by F M Andrews
“The seeding?” Lutex asked wondering if he had misunderstood. Tubble was obviously excited.
“Yes, yes. You are lucky. You will see,” the cat exclaimed bouncing on the spot. The whole place had a park-like quality. The trees were widely spaced, allowing filtered light through to the understory of lush grass sprinkled with a myriad of flowers that produced a beautiful refreshing scent that wafted in the light breeze. The faint sound of water gurgling over rocks drew him onwards. Tall, bright yellow flowers ran in a long waving line through the grass, delineating the stream's path.
Lutex pushed through the waist-high plants, brushing aside the large, nodding flower heads. Tubble followed behind in the track that Lutex was making, only the tops of his ears visible above the sea of yellow. As Lutex grew closer to the water he caught a glimpse of a set of iridescent wings darting across his vision and, he was not sure, but he thought he heard something that for all the world sounded, in his head like a small child giggling.
Clear water tumbled over a rocky bed and tiny, reflected star bursts of light winked at him, blinding him for a moment. Curious to know where the giggling sound was coming from he scanned up and down the stream but saw nothing. Confused he sat down to think, absently rubbing Tubble’s ears, soaking up the tranquil moment. It was not to last.
“Surprise!!” a chorus of small voices called into is mind in unison only to disintegrate into a fit of uncontrollable laughter afterwards. One moment he and the cat were alone and the next the air above them was full of small flying objects all chortling excitedly as if amused by some exquisitely hilarious joke.
Lutex ducked instinctively, his heart racing. Flying above their heads, weaving and ducking, were possibly one hundred or more tiny green animals with large dragonfly wings. “Seeds,” Tubble exclaimed happily. They did not have arms and legs as such and were generally shaped like a large pip or tear drop. There was no discernible face, no eyes or mouth, but they were highly telepathic. They sensed the world around them rather than saw or heard it. They were like little children delighted in their prank, enjoying each other's company and revelling in the morning sun. It was infectious. There was no hint of maliciousness about them at all. Lutex clambered to his feet and they scattered, all at once, like a school of fish before a shark. Carefully Lutex formed a thought, “It's alright we won't hurt you, but you did give Tubble and me a huge fright.” Best to let them think their little prank had worked spectacularly well. First one then another brave seed darted close and scooted away. Lutex stood as still as he could and it didn't take long before he was being mobbed. He had them landing in his hair, buzzing under his nose and nosing into his ears. They even crawled inside his jacket buzzing frantically when they could not find their way out again.
They were very curious about him, all asking questions at once. It was impossible for him to get a thought in edgeways. Lutex threw a pleading look at Tubble who was staring wide eyed at the scene before him. “Lucky to see seeds. Never seen so many so close. You very special.”
Lutex, once again, was not entirely sure if his ‘gift’ was a blessing or a pain. Sometimes it felt as if he could never make a move without a mob of some sort surrounding him but this time he was also curious and asked them what they would look like when they grow up. A projected image of their adult form materialised in his mind. They would all grow up to be trees just like the ones in the forest that surrounded him now.[CL22]
This begged the question, were the adult trees telepathic as well? Carefully he retraced his steps until he reached the nearest tree. It was so huge that there was no way he would be able to reach around it. Gingerly he extended a hand to touch the warm, soft trunk and tried to communicate. It was impossible to hear anything with the excited chattering coming from the cloud of tiny seeds that surrounded his head. He did not want to be mean so he asked them all very politely if they would give him some quiet time to talk to the tree, and to his surprise they all raced off, back to annoy the delighted Tubble.
Once again he extended his hand towards the soft skin of the tree trunk. There was definitely a presence there but it was buried deep and the thought process was very slow. Lutex moved to a smaller tree, just a sapling really, and repeated the experiment. To his surprise the tree answered immediately, truly excited to be contacted by another being. It was full of curiosity. Apparently, they usually only converse with other trees. Lutex gathered that the older the tree the slower its thought processes became but they were still aware and able to communicate.
Lutex soon found that you did not so much talk to trees as bond with them. He found himself merging into the very heart of the sapling, experiencing the world as it did. He felt the exquisite rush of the nourishing sunshine, the feel of the wind in the leaves and the wonderful textures of the earth as the roots quested ever onwards, searching for water and nutrients. Time slowed and his perspective of the world changed. The joy of being alive here and now was powerful. There was pleasure to soak up by just existing.
Dimly he became aware of something rubbing against his trunk; he shook his head, no not his trunk, his legs. Glancing down he saw Tubble nudging his thigh with his head. Switching focus, Lutex heard Tubble’s plaintive calls for the first time. “Wake up! It will soon be night. Tubble cold. Tubble hungry!”
Lutex shook himself once again, noticing that it was now late in the afternoon. The sun was just about to disappear behind the distant mountain range. Where had the day gone? He had become one with the sapling and time had become irrelevant. Wrenching himself back to his world he began to shiver violently. He was cold, stiff and hungry. His heart gave a lurch when he realized that without Tubble he might have died caught up, as he was, in the life of the tree and forgetting his human needs until it was too late. His fingers were numb and ached to flex and his legs had pins and needles. Gradually his circulation painfully returned and he bent down to give Tubble a hug. “Thank you, friend. I would be lost without you.”
