The Second Wave (17 page)

‘What’s a Sun-scene?’ asked Marguerite, the term new to her.

‘Do you remember my telling you about the Bard we used to have back at our home near the Barrow of the Wolves?  He used to have Sun-scenes.  It happened when the Sun wanted to tell us something or warn us of danger.  He had a Sun-scene before the Silver Tide came, but we didn’t really believe it and that’s why Alder lost his tail.  You must be gifted like our Bard was. We shall have to leave here and head for Ourland.  That’s the message for us.  Remember the second wave of the Whale story?  That ended happily there for Acorn and Primrose.’

Marguerite looked at Dandelion.  Was she mixing her stories with reality, or were there really Sun-scenes sent to receptive squirrels?  It would solve the problem of Tansy wanting to take the Woodstock to Ourland and yet…  She looked down on the winter blue of the pool.  It would be unlikely that she would ever see that again if they did leave, but they had no food reserves, and who knew what the Greys would do next.

‘We must have a Council Meeting,’ she said.  ‘This morning.’

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

At the meeting the squirrels discussed Marguerite’s Sun-scene and what it would mean for them all.  Demoralised after losing their food reserves and ever-conscious of the nearness of the Greys and the zealous Crag, there was no resistance to the proposal to move away to the ruined Man-drey, though they all regretted having to leave their beautiful home.

Alder quoted the Acceptance kernel –

‘If it hurts too much

Thinking of what cannot be,

Put it out of mind.

‘Who knows the best way to get to the ruined Man-drey?’ he asked.

‘I do,’ said Rowan.  ‘I went near there when I was on climbabout.  There is a great mound in a gap in the hills with towers of stone on top.  Humans used to live there, but now they live in smaller Man-dreys on the other side of the mound.’

Dandelion said, ‘That’s what they call a castle.  Or so my grandfather used to say.’

‘There’s an easy way to go there,’ said Rowan.  ‘Through the woods to the east are two metal ‘lines’ that go right to the Man-dreys by this ‘castle’ thing.  I followed them when I was on climbabout.  Easy travel, no swamps or wide streams to cross, but you’re on the ground all the time, so you have to be alert.’

‘I remember crossing those lines last time we had to leave here,’ Juniper said, ‘on the way to Ourland.  What are they for?’ he looked at Dandelion.

‘Sun knows.  The humans must have made them, but why, I don’t know.’

Tansy signalled a request to speak.  ‘I know that I have been urging you all to do something about helping to save the Ourland squirrels from the pine marten, and if we are all going, then surely we must take the Woodstock.’  She paused and the others nodded agreement.

‘But before we go, we must also do something about Chipling.  He is still being held against his will, contrary to the Freedom Kernel.  I propose that we first work out a plan to free him so that he can come with us – if that is his wish.’

Tamarisk glowered at her, then turned away as she scowled back.

Alder spoke.  ‘Tansy is right.  We cannot leave the youngster like that.  Suggestions, please.  Then when he is safe, we’ll follow those metal lines.  We’ll need to travel fast, once we’ve rescued Chip.  It’ll be like poking a stick in a wasp’s nest.’

The rescue party approached the tree stealthily so as not to alert the guarding Greys.

The rest of the community had left the Blue Pool, dragging the Woodstock with them, to circle round and cross open country to the south and east until they came to the metal lines.  Then they were to follow these towards the castle mound as fast as they could, their speed dependent on the youngsters in the party.  Alder was in charge, and they had left before High Sun to gain maximum distance before nightfall.

Marguerite was leading the rescuers. Her party consisted of Rowan the Bold, delighted at the prospect of action, Tansy the Wistful and Tamarisk the Forthright.  Tamarisk had continued to be unenthusiastic about the need for rescuing Chip at all, but had not spoken against the plan, as Tansy was so obviously in favour.

Now he was rearguard on a highly dangerous mission.  At least he might be able to protect Tansy and persuade bossy Marguerite to give up and withdraw if it got too risky!

They climbed the tree which Tansy had been in when she signalled, and saw that Chip and his mother were sitting out on the dead branch, as they did on most days after High Sun.  Watching the Greys, Tansy flicked her tail.  Chip responded at once.  He must have been watching for her, Tamarisk thought jealously.

