by Des Hunt
Just when it looked as if Ivan was going to head-butt Crawford, officers grabbed him from behind.
Zac relaxed a little.
Too soon. Ivan managed to launch a ball of spit which hit Zac on the forehead before dribbling down his nose. The Russian then launched a string of swearwords at everyone within hearing.
‘Stop!’ yelled Sergeant Brown.
This had little effect. Ivan just aimed his words directly at her.
‘Bring him over here! And the other one.’
Ivan stopped only when he was forced to stand in front of the sergeant.
Instead of speaking, she looked from one to the other, taking in their injuries. They were not pretty. The lines down Ivan’s face were now black as if drawn with a felt-tip pen. The skin either side was blotched red and yellow. His lips were badly swollen. The lower one was held together by three stitches.
Yuri’s injuries were much worse. A line of twenty or so stitches stretched from his right eye down the cheek and onto his neck. There were smaller scratches either side. The whole of that side of his face was purple and bulging, with the eye closed and the mouth permanently open.
The injuries clearly affected Sergeant Brown. Instead of telling them off, she simply said, ‘Take them away.’
She then watched as they were led down the stairs and out the front door by three officers. One AOS officer stayed behind.
Zac had grabbed a serviette from the counter and cleaned his face by the time she came over and stood over him.
‘“She only scratched them”,’ she said, repeating Zac’s words from earlier. While she spoke quietly, Zac could sense the anger beneath. ‘That man had half his face torn apart. “Only scratched!” He’ll be scarred for life. I shudder to think what a major injury would look like in your eyes.’
‘That’s a bit harsh,’ said Crawford. ‘We hadn’t seen the other man’s injuries.’
She nodded. ‘I’m angry, but I would be even angrier if one of my officers had been attacked. Fortunately, they weren’t. But that now leaves me with the question of what to do with this animal. Obviously she is much more of a threat than you led me to believe.’
‘That behaviour would be abnormal for her,’ said Anna. ‘She must have felt extremely threatened to attack like that.’
Sergeant Brown stared at her, waiting for more.
‘She lived on a boat with lots of people around,’ continued Anna. She pointed to Zac and Jess. ‘These two could cuddle her. She even allowed them to hold her kitten.’
‘Do you think you can recover her safely?’
‘I’d like to try. She’s a very special animal. There are few like her anywhere. With Jess and Zac’s help I think we can calm her down and get her to somewhere safe.’
The sergeant pointed to the case on the floor beside Anna. ‘What have you got in there?’
‘First-aid gear. Collar and lead. A dart gun. Everything we might need.’
The police officer’s response was not immediate. She was clearly thinking through the possibilities.
‘All right,’ she said. ‘You and the two children will go with Constable Wilkins over there. You are under his command. What he says, goes. And that’s final. Understand?’
After making sure that everyone agreed, she went and spoke to Constable Wilkins at length. Zac could not hear, but didn’t need to. He had a good idea of what was being said, and even the thought of it was terrifying.
Chapter Thirty
Constable Wilkins set a brisk pace. At first they followed Lake Road alongside the dam, the wind whipping the water into waves high enough for spray to blow into their faces. The ducks had retreated to the shore where they huddled in groups, heads tucked under their wings. No other birds were around. The songs of the previous Saturday were replaced by the howl of wind through the tree tops.
Near the upper dam they crossed a suspension bridge before moving on to a gravel path that took them into new territory. They were now on one of the lesser-used tramping tracks that gave access to the upper valley.
Zac was beginning to realize just how difficult it would have been for the AOS to find the Neanderthals. Zealandia was much bigger than he had imagined and, unlike most of Wellington’s hills, it was thick with trees.
They climbed steeply on a track that was far from easy. Maybe this was a good thing: it took Zac’s attention away from thinking about Tasha, and what might happen when they got to her.
As they approached the ridge on the eastern edge of the sanctuary they moved off the track and into the undergrowth. Constable Wilkins seemed to have a great sense of direction because there were no obvious signs that anyone had passed this way before.
