by Anh Do
‘Try not to break anything,’ said Ma. ‘You can take your dogs and sit over there.’
She gestured to a big pile of cushions in the corner, many of which had been ripped open. The dogs were wary of the strong smell of cats, but I led them towards the cushions. We were guests, after all.
Meanwhile, Ma went to a shelf and took down a jar of paste.
‘Here,’ she said, handing it to me. ‘Get that onto your poor pup while I find something to use as a bandage.’
‘He’ll need some rest before he’s back on his feet,’ continued Ma, ‘so I guess you had all better stay for the night.’
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d sat at a table, waiting for someone else to bring me a meal.
‘Here you go,’ said Ma. ‘Badger Surprise.’
As she walked away, Rupert wrinkled his nose.
‘So the surprise isn’t that it looks like that?’ he said.
‘Looks good to me!’ I said, picking up my knife and fork.
Ma set glasses of water in front of us, as I started carving up the badger. It turned out the surprise was a berry stuffing, which was utterly delicious. Even Rupert quickly got over his misgivings.
It was dinnertime for the cats too, who munched at the various bowls on the floor.
‘Where did all these cats come from?’ I asked.
Ma harrumphed. ‘People in my village kept cats to guard their food stores from rats and other pests, and, well, after the war began, there were suddenly a whole lot more strays to take in.’
The big black tom from the waterfall leapt up onto Ma’s lap. She smiled softly as she gave him a pat – the first time I had seen such a gentle expression on her face.
‘This is Teddy,’ she said. ‘He makes it difficult to maintain my policy of not having favourites.’
‘But how do you look after them all?’ said Rupert.
‘They don’t need much looking after out here,’ said Ma. ‘Plenty to hunt, lots of fresh water about. I think they actually look after me. They chase off anyone who gets too near the house. Bring me little gifts. That kind of thing.’
I checked on the dogs, who had also been given bowls of food. There seemed to be a kind of wary respect between the two packs of animals. Everyone was keeping their distance and being careful not to move in any way that might be seen as aggressive.
As I watched, Tiny padded over to a couple of identical white cats. I tensed a little as he sniffed at them curiously. He was always so bold!
His tail gave a little wag. Hi there.
The cats regarded him dubiously as they swished their tails. I couldn’t tell what they were thinking, but I worried it might be something along the lines of …
This small dog looks edible.
‘Don’t worry about Zara and Tara,’ said Ma, watching the exchange. ‘They seem snooty, but they’re really a couple of softies.’
As Zara and Tara narrowed their eyes at Tiny, I hoped that Ma was right.
‘I know what will help everyone get along!’ Ma announced, so brightly that it startled me. ‘A bit of music!’
Ma began to strum, a series of lively notes that instantly captured my attention. The tempo increased as the tune turned into a cheerful jig. To my surprise, I couldn’t help but tap my toes.
Competing feelings of joy and sorrow welled up inside me. It had been so long since I’d heard music. Once it had been so common. So much had changed since then.
‘They don’t know how it’s done,’ Ma said, nodding at her audience of curious beasts. ‘Come on, you two, show them.’
It took me a moment to register what she was saying. ‘Um, sorry?’
‘Get up and have a dance!’ said Ma.
I couldn’t dance. I had never learned. I glanced across at Rupert, expecting him to be as horrified by the idea as I was, but he was already rising from his chair.
He smiled at me and bowed. ‘Will you join me, miss?’
My cheeks warmed. ‘I don’t know how.’
‘It’s easy,’ he said. ‘You just sort of step around each other. I can show you, if you want?’
I thought about sinking under the table.
Rupert shrugged, smiling. ‘Suit yourself.’
He strode towards the ‘dance floor’ and put a finger on his chin as he made an exaggerated show of considering the best place to start. Several of the dogs and cats watched him curiously.