Tansy was making pointing signals with her paws, and Chip was sitting up and staring across the clearing.  Stupid brat, thought Tamarisk, and was relieved when Chip responded to a signal from Tansy to appear relaxed.  Then Rusty sat up and stared until Chip whispered urgently to her.  Tamarisk looked down, but the guards were chatting amongst themselves, apparently unaware of anything happening above their heads.

Rusty was the unknown part of their plan.  If they were successful, she might come away with Chip, or she might just turn a blind eye as he went off with them.  They had all agreed that, as his mother, she was unlikely to do anything to alert the guards or to prevent his escape, but no squirrel could be sure when these Portlanders, with their strange customs, were involved,

Marguerite moved quietly through the treetops to the north side of the clearing as they had planned earlier, and dropped a cone to the ground.  The Greys, instantly alert, sat and looked up in that direction.  Keeping out of sight Marguerite dropped another cone.  The Greys moved forward slowly to investigate, all their attention focused on the north side of the glade.

Tansy flicked an unmistakable ‘go down and head that way’ signal to Chip, holding a paw to her mouth to indicate the need for silence.  Tamarisk saw Chip whisper something to his mother as though trying to persuade her to come with him, but she shook her head, touched him on the shoulder and watched as he slipped down the far side of the trunk.

Marguerite dropped a larger cone and the grey guards moved forward, trying to see what was happening.  They chattered to one another, all peering in the direction of the sound.

Tamarisk and Tansy moved through the treetops, silently, to circle round and meet Chip.

As they were doing this, Rusty broke off pieces of rotten bark and let it fall from the Temple Tree, causing the nervous Greys to turn and stare up at her.  Marguerite dropped another cone and the Greys ran in her direction only to turn again as Rusty called down something that the Reds, now busy withdrawing, could not make out.  The Greys too seemed puzzled and sat staring upwards and trying to hear what she was saying, but somehow the words were not clear from the ground.  One Grey shouted up to her to speak louder.

Tansy and Tamarisk had, by now, joined a breathless Chip and were heading for the railway line, where they waited and watched from a line-side tree until Marguerite came in sight, skipping along between the rails triumphantly.  They all embraced silently.  There were no sounds of pursuit.

Congratulating each other on the success of their plan, they hurried along the track, Tamarisk and Chip vying with each other to be nearest Tansy, until they caught up with the party of tired and anxious squirrels where the humans’ roadway crossed over their railway on a bridge.  Marguerite, checking that Juniper had the Woodstock with them, was intrigued to see how he and Spindle were sliding it along the top of one of the metal rails, each holding an end in their mouths and running, one squirrel at either side of the rail.  Apparently this was Spindle’s idea – he was good at finding easier ways to do things.

They rested under the bridge and told how they had got Chip away from the Temple Tree.  It could only be a matter of time before there was a posse after them, but it was getting dark and there was a hint of snow in the air.  The bridge would offer some shelter.  Rather than press on and perhaps get caught in the open, they decided to spend the night here and move off in the morning.  They all climbed to a ledge out of reach of any possible prowling foxes or dogs, and huddled together, shivering in the draught which blew through the archway.

Crag and Ivy had returned to the Temple Tree clearing later than usual.  He was pleased with the success of that day’s search.  Dozens of Greys were following him, each carrying or dragging some metallic object.  The hollows of the tree were nearly full, and this surely would convince the Sun that he, Crag, was a truly worthy squirrel.  The grey female, Ivy, was proving to be an unexpected ally, urging the tired Greys on with reminders of the horrors of the Sunless Pit.

He could see that there was some kind of commotion at the foot of the Temple Tree.  Rusty was rolling about on the grass chattering incoherently, surrounded by guards who were trying to understand what she was saying.  He shouldered them aside and Rusty fell silent.

‘What’s going on?’ he asked roughly, addressing himself to her as she lay on the ground.

She did not reply, just rolled her eyes wildly.

One of the Greys said, ‘Temple Master, she has been raving since after High Sun.  We did not know what to do.’

