by C B Williams
A little creature bolted from its hiding place.
Her head jerked up, startled. Recovering quickly, she followed.
The thing darted and wove about the rubble, disappearing and then reappearing.
Even when she couldn’t see it, she trusted her nose and ran, closing the gap. Muscles bunching, she pounced on it, gripping it with her claws.
It was hard to grip. The man had filed down her claws until they were dull. They would grow, he had reassured her.
She needed them now.
Fearful of losing her meal, she bit hard, sinking her teeth deep into the creature’s flesh.
Warm blood gushed down her throat.
She settled onto her haunches and fed, purring her pleasure as her strong jaws crunched through bones.
It didn’t take long to finish, but she had eaten enough, and she somehow knew there would be more creatures to hunt. She decided to remain where she was and hunt them.
For now, she curled up where she lay and slept, committing the new smell to memory.
Miles away, warm in his bedroll, Eloch opened his eyes and smiled. Little Sister had fed.
Chapter 8
It Matters
By the end of the week Wren could walk to the outbuilding with the bath and pit toilet. It took her nearly fifteen minutes to reach it, but she did.
She stood braced against the doorway, leaning heavily on the staff Eloch had made for her while she peered into the space.
From behind, she heard Eloch clapping and she laughed.
“By the end of next week, I will be able to walk here and back,” she tossed over her shoulder. “But for now The Sausage and I need a lift home.”
“Well done, Wren,” Eloch told her as he bundled her up, walking stick and all.
Without thinking, she curled her hand around his upper arm and leaned into him. “Careful you don’t trip over my staff.”
“Keep holding it the way you are and I won’t.”
She glanced at the sniffer’s enclosure as they passed by. “Do you think we’ll ever see her again?”
“In time, I’m sure. She is learning to be free and enjoying it.”
“How do you know? How can you possibly know that, Eloch?”
“I just do.”
Wren sighed. “I’m getting tired of that answer. You say it a lot.”
His chuckle vibrated against her back.
“How is The Sausage?” he asked as they neared the encampment.
“Hurts.”
“Does it feel stronger?”
She sighed. “Yes, but I worry if it will ever be as strong as it once was.”
“It will be.”
She laughed. “Because you know?”
“Because I know you. You won’t accept less. The Sausage has met its match.”
She laughed again.
“Ready for dinner?” he asked as he set her down at the table.
“I suppose,” she said, handing him her staff.
He leaned it in the corner beside his own and went to fetch two meal bars.
“Thanks,” she said as she took hers. “Are there many left?”
“A few. Enough for a couple more months.”
“That many? I had no idea.”
“I still have my cache. Plus, Aiko left me with enough to last several months. She didn’t know when she would be back.”
He had told her about Aiko and about Genji and Etsuo. He had told her about his journey from Entean to Spur. He had even told her about his meeting with the Board of Colonizers.
She had been outraged on his behalf.
It seemed he couldn’t stop telling her things.
“I appreciate them, but I am also very, very tired of them. Once I get back to my Kin, I’m not sure I’ll ever want to eat another one ever again.” She took a bite and chewed it thoughtfully. “Are you coming back with The Sausage and me when I can finally walk far enough to get to the City?” Suddenly she was afraid of his answer.
He was silent long enough for her to feel an unusual crushing feeling in the pit of her stomach. She set down the meal bar.
“I don’t know, Wren. Perhaps.”
“Yeah, well, I can understand you being as tired of me as I am of these meal bars,” she drew her legs underneath hers and braced to stand. “In fact, I think I’ll just save the rest of this one for later.”
Eloch put a hand out and covered her own. “Wait, Wren. I would very much like to go with you. Meet the people you have told me about.” He hesitated. “But I have an obligation, and I fear it will carry me south.”
She sat again. “South? There’s nothing in the south but more rubble. Why would you want to go deeper into Rubble? What obligation?”
He withdrew his hand, but its warmth lingered on her skin.
“If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me. You would think me more mentally unbalanced than you already do.”
“Try me. I couldn’t possibly think you’re crazier than I already do.” Her heart felt lighter when he smiled.
“Oh Wren,” he said shaking his head. “Why do I find myself telling you things I would rather keep to myself?”
“Because I’m a good listener? Or because I keep nagging you until you do?”
“Perhaps a little of both,” he said softly.
“Look,” she said after a moment. “For what it’s worth, I tell you things I don’t normally tell people, too. Not even Flick knows everything I’ve told you.”
“Like what things?”
“Like the only reason I want to mingle with the Upper Uppers and learn their ways is so I can get the Kin off this planet, get as far away as possible. Only the Upper Uppers are allowed to colonize.”
His eyes widened. “You never told me that.”
“I just did.”
“But why? Why do you want to leave your home planet?”
“Why do you want to go south, Eloch? I will answer you if you answer me.” She folded her arms and sat back.
He smiled wryly. “It’s like that, is it?”
“It most definitely is, my friend, it most definitely is.”
“No more secrets between us, is that what you want?”