Rupert lifted his feet and began to prance about, so suddenly and confidently that I had to laugh. He swept back and forth before Ma Taylor. What he lacked in talent, he more than made up for in enthusiasm. Ma gave him an appreciative nod as he stomped around her.
‘Come on, dogs!’ Rupert cried. He gestured at them encouragingly. ‘Who wants to dance?’
Tiny bounced towards Rupert, yapping and wagging his tail.
‘That’s it! Who else?’
Nosey rose uncertainly, his tail twitching.
‘Yes, come on, Nosey!’
Nosey cantered towards Rupert and Tiny as they bounced around each other. Nosey seemed uncertain about how to join in – but then he started turning in a circle, as if chasing his tail. After he got a bit giddy, he turned and did it the other way.
I laughed with unexpected joy. Nosey was trying to dance!
‘Who else?’ called Rupert.
Brutus hunkered down on a pillow and put his paws over his eyes.
You won’t catch me carrying on like a goose.
I found the urge to join in too powerful. Why had I been so worried? This was not some difficult waltz. It was just everyone having fun!
As the song built to the chorus, I rose and ran to the dance floor. When Sunrise saw this, she was on her feet in an instant. I laughed as Sunrise stood on her hind legs and put her front paws on my shoulders.
I released Sunrise and she joined the other dogs in twisting and turning and bouncing. Rupert and I smiled at each other, as I tried to mimic his strange stomping. He grabbed my hands and we spun around.
I wasn’t sure this was actually dancing, but I also figured, who cares?
As the song neared the end, I heard a bark.
‘Oh, Zip!’ I couldn’t believe it. I rushed to give him a hug. He barked again, happily. ‘You’re already better?’
‘He’s already feeling better,’ came Ma’s voice over my shoulder, and I realised the music had stopped. ‘That doesn’t mean he is better. He needs more rest. You all do.’
As I looked up at her, with my arms around Zip’s neck, she smiled at me like a grandmother would.
‘Perhaps it’s time for me to see about some bedding for the night,’ she said.
The next morning, I woke in a comfortable tangle of blankets and cushions, with the sound of dogs snoring and cats purring all around me. I decided not to open my eyes just yet.
Beep … beep … beep …
What was that?
Rupert woke with a gasp. As he crawled out of his blankets, he ruffled the bedding, leading to several complaints from animals who weren’t ready to rise.
Beep … beep … beep …
‘What’s that racket?’ came Ma’s voice.
I opened one eye and saw Rupert wrestling with his backpack.
‘It’s the GPS tracker!’ he said. ‘I set an alarm in case it showed up again.’
‘In case what showed up again?’ I said blearily, rubbing my eyes.
‘The truck!’ he exclaimed. ‘It’s back!’
I sprang to my feet, scaring several cats, and scrambled to join Rupert.
‘There must be a road to the north,’ he said, tapping the screen. ‘We have to go now if we’ve got any chance of finding it. We can’t let it get away from us again, right?!’
As he stared at me frantically, I realised he thought I’d say no again. I wasn’t going to do that, though – we might not get a third chance!
‘Ma,’ I said, ‘thank you so much for everything, but Rupert’s right – we have to leave.’
Ma held up a hand.
‘I understand,’ she said. ‘You want to look for your family. I’ll quickly grab you some food to take.’
She had done so much for us already, but she marched off before I could object.
‘What about Zip?’ asked Rupert. ‘Does he stay here, or come with us?’
Zip! In all the excitement I hadn’t even checked on him yet. I spun and found him looking right up at me, wagging his tail.
‘How are you feeling, boy?’
I’m great!
Nosey nudged him. You are not great. You have to be careful.
I’ll be fine!
‘Sunrise,’ I called out. ‘Are you okay to carry Zip for a little longer?’
Sunrise lowered her head. Yes, of course.
I’m fine! protested Zip, whining.
‘We’ll be moving fast and I need you to keep getting better, Zip.’
He stopped protesting. I picked him up and stuck him back in the sling.
