Finally, a muffled yowl came from the direction in which Longtooth had disappeared. At the urging of Scratchnail-in the form of a low snarl and a jerk of the head-Bitefast vanished up the tunnel, almost before the echoes had stopped echoing from the limestone walls. There was a commotion up the corridor. Fritti could hear the voices of Longtooth and Bitefast arguing. After a time they emerged into the cave dragging a limp, bulky burden. Scratchnail rose and ambled over on splayed paws to examine what they had brought.
"Found him where the branch tunnel opens up-ground into the valley wall, chief," said Longtooth with a tongue-lolling grin. "Just like you smelled. Caught 'im looking other way, then had to drag 'im down quick, before I got burned by the Fire-eye, By the Master, he's a big one, isn't he?" After all this speech Longtooth turned and self-consciously cleaned a wound on his flank.
Interested despite himself, Tailchaser leaned forward, staring in the dim cavern light. The bundle that the two Clawguard had dragged in was some kind of animal. A low sound of pain issued from the crumpled figure.
Scratchnail looked over at Fritti. "Come have a gape, little mud-Squeaker," he said. "Don't be afraid. This one won't hurt you!" The chiefs laugh scraped through the rock chamber. Tailchaser moved hesitantly forward.
Lying on the wet stone floor was a large Growler, bleeding from several wounds on his stomach and face. As Tailchaser peered past Scratchnail, the dog's eyes opened and stared blearily. He was as large as the Clawguard themselves; Fritti was impressed and frightened to know that one of the monster cats could take a fik'az this size by himself. The Growler blinked-vainly trying to keep the blood out of his eyes-and wheezed painfully. Something inside was broken and the animal was dying. Saddened and disturbed, Fritti turned back toward his corner.
Longtooth looked up from his wound-licking and said to Scratchnaiclass="underline" "We don't have to give any to these"-indicating Fritti and Pouncequick-"do we?"
Scratchnail looked at the pair-Fritti, wary and nervous; Pouncequick, paralyzed and silent.
"We just have to get them to Vastnir alive. We don't have to share our little treats with them." So saying, Scratchnail shot his scarlet claws and made a swift disemboweling stroke across the belly of the fik'az. Then, although the horrible agonized cries had not stopped, the Clawguard began to feed. Fritti curled up around Pouncequick and tried to ignore the sounds.
When the Claws had finished their meal, covering the cavern floor with grisly debris, they slept. At Scratchnail's canny direction, Bitefast and Longtooth had dragged their bloated bodies over to the entrances. When they rolled over onto their backs to sleep, legs in the air, they effectively blocked off any route of escape. Tailchaser could only lie next to Pounce and Eatbugs helplessly while the beasts digested their prey.
Fritti had no idea how long he lay beside his two silent companions, listening to the gurgling slumbers of their captors. He drifted into fitful sleep, and was awakened by a strange sound. At first, in his groggy state, he imagined he was dying, and that the carrion birds had come down from the sky to strip his bones. He thought he heard them all around him, bargaining solemnly over the choicest bits. Their voices were harsh, low and cold…
Coming fully awake, he listened to the eerie sounds filling the cavern. These were no great old carrion birds.
Still stretched on their backs, sprawled against cavern walls of moist stone, the Clawguard were singing.
"A day will come Above the mound No light will shine Upon the ground- And from the deep Where Old Ones sleep Our Folk will creep Without a sound…
No more to hide And wait for night No more to shun The hot daylight The sun will die And you and I Will upward fly To hunt and bite…
The Sun, the Sun The Sun will die And dying slip From out the sky And in the black
We will take back
All that we lack
The Sun will die…"
On and on it went, the hideous chanting voices groaning out the song of darkness and hatred and revenge-night creeping over the world, blood on the stones and earth, and the Folk of the mound rising up, holding sway over all.
Next to Fritti, Eatbugs' eyes snapped open. He began to rise, then lay back and listened, unmoving and unspeaking, as the song droned on. Tailchaser saw him shake his soiled head, wearily, painfully, and then close his eyes again. The chant of the Clawguard seemed to have no end. After some time, Tailchaser fell back into oppressive, stone-heavy sleep.
CHAPTER 20
Lo! Death has reared himself a throne In a strange city, lying alone Far down among the dim West…
–Edgar Allan Poe
Beyond the cavern the tunnels seemed to grow warmer. Fritti knew that aboveground it was winter; snow and freezing rain were falling. Here, deep in the earth-how deep Tailchaser had no way of knowing-the air was becoming thick with heat and moisture.
Eatbugs was up and moving now. He mumbled quietly to himself as he walked, but otherwise showed no signs of resistance to their captors. Longtooth, his muzzle not yet completely healed from the swipe that Eatbugs had given him, was taking great delight in harassing the old cat, who gamely resisted all attempts by the Guard to enrage him.
Tailchaser, trudging on leaden paws, once again began to feel the throb of the mound. Here, beneath the ground, the sensation was different, the vibration digging deeper into his bones and nerves. The pulse of the mound seemed lower and more basic- all-pervading, but, strangely, more natural. Tailchaser knew that they were approaching their destination.
"You can feel it, can you?"
The harsh croak made Fritti jump. Scratchnail was following close behind, watching him, the unpleasant yellow eyes observing his every movement.
"I see that you've started to hear the song of Vastnir. You're a sharp-sensing little bug, aren't you, star-face?" The chief moved up to Tailchaser's side. The massive, thick-muscled form looming over him intimidated Fritti, and made it difficult to speak.
"I… I feel something," he stammered. "I felt it before… above ground."
"Well," Scratchnail leered, "aren't you the clever-quick one?! Don't you worry… there'll be some Folk who'll pay plenty of attention to a smart young torn like you where we're going-more attention than you'll like, perhaps." With a cold, bleak grin that exposed few teeth, the Clawguard chief dropped back to pace behind Fritti once more. The skin around the young cat's whiskers itched and crawled. He didn't want anyone or anything more interested in him than was already the case. He hurried forward to catch up with Eatbugs and Pouncequick. The earth throbbed.
Soon the tunnel began to broaden. Every hundred or so jumps now, the company passed branching tunnels or caves-it was difficult to tell which, since they were just dark holes in the wall of the main shaft. The air continued to warm, a damp heat that made Fritti and his companions feel sluggish. Eatbugs twitched his head from side to side as if to throw off something binding.
"Here now, back to the holes-never do, never do…" The mad old torn looked imploringly, first at the unresponsive Pouncequick, then at Fritti, who could only shake his head. "All this bim-bam bashing and gnashing… can't… can't…?" Eatbugs rolled his eyes and subsided into muttering. Tailchaser pushed at Pouncequick gently with his head.