Widderkin - 21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21.

For four hours, according to Tan’s watch, they'd followed the gentle downward trail through stands of trees and frequent grassy clearings and now they were walking round to loosen up their aching muscles. Every hour they’d had one of these short breaks because Woorawa insisted it was the best way to cover long distances. No one disagreed. He’d called for this one a little early because the trail had just dipped steeply and off to the right was the distinctive rush of a waterfall.

"I like waterfalls. I wish we could explore."

Kieran laughed.

"No way, Rhys. Gryl’s got a target he wants us to reach and he's impatient because we travel so slowly."

"Ha! He’ll just have to put up with it. The horses are all doing the best they can and if we go fast on this steeper section it could be dangerous."

"I think it's going to be steep for a while too, Rhys. I caught a glimpse of a big plain from back a bit."

"You did? Did you see a lake? That's the target Gryl’s aiming for."

Woorawa stretched his arms wide and swivelled at the hips a few times to help loosen up.

"No, it was just a quick glimpse. I hope there’s another creek crossing the trail soon. I'm thirsty."

Everyone remounted and the steady descent continued. Occasionally there were extra steep bits which had to be negotiated carefully while leaning way back to stay upright. Almost an hour later they came to a rocky section with much reduced tree cover and the first little clearing since the track got steep. They were well overdue for a stop and there were smiles all round when Woorawa immediately rushed off to scramble up a rocky ridge.

"He's got explorer blood."

"Well, so have I, Tan, so I am going too."

Woorawa’s excited yell and dramatic arm gestures had everyone scrambling to join him.

"There’s the lake, Kieran, and it's a long way to the other end. It's enormous."

Spread in magnificent panorama was the plain Woorawa had glimpsed earlier. Directly below them where the steep became flat, their creek, looking more like a river, took a lazy path and snaked its way for kilometres to join the ribbon of lake water stretching into the distance. Silence reigned while everyone drank it in.

"Wow! We’re going to travel through paradise. Look at all the islands, Kieran, and the other rivers flowing in."

Everyone nodded at Tan’s unusual but apt description.

"I was thinking Garden of Eden, Tan. Look how green all the plains are. If that’s grass George will think he’s in horse heaven."

On both sides of the lake the plain was an expanse of green. Dark bands of vegetation, which Kieran presumed were rivers or watercourses, connected to the lake and several small ranges or hills jutted as if to emphasise the surrounding flatness.

"Gods! That close island’s white. I think it's birds. You've got the best eyes, Woorawa. Can you see?"

Rhys pointed exactly where he meant and waited while Woorawa did his focus and concentrate act.

"You’re right, Rhys. I can see some of them flying. I think it’s a nesting ground ... Thousands of them ... Let's go!"

Woorawa might be the main explorer but his sudden flare of anticipation lit strongly for everyone else too, and the scramble back to the horses was an eager rush. An hour later the trail left the taller trees of the slopes and moved next to the flow of water. There were still trees but the variety changed rapidly when the terrain flattened and the flow of the water slowed and deepened.

"Sheba! Look!"

The trail had left the band of trees and headed into a wide grassy area. A quarter of an hour later they realised it was a shortcut where the slowly flowing water wound its way in a big loop, but right now they were staring at a mob of animals watching from about fifty metres away. Kieran's first impression of the graceful, shorthorned animals, was of antelopes, but as with every other animal they'd seen, a closer look showed they were different.

"They’re not even scared of the panthers, Kieran. Every animal we've seen so far seems to be tame."

Tan's fingers bobbed up and down in a little counting movement and everyone waited and watched till he finished.

"Nearly seventy, Kieran. I lost it when they started moving."

And indeed they were moving, all of them.

"Wow! Did you call them, Kieran?"

"No, I was about to, but now I'll see what happens first."

Sixty-eight graceful grazing animals, Tan’s new count, trotted close and, with complete disregard for the formidable panthers, proceeded to greet Kieran. For the next few minutes the astonished companions watched as one by one they approached for a quick sniff or gentle touch to his leg for the first few and his extended hand for the rest when he gave his acknowledgement. Kieran watched, as dumbfounded as everyone else, when the whole mob trotted matter-of-factly off and lowered their heads to the succulent looking grass.

"You must be joking us, Kieran. Sixty-eight gazelle things wouldn't just come trotting up and act like you’re their king or whatever."

“I can't believe it either, Rhys. I didn't even connect with them till after about a dozen had all done the same thing so I could find out what they was going on."

