by David Weber
“Perhaps letting you take those law courses wasn’t a good idea after all, Ms. Harrington. You have the makings of a bedroll lawyer.” Chief Ranger Shelton steepled his fingers and peered thoughtfully at his two probationary rangers. “Still, that’s an interesting point. I’ve been reading the interim reports from both Dr. Whitaker’s expedition and Dr. Radzinsky’s team. Certainly the balance seems to be tipping in favor of ruling the treecats as at least marginally sentient.”
Karl nodded. “We’ve been looking at those, too. I must say, sir, with all due respect, that I think the question of sentience is settled. The level, now—that’s quite different. Dr. Whitaker’s in favor of a higher ranking. Dr. Radzinsky’s arguing for a lower one, especially since there’s no evidence the treecats have any form of writing or even a complex spoken language.”
“I expect,” Shelton said, “the debates will continue for a long while to come. And even when the scientists have submitted their papers, the question of the treecats’ legal status will take even longer to settle.”
He sat in thoughtful silence for long enough that only Lionheart’s calming presence stopped Stephanie from fidgeting.
“Still, I think it would be all for the best if in this instance we erred on the side of protectiveness,” he said finally. “We don’t want future generations to judge us for knowingly letting an entire group of ‘people’—no matter how unsophisticated—freeze and starve through our inaction.”
He sighed. “I mean, we drop hay for near-deer and prong bucks. The only thing that makes this different is that problem of interference—”
“—with a pristine indigenous population,” Stephanie and Karl chorused, made a bit giddy by relief.
“Yes. For that reason, I think that, other than suggesting a location, it would be better if the SFS didn’t take an official role. From the images Anders and Jessica sent, this Skinny ’Cat Clan is fairly small. Could you arrange for, say, Chet’s truck and a few other vehicles to be in the area on a day to be named later? I’ll make certain neither of you are on the duty roster that particular day. In fact, it might be a good time to arrange a field trip for all our anthropologists to some distant location. . . .”
“Yes, sir!”
“Anders won’t mention any of this to his father?”
“He hasn’t so far, sir,” Stephanie said, “and he and Jessica have known about this the longest of anyone. By the way, in case you didn’t know, they took Survivor back to his clan yesterday.”
“I’d heard. Very well, start making arrangements. These maps narrow possible relocation areas, but we’ll need to make sure prospective locations are indeed uninhabited. Recruit Jessica Pheriss and Scott MacDallan to help with that—we’ll need Fisher and Valiant to help scout, since treecats are so good at hiding from humans. I’ll be in touch. For now, you’re dismissed.”
Stephanie shot to her feet. She was halfway to the door when she turned and blurted out impulsively. “Thank you, sir. I hope I can be half as good a ranger as you.”
Chief Ranger Shelton smiled. “Go. We’ve got a job to do.”
* * *
Keen Eyes had expected the strange sense of dislocation he had felt since he had been wounded by Swimmer’s Scourge to fade once he was home again with his clan, but he found that it persisted. Even when he learned that he had not been abandoned, that his hopelessly calling mind-voice had been heard and a group had been on their way to get him when the flying thing had landed, he still felt isolated. He had spent time with the mind healers and that always helped, but when he was alone, he found himself remembering the twisted violence that had been Swimmer’s Scourge. And the violence it had evoked within him, as well.
He reassured himself that all would be well when they moved to their new territory. That the two-legs planned to help the clan was certain now. For the last few days, the clan had been visited by those People who had bonded with two-legs and their partners. Each of the People had carried with him a scout’s report of places the two-legs hoped would serve the clan’s need. Even Sour Belly’s attitude had softened when he realized how hard the two-legs were working to assure the Landless Clan would be landless no more.
The two-legs had also shown the clan images of all those places—images that moved and made sounds. Marvelous though they were, they told less than the mind pictures of the People who had also seen them, but Keen Eyes and his clan mates had realized the reason the two-legs had shown the images to them. They had tasted the question and the desire in the two-leg mind-glows and known the two-legs wanted them to choose from among all the possible ranges and indicate which they preferred.
In the end, the clan had chosen a place where swaying fronds grew tall in the shade of the net-wood trees, for this reminded them of their former home. The area was well watered, and possessed both flint for tools and some hard red clay that shaped well. The new land was less high in the mountains than their former range had been, and untouched by the ravages of the past fire season. Storing supplies away for winter would not be impossible.
Keen Eyes was sitting high in a golden-leaf when he heard Nimble Fingers calling out to him.
When Nimble Fingers arrived, Keen Eyes saw the other had recovered well from his wounds. Except for some patchiness to his fur and the tattered state of his damaged ear, he looked much as he had when Keen Eyes had first met him. Nimble Fingers had with them a female Person of considerable presence. For a moment, Keen Eyes thought Nimble Fingers had brought his mate, but the female’s mind-glow was so powerful that he immediately knew her for what she was.