The dogs and I headed down the stairs to find Ma at the bottom, waiting with a bushel of bananas, apples and a jar of forest sage paste.
‘Take the rest of this,’ she said, pushing the jar into my hand. ‘And these fruits grow wild near my village, so I can get plenty more. Make sure you eat them before they go mushy!’
Rupert landed beside me and grinned at Ma. ‘Thank you, Ma! For the food, the sage, and the music too.’
Ma’s eyes twinkled as she smiled, and she tousled Rupert’s hair.
‘And thank you from me too, and all of us,’ I said, giving Ma a hug.
Ma chuckled. ‘All right, you better go. What did I hear about you being in a rush?’
‘That’s right!’ Rupert started turning this way and that, to get his bearings with the tracker. ‘The truck is … this way!’
He headed off into the trees, faster than I’d ever seen him move before.
‘Everyone follow … Rupert?’ I said.
The dogs seemed to find this as odd as I did, but we took off after him. He set such a pace that I only had time to spare one glance behind to wave at Ma, but she was busy with her cats again.
I hoped she knew how much we appreciated all she had done for us.
I caught up to Rupert just in time to steer him away from striding headfirst into a tree.
‘Thanks,’ he said, then took off again. Around us, the dogs fanned out, except for Nosey and Zip, who brought up the rear. If ever Zip seemed about to take off running, Nosey gave a little whuff and kept him slow and steady.
We travelled for something like an hour, as the sun moved across the sky. I was about to ask Rupert for an update when he held up a hand.
‘It’s close!’ he announced. ‘Ahead of us but moving right, five hundred metres now.’
Excitement rose within me. Five hundred metres wasn’t very far – and maybe it was all that stood between me and some answers.
We all began to speed up.
‘Four hundred metres!’
Unable to contain myself, I raced ahead of Rupert, with Sunrise and Brutus flanking me. We dashed madly through the trees.
‘Veer right!’ called Rupert.
He was hot on our heels, still glancing at the tracker now and then. Branches whipped against his cheeks, but he didn’t seem to care.
‘Three hundred metres and closing!’ he called.
Above the trees, Eagle gave a shriek. What had she seen?
‘Two hundred!’
Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw something leaping through the treetops beside us. I glanced over but saw only swaying branches. Had I just imagined it? I don’t have time to worry about that right now.
‘One hundred metres, but—’ Rupert stammered. ‘It’s gone!’
‘What?!’
‘It’s disappeared!’
‘Impossible!’ I shouted. A truck couldn’t just disappear.
I ducked under a low-hanging branch, leapt over a leaf mound, scrambled up a rise, and saw the entrance to a cave!
One by one the others arrived. They found me hunched in the shadow of a tree, looking out at the scene beyond.
‘Whoa,’ said Rupert, puffing hard. His face was red, but he kept up. ‘A secret cave.’
‘Well,’ I said as I stared at that dark entrance, ‘it’s not a secret anymore.’
From inside the cave came echoes of thunking, like the sound of hammers against rock. I suspected the enemy was up to the same tricks as back at the kids’ camp – but underground.
Soon there was a rumbling from the cave mouth, and a truck emerged. I narrowed my eyes at the number plate. VHH 654. It was the same truck!
‘What do we do?’ whispered Rupert.
I held up a hand for silence. The truck moved along the road below us. As it passed, we saw it was full of rocks, not people.
‘Maybe it delivered some people to the cave?’ said Rupert. ‘And now it’s leaving with a load of rocks?’
‘Maybe,’ I said. ‘But it’s been days since we saw that truck leave the adults’ compound. It might have been up to all kinds of things since then.’
‘They’re putting people to work in there,’ said Rupert. ‘I just know it. I know their style.’
The thunk, thunk, thunk reached my ears, and I had to agree.
To get any real answers, we would have to sneak into the cave, but the soldiers guarding the entrance would spot us coming from a hundred metres away.