"And? ..."

"It was a pattern set in their minds. They all just followed it automatically."

"As if! ... They didn't do it to me, or Mr B. They picked you out and you can't tell me it's just because they like your B.O."

"Idiot! I haven't got B.O."

Mr B laughed and nodded his agreement.

"Yes you do. Everyone has got B.O, but Rhys is right. It's the King of the Animal syndrome kicking in. And the panthers seemed to expect it too. They just moved aside and watched as if it was quite normal."

As if realising they were being talked about the panthers all rose from their haunches and trotted along the track.

The next hour was a series of encounters with bird and animal wonders as the track made its way, sometimes next to the shore of the lake, and sometimes diverging to get past the endless series of shallow lagoons edged with tall reed-beds and teeming with all sorts of waterbirds. At one stage the track veered right away from the water and crossed the edge of one of the great grassy plains. For several kilometres they stared at mob after mob of the antelope creatures grazing on the grass which George and the other horses continuously paused to stop and sample. One mob, very close to the track, lifted their heads and started heading forward. Kieran, knowing their intent, was wondering how he should react when Gryl padded through the grass and, baring his fangs, gave out a low guttural snarl. The mob stopped in its tracks, watched the warning display for several seconds, turned and trotted fifty metres or so, then lowered their heads to graze.

"B.O. again, Kieran. They must be downwind of us."

Kieran ignored him.

"I'm glad Gryl stopped them. We would’ve been here for ages. How many do you reckon there are, Tan?"

"I didn't even try to count but it's at least a couple of hundred. I can't imagine how many there are with all the other mobs we've been seeing."

Woorawa interrupted.

"Looks like another river or creek head, Kieran. Time’s getting on and if there’s a good place on the other side we should stop and set up for the night."

Stopping was already on Kieran's mind. Today's six-hour stretch of travel was the biggest so far and despite everyone coping better than expected they were all looking forward to the stop.

"Good thinking. I'll tell the panthers as soon as we make the crossing."

When they reached the band of taller vegetation it did indeed turn out to be a river, almost forty metres across and the biggest so far. The panthers plunged in without hesitation and, after pausing for a drink, easily made their way across.

"It's about a metre deep, Kieran. I keep expecting we’ll come to a river where we have to swim."

Kieran pointed further downstream.

"The track always goes to a good place to cross. See how the current slows down? We’d probably be swimming there. I noticed how the track diverged a bit before two of the other rivers and I think that's why."

Woorawa and Tan led off, to follow the panthers, and the group entered the water. The horses were far more careful in picking their way over the pebbly bottom than the panthers who were now watching from the other side. Fifty metres past the short incline of the riverbank Woorawa stopped and pointed to a small clearing in the riverside vegetation.

"This looks good, Kieran. If we go any further we’ll be too far away from the water."

"Let's keep this as a fallback and explore first, Woorawa. The lake’s not far and I've got this idea of camping where the river flows in. It could be interesting."

"Neat! ... Have you told Gryl we’re stopping?"

"Not yet. When we reach the grass again we’ll turn off and I'll tell him then."

The open grass was only a short distance and when Kieran sent the message that they were diverging to explore and stop for the night, Gryl and the other four panther’s minds filled with a burst of anticipation and their heads lifted alertly to scan the surroundings.

"Whoo, Keiran! What did you tell them? They all look excited."

Kieran was about to answer when Gryl and one other panther took off at incredible speed.

"What? ..."

Rhys's surprise was shared by everyone except Kieran who’d read the intention. In the distance a mob of the antelope creatures registered the lightning fast approach and with an explosion of movement scattered in panic. Fleeing was pointless though and the stunned companions watched two graceful creatures crash to the ground and die in a matter of seconds. The remaining three panthers bounded to the kill location and settled to sate their hunger.

"Sheba, Woorawa! Cheetahs might be fast but not like that. I've never seen anything like it."

"You mean speed? I think the griffins are scarier but not by much. Imagine if they weren't friendly. We wouldn't have a hope. What’ll we do now, Kieran? Wait for them to finish eating?"

Kieran reached to read the panthers intentions.

"No, we’ll start exploring. They'll find us when they’re ready ... And they’re going to bring some of the meat for us to eat."

An hour later the camping spot was established, not where Kieran had envisaged on the edge of the lake, but back where the trees edged the grassy plain, where the horses could graze close by, and where they wouldn't have to cart their wood supply too far. Not far away was one of the shallow lagoons and, to supplement the haunch of meat Tan was preparing with his trusty pocketknife, Rhys and Woorawa collected a bunch of freshwater mussels which Kieran helped locate.