Tubble purred happily, nudged his hand and repeated. “Tubble cold.”
Lutex laughed. “Okay. Okay. Let's go and find a safe warm place for the night.”
Tubble bounded off, his tail held high, making him easy to follow through the grass. The temperature was certainly dropping fast and it was cold walking through the long shadows cast by the trees.
This night Lutex lit a fire knowing now that there was no danger near; Tubble had assured him of this. With a full stomach they both sat contentedly next to the flickering flames watching the dancing sparks twist and twirl up into the night sky, motes of light becoming indistinguishable from the stars that floated overhead. Tubble had been fascinated by the whole process and had been an easy convert. Now he sat with his nose almost touching the flame. Lutex was exhausted as he reflected on the day. What an amazing world with invisible animals and trees that could talk. As he slipped gently into sleep he absently wondered what wonderful experience he was going to have tomorrow.
#
“Can you swim?” Lutex thought at Tubble who was standing next to him on the top of a large boulder staring at the narrow, steep-sided gorge. This was their first real obstacle since they had set out this morning and there appeared to be no way around it. Lutex had not expected Tubble to come with him down the mountain, but apparently, the invisible cat thought that it was all a huge adventure and was going to stick to him like glue. This had strangely made Lutex quite happy. He hated to admit it but Tubble made the whole thing just that little bit less scary, not to mention, he was also very warm at night.
The shard was still pulling Lutex in the same direction; in fact, it felt as if it had not moved at all. They had decided to follow the stream down the mountain as it proved an easy way through the forest. All had gone very well until they had reached the gorge. It was impossible to see how long it went for or how deep the water was. There appeared to be no rapids yet, and although the sun was shining, the water itself was icy cold.
“Of course I can swim,” Tubble replied sounding offended. �
�Can you?” Lutex sent back a quick image of Safehaven with all the children jumping off rocks into the bay, squealing with delight. “Quite a few of you then,” Tubble observed. “Are they all like you?” Lutex swallowed past an unexpected lump in his throat and shook his head. Home seemed so far away, both in distance and time.
“Let's go!” Lutex called and together they took a deep breath and jumped. The swift current quickly took hold of them and swept them downstream. The cold felt like a vice around his chest but he had no time to think about this, he needed instead to concentrate on not hitting the cliff walls or the large boulders that loomed up at him at an alarming rate.
He had strapped his backpack to his front and was using it as a floatation device and as it was made of waterproof material and full of air. It was a life saver. The cold was sapping his energy fast and he was sure he would not have been able to keep his head above water very long without it. Tubble was paddling with all four paws, staring straight ahead, his tail streaming out behind him. He used it like a rudder, effortlessly steering around any obstacles in his way.
Rounding a bend they were faced with the sickening sight of the cliffs closing in and the river being funnelled, swiftly, through an extremely narrow gap. Eddies swirled ominously on either side of the swift channel, their lazy circling belying their power to suck any object down into their dark depths. Both knew that they had to avoid them at any cost and shoot for the middle of the river.
Lutex paddled frantically until he felt the current take him and then helplessly clung to his pack and surrendered to his fate. Tubble was just behind him, looking confident and calm. The closer they came to the gap the faster they went. The cliffs were now passing in a blur. Lutex could see that he was slightly off centre and gave a little kick to right himself but his leg connected with something submerged under the water, a rock, a log, he could not tell, but suddenly he was spinning out of control. Spinning towards the cliff, towards the eddy.
The power of the water sucked him down. Even clinging desperately to his pack was not enough, it was too powerful and eventually his head was pulled below the surface. He had not had time to take in a deep breath and already he was running out of air. The water was clear and he could see the canyon walls, so close, but the pressure of the water was keeping him from being able to grasp it.
This was it then! he thought, a strange acceptance washing over him moments before a claw swept into sight, hooked his pack, sent him spinning once more into the current and through the gap. Immediately the pull on his legs vanished and he bobbed up to the surface, gasping for air. Tubble had saved his life but there was no sign of him anywhere. Sickeningly Lutex realised that by saving him the cat had become trapped himself.
Lutex felt helpless. What could he do? He was at the mercy of the river and being swept further away from the narrow gorge every moment. His only hope was to use his untried talent. Closing his eyes he tapped into the enormous power of the river and reached for Tubble. When he found him there was only a tiny spark of life left but it was enough for Lutex to latch onto. As carefully as a fisherman, he hooked that spark and began to reel it in.
It took all his concentration and effort just to keep the connection, let alone fight the surge of water pushing the cat under, but he could not let go. Suddenly the tension eased and the line went slack. Lutex gasped, his mind screaming. What had happened? Frantically he searched the gap for any sign of Tubble, sobbing, knowing he had let his friend down. Then through the tears he saw a small, brown head floating through the gap. The first rush of relief was soon eclipsed by the concern that Tubble was not moving; in fact, he seemed to be floating face down. Once again Lutex summoned his power and dragged the inert body to him as fast as he could.
