"Worra you stan' there for? Thissa my frien' Tagg anna likkle son. You be cookin' lotsa snakeyfish pies for us, quicknow!"
A fat little pigmy shrew pulled a batch of pies out of the crude rock oven with a large wooden paddle. No sooner had she placed them on a cooling shelf than she swung the paddle and caught Bodjev a sharp whack on his behind, shouting fiercely, "Doo a this, doo a that! Kachah! Thissa my kitchen, Daddy Bodjev. You keep 'way, likkle fat lump!"
Bodjev did a tip-pawed dance, rubbing his smarting rear. A combined snigger arose from the cooking staff. The Chieftain backed off, replying savagely, but not too loudly, "One day I bake you inna pie, Chichwife!" He turned to Tagg and Nimbalo with a rueful smile. "Yikyik, my Chichwife, always makin' joke. She love me muchmuch!"
An alcove in the cavern was sumptuously furnished, by pigmy shrew standards, for Bodjev's family and high-ranking friends. He took Tagg and Nimbalo there to dine, away from the main population of Cavemob shrews. The otter could see them from where he sat on a thick mat of springy fernmoss. Their table manners were little better than atrocious. Amid the echoing din of insult and argument, they stole food from their neighbors and engaged in pie fights of amazing savagery.
Bodjev clapped his paws officiously. Four very pretty shrewmaids appeared with lunch, and he nodded at them. "Move youselfs, daughter. Serve, serve!"
His four daughters were quite taken with Nimbalo. Ignoring their father, they served the harvest mouse, fussing about him.
"Thissa rosehip an' almond flower tea, special cold. Yikyikyik!"
"Pies good? Our Chichmum a fine fine cooker, eh? Yikyik!"
Bodjev banged his fork against his empty bowl. "Stoppa gigglin', missies. Poor Daddy be's starvin'!"
Nimbalo was glad when the four shrewmaids left him alone to serve Bodjev and Tagg. He straightened his ruffled headfur and applied himself to the food. The rosehip and almond flower tea was refreshingly cold, obviously made with snow from the mountaintop.
If anybeast had told Tagg that he would enjoy snakeyfish pies before he had tasted the dubiously named dish, he would have declared them mistaken. But the pies were absolutely delicious, round and flat with a soft white pastry crust and a filling that did not resemble anything that looked, smelled or tasted like an elver. It had a texture of oatmeal and a flavor of salt, parsley and sage. Much to the awe of his host, Tagg ate six. Bodjev's wife Chich beamed pleasurably when she was told, and came straight over to the alcove.
"Daddy Bodjev, these goodbeasts you bring here. Big fella's mighty eater. Yik yik, goldie one very hamsing. Chich like him!"
Nimbalo did not know where to put his face. Evidently his light golden brown fur appeared quite attractive to pigmy shrew females. He applied himself to some leftover piecrust. "Thankee, marm. Yore very, er, hamsing y'self!"
Chich threw her apron up over her face and giggled. "Yikyikyikyik! Lissen, big fella, when you go 'way from here, take fatty likkle Bodjev alonga wid you an' leave hamsing goldie here wid Chich. I cook lotsa snakeyfish (lies for that 'un!"
Tagg smiled mischievously. "I'll certainly think about it, marm. What d'you say, handsome goldie?"
Nimbalo scowled as Tagg chucked him under the chin playfully. "Don't even think about it, ye treacherous riverdog!"
The incident was forgotten as a pigmy shrew began battering a huge bronze gong, which reverberated through every corner of the massive cavern. All the Cavemob shrews set up a pitiful wail, then fell silent. Tagg looked to Bodjev. "What's that all about, friend?"
"Izza ole Cavemob law," the Chieftain explained in a subdued voice. "Us gotta make goodsure snakeyfish come back nex' time."
Nimbalo poured himself more iced tea. "Hmm. 'Ow d'yer manage t'do that, mate?"
Bodjev pointed upward at the high cavern ceiling. It was smooth limestone rock, with one long stalactite hanging down. All the pigmy shrews had drawn back to the cave walls, leaving the area beneath the stalactite, not far from the deep lake's edge, completely clear. In the total silence a drop of water fell from the tip, falling through the air for several seconds.