He knew her so well, she thought. Yet it didn’t seem to matter that he did, which surprised her. He deserved an answer. “There are things, Eloch, that I don’t like to talk about. Things that happened to me when I was young. Things I want to forget. I don’t want to tell you those things. Ever.”
“Whatever happened,” he said after a pause, “must have been terrible, and I am sorry you suffered.”
“I survived, and that’s what counts. Made me pretty good at it, too. So, why do you want to go south?”
“Entean asked me to find out why Spur allows Her creatures to leave Her.”
“Excuse me?”
“You see? I said you would think me madder—sorry, crazier—than you already do.”
“No, I don’t,” She caught herself and grinned. “Well, maybe a little. But why does Entean want to know?”
“Because planets are supposed to care for and nurture their inhabitants. They maintain the balance so everything can thrive. If things were thriving on Spur, there would be no need to colonize. So why is Spur allowing it to happen? Entean wants to know. And I cannot return home without an answer.”
“And you will find Spur in the south?”
“I don’t need to find Spur. Spur is all around us. But I believe if I go farther away from the City I will have a better chance of being heard by Her. And Little Sister is thriving in the south. Spur is caring for her. So Spur is not completely unaware of what is happening. She’s waking up.”
“Wait, how do you know the sniffer is thriving? I really want an answer this time.”
“You won’t believe me. You don’t believe me now.”
“But I believe that you believe it, Eloch. And I don’t not believe you. Not anymore. I just don’t have any proof. I’ve never been to Entean. I’ve never been off planet. What if Entean is the
only planet that maintains the balance? There are other planets out there that we’ve colonized. The Ring is made up of several planets. This is the first time I’ve ever heard of a planet that talks.”
“I don’t know about all the other planets. I don’t. I only know Entean wants me to get an answer for Her from this planet.”
“And how are you going to talk to Spur?”
“I’m not sure, exactly. I’m learning.”
“Learning?”
He took a deep breath. “Entean changed me so I would be able to, but She didn’t tell me how.”
“Changed you? How?”
He looked at her with a crooked smile. “You may be sorry you asked, Wren.” And he told her about the seed he swallowed that grew into a plant and merged with him.
“Well,” she said after he was finished. “I’m going to have to think about that one for a while. I guess you warned me, didn’t you?”
“Have I frightened you?”
“Frightened me? No. But I’m not sure what to believe right now. Are you sure you didn’t get hit in the head somewhere between Entean and Spur? At takeoff, maybe? You said you were in hibernation for several months. Are you sure you weren’t in a coma and, I don’t know, this is your mind’s way to cope with being taken from your home planet?”
“I wish you could talk to Aiko. She could verify everything I’ve told you.”
“Believe me, so do I. I know you believe all this, but I’m not sure I do. At all.”
He was silent for a moment. “What if I bring Little Sister home? Would you believe then that I’m different?”
“I believe certain people are born with knacks. It’s one of the things the Martials look for during a Cull. They say the best pilots come from Sub-City. So,” she continued, “you could have a knack that tames and talks to beasts, I’ll grant you that, but talking to a planet?” She shook her head.
“I will ask Little Sister to be home tomorrow evening,” he told her, his jaw set. “When she comes as I ask, perhaps it will help you begin to believe.”
“Perhaps,” she said. “But honestly, why should it matter whether I believe you or I don’t?”
He looked at her with those deep green eyes of his, nearly taking her breath away. His answer did, heating her soul and waking something buried there.
“It matters,” He told her.
The next evening, as promised, Little Sister bounded into the encampment, carrying two bloodied carcasses in her mouth. She dropped them at Eloch’s feet and sat with head cocked.
“She looks like she’s smiling,” Wren commented as she watched Eloch squat down to appraise the sniffer’s catch.
“You hunt well,” he praised her. “Thank you for your gifts.” He reached out and scratched Little Sister behind the ears.
The creature leaned into his hand. With eyes half closed she crooned her pleasure. Then with an excited yip she put her paws on his shoulders and tumbled Eloch backwards and began licking his face.
Watching the two wrestle on the floor, Wren warred between fear and laughter. And she didn’t relax her grip on her walking stick until Eloch told the sniffer he’d had enough and the beast allowed him to get back on his feet.
He stood, grinning, as he swiped the dust from his clothes.
“I’m surprised you managed to not squash whatever it was she brought you,” Wren said dryly
“Me too,” he replied and picked up Little Sister’s kill. “Well done,” he told the sniffer.
Little Sister sinewy tail skimmed back and forth as she settled on the ground, near the opening of the encampment.
“What did she bring you?” Wren asked.
“Us, Wren. She brought us dinner.”
Wren wrinkled her nose. “And you expect me to eat that?”
“It will be much better than a meal bar after I’ve cooked it, I assure you.” He reached for a knife. “I’m going to go skin these. Will you light the fire? We will need to cook them right away. Fresher the better.” Eloch turned to leave, but Wren’s voice stopped him.
“I don’t know how to light a fire.”
“Just feed it. The coals are still warm. Come, Little Sister, I will share this kill with you. The liver and the heart. ”
Wren scowled at his receding figure. “Just feed it,” she muttered, grunting as she eased herself onto a stool next to the woodpile. “Easy for you to say, Mr. He-Who-Talks-To-Planets.”