Perfect Recollection spoke to all the clan.
Her mind-glow was so vibrant and her passion to provide help was so strong that there was no need for discussion. Tiny Choir scampered forward and embraced Perfect Recollection, twining her tail around the other’s in spontaneous joy.
Keen Eyes found himself purring. A clan needed a memory singer to be truly a clan. He groomed his whiskers and reached to pat Nimble Fingers in thanks.
The sound of one of the two-legs’ flying things broke into the celebration. Perfect Recollection announced,
When the flying thing touched down a few moments later, they discovered that Climbs Quickly was not the only Person it had carried to them.
Song Spinner, a dignified female of some years, spoke for herself.
Perfect Recollection spoke for the clan.
A ripple of understanding flowed among the clan members, but there could be no doubt that all the Swaying Fronds Clan were thrilled by this second promising omen for their future.
Let neither of us be senior or junior, for what we have to share differs in substance but not in value.>
Song Spinner flirted her tail in happy acceptance.
Joy washed over the gathered People. Tiny Choir bounced, her mind-glow alight with pleasure mingled with brilliant streaks of relief. Keen Eyes knew the kitten would have tried her best to serve as memory singer, but that role was a huge responsibility even for an adult, which was why most clans had more than one. Now she could grow and learn as a kitten should. Keen Eyes had no doubt that someday Tiny Choir would be a legend among the People.
Looking over his rejoicing clan, Keen Eyes noticed that Death Fang’s Bane stood near the flying thing. The darkness of tension that had shadowed her mind-glow was fading away as it became very obvious that the people of Swaying Fronds were welcoming their new members. Behind her stood Shadowed Sunlight. The tall, dark young male always seemed to vanish behind the brilliance of Death Fang’s Bane’s powerful mind-glow, but today—
Keen Eyes shook his head so hard his ears flapped. Nimble Fingers said something to him, but though they stood close enough to touch, Keen Eyes felt as if a sudden, unexpected brilliance was making him blind to the other’s contact.
He raced forward, leaping from limb to limb until he stood in the net-wood closest to Shadowed Sunlight. But this was a Shadowed Sunlight he had never seen, never tasted before. His mind-glow held subtle hues that reached and touched Keen Eyes, fitting into place as to pieces of a broken pot fit together.
Shadowed Sunlight was turning, turning, his mind-glow brightening as he realized the source of the feelings flooding into him. Again Keen Eyes was impressed by the strength of this young two-leg. Death Fang’s Bane was the flash of light on water, of sunlight blazing against the sky, unmistakably brilliant, but Shadowed Sunlight was the force that held the trees tall, the rock that carried the weight of all the land.
Keen Eyes dropped from the net-wood branch and landed, carefully keeping his claws sheathed, trusting the other to catch him. He laid a true-hand on his new partner’s cheek.
“Bleek!” he said.
And he felt Shadowed Sunlight laugh, the shadows vanishing from his heart forever.
22
On the day of the Big Move, Anders drove the air van. His dad’s entire crew, plus Dr. Radzinsky’s x-a’s, were all on a special field trip hosted by none other than Chief Ranger Shelton himself, with Senior Rangers Ainsley Jedrusinski and Frank Lethbridge as support. The SFS had even supplied vehicles, officially because they would be going into some rough terrain.
The real reason, of course, was that this way there was no chance any nosy x-a—Duff DeWitt immediately sprang to mind—would slip away and show up where he wasn’t wanted.
A lot had happened over the last few days. Anders’ breaking up with Stephanie had been superseded by the amazing news that Karl had bonded with Survivor. When Anders commed to congratulate him, Karl had shaken his head in obvious wonder.
“I get the feeling Survivor had been through too much. I know what that’s like, really. So I guess we’re both survivors, but we’re survivors looking into the future, not back at the past.”
The Skinny ’Cat Clan took the invasion of air vehicles with composure. Chet was there with his truck. Christine, for once, didn’t ride with him, but came in her family’s flatbed. Karl had arrived in one of his family’s heavier farm vehicles. Toby had borrowed a van used by his church. Stephanie had the bulky vehicle her mom used for moving plants. And Jessica was flying her family’s battered sedan.
Mostly the humans stood around waiting and keeping out of the way. Loading was arranged by the treecats themselves.
“Now I know what it’s like to be a chauffeur,” Stephanie laughed. “Remember everybody, when we leave we’re staying below the tree line.”
Chet’s laughter shook the air. “We’ve filed the flight plan, ma’am. We’ll follow orders.” In a softer voice, he said to Anders, “That girl is wasted as a forest ranger. She should be commanding battle fleets.”