Plock!
The sound echoed about as Bodjev went on to enlighten the visitors. "Waterdrop will fall on chosen Cavemob shrew."
The gong was struck again, and an old shrew in long robes cried out, "Make snakeyfish line. Dance, now!"
All the shrews formed an immense line, long enough to trail around the cavern interior three times. Bodjev rose and nodded to his family. "Us go now, join line. Fortune keep us 'eads dry!"
"Yo Karr, fortune keep us 'eads dry!" Chich, Alfik and his four daughters repeated solemnly.
Nimbalo took hold of the shrewmum's paw. "What'n the name o' fur'n'feathers is goin' on 'ere, Chich?"
She dabbed her apron at her eyes and sniffed. "Everytime snakeyfishes come, Cavemob must choose one to meet Yo Karr, or snakeyfishes come no more. Drop of water fall on shrew head as we dance. That shrew meets Yo Karr."
Bodjev's family went and joined the line, splitting up and each finding a separate place among the others. The shrews began chanting. "Yo Karr, Yo Karr, Yo Karr!" The line moved off, slowly shuffling, swaying from side to side. As they passed under the stalactite, each shrew shut its eyes tight, paws sliding along through the wet area.
Tagg shrugged. "Probably some silly old ritual that goes back as far as anybeast can remember. Look, the ones who've passed under it are going off to stand by the walls again."
Nimbalo watched with growing interest. "Aye, 'cos the drop didn't fall on 'em. I wonder wot Yo Karr is? Must be some kind of award, eh?"
Tagg saw the relief on the faces of those who had passed under the stalactite and come away dry. He noticed the looks of fear on those whose turn was yet to come. "Huh. It doesn't appear to be an award anybeast wants to gain."
Plock!
A mighty cry arose from the pigmy shrews as the line broke. "Yo Kaaaaarrrrr!"
One of Bodjev's pretty daughters stood rooted to the spot, the fat drop of water running down her brow to mingle with her tears. An uneasy feeling had been building up in Tagg's chest. He stood up.
"Come on, mate. Let's go out there and see what's going to happen!"
Huddled together, the shrewmaid's family hugged one another and wept. Tagg pulled Bodjev away from them. "Listen, friend, I don't like this. Now tell me once and for all, what's going on? Why are you all blubbering like this, eh?"
Tears ran openly down the fat little Chieftain's face. He pointed to the deep lake near the cavern's center. "It is law. You look, you see."
Picking pawfuls of dead elvers from a bowl, the old robed shrew who had beaten the gong hurled them into the lake. From the bluegreen translucent depths something came rushing up and broke the surface. Tagg felt himself go stiff with fright. A gigantic eel glided about, its needlelike teeth snapping the elvers into its ugly mouth. It swirled back under, lying just beneath the surface, its thick olive-hued back and dirty amber underside clearly visible as it waited on more food.
The fur on Nimbalo's neck was bristling with horror and anger as he yelled at the pigmy shrew Chieftain. "Yore not goin' t'let'em feed yer daughter to that thing, are ye?"
Bodjev hung his head and turned away. "It is law of Cavemob shrews, so snakeyfish will return. Dinat must go to meet Yo Karr."
The harvest mouse dashed to the shrewmaid's side and put a protective paw about her shoulders, roaring defiantly, "Not while Nimbalo the Slayer's 'round she ain't. I'll drop the first one who puts a paw on 'er!"
The pigmy shrews rushed him. Tagg bounded into the fray to help his friend. Shrews piled in on the pair until they were completely swamped and subdued. Tagg lay trying to breathe under the masses of small furry bodies, unable to move as much as a single paw. Nimbalo was in the same position. The old robed shrew pointed to the shrewmaid Dinat, then to the lake where the monster eel waited, its long backfin stirring the water. Dinat looked as if she was in a trance as the shrew called out, "Yo Karr waits. Go to Yo Karr. You be chosen!"