Though he strove to maintain calm, the scarred visage of the Thane revealed the depth of his feeling. "And now," he continued, "even in the Court where our Lord Firefoot once lived, this poison has crept in. Dewtreader and his wearying mysticism and fatalism! It is wrong! Anyone can see that a cat must run, must hunt. And the Queen! Tangaloor forgive me, she eats from a bowl-as if she belonged to one of those hulking, unintelligible brutes that we cast out untold generations ago. The Queen of the Folk does not even hunt!" Squeakerbane was trembling with suppressed' rage, and after a moment shook his head. "I should not allow myself to become angry," he said, chagrined, "but in our time of great danger, to see those mewing sycophants lolling about while our kin are being destroyed… forgive me." The Thane lapsed into silence, and for a long time the others imitated him.
The travelers approached Grumbleroar near the end of Stretching Sun. Here, on the rim of the Harar-scrape, the cold air was thick with swirling mists. A muted rumbling was all around.
Squeakerbane, who had not spoken for some time, suddenly showed a brightened aspect. "This is something you may pass along in story to litters yet unborn," he said to Roofshadow.
At the canyon edge the sound grew louder, until it was a deafening clamor. Fritti winced. It was obvious that the name Grumbleroar was well chosen.
The mists were so thick at this spot that Squeaker-bane decided to lead them across the Purrwhisper near its descent over the edge of the Hararscape. As they traversed the slippery, water-slimed rocks, and the Purrwhisper-no longer the gentle stream that flowed past Firsthome-frothed below them, Fritti felt a moment of regret for all the times he had allowed himself to be led since he had left home.
A fitting end to this whole ridiculous trip, he thought: pounded and splashed to death by the safest river in all of Meerclar's fields.
But they made it across, even Pouncequick avoiding disaster. Back at the cliffs rim they could see the Purrwhisper pounding over the precipice, plummeting down the canyon's edge in a foaming white surge to churn and plunge off the rocks into the mighty Caterwaul far, far below. The water rose up from the swiftly flowing river at the bottom of the Harar-scrape, and from where they crouched the setting sun, shining through this curtain of mist, tore the sky into glittering gold, red and purple. Grumbleroar falls bellowed like a furious beast, and the cats stared out at its awesome power.
When Unfolding Dark finally mantled the sun, Squeakerbane led them back up the banks of the Purrwhisper-away from cliff's edge. As the roar of the falls faded to a faint booming, they stopped.
Stunned as they were by the magnificence of Grumbleroar, it was some time before Tailchaser and his friends realized that Furscuff and the Thane were preparing to leave them.
"I am sorry we cannot guide you farther," said Squeakerbane, "but as it is we shall be several sun-turns late for the Thane-meet. My suggestion is that you continue along the canyon wall, as I mentioned before, and cross over at the Slenderleap. It would be well to wait for sun-high before you cross, even if you reach it tonight: it is a treacherous path."
They said their farewells, then, for the First-walkers were in a hurry to continue onward. "Remember," said Squeakerbane as they parted, "the lands you are walking into bear an evil name these days. Tread warily. I wish there was more that we could do, but you have set your paws onto strange roads-and who knows what may come of that?" So saying, the Thane and his companion took their leave.
For the better part of two more Hours the three companions headed west, following the edge of the Hararscrape. All were full of their own thoughts.
When they reached the massive tree that stood solitarily on the canyon's rim, marking the near side of Slenderleap Ford, they curled up quietly and went to sleep. Fritti did not dream.
CHAPTER 17
Who wakes in the wilderness when night is done Fancying himself lord of all the land
May see what was not there at the set of sun And tremblingly will come to understand
The peril that has passed him in the dark- Tracks… in the sand.
–Archibald Rutledge
The light of day showed the Slenderleap Ford-a narrow, arching natural rock bridge flung over the Hararscrape. The opposite wall of the canyon was so far away that Slenderleap seemed to dwindle into nothingness in midspan.
Pouncequick looked out across the formation apprehensively.
"Well, I suppose we shall have to cross it, won't we, Tailchaser?"
Fritti nodded. "It's either that or try to go down into the Hararscrape and cross the Caterwaul at the bottom. I don't fancy that much."
"It's the only way open to us now," Roofshadow said quietly. "Squeakerbane said it's leagues and leagues to the end of the canyon. I doubt this will be the worst thing we see, anyway. Shall we go?"
Tailchaser sized the fela up carefully.
I don't think she's as calm as she wants to put about, he thought. My whiskers tell me she's scared, too. Maybe more than we are. But there are all kinds of bravery, I suppose.
"Roofshadow's right, Pounce," he said aloud. "Let's get to it."
Once past the giant oak, whose root clusters seemed to anchor one side of the curving bridge, Fritti took the lead. Pouncequick followed him and Roofshadow brought up the rear, keeping a careful eye.
Slenderleap Ford was wider than it appeared from a distance-wide enough that three cats could have walked abreast-and at first the going was fairly easy. The wet weather and chill temperatures had left patches of ice on the stone, though. Tailchaser and his friends walked slowly and very carefully.
When they had moved a distance out onto the span, the canyon walls fell away below them, and the growling and pounding of the Caterwaul rose up to fill the air. The footing became treacherous, and the noise of the river drowned out most sounds. They journeyed over the canyon single-file and unspeaking, like caterpillars on a slender branch.
Near the midpoint of the stone ford Fritti felt the wind that blew down the canyon swirl roughly about him, tugging at his fur. Sudden gusts forced him to take a few shaky steps.
He stopped, pivoting slowly back around to face his companions. Pouncequick was a jump or two behind, and Roofshadow trailed the kitten at a slight distance, a look of grim concentration on her solemn gray face. As Tailchaser waited, Pouncequick also stopped, peering down from the ford into the Hararscrape.
"Tailchaser, Roofshadow!" he keened above the wind. "I can see a flock of birds below us! Below us! We're higher than the fla-fa'az themselves!" In his excitement Pouncequick leaned even farther out to savor the sensation. Fritti's heart raced with fear, and felt as though it had grown to block off his air.
"Pounce! Get away from there!" he snarled. Pounce-quick, startled, jumped back from the edge and slipped, skidding on the slick stone. Roofshadow, right behind the kitten now, swiftly seized him by the scruff of the neck. Her bite, sure and hard, drew a squeal of pain from Pouncequick, but she held her grip until his questing paws found a solid hold once more. She then gave Tailchaser a look that caused him to turn around without saying a word and continue on across the span.
On the downward-sloping section Roofshadow herself lost her footing for a moment in a heavy gust of wind, but managed to crouch and hold until the danger was past.
At all times the Caterwaul bellowed and shouted up at them: three tiny little creatures on a thin strand above the mighty waters. When they at last reached the opposite side the trio collapsed to the ground with trembling legs and lay for some time before they could go forward.