‘There’s no tents or housing outside,’ I said. ‘They must be keeping the workers housed inside, which means the cave must be pretty big.’
Rupert nodded. ‘So maybe there’s another way in?’ He had read my mind.
We followed the tree line around the cave clearing until we reached the mountainside. From there we looked for any cracks or crevices big enough to slip through. As we moved along, a sound floated down the cliff from on high.
Thunk, thunk, thunk …
‘There must be a hole somewhere up there,’ I said.
I needed Eagle.
‘Eeeaaakkk!?’ I called. I hadn’t seen her for a while, but I knew she would come.
I scanned the canopy for her, and my eyes were drawn to a darting movement as something slipped along the upper branches – but it was gone in an instant.
A moment later Eagle glided down and stopped on a log. She tilted her head at me.
YOU CALLED?
‘We need to find the thunk, thunk, thunk,’ I told her, doing my best impression of a hammer hitting rock. I wasn’t very good at it, however. Rupert chortled, and Eagle didn’t seem to understand.
I waited for the thunk to echo down the slopes again, then quickly pointed in the direction of the sound.
‘There!’ I said. ‘Can you find that sound, Eagle?’
She appeared to listen for a moment and then took off, circling upwards. She came to a rest on a ledge some fifty metres above.
‘That’s where we need to climb to,’ I said.
‘Okay then,’ said Rupert, sounding doubtful. ‘Are you sure she’s not just telling us she’s found a mouse?’
I wondered when he would start having a little more faith in me and my animals.
We set out to find a way upwards. I led us along routes where the slope wasn’t too steep, which meant weaving back and forth diagonally across it. There were plenty of plants growing, and it sometimes helped to have something to hold onto. Slowly but surely, we worked our way up to the ledge.
Finally, we made it, and found Eagle still waiting.
WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?
I could see the tops of the guard towers down to the left, beside the cave mouth – which meant if they looked up, they would be able to see us too!
I didn’t want to be exposed up here for any longer than was necessary.
Thunk, thunk, thunk …
The sound seemed to come from behind some dried, dead bushes. I pulled them aside and …
‘This must lead to the cave,’ I said.
‘I don’t know if I’m glad we found this or not,’ said Rupe
rt, peering into the tunnel. ‘Do you think there are spiders in there?’
‘Nah,’ I said, with a grin. ‘They’ve probably been eaten by all the scorpions.’
Rupert didn’t look like he appreciated my joke. The truth was that crawling into a dark hole wasn’t something I loved the idea of either.
‘What about the backpacks?’ said Rupert. ‘If it’s a tight squeeze, they might get in the way.’
I considered our packs. Sunrise, Nosey and Brutus wore them. I had lost mine back when I’d been captured by the enemy. Sunrise was the biggest of us, so I took her pack off and tied it around my foot.
‘You do the same with Brutus,’ I told Rupert. ‘Nosey should fit with his.’
Rupert stared at Brutus, who stared right back at him.
What’s this guy want?
‘May I …’ Rupert pointed hesitantly at Brutus’s pack. ‘Can I take your pack, please, Brutus?’
Huh?
I left them to sort it out for themselves – if we were ever going to function as a team, they had to get used to dealing with each other.
I got down on all fours and put my head into the hole. Then I crawled forwards slowly and waited for my eyes to adjust. The narrow tunnel stretched ahead five metres or so, then turned a corner.
Carefully, I inched forwards.
The pack tied to my foot bumped and bounced along behind me, occasionally getting snagged and needing to be shaken loose. Still, I made it to the bend with no trouble. Around the corner it was much darker.
I had a few matches left in my pocket. The light from one wouldn’t last long enough to use it like a torch, but maybe if I could see just for a moment, I could plan the route forwards.
I lit a match, and flickering yellow light danced across the walls. There was another few metres of tunnel ahead, which grew a whole lot narrower towards the end, then turned around another bend.
