The First Kikihuahua Allegory.
Astrud believed in the kikihuahuas and their Examples although, by now, they were only a legend. They dated back to an encounter in Space in the days of the three-dimensional spaceships — which is to say forty thousand years before Astrud was born, before the Age of Regression began and Mankind retreated into himself. The true story of the first encounter is in the Rainbow.
The real story is known as the First Kikihuahua Allegory, and it is a legend, and it runs like this:
It seems there was once a space captain named Watt, and he was a True Human because this was nine thousand years before the Specialists were created by Mordecai N. Whirst. So Watt had no tiger genes, no extraordinary reactions like the legendary Captain Spring who drank from the river of bor. He was just an ordinary man who made an ordinary error of judgement, and he crashed on an uncharted planet.
He got clear from his ship just before it exploded into flames. The fire spread, and consumed a large tract of virgin forest.
Agni, the God of Fire, saw this and was offended. He appeared as a small devil, red and immensely strong, and he strapped Watt to a rock and left him to die in the burning sun.
No matter how Watt struggled and twisted, he could not free himself because the bonds were tight, and worse, there were no knots. Agni had fashioned the entire length from a continuous thong, so that they could not be loosened although Watt’s hands were free.
The days were hot and the nights cold, and soon Watt was weak with hunger and thirst. He could not struggle any more, but lay back and waited to die. His senses began to slip away.
Then he heard a sound.
He opened his eyes. A small cavy sat nearby, eating a leaf. Carefully, slowly, Watt slid his hand across the ground until it lay beside the animal. The cavy didn’t stir. It watched him with bright beady eyes, and it never stopped munching.
Watt grabbed it.
He killed it, and he drank the blood and ate the flesh. The food nourished him, and for a few hours he felt better. He fought his bonds again, but couldn’t loosen them. He shouted aloud, and prayed to Agni to release him. But Agni cannot undo what he does — such is the way of the demon of fire.
The next morning another cavy came by.
Watt killed it and ate it.
The next morning the same thing happened again.
And so it went on for twenty days. A cavy would appear and Watt would eat it, and thereby gain just sufficient strength to lament his predicament, struggle with his bonds and pray to Agni.
On the twenty-first day a small furry alien came by.
“Release me!” shouted Watt.
“I cannot,” said the kikihuahua. “There are no knots in your bonds for me to untie.”
“Then cut them!”
The kikihuahua said, “We do not have knives, nor chisels, nor saws, nor any other thing which is bent.”
“But I’ll die if you don’t help me!”
“I cannot help you. Help weakens the species. If you cannot help yourself, you deserve to die. I will give you advice, however. The next time a cavy approaches, remember that you both have the same enemy — Death — and that you should perhaps respect his fears as well as your own.” And with this, the kikihuahua went away.
Watt sat against the rock and thought. The day went by and no cavy came, and his hunger seemed to consume his very soul, but he remembered what the kikihuahua had said. And when in the morning a cavy came, Watt had gathered nearby leaves and set them in a pile for the cavy to nibble.
So the cavy ate and Watt watched it and his mouth watered at the sight of the plump flesh, but he kept his hands to himself. By the time the cavy had eaten, its fear had gone and it stayed with him for much of the day. The next day it came closer, and on the third morning it sat right beside him, eating leaves from his hand, unafraid.
During the night Watt wrapped the last remaining leaves around his bonds.
And the cavy came in the morning, and nibbled with strong teeth.
The bonds parted, and Watt was free.
He stood, very weak with hunger, and looked down at the cavy.
Suddenly the cavy trembled, and was afraid.
“Don’t be frightened,” said Watt. “I’ll go and find food elsewhere. You don’t want to die any more than I do, but there are other things around which don’t have the sense to fear death, so I’ll seek them out and eat them instead.”
So he ate fruit and yams and milk, and even the eggs of birds which had laid too many to raise. But he never again ate flesh.
The kikihuahua, watching from afar, was pleased. It seemed that humans were beginning to understand.
Raoul had smiled at her when she finished the story, but it was a smile of love and tolerance; there was no belief in it.
“You tell the story better than a priest,” he said.
“The kikihuahuas are real. They were here on Earth once, and they’ll come again.”
Above Raoul’s bed hung a small hardwood board, and into the wood someone had laboriously scratched characters with a sharp stone. The writing was in the imprecise, abbreviated hieroglyphics of those times, and roughly translated it said:
THE EXAMPLES OF THE KIKIHUAHUAS
“The kikihuahuas do not command or even instruct, for that is not their way. Rather, they set an example and leave others to follow or not follow as they think fit. The Kikihuahua Examples are great and complex and involve many creatures throughout the Greataway. They are a way of life and death, and it is the Will of God that human beings of all Species and Varieties work towards achieving their state; in particular the Prime Examples:
I will not kill any mortal creature
I will not work any malleable substance
I will not kindle the Wrath of Agni.
In this way you will take a step towards living in accord with your world and the creatures in it, which will be a step nearer to the Example of the kikihuahuas, and the Will of God.”