“You going to tell her that?” Anders grinned.
“Oh, no. I like Stephanie a lot, but I’d never try to tell her anything.” Chet looked appreciatively over to where Christine was tying down a net over a heap of treecat luggage. “Actually, I wouldn’t try to tell Christine anything, either. That’s the secret to a happy relationship. No one is boss. . . .”
He clapped Anders on the shoulder, sympathy guy-fashion, and hurried off to pull away an inquisitive group of kittens who apparently thought they could fly his truck.
Given all the advanced planning, it should have been no surprise that the relocation went smoothly. At last, Anders unloaded a heap of handmade cord that his father would have loved to have for his collection, wondering vaguely if treecats had something like ropewalks. Then he stepped back.
“I guess we’re done,” he said.
Karl nodded. “I’m still learning how to read Survivor, but I think what I’m getting is ‘Thanks so much, folks, but we’re fine,’ from his family. They need to settle in without us around.”
Jessica came up, Valiant riding on her shoulder. “I’m getting the same feeling. Should we clear out?”
Stephanie nodded. “Let’s. My folks said everyone was welcome back at our place for a picnic and some hang-gliding.”
“We’ll be there,” Christine said, “after we drop off my parents’ truck and grab our rigs.”
“Me, too,” Toby agreed. “I don’t want to keep the church’s van, though. Can someone give me a ride?”
“Sure,” Chet said. “No problem.”
“I can come straight out to your place, Steph,” Jessica said quickly. “I’ve got my gear in the trunk.”
Anders hesitated. These days, he wasn’t sure how welcome he was. Jessica was still keeping her distance, and Stephanie . . . He wasn’t sure how much the general invitation had been good manners. Neither of the girls’ expressions helped much, but Karl gave him a lopsided grin.
“Come on. You know what good cooks Dr. Marjorie and Dr. Richard are. And there are always spare gliders.”
“All right . . .”
The picnic would only have been called a picnic by the Harringtons. Anyone else would have called it a banquet. Anders had slipped over to the buffet for another slice of tanapple pie when he felt a tap on his shoulder.
It was Stephanie.
“Hey, Anders . . .”
She motioned for him to follow her onto the back porch, where she sat down on a swing. He sat down next to her, realizing with a shock that this was the first time he’d been alone with her since that fateful drive back from the shuttleport.
“I just want you to know,” she said, “that I think I’m okay now. I needed time to think, but flying around, checking stuff out for the treecats—that gave me the time.”
Anders nodded. “Okay? Maybe you don’t hate me?”
“I don’t hate you.” She managed a grin. “I think I still even like you. I’m not saying I’m ready to dance at your wedding. . . .”
He shrugged. “I’m not ready to dance at my wedding. And I’m beginning to think that the girl . . . I mean, I don’t know what I think anymore.”
“I think,” Stephanie said deliberately, “that Jessica likes you a lot. But, you know, she’s had a lot dropped on her at once. She knows she was one of my first ‘real’ friends, so she doesn’t want to hurt me. She’s also got a lot of defenses up . . . No offense, Anders Whitaker, but you seem to be the sort who falls in and out of love pretty fast.”
“I’m really not that way,” he protested.
Stephanie put a light hand on his arm. “Actually, I know that. That’s one of the problems of my bond with Lionheart. He’s pretty polite about not sharing what other people are feeling, but if he thinks I need to know, he’s also pretty ruthless. I wanted to be angry at you. I wanted to be completely furious—cast you as the handsome heartbreaker from a distant wo
rld . . .”
“But Lionheart?”
“Wouldn’t let me sit around buried in self-pity. He made sure I knew you were really hurting. That sort of ruins the fantasy.”
“I guess . . .” He laughed. “What’s wrong with me that I keep falling for girls who bond with treecats? I’m not really into having my heart paraded for public display.”
“It’s not like that,” she assured him. “I mean, the ’cats may know, but the human side of the partnership’s only in on what the ’cat shares.”
She leaned forward. “Valiant likes you. He’s not going to make Jessica like you, but it does mean you have, well, an advocate.”
Anders’ heart had wings.
“Stephanie Harrington, you really are the best.”
“Friends?” she suggested.
“You bet!”
* * *
Up against the crisp blue sky, the young two-legs soared like birds. For once, Climbs Quickly had chosen not to go with Death Fang’s Bane. He had stayed on the ground so he could talk with his friends.
He liked Keen Eyes—and this was a very good thing. Given the close friendship and shared interests of Death Fang’s Bane and the newly named Shining Sunlight, they were certain to spend a great deal of time together.
Dirt Grubber was thinking about plants with blue leaves.