"Did you search for the big yabby things, Kieran? I'm interested to see what they look like."

"Woorawa wants to see them too, Mr B, but they’re not in the lagoon. We’ll try the river when we go for our next drink but it's fairly deep and different to the shallow creek habitat where Tan found them this morning."

"Couldn't you just call them into a shallow place like you do with the fish?"

"I don't think they’re there, Tan. I meant that the conditions are different ... How are you going to cook this giant lump of meat? D’you want Rhys to sharpen the pocketknife so you can slice it into fillets?"

Rhys took a small stone from his pocket. He'd found it at the waterfall camp and claimed it was especially suited for the purpose.

"Thanks, Rhys, but I'm going to try cooking it in one piece so all I need at the moment is a hole cut through for a big skewer stick. We'll need it nice and sharp to slice the cooked parts off though."

"Hey, neat! Cooking on a spit? We’ll have to take turns at rotating it slowly ... I’ll find some rocks or something to build a support for the other end of the skewer stick."

The experiment worked really well except that it took too long and needed constant attention. When Kieran went to the river for a drink he searched for the yabby pattern but, as expected, there weren't any. When he got back Rhys was offering a chunk of cooked meat to one of the panthers and laughing at the disdained response.

"He looks like it's disgusting ... Or is he full from eating so much?"

Kieran checked.

"Both, Rhys. He'd eat it if there was nothing else but fresh is better."

The panther in question bared it's teeth in a lazy yawn of satisfaction and joined the other four in closing its eyes.

"They're all relaxing because their stomachs are full."

A bit later, after a good supply of grass for their bedding had been collected and the woodpile restocked for the night, the five friends were relaxing and talking quietly about what should be included in Kieran's mind training session when the peaceful atmosphere was broken by a deep throaty rumble. Gryl leapt to his feet and with his tail twitching eagerly, stared up river in the direction where they'd left the main track.

"Is it a warning, Kieran? Will we get the Spook ropes ready?"

"... No. They’re excited ... Gryl heard something and it's ..."

Five bellowing roars jarred everyone to their bones, then, as the shock of this new behaviour lessened, from the distance came a similar, much fainter, chorus of roars.

"Holy cow! I wish we’d had some warning. My stomach nearly turned inside out. It sounds like more panthers, Kieran?"

Kieran was reading the state of things in the panther’s minds and everything was good.

"It is, and Gryl’s really pleased ... They've known this was going to happen for hours and I didn't see it."

"Hours? You mean someone told them? At the speed panthers move they couldn't have heard them or smelled them."

"Yes ... I can see it now. The old man's image is involved again."

"I wonder who he is? He was important for the griffins too."

Tan's comment went unanswered because in the distance numerous forms could now be seen streaking across the grassy plain. Gryl and the other four panthers ranged beside each other as if in challenge and Kieran, disconcerted by this, reached with the now very familiar panther pattern to be assured there was no danger. There wasn't, but the pattern connected to mind after mind. His eyes caught up with his thoughts as the phalanx of rushing creatures flowed effortlessly closer.

"Sheba! How many are there?"

There were twelve in fact, but the presence and power as the group slowed and stopped in front of Gryl was quite literally awesome, and any thought of counting was lost with the spectacle of one of the facing group leaping straight at Gryl with a rumbling roar of sound and teeth bared in a savage display. Gryl leapt too, with his own rumble of sound, and the companions watched the midair collision and writhing tangle of sprawling bodies in total disbelief till Kieran's laugh startled them yet again.

"It's Gryl's mate. They’re just happy to see each other ... They’re playing."

Gryl rolled on his back and rumbled with pleasure when huge teeth closed gently on his throat.

"That's playing? Gods! I’ll have a heart attack if they ever decide to play with me."

Gryl rose to his feet, nuzzled against his mate, then padded to sit, quite royally, next to Kieran, then watched with an approving eye as, starting with his mate, each of the newcomers met Kieran and then everyone else with the same lick, sniff or nudge they'd received at the first meeting.

The next surprise, when the process finished, was to watch all twelve, accompanied by Gryl, bound purposefully off across the plain.

"Now what's happening? They can't be leaving. They just got here."

"I was surprised too, Woorawa, but they’re hungry and Gryl’s gone to lead their hunt. They won't be long."