In more simple terms, the Examples were translated by the irreverent as ‘don’t bash, bend or burn.’ Naturally, it was the humans of the first variety of the Second Species — the True Humans — who had appointed themselves keepers of the faith. Periodically they sent priests into the felino camps and onto the tumpfields, and even into the mountains, to ensure that the Word was kept.
So Astrud stood, ruffled Raoul’s hair — a thing he wished she wouldn’t do — and went downstairs to prepare the supper.
Tonight they were having early tortugas, baked.
The grupo without Karina.
The El Tigre grupo, minus Karina, had stalked Iolande’s grupo into the foothills. The huge sighing of the tumps hid any sound they might make. Above, the tumpiers dozed on their mounts; tiny human figures against the night sky.
“They went south, I think,” said Runa.
“I really think I heard them heading west,” ventured Saba breathlessly. She was having trouble keeping up, as usual.
“What can they be doing?” asked Runa.
“Poaching tumpmeat,” Teressa stated positively. “There’s been talk about this at the camp. Somebody’s been creeping into the fields at night and stealing slices from the tumps. The tumps can’t feel it and the tumpiers are asleep. Then in the morning they find fresh wounds.”
“I’m hungry,” said Runa. The talk of flesh was getting to her.
“Forget it, sister. We’re going to catch them in the act, so you’d better make up your mind whose side you’re on.”
“But raw …?” Saba was disgusted.
“It’s better that way,” said Runa with relish. “Haven’t you ever tried it? Cold and juicy and full of flavor.”
“Runa!”
“They frown on it at the camp, of course. They think if the True Humans ever saw us eating raw flesh, it would really convince them we’re animals. But so what? If it tastes good, eat it, that’s what I say.” Runa’s eyes shone in the moonlight.
“I think I can smell blood,” said Teressa. She
sniffed the air and smacked her lips. “The wind’s from the east. That’s where they are — they must have circled behind us.” She swallowed. Her mouth was watering.
“Raw.…” said Saba thoughtfully.
“Hold it!” Teressa decided this had gone far enough. “Tonight we’re on the side of law and order, for a change. We suspect Iolande’s grupo is guilty of antisocial behavior, and we’re going to confront them.”
“Confront them?”
“Sneak up on them —” A vast sigh like the exhalation of a whale sounded from almost overhead, interrupting her “— and confront them. Point out how they’re cheating the whole camp — in fact how they’re cheating felinos everywhere, giving them a bad reputation with True Humans.”
“Personally I don’t give a shit what True Humans think of us,” said Runa.
“Well, no. But it makes us look good in front of our own people. I mean.… Torch will probably put in a good word for us at the next meeting. We have a few things to live down, you know.”
“Torch? To hell with Torch!”
The scene was set for one of those frequent clashes between Runa and Teressa.
“You’d better not say that when he’s heading up our grupo!”
“He’ll never head any grupo I’m a member of!” snapped Runa.
“You won’t have any choice in the matter, sister!”
“Who’s going to make me? You? Are you sweet on that swaggering goon, Teressa?”
“By Agni, I’m going to kill you, Runa!”
Runa sprang. Teressa sidestepped and Runa found herself clawing uselessly at the tough hide of the tump. As she turned, Teressa’s kick caught her full in the stomach and she dropped, the air whistling out of her.
“You’ll have to be quicker than that!” Teressa taunted her. “Torch is a big man. He’ll kill you on the first night!”
“Stop it! Stop it! shouted Saba. “I wish Karina was here!”
“What’s going on down there?” came a sudden shout from above.
“Now you’ve done it, you two,” Saba whispered. “The tumpier’s woken up.”
“Let’s get out of here.”
They crept away, Teressa supporting the staggering Runa who was having difficulty breathing; and headed east, downhill. Far below them the sea glittered coldly and the polished hardwood of the sailway showed as a silver thread across the plain. The wind was cold, and bore the strengthening scent of blood.
Suddenly, Runa fell.
Instantly Teressa was kneeling beside her. “Are you all right?”
“I’m … fine.” She tried to struggle up.
“No, lie there a moment. Saba! Go and scout out that smell. Don’t let anyone see you. Just keep your head down and find out what’s going on.” When Saba was out of earshot, Teressa said, “I wanted to say I’m very sorry I hurt you, and I’ll try not to let it happen again.”
“I … I.…” Runa gulped, snuggling her head against Teressa’s breasts.
“Tell me.”
“It’s so hard. The other grupos often have mothers or boys leading them and they know so much, and they just seem to run rings round us. I want us to mate well but Torch drives me insane, always creeping round father.… But he’s well thought of in the camp. I don’t know what to think.”
“Well, we’re well thought of too — you know that. We’re pretty much the top grupo of our generation.”
“A lot of that is due to Karina,” said Runa.
“So where is she now?” It had been annoying Teressa for hours. “A grupo should be together. That’s what grupos are all about. Suddenly she keeps going off on her own.”
“We all need one another, I think,” said Runa pacifically.