Their destination was a line of old pine trees. Sheltering in the lee of a thick trunk were the two other AOS officers. They had their goggles raised and mouth masks lowered, which, for the time being, made them look a little less scary.
‘Anything happening, Josh?’ asked Constable Wilkins.
‘Nah. She’s still in there,’ replied the taller of the two. ‘Still giving us the evil eye.’
‘These people think they can tame her,’ said Wilkins.
‘They can try, but I don’t hold out much hope. She looks pretty mean to me.’
‘Let’s go and have a look,’ said Wilkins. He turned to Zac, Jess and Anna. ‘You stay here. We need to think this through. Don’t move until I come back for you.’
Before moving off, all three officers replaced their goggles and masks. Zac wasn’t sure if this was to give protection from the wind or from Tasha. If they’d seen the Neanderthals’ faces, then it was likely to be the second.
With rifles held at the ready, they moved along the line of trees to where one had blown over, leaving its roots sticking into the air. It had not fallen in this storm, as the needles still attached to the branches were brown. The trunk had been cut in half with a chainsaw.
The men became more cautious as they got closer. When they were about ten metres away they stopped and pointed the rifles into the hole where the roots had once been. That had to be where Tasha was hiding.
Jess grabbed Zac’s arm. ‘These people scare me,’ she said, in a hoarse whisper.
‘They won’t shoot her,’ said Anna, in what was meant to be a reassuring voice.
Not yet, thought Zac. But they will if we don’t get this right.
As if reading his thoughts, Jess asked, ‘How are we going to do this? Use the Roldee?’
‘I didn’t bring it.’
‘What?’
‘The battery’s flat from yesterday. There wasn’t time to charge it.’
‘It could have been charging while we were waiting in the café,’ said Jess, her voice tinged with anger.
‘I didn’t know we would have to wait that long,’ replied Zac. ‘Anyway, I think the Roldee would only scare Tasha more. The Neanderthals probably used that tune to find her in here. To her it’s now a signal for danger.’
Jess gave the slightest of nods. ‘Probably.’ She squeezed his arm tightly. ‘Oh Zac, I’m so scared.’
Zac had no response to that.
All this time the three men had stood by the upended tree, their rifles still pointing into the hole. Whatever they had to talk about was taking some time.
When eventually they did move, only two returned down the slope. The third remained on guard.
‘She’s still there,’ said Constable Wilkins. ‘And still looking mean.’ He turned to Anna. ‘How much of the animal do you have to see to use that dart gun?’
‘Either the fore- or hindquarters. The dart has to penetrate muscle.’
‘What about the head? That’s all we can see of her.’
Anna shook her head vigorously. ‘No way! If the dart hits the skull it will just bounce off. Anyway, there’s too great a risk of damaging her eyes or nose. I have to be able to see the side of her.’
Wilkins was silent for a time. With his face hidden by goggles and mask, it was impossible to know what he was thinking.
‘What if the kids can convince her to come out? Could you dart her then?’
‘I could, but it might be dangerous. If she’s frightened, the dart will just add to the fear. There’s no predicting what she might do.’
‘She could attack them?’
Anna lowered her head. ‘I can’t rule out that possibility.’
Constable Wilkins threw up his arms. ‘Great!’ he said. ‘So you’re asking me to just let these two kids go up there and talk to her. If they convince her to come out, what do we do? Just watch and hope?’
‘We’ll be able to get her out,’ said Jess.
Wilkins turned on her. ‘You haven’t seen what she’s like up there. She’s no friendly pussy cat, I can tell you.’
Anna opened her case, taking out a collar and a rope lead which she clipped to a belt around her waist. ‘If she comes out,’ she said, ‘we’ll try and get these on her. If that works, I’ll give her a sedative.’ She took out a kit bag which also went onto the belt.
‘And if it doesn’t work?’ asked Wilkins.