"Why has Gryl gone with them? He can't be hungry."

"He's the leader of all of them and I think it's just what he does."

"Seventeen panthers is overwhelming, Kieran, so do you know why there are so many? They’re not expecting any sort of trouble are they?"

"I wondered that too, Mr B, but there’s nothing in their minds except being pleased to escort us till we get to the trees, whatever that means, where that old man’s waiting."

"Wow! It sure is an impressive escort. Let's get some of your practice done while they’re away and then I reckon we should have an early night and get a good start in the morning."

"It's just turning dusk, Woorawa. We'll be awake for a couple of hours at least and Kieran can't practice all that time."

"He could if he really wanted to, but Tan’s going to tell us a story about giant panthers invading College."

"I am? Woorawa, I'm no good at stories."

"Yes you are. You've got an hour to plan something, with us doing the parts you work out for us."

"Are you serious?"

"Of course I am. We’re not going to sit around the campfire and do nothing except get hypnotised by the flames."

"Make Rhys go first. He knows about stories from all the books he talks about. Mr B too."

"They'll get their turn, and Kieran, but you’re tonight ... Kieran, the first thing you should practice is putting all sorts of ideas into our minds. It might be really important for tomorrow when we meet the white-haired old man. Put something that happened at the Valley of Eagles into Tan’s mind and he can describe it back to us to see how accurate it is."

"Why d’you think it might be more important than the other stuff?"

"Well, since we think we’re on a whole different world somewhere, we can hardly expect anyone to speak English, Kieran. For all we know you might be better at understanding animals than people."

"Hey, that's right, and then the rest of us wouldn't have a clue what's going on till Kieran related it to us ... How do you keep coming up with so many good ideas for these practices?"

There was a chorus of agreement with Rhys's observation. Woorawa laughed it off as nothing but couldn't hide his pleasure.

"Uncle Burrimul made it my job, Rhys, so I think about it all the time. If I could talk to him I know we’d have even better ideas."

Everyone settled and after a few quiet moments Tan gave a reasonably accurate description of the frog encounter, then, at Woorawa's insistence, did it all over again with more detail. Twice more he repeated this, each time giving finer detail, till he finally refused when Woorawa wanted to know about the colours of different objects.

"I don't need to, Woorawa. I can see every bit of it now and it's so clear it makes me feel like I was actually there. Try something different, Keiran. If we can't understand this old man you’ll probably have to get lots of big ideas across quickly, rather than worrying about details."

Twenty minutes later the practice was cut off when the new panthers returned and settled around the campfire in a great circle and relaxed to recover from their hunt. Seventeen giant bodies lying in almost symmetrical order was distracting enough, but only for a short while. It was the antics of Gryl and the four panthers as they now stalked, pounced and engaged in a series of play fights that were impossible not to watch.

"Gods! See that? He must've been two metres in the air and he wasn’t even trying."

Gryl had just leapt completely over two other panthers rumbling softly at each other in mock aggression. A rough-and-tumble followed with the others ganging up and holding Gryl pinned by the combined mass of their four carefully positioned bodies. After a few minutes a new victim was suddenly chosen and Gryl joined with the other three to keep him subdued.

"Look how they team up, Rhys. The one underneath hasn't got a hope of escaping. I think it's a kind of practice for real fighting."

Kieran watched with renewed interest and Woorawa's theory seemed to be borne out when each of the remaining three panthers took a turn at being the victim in what looked more and more like a practised and almost choreographed routine. When the last submission finished the five participants crouched on their haunches with tails twitching eagerly and looked to the watching humans with an air of anticipation.

"Now what, Kieran? They look like they’re waiting for something."

Gryl's head cocked, one paw lifted slightly in a by now familiar request for contact, and a few seconds later Kieran relayed the startling invitation.

"You’re our fight leader, Rhys, and it's our turn to hold him down."

"Us? ... Against Gryl? ... You've got to be kidding. All five of us couldn't control even one of his paws."

"I know, but you saw how they did it. They think it's great fun and no one will get hurt. It's a pack ritual so it's an honour really ... How’re we going to do this?"

Rhys's grimace of disbelief changed into laughter.

"Are there any rules?"

"No, except that no one gets hurt."

"All right. Put the Spook ropes on a gentle setting and when he thinks we haven't got a hope we’ll hold him down for real."

"That's cheating! Gryl won’t be expecting anything like that."

Rhys laughed even more.

"I know, Tan, but how else are we meant to control a panther who’s nearly as tall as an elephant?"