When Saba returned, she found Runa and Teressa curled up together like kittens, half asleep. “I’m glad you’ve settled your differences,” Saba said with some asperity, “because Iolande’s grupo’s down there feasting on a tump like they haven’t eaten for months, and if we don’t hurry up they’ll strip it to the bone and start in on the lumpier.”
Teressa stood, “Right. Runa, you circle south around that knoll. Saba, north through the gully. I’ll take them from the front — you’ll have to keep your head down; the moon will be in our faces. Don’t move in until you hear me yell.”
Saba said, “I wish Karina was here.”
The Purpose.
Many years before, the handmaiden, then a young girl, had asked the Dedo, “What is the Purpose?”
The Dedo walked across the bare floor of the cottage and laid her palm against the Rock. Since the Rock gave access to most areas of the Greataway, it followed that much of the knowledge of the Rainbow could be tapped into. After a moment the Dedo nodded.
“You will need to know,” she said. And she told the handmaiden the story of Starquin, the Five-in-One.…
“Starquin passed near Earth a long time ago and, sensing that interesting events were going to happen, he decided to stay for a while. Life had begun on this planet, and life is always fascinating to an itinerant scientist such as Starquin. The small creatures walked on Earth, and the great land-mass of Pangaea was beginning to split into the smaller continents we know today. Starquin watched.
“Then he sent down extensions of himself — fingers, or Dedos — in the form which is now known as the First Variety of the Second Species of homo sapiens. The Dedos had two purposes: to keep Starquin informed of happenings on Earth, and to attend to the Rocks, which are used for Greataway travel.
“So the Dedos watched Mankind develop. Civilizations came and went and finally a crude three-dimensional space travel was achieved, and humanity began to colonize the stars. Then, in the Cyclic year 91,702, over 250 million years after Starquin’s arrival, a crucial event occurred.
“A certain Captain Spring became host to an alien parasite, which she brought back to Earth. The details are unimportant, but as a result of this and other factors Mankind discovered the Greataway. He could travel in all dimensions now, even unknowingly stealing rides on the broad-band routes established by the Dedo’s Rocks. They called this the Outer Think. By this means, humans spread throughout the Greataway — and inevitably met their match. They came into conflict with the inhabitants of the Red Planet.
“The Red Planet had a Weapon against which humanity was almost defenseless — you don’t need to concern yourself with the nature of that weapon. But its existence forced Man back into his own corner of the Galaxy, and to protect himself he created a frightening group of pseudo-humans who became known as the Three Madmen of Munich. These creatures seeded the Greataway with the so-called Hate Bombs — an effective defense, because the Greataway is very fragile and travel depends upon emotions as much as dimensions.
“This kept the Red Planet’s warriors out. But it cut humans off from many of their colonies, too.
“And worse, it imprisoned Starquin in a small area some sixty light-years across.…”
The cabin was silent. The Dedo gazed at the play of light on the Rock. Outside, a coughing roar signalled the presence of a huge beast. It was getting cold. The Dedo walked over to the fireplace and did something; flames trickled over the surface of a small pile of kindling, smoke disappeared up the blackened chimney.
“That was almost thirty thousand years ago,” said the Dedo. “Starquin is out there still.
“Our Purpose is to work towards freeing him. To aid us in this Purpose, we have the resources of Earth. That’s all. It’s not much. But our knowledge of the Ifalong tells us it can be done.”
A quarter of a century later, the Dedo said to the handmaiden, “You saw her, then. She is prepared?”
“She is a willful girl, like all young felinas. But she has a strong sense of loyalty towards her race, and she will suit the Purpose.”
The Dedo said, “I hope so. She is the only chance Starquin has. I’ve monitored all the Ifalong and on just one happentrack I see a slender thread running through Time, carrying the seeds of bor through a thousand generations without
a break, until a young man named Manuel is born. That is the happentrack we must bring about. That is the happentrack on which Starquin is freed.”
“What must I do?” asked the handmaiden.
“You must prevent Karina being killed by the caimen,” said the Dedo, whose name was Leitha.
“For how long must I guide her?”
“There will be a time when the conception and birth of John is inevitable,” said the Dedo. “Our work will be finished, then.”
HERE ENDS THAT PART OF THE
SONG OF EARTH KNOWN TO
MEN AS
“THE GIRL BORN TO
GREATNESS”
“IN TIME,
OUR TALE WILL CONTINUE
WITH THE GROUP OF STORIES
AND LEGENDS KNOWN AS
“SUMMER’S END”
Where True Humans and others
join the happentrack
on which Karina sails towards her destiny,
guided by the handmaiden.
Three
* * *
Tortugo
“To seek purpose in the millenia of human existence is as futile as asking God the reason for the tortuga.”
— attr. to Ilos, 115,614C-115,701C
Karina crept through the jungle, following her quarry by scent as much as by sound.
It was strange to be alone. All her life she’d been used to the strength of the grupo; and now here she was, unprotected, following two True Humans into the secret recesses of the delta.
Why?
Because of her stubbornness. Because she was loyal to her people. Because she wanted to prove to her father that she was capable of looking after herself. Because she was sure there was something in the delta which the felinos ought to know about.
Cat Karina Page 6