As soon as he Tubble came within reach, Lutex turned him over on his back and began to force breath into his lungs, all the while screaming into the cat’s mind, trying to wake him up. It took several, heart stopping moments before the bedraggled animals eyes shot open and he finally took a huge shuddering breath followed by sputtering and a sustained coughing fit. Lutex was overjoyed.
All feeling in his toes and fingers were lost by the time the cliffs finally receded and they were once again able to clamber out onto the grassy banks. They lay there for a long time appreciating how good it was to be alive, letting the sun warm them and the gentle breeze dry them. Tubble seemed to have recovered remarkably quickly and was his normal self again in no time. Eventually, he began an extensive licking project, purring quietly to himself, and Lutex changed into a dry set of clothes, tying his wet ones to his pack to dry. This process gave Tubble a huge surprise at first. “How can you take skin off?” he asked. Lutex chuckled as he explained that humans weren't lucky enough to have beautiful fur to keep them warm and had to make clothes instead.
The slope was gentler this side of the gorge; however, the forest was still thick and the easiest route was to follow the stream as the banks were clear, probably due to flooding at some time in the past. The call of the shard was now a constant nag at Lutex, guiding him ever down the mountain. They were still in the forest when dusk settled, taking the heat and noise from the day and replacing it with hazy shadows and muted sounds. A peace descended in preparation for night. The river flowed on silently but now instead of reflecting light it seemed to drink it, giving its surface an almost dark, velvet appearance. The duo chose a suitable spot and prepared for the night. Tubble set off for a bit of night stalking and Lutex made himself another batch of travel biscuit porridge. “Yum!” he thought sarcastically. Hard as it was to believe, he almost missed the soggy greens that his mother used to cook.
Bored waiting for Tubble to return, he rummaged in his pack and came up with the daily tally sheet that Errin had given him. According to his calculations he had been away from Feld for three days now – well, two and a half to be precise – so he should have nineteen and a half days left from his total of twenty two that he started with. But, glancing quickly at the parchment, it looked as if there were a lot fewer strokes there than he thought there should be. Frantically he counted them up, then recounted, just to be sure. He stared at the sheet not understanding what had happened, until he remembered Errin telling everyone that there was no guarantee that time would run the same in the other worlds.
This was disastrous. His first reaction was one of frantic panic. He had no idea how long it would take him to find the shard, but he was sure it was going to take longer to climb back up the mountain than it had taken to descend and he did not even want to think about the gorge or the ledge. Time was racing past; even sleeping seemed a luxury now. He found himself taking quick, shallow breaths and his pulse was thumping at breakneck speed in his temples. Worst of all, he had no control over the situation. All he could do was to push on as fast as he could for as long as he could each day. Tubble was in for a surprise tomorrow.
#
Zail could sense it in the wind. All was not as it should be. Small tickles of power brushed past him like cool air on bare skin causing tiny hairs to rise. Unnervingly these minute pulses of power were coming from diverse parts of the universe, from places he had long ago purged of any talent. This was more than a coincidence. Something or someone was on the move.
He knew he had become paranoid over his long existence but it had proven, time and again, to be his best weapon in his eternal struggle with that woman. The tingles were barely noticeable and he did not want to divert his attention from her trail, he was so sure he was close now, but he knew he could spare a few days to visit the offending worlds to set in motion actions that would ensure any rogue talent was dealt with swiftly.
#
Lutex had risen early and woken Tubble who, in typical cat fashion, had stretched, yawned and then was instantly ready for anything. “We go?” he asked.
“Yes, we need to move faster. I think that I may be running out of time,” Lutex replied without thinking. Tubble cocked his head to one side and looked totally lost. Lutex smiled to himself as he rea
lised that time was a concept that would never make sense to this animal. The only passing of time he knew was the passage of the sun in the sky. There was no way Lutex could explain the idea of a deadline. “Yes we go,” he answered and Tubble, completely satisfied, bounded off through the dewy grass following the river downstream.
Before the sun had reached its zenith, the river they were following poured itself into a much larger waterway and by lunch, the landscape was beginning to change. They were now walking across a large, flat plain. There were fewer trees and more grass and, for the first time, Lutex saw signs of human habitation. It was just an abandoned hunter’s hut, the stones falling in on themselves; however, it was proof positive that there were beings capable of using tools in this world. It was getting quite hot by midday and they chose the shade of a large tree to eat their meal and take a rest. Lutex had been pushing hard, not that Tubble seemed to notice as he still had boundless energy. It was a drowsy heat and the boy was fighting the feeling of lethargy, knowing that they could only afford a quick stop. Tubble had just begun one of his extensive licking sessions when the distinctive sound of an axe chopping wood startled them both. “What's that?” Tubble asked, ears pricked, leg still raised. Obviously he had never encountered a forester before.
“Someone chopping a tree,” Lutex replied absently, trying to locate the direction of the noise.