Woorawa got all excited.

"Brilliant idea, Rhys. Kieran can make him think you really are an elephant. When you put one foot on his neck he'll be too scared to move in case he gets squished. It’ll be good practice for Kieran too."

"An elephant?"

"Yes, a big male with gigantic tusks. If he's never seen one before he might be too petrified to even move."

"Gryl petrified? No way! He’s a natural fighter. His first instinct is more likely to fight and I’ll get chomped in half. Make him think we’re all griffins, Kieran. We know he wouldn't fight them ... unless he really had to."

Mr B waved his hand in negation.

"You're all getting carried away. I suggest we just attack Gryl as ourselves, without the tricks and surprises. We’re going to win anyway unless we force him to change the pattern. Kieran said they think it's fun, so let's keep it that way."

Rhys reacted straight away.

"Mr B's right. Tan, it's your job to hold his tail still. Kieran, you can hold his jaws closed, and the rest of us will dive on his body and hold his front paws down."

"Me? With his jaws? Get serious, Rhys. You’re the fight leader. That's your job."

Rhys grinned.

"This fight leader says Gryl thinks you're the King of all the animals so he'll respect you more than the rest of us."

Kieran thought that Rhys was making a good point but he'd save that for a later, personal time.

"All right, but you're the leader, so start leading."

Beckoning everyone to follow, Rhys steadied his nerves and led the heroic assault against muscle, tooth and claw. Five human bodies piled onto Gryl in their allotted tasks and the initial sense of unreality and unavoidable misgiving quickly turned to enjoyment. Teeth were used to hold an arm or leg, but only with the gentlest of grips. Muscles were covered with a thick layer of glossy, luxurious fur, and claws were kept retracted and not even seen.

Woorawa squawked and begged for help when the paw he was valiantly holding trapped against the ground with the weight of his whole body, casually lifted into the air, flipped him onto his back then rested, immovable, on his stomach.

Tan ended up laughing when the constantly twitching tail muscles sent him waving helplessly back and forth.

Rhys was carrying on like an idiot, sitting on Gryl and pounding with clenched fists against the great rib cage with as much effect as a feather hitting a wall of steel.

Mr B's efforts to help by moving the restraining paw just made things worse when he was tumbled in place and held as an extra weight on top of Woorawa.

The task of holding such powerful jaws closed was more than impossible as, with sublime indifference to Kieran's efforts, Gryl continually opened them to companionably lick every bit of bare skin he could reach. Since this was mostly his face Kieran was practically helpless with laughter.

This happy state of affairs continued till several of the resting panthers roused and approached to watch with swishing, eager tales, and Gryl rising to his feet and shedding human bodies like water off a duck's back, pounced on the nearest onlooker. Kieran sat up from where he'd been dumped and watched the incredible sight of seventeen giant panthers gamboling and wrestling in a happy confusion of bewildering motion.

"I wonder if it's an evening thing or an after eating thing, Kieran?"

"More of an evening thing, Mr B. That's the pattern in their minds at any rate."

"Do you think Gryl will ask us to attack him again? That was unreal fun."

"I'm sure he would if we’re still with them tomorrow night, Tan, but he thinks other things will be happening by then. They all do."

"What was it like holding his head? His teeth would have spooked me out of my brain."

Kieran shook his head.

"No they wouldn't, Tan. You'd be too busy laughing from all licking."

Ten minutes later the panther play finished and when they settled in cozy groups at various distances from the campfire Kieran did a quick connect with Gryl.

"We won't have to do any lookout duty, Woorawa. They’re settling for the night but a couple of them will be taking turns to keep guard. Gryl says nothing will happen but they’ll keep a watch on George and the other two horses while they graze and sleep out on the plain."

"It's still early, Kieran. I want to listen to Tan’s stories."

Grins reflected in the glow from the campfire from everyone, except Tan, at Woorawa's statement.

"Give me a break. How can I think about stories when a giant panther is waving me back and forth like a metronome."

"A what?"

Mr B held up an arm and waved it from side to side.

"A metronome. It's a gadget for keeping time with music. Did you use one, Tan?"

"I started to learn the piano when I was little but I stopped because I wasn't very good at it."

"As if! You’re good at everything you try ... And you’re good at finding excuses too, so we’ll let you off telling your story till tomorrow night."

It really was early but, since Gryl wanted a quick start in the morning, everyone was soon bedded down on the mattress of gathered grass.

***