Anna’s voice went very quiet. ‘Then I think you know what you must do, constable.’
Wilkins’ reply was equally low. ‘Yes. I do.’ He turned to Zac and Jess. ‘You understand what we’re talking about?’
They each nodded.
‘Thank you. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.’ A pause. ‘Okay, we’d better get on with it. When we get up there you are to move forward until you can see the cat. Then you stop. No matter what happens, go no closer. Do not go to her if she comes out. In fact, do not move from that place until I give the word. That allows us about eight metres to decide what she’s going to do. Any questions?’
There were none.
They waited another minute while Anna prepared the dart gun.
When she was ready Wilkins took a radio off his belt, pressed a button and spoke. There was a brief interchange before the radio was hooked back in place.
‘All right,’ he said, ‘we have the okay to proceed. Now, let’s keep the approach quiet. Our communications will be by short-range radio. Yours will be by whispers. That’s if you have to speak at all.’ His voice dropped and said something that was obviously directed at the other officers.
Zac had no problem keeping quiet. He was so frightened that speaking seemed impossible. His heart thumped so loudly he worried that the noise might upset the officer.
When they reached the upended tree, Wilkins signalled them to stop. The officers arranged themselves in position: Wilkins facing the hole, the other two standing to one side; all had a clear view of the space in front of the roots.
After Wilkins gave them another signal they moved forward, Zac and Jess in front, with Anna a couple of steps behind.
Zac’s eyes were fixed on the hole as each step let them see a little more. The depth surprised him. It went through his mind that it was a good hiding place. But its depth was also going to make the rescue difficult. If Tasha didn’t come out, then there was nothing they could do to make her.
He expected to see her ears first — sticking up and alert. But it wasn’t like that. Her ears were down.
They took another step and stopped. Not because this was what Wilkins had told them to do. Everything he’d said was lost for the moment as they stared at Tasha.
Her ears were pinned to her head, her teeth were bared, her eyes dark with fear. This was no longer the gentle animal that had purred when stroked on her bed in Hermit’s Hole. This was a wild animal, terrified by what was happening. Terrified and dangerous.
‘Oh, Tasha,’ whispered Zac. ‘What have they done to you?’
Chapter Thirty-one
Jess was the first to recover from the shock of Tasha’s appearance.
‘Tasha,’ she called, softly.
There was no reaction from the animal.
Jess called again. This time louder. ‘Tasha!’
Nothing.
Zac called. ‘Tasha!’
Her ears raised a little.
‘She heard that,’ whispered Anna.
Zac held out his arms, the way he did when greeting her in Hermit’s Hole.
‘Come here, Tasha,’ he called, in a soothing tone.
Her eyes moved until she was looking directly at Zac.
‘Try it again,’ said Jess.
He did. This time her nose rose a little.
‘She’s trying to smell you,’ said Jess.
‘The wind’s blowing your scent away,’ said Anna. ‘If she doesn’t get the right smell, she won’t come out.’
Zac checked the wind direction. It was coming into his left shoulder from behind.
‘We need to move around a bit so the wind is right behind,’ he said.
Anna turned to Wilkins. ‘Can we move to one side?’
After a short conversation through the radio, he nodded. ‘No more than three metres.’
They made the move.
Once more, Zac held out his arms and called. Her ears came up until she was looking more like the Tasha they knew. But still she stayed put.
If only I could get closer, thought Zac.
He turned to the constable. ‘Can I move closer?’
‘No!’ came the curt reply.
Zac thought for a time before putting his hand in a pocket and pulling out a handkerchief, filthy and wrinkled from a week of use. It was his sweatband, hand towel and occasional nose wipe. Most importantly, however, it was full of the scents from his body.
Before anyone had a chance to stop him, he crushed it into a ball and tossed it towards the hole.
Tasha pulled back in fright as the handkerchief landed less than a couple of metres from her face.
‘Good shot,’ whispered Jess.