“Better than a meal bar?” Eloch asked. He tossed a bone to Little Sister. Her jaws snapped it in two and she began sucking out the marrow.
Wren stared at the sniffer and grimaced at the sounds. “Much better than a meal bar,” she answered, pausing to lick her fingers. “Although the sniffer still makes me nervous.”
“You’re part of her pack, Wren. She proved it by bringing us her kill. One animal for each of us.”
“I think I’d need a bit more proof,” Wren said, glancing over at where Little Sister lay licking her paws.
The sniffer extended her claws so she could clean between her toes.
The Sausage twitched when Wren tensed at the sight.
“Why don’t you throw her some of your bones?” Eloch suggested. “As a sign of your appreciation.”
Wren did so, gingerly, and winced at the snap of the jaws.
The animal neatly sucked out the marrow before crunching and eating all the bones.
“You’re sure thorough,” she told her. “I’ll give you that. Oh—”
At the sound of her voice, the sniffer had risen to her feet and padded over to where Wren sat.
They were eye to eye. Wren could smell its meaty breath. She held her own, feeling very naked and vulnerable without her knives. Her walking stick was close at hand, but it wasn’t a knife.
Little Sister whined and took another step closer, nuzzling Wren’s hair, the coils brushing her face.
Very slowly, Wren lifted her hand and stroked the sleek head, scratching behind the ears, imitating what Eloch had done earlier. The great beast started to rumble deep in her chest and she flopped down at Wren’s feet, exposing her underbelly. Wren glanced up at Eloch and found him smiling.
“She wants you to rub her belly, Wren.”
Wren stretched out and began to stroke the sniffer. She felt her lips curl up at the corners. “She’s so soft!”
The sniffer continued to rumble.
“She is. And sleek. Her ribs no longer show. Wherever she was in the south, she found good hunting. This is a sign to me.”
Still engrossed with the sniffer, Wren didn’t hear him. “She really won’t attack me?” she asked as she stroked the length of a foreleg and studied the enormous paw.
Eloch laughed and she quickly glanced up at him.
“You destroyed her old pack. She knows your merits. No, to her mind, she’s found herself two strong pack mates and is pleased to let us lead. All she wants is to hunt and receive our affection.”
“I guess I’ll just have to trust you on this,” she replied, watching as Little Sister captured her arm between her two immense paws to lick her hand. Wren wiggled her fingers and the sniffer positioned her ear underneath them.
“You can.”
“Hmm?” Wren asked as she leaned forward to scratch the other ear with her other hand and evoked the telltale rumble from Little Sister.
Eloch shook his head and with a smile took the opportunity to go out of the encampment to relieve himself.
Neither noticed him leave, nor did they notice his return.
He sat and leaned against one of the two wooden benches by the fire and watched the woman and the sniffer and reflected on his own thoughts.
In the south, Spur had provided for Little Sister.
Perhaps Spur was ready for his visit.
Chapter 9
North
Mouse shook her hair out of her eyes and sat down beside Flick, who gave her a tight smile and returned to the watch list he was working on.
“It’s not the same, is it?” she asked.
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He set his pencil down. “Not nearly,” he answered with a sigh. “The worst part is I keep expecting her to just pop in one of these days, like she used to.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s been two months, Flick, and I’ve heard nothing on my walkabouts. Just got back from Sub-City.”
“Mouse, no. It’s too crazy down there. You can’t take those kinds of chances, not when it’s just the two of us.”
“Three. Don’t forget Spider.”
“Oh, right. Spider. I don’t trust that one. He’s hiding something.”
“Or from someone. But Wren trusted him. She risked her life that night to get to him. And it’s obvious he’s an UpperUpper. A way up there UpperUpper. The guy just has to say one word and—“
“I see what you’re doing there Mouse. You don’t want me to talk to you about Sub-City. It’s dangerous down there, isn’t it? You nearly got caught, didn’t you?”
Mouse studied his open face and the dark circles under his eyes. “It’s harder to get down there since we blew so many tunnels getting out of there,” she agreed. “But I had to see what had happened. What they’d done to our KinSpace.”
“And?”
“They’re going to have to run the Sub-City fans for months to get the smell of smoke and—” she glanced at him “—cooked meat out of there.”
Flick covered his face with his hands. “I can’t stand to think about that,” he told her.
Mouse put her small hand on his shoulder. “They’ve raided all our stores, the other two Kins. I heard that some of MacMichaels’ Kin are going to move into our space as soon as the smell goes away. Which won’t be anytime soon, I can promise you that.”
She paused and sighed deeply. “They’re digging through all the things we left behind. Ignoring the bodies. They are still lying where they fell. It tore at my heart, Flick. Saw some fights break out over some stupid dress I used to see what’s-her-name wear. Vicko. That’s right. Vicko. Yeah, ol’ Vicko loved her fine clothes and baubles. Did plenty of favors for them, too. Made me feel so bad seeing those women fighting over ol’ Vicko’s clothes.”