuckle. "I have got to meet Garson Rix when we get back. Anyone who tames wild beasts as a hobby..."
Skink laughed. "There is nothing," he declared, "like a humorous tale before dinner, and I would like, with your permission, Bobcat, to propose a toast to Ms. Garson Rix." He scuttled down from the rock and took up his little water bag. "May the Twelve watch over her and keep her from harm."
"Yeah," Fisher said, lifting her cup, "and maybe while they're at it they could spare a squint or two for a few other folk I don't think I need to mention."
Bobcat raised his canteen. "I'll drink to that." And he repeated Skink's phrase to himself as he drank, pretty sure by now that the Curials were out there somewhere and wondering if they were actually listening. He felt the hollow burning of those eyes, quiet at the back of his mind, and wondered if maybe the Blood Jaguar was listening, too. It struck him then, all at once and making him swallow more than just the water: the Plague Year, the Blood Jaguar, Kazirazif, everything they were heading toward and everything that was going down that trail into the desert with them.
And Bobcat couldn't help wondering if he would ever see Garson again.
Chapter Six: The Desert
So they ate and washed and filled their canteens and set off into the shadows settling around them. Down the trail between the bluffs they walked, the scuffling of the pebbles along the path sending echoes skittering over the walls.
The cliffs got higher and higher as the trail wound its way downward, got higher and drew away on both sides, the whole flat plain opening in front of them, and by the time the sun had dropped huge and angry red below the horizon ahead and to their right, they had come out at the base of the mountains and stood looking over the desert.
Bobcat had told himself he would be ready for it, but he wasn't. The desert to him would always be the place he had run out into so many years ago with no thought but to get away from where he was. It made him feel like a kitten all over again, the great plains rolling with nothing but sand and lesser serpents. And the sun glowered at the edge of it too much like those awful eyes that burned squirming up behind his forehead. The whole idea made him shiver there in the dry desert evening: sure, the Blood Jaguar was supposed to live on her Shroud Islands deep in the southern seas, but Bobcat could imagine her spending a lot of time in this place.
Fisher broke in on his thoughts: "If we keep up a good pace during the night, we oughtta get to Canyon Pienta just after daybreak. There's no water there, but there'll be shade, and we can camp for the day. Sound good?"
Skink rustled at Fisher's shoulder. "I know of this land only from my reading. The Lord Eft holds it in high esteem as many of my brethren call it home. But I can speak with no authority here; I will trust your judgement entirely."
"Yeah, whatever." Bobcat's sides were beginning to itch again. "The less time we spend out here, the better by me."
And so they started forward, the road still warm under Bobcat's paws, out into the desert. He concentra
ted on images of all the wonderful sunsets he had seen from the south parts of the Brackens when he and Garson would meet, all the evenings they'd spent there together, and that managed to keep those eyes at bay for most of the night, the breezes growing colder and slower till they dropped completely, the black quiet of the place settling like a sheet over Bobcat's back. Stars shone everywhere, crackling with the glint of shattered ice overhead, every once in a while sparking to life and tossing a shard to burn across the sky.
It could've been pretty, Bobcat told himself, and almost laughed aloud. He was shivering in the silence, scared to death that that growling would spring up behind him and he would turn to see that monstrous cat again. Every butte along the dark horizon seemed to be some huge, crouching thing waiting quietly beside the road for any travelers stupid enough to be wandering around out here in the middle of the night.
Every time they stopped to rest, Bobcat could almost feel eyes resting on him, not just the eyes that guttered inside his head, but other, external eyes. When they were moving, it was all right; he had other things he could brood on and worry about then. But when they were stopped and he was taking a quick leak behind a boulder, or when they settled beside the road for a breather and a little trail mix, the feeling of eyes in the night would come itching along through his cut-up sides.
Finally, about midnight, Bobcat couldn't keep quiet. "Something's out there," he whispered toward Fisher's ear.
Fisher nodded slowly, cracking walnuts between her paws. "Oh, yeah. Ever since we hit the desert."
"You mean..." He stared through the darkness at her. "You mean you knew?"
"Sure. Stands to reason. The Lord Kit Fox said we had to be more careful the closer we got to Meerkat Town. There's a lotta things out in this desert, and some of 'em look to the Strangler herself."
Skink's gray head appeared like a ghost at Fisher's shoulder. "Indeed. In my readings I have come across numerous references to Death cults among the mammalian, avian, and even reptilian communities. The desert, due to its relative inaccessibility and extreme climate, is a great attracter of such groups. We must remain vigilant."
The Blood Jaguar Page 11