Tad Williams
Tailchaser’s Song
For I will consider my cat…
For at the first glance of the glory of God
in the East he worships in his way. For this is done by wreathing his body seven
times around with elegant quickness… For having done duty and received blessing
he begins to consider himself. For this he performs in ten degrees. For first he looks upon his fore-paws to see
if they are clean.
For secondly he kicks up behind to clear away there. For thirdly he works it upon the stretch with
the fore-paws extended For fourthly he sharpens his paws by wood. For fifthly he washes himself. For sixthly he rolls upon wash. For seventhly he fleas himself, that he may
not be interrupted on the beat. For eighthly he rubs himself against a post. For ninthly he looks up for his instructions. For tenthiy he goes in quest of food… For when his day's work is done his business
more properly begins. For he keeps the Lord's watch in the night
against the adversary. For he counteracts the powers of darkness by
his electrical skin and glaring eyes. For he counteracts the Devil, who is death,
by brisking about the life. For in his morning orisons he loves the sun
and the sun loves him. For he is of the tribe of Tiger. For the Cherub Cat is a term of the Angel
Tiger… For there is nothing sweeter than his peace
when at rest.
For there is nothing brisker than his life
when in motion… For God has blessed him in the variety of
his movements…
For he can tread to all the measures upon the music…
–Christopher Smart
INTRODUCTION
In the Hour before time began, Meerclar Allmother came out of the darkness to the cold earth. She was black, and as furry as all the world come together to be fur. Meerclar banished the eternal night, and brought forth the Two. Harar Goldeneye had eyes as hot and bright as the sun at the Hour of Smaller Shadows; he was the color of daytime, and courage, and dancing.
Fela Skydancer, his mate, was beautiful, like freedom, and clouds, and the song of travelers returned.
Goldeneye and Skydancer bore many children and raised them in the forest that covered the world at the beginnings of the Elder Days. Climbfast, Wolf-friend, Treesinger, and Brightnail, their young, were strong of tooth, sharp of eye, light of foot and straight and brave to their tail-ends.
But most strange and beautiful of all the countless children of Harar and Fela were the three Firstborn.
The eldest of the Firstborn was Viror Whitewind; he was the color of sunlight on snow, and full of swiftness…
The middle child was Grizraz Hearteater, as gray as shadows and full of strangeness…
Third-born was Tangaloor Firefoot. He was as black as Meerclar Allmother, but his paws were red like flame. He walked alone, and sang to himself.
There was rivalry among the Firstborn brothers. Whitewind was as fast and strong as a cat could dream of being-none could overmatch him at jumping and running. Firefoot was as clever as time; he solved all puzzles and riddles, and made songs that the Folk sang for generations.
Hearteater could not match his brothers' exploits. He grew jealous, and began to plot the downfall of Whitewind and the humiliation of the Folk.
So it came to pass that Hearteater raised up a great beast against the Folk. Ptomalkum was its name, and it was the last spawn of the demon-hound Venris, whom Meerclar had destroyed in the Days of Fire. Ptomalkum, raised and nurtured with Hearteater's hatred, slew many Folk before it was itself slain by the gallant Whitewind. But Viror Whitewind received such wounds that he soon wasted and died. Seeing the downfall of his schemes, Hearteater was afraid, and crept down a hole and disappeared into the secretive earth.
There was great lamentation in the Court of Harar at the death of Whitewind, the best-beloved.
Firefoot his brother fled the Court in heartache, renouncing his claim to the Mantle of Kingship, and wandered the world.
Fela Skydancer, Whitewind's mother, was ever after silent, all her long life.
But Harar Goldeneye was so full of rage that he wept, and swore great oaths. He went howling into the wilderness, destroying all before him in his search for the traitorous Hearteater. Finally, unable to bear such great pain, he fled to the bosom of the Allmother in the sky. There he still lives, chasing the bright mouse of the sun across the heavens. Often he looks down to earth below, hoping to see Viror running once more beneath the trees of the World-Forest.
Countless seasons turned and the world grew older before Firefoot again met his treacherous brother Hearteater.
In the days of Prince Cleanwhisker, in the reign of Queen Morningstripe, Lord Tangaloor came to the assistance of the Ruhue, the owl-folk. A mysterious creature had been pillaging their nests, and had killed all the Ruhu hunters who had come against it.
Firefoot laid a trap, clawing away at a mighty tree until it was near cut through, then lay in wait for the marauder.
When the creature came that night, and Firefoot felled the tree, he was astonished to discover that beneath it he had trapped Grizraz Hearteater.
Hearteater begged Firefoot to free him, promising that he would share the ancient lore that he had discovered beneath the ground. Lord Tangaloor only laughed.
When the sun came up, Hearteater began to scream. He writhed and screeched so that Firefoot, although fearing a trick, liberated his suffering brother from beneath the pinioning tree.
Hearteater had been so long beneath the earth that the sun was blinding him. He clawed and rubbed at his steaming eyes, howling so piteously that Firefoot looked about for a way to protect him from the burning of the day-star. But when he turned away, the blinded Hearteater dug himself a tunnel, more swiftly than any badger or mole. By the time the startled Firefoot bounded over, Hearteater had disappeared back into the belly of the world.
It is told that he still lives there, hidden from the eyes of the Folk; that he works foul deeds underground, and aches to return to the World Above…
CHAPTER 1
… make no mistake
We are not shy
We're very wide awake,
The moon and I!
–W. S. Gilbert
The Hour of Unfolding Dark had begun, and the rooftop where Tailchaser lay was smothered in shadow. He was deep in a dream of leaping and flying when he felt an unusual tingling in his whiskers. Fritti Tailchaser, hunterchild of the Folk, came suddenly awake and sniffed the air. Ears pricked and whiskers flared straight, he sifted the evening breeze. Nothing unusual. Then what had awakened him? Pondering, he splayed his claws and began a spine-limbering stretch that finally ended at the tip of his reddish tail.
By the time he had finished grooming, the sense of danger was gone. Perhaps it had been a night bird passing overhead… or a dog in the field beneath… perhaps…
Perhaps I am becoming a kitten again, Fritti thought to himself, who bolts in fright from falling leaves.
The wind ruffled his newly groomed fur. Piqued, he leaped down from the roof into the tall grasses below. First he must attend to hunger. Later it would be time to go to the Meeting Wall.
Unfolding Dark was waning, and Tailchaser's belly was still empty. His luck had not been dancing.
He had held motionless, patient watch at the entrance to a gopher hole. When an eternity of near-silent breathing had passed, and the inhabitant of the burrow had still not presented himself, Tailchaser had given up in frustration. After pawing in annoyance at the hole mouth he had gone in search of other game.
Luck had been completely absent. Even a moth had eluded his pouncing attack, to fly spiraling up into darkness.
If I can't catch something soon, he worried, I shall have to go back and eat from the bowl that the Big Ones put out for me. Harar! What kind of hunter am I?