Zac wasn’t so sure. Tasha’s ears had pulled back against her head. If anything, she looked more scared than before.
They waited.
Bit by bit, Tasha relaxed. She began to show interest in the handkerchief: first with her eyes, then her nose. The scent must have been right for she stretched forward a little.
‘Tasha,’ Zac called again, softly, his arms extended.
She looked up. Her eyes widened, as if she recognized who it was.
‘Come here, Tasha.’
This time she moved her body. Slowly, she crept forward until she was at the handkerchief. Her nose investigated it at length. She looked up and sounded a small meow.
‘Yes, Tasha,’ said Zac. ‘It’s me. You can come.’
The invitation was cautiously accepted. When she got to the mouth of the hole, she stopped to assess the situation. She took in the group directly in front, before scanning across to the AOS officers.
Zac held his breath. If she viewed these men as the enemy, then they were lost.
She kept staring at them.
Behind Zac, Wilkins murmured something. The two officers at the side lowered their rifles until they were pointing to the ground.
That was all that was needed. Tasha turned to focus on Zac, taking the first tentative steps towards him.
‘That’s right, Tasha,’ Zac said, breathing once more. ‘Come to me.’
Although still unsure, she walked forward, relaxing a little with each step.
Zac held back, even though everything told him he should go to her. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that the rifles had been raised again.
Now she was within touching distance. He lowered his hand so that she could sniff it.
Crack!
The sound exploded from the side, filling the space with its noise.
Zac leapt into the air as if he was the one who’d been shot.
Tasha was flat on the ground.
He looked at her in dismay. They shot her! They shot her!
Anna’s arm touched his shoulder. ‘It’s all right, Zac. It’s all right! The noise was a branch breaking. Not a shot.’
Zac turned. She was pointing to the side, behind the two officers. His eyes followed the line to a branch that was now dangling in
the wind.
When he looked back at Tasha, she was on her feet and moving, scampering back to the hole.
‘Tasha!’ he called. ‘No!’
But Tasha was gone.
‘Dart her!’ yelled Wilkins. ‘Do it now!’
Anna stepped between Jess and Zac, raising the dart gun. She fired.
The dart went high, sticking into an exposed root.
‘Blast!’ said Anna. Her free hand went to the kit bag.
Zac turned and saw that Wilkins had his rifle up, aimed at Tasha’s rump. He was going to shoot.
‘No!’ Zac cried.
‘Give me a moment to reload,’ said Anna. ‘I’ll get her next time.’
Wilkins lowered the rifle a little.
Tasha was still head first in the hole. She was moving, but not in a way that suggested she was going to crawl all the way in. It seemed like she was looking for something.
‘Ready,’ said Anna, stepping forward again.
‘Wait!’ yelled Zac. ‘Not yet!’
‘What’s the hold-up?’ demanded Wilkins.
‘She’s going to be all right,’ pleaded Zac. ‘Please wait.’
‘Look!’ cried Jess.
Tasha was now backing out of the hole. When she had enough room, she turned and faced them.
Zac clenched his fists. ‘Yesss!’ he hissed.
‘Oh my god!’ cried Jess. ‘She’s got Alex!’
Behind them, Wilkins said something. The officers relaxed.
Tasha was moving forward now. Alex’s feet were wriggling, searching for something to grip.
Without hesitation, Tasha walked up to Jess and Zac. Jess put out her cupped hands, and Tasha placed the kitten into them.
‘Thank you, Tasha,’ whispered Jess.
Zac dropped to his knees and put his arms around Tasha’s neck. ‘Well done, Tasha. You’re safe now.’
In reply, she gave a couple of chirps.
‘Put this on her,’ said Anna, holding out the collar. Tasha saw it and sat, knowing exactly what was expected of her.
After clipping the lead on, Zac stood and turned until he was facing Wilkins. Tasha took up the position beside him, ready for her walk.
Wilkins had lifted his goggles and lowered his mask. He was shaking his head in disbelief.