Crag looked around.  ‘Where is my son?’ he asked.

‘In the Temple Tree…’ the Grey replied, his voice faltering as he realised the significance of the question.

‘That is, unless…’ he stopped.

‘Fetch him down, then,’ ordered Crag, icily.

The Chief Guard went slowly up one trunk, then the order, searching and calling at each opening, before returning to Crag on the ground, his tail low.  He did not need to speak.

Crag scowled at him, looked to where the setting sun was disappearing behind a bank of wintry clouds, and decided that there was enough time for them to go to the Blue Pool.  With their overwhelming numbers, they could and would destroy the Blasphemers forever.  He ordered all the Greys to follow Ivy and himself and they left, ignoring the now motionless body of Rusty at the foot of the Temple Tree.

No sooner were they out of sight than she shook herself, brushed the dust and moss from her fur and scampered from the clearing, following the scent of her son and the two other Reds.

However, before long, being unfamiliar with the business of tracking, she lost the trail and wandered away southwards, hoping to pick it up later.

Crag, without Marguerite’s knowledge of numbers, was unable to estimate how many Greys were following him.  The ground was covered in them, all chattering excitedly.  More were in the treetops overhead, following him to destroy the Blasphemers and put an end to their sinful ways forever.  He, Crag the Temple Master, was going to do this – a worthy squirrel indeed!

Ivy followed behind, whispering in the ear of any laggards.

They reached the Blue Pool Demesne as the first snowflakes fell from the darkening sky, to find only deserted dreys.  Crag ordered a search of the area, then, gnashing his teeth with rage, he turned and led his shivering grey followers back to the Temple Tree.

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

Juniper was the first of the huddled squirrels to wake on the ledge under the bridge.  He looked down and saw where the snow had blow in and partly covered the lines below him.  Through the arch he could see that the ground was blanketed with snow to the depth of two standing squirrels, with the wind stirring it into drifts.  Even high on the ledge he could hear the rustle of the wind-hardened grains as they blew along the surface, but there was another sound that he did not know, and it was coming from the lines themselves.  They were whining like an animal in pain and the sound was getting louder, now accompanied by metallic groans.  He leaned down from the ledge and peered outside.  An enormous creature was coming along the lines towards him and was going to enter their hiding place – it must be seeking them.  In panic he shouted,  ‘Every squirrel, get outside.  Run for your lives.  Follow me!’

Juniper leapt down from the ledge and ran out into the snow, followed by a gaggle of half-asleep squirrels, stumbling and rolling as they scrambled from the shelter of the bridge into the cold white world.  The ‘monster’ had entered the shelter and now followed them out, roaring loudly.

Juniper jumped from the track and dived into a snowdrift, burrowing like a mole in his terror.  The others, their hearts beating madly, tunnelled down behind him as the monster, ignoring them, rumbled on towards the little station of Corfe Castle village to engorge its breakfast of human travellers.

Deep in the snowdrift the squirrels lay, panting from their exertion, packed closely together, until, when they realised that the ‘monster’ had gone, they relaxed and wriggled into more comfortable positions.

‘What was that?’ a youngster asked, but no squirrel could give a satisfactory answer.

The chamber enlarged itself as they jostled about and soon they were in a snow-cave, where each could crouch easily, snug against one another and surprisingly warm – it was certainly better than the draughty bridge-arch.  They felt secure and safe deep in the drift and one by one dozed off and slept in the snow-cavern throughout all of that day and the following night, knowing that the snow had concealed their scent-trail.

Only one incident disturbed the calm.  Tansy was snugging against the skinny body of Chip when Tamarisk tried to wriggle in between them.

‘What do you want?’ she hissed, keeping her voice low so as not to disturb the other squirrels.

‘Just to be near you,’ Tamarisk replied, his mouth close to her ear. Then he added, ‘I don’t like the way you favour that squimp.’  Even as he said this he knew that it was a foolish thing to say, but it was too late.  He felt her body stiffen and sensed rejection.

‘He’s just left his mother to the mercy of the Temple Master, and we know what
he’s
like.  If you weren’t such a squaker, you would be out there helping her escape!’ She elbowed him away and closed her eyes.