Deep beneath the earth, in the heart of a warm and glowing pool, an egg half the size of a ferryshaft foal began to undulate. Valla and Sauny watched from the edge of the pool as two telshees circled the egg-anxious, but not ready to interfere. Their bodies flickered beneath the surface in the green light of the acriss. The egg itself glowed as if lit from within. Half a dozen other eggs lay on the bottom of the pool as well, and they all had a faint, green luminescence.

"Do you think-?" began Valla, but Sauny shushed her. She leaned over, concentrating, trying to see through the distortion of the water.

However, when the moment came, it was not easily missed. The egg tore-not cracking like a bird's egg, but tearing like a turtle's egg. A flood of luminous fluid poured forth. Tiny jellyfish, thought Valla, although they were too small to distinguish as such. An instant later, the newborn telshee pup writhed into view, splitting the fleshy skin of her egg in all directions. She thrashed there amid bright clouds of jellyfish spore, until the adults bore her to the surface. She choked out water, drew in her first gasping breath, and squalled in several voices. The adults immediately began to sing, and she quieted. They curled around the pup in a confusion of furry coils.

Valla and Sauny moved respectfully to the far side of the cave. Their presence here was not entirely welcome, but Sauny had been determined to see how the telshees were born. As spring warmed the seas, the telshees had begun to wake, and so, too, had their eggs.

Sauny had been watching this egg for days as it grew brighter. "I think it's because of the sh.e.l.l," she told Valla. "All the eggs have jellyfish inside, but as they get closer to hatching, the sh.e.l.l grows thinner, and the egg gets brighter."

"So you think the lishty was telling the truth?" asked Valla in a low voice.

"I haven't been able to find anything to prove otherwise," said Sauny.

"Except actually asking anyone," said Valla.

Sauny said nothing.

Valla took a deep breath. "So...you're still thinking about...doing what it said?"

"It came to see me again a few days ago on the beach," muttered Sauny.

Valla shuddered. "Aren't you afraid of it?"

"Kind of. But, then, other animals would be afraid of me...if I did what it said...wouldn't they?"

"I don't think you should. But if you do...I'll go with you."

Sauny gave her a hard look. "You mean you'll change with me?"

"Yes."

Sauny thought for a moment. "Is this your way of trying to stop me? Because it won't work."

Valla said nothing for a moment. "You're my herd leader," she said at last.

Sauny peered at her. "I'm only three years old. And I'm lame."

"Nevertheless."

"And I'm an outcast. And I don't know how I'll ever kill another creasia...unless I do this."

"Do you think we'd still be ourselves?"

"I don't know," said Sauny. "Sometimes I don't like being myself."

Valla swallowed. "So why haven't you done it, then? If you're so convinced?"

Sauny looked at the ground and seemed a little smaller. "I'm scared." She licked her lips. "Valla, do you think Teek is really a creasia?"

Valla laughed. "Of course he's really a creasia! What else could he be?"

"I don't know. He doesn't act like a creasia. I think he must be different from the rest."

"How do you know what creasia act like when they're not hunting?" asked Valla.

Sauny said nothing for a moment. "He brought me a bird the other day. It was the first bird he'd managed to kill, and I don't think he'd eaten in about two days, but Storm said he wanted to bring it to me."

Valla smiled. "He's an odd little beast."

"That can't be what the others are like. There must be something wrong with him."

This is what's stopping you, thought Valla with a jolt. Not fear. Hope.

"Ulya told Storm to get Teek out of the caves before Shaw wakes up," said Valla. "She said Teek was only supposed to be here until spring, and now it's spring, and she's afraid Shaw might do something to him."

Sauny tossed her head. "She wouldn't dare!"

"Don't be too sure," said Valla. "I think Storm is considering rejoining the herd."

"He can't," muttered Sauny. "Not with Teek." More softly, she added, "Not without me."

"You're walking better," said Valla.

Sauny snorted. "No, I'm not."

"I think you are."

"Nonsense." She thought for a moment. "You just want me to leave Syriot to get me away from lishties."

Valla grinned. "You've caught me." Her expression turned more serious. "If you want to see Teek, you should take the opportunity over the summer. I know Storm thinks he can keep him forever, but I don't think so. Eventually Teek will have to go back to Leeshwood."

To her surprise, Sauny bowed her head. "I know," she said softly. "I know, and it makes me sad."

Storm felt as though he might be sick as he approached the spring feeding grounds. Teek seemed to sense his anxiety and padded along without saying anything. They pa.s.sed pleasant streams and gra.s.sy expanses dotted with flowers between the boulders.

Storm remembered. Tracer and Leep and I played tag here when I was only a yearling. Sauny chased minnows over there a year later. Tollee and I lay for hours in the mud on a hot day and talked until the sun set. And over there, just beyond that rise, is the pool where I hid from Arcove's cats.

Sunlight dazzled on the little streams, and it made Teek blink and yawn, but Storm felt as though he were wide awake for the first time in ages. He knew where he had to go. He'd visited last night and sniffed around. But he wanted to come in daylight. Like a ferryshaft. Not like a curb or a telshee or a creasia.

Storm rounded a boulder, and there they were-half a dozen female ferryshaft and a confusion of tottering foals. The adults were talking between mouthfuls of spring gra.s.s, and the foals were exploring cautiously.

Storm forced himself to keep walking until they saw him. He didn't know what he expected after that. He thought they might scream and run at the sight of Teek...or even at the sight of him. In fact, they did neither, although everyone stopped talking. Several stopped chewing with gra.s.s still dangling from their lips.

Then one dark, brindled female separated herself from the group and came towards him. Storm was relieved to see that she had a twinkle in her eyes. "That's quite a scar," said Tollee.

Of all the things she could have said, this was not what Storm had expected. No one had mentioned the scar across his nose from the creasia battle in so long that he'd almost forgotten it. He fumbled for words, "It...doesn't hurt."

A little sand-colored foal struggled after Tollee. It stopped and peered uncertainly around its mother's legs.

"And who is this?" asked Storm.

"I've called her Myla," said Tollee. "After her father."

Storm bent to sniff the foal's nose. She smelled of Tollee and spring gra.s.s and, faintly, of blood. She smelled like life.

Tollee's expression changed when she spotted Teek. Storm realized that the others probably hadn't seen him in the long gra.s.s. "Remy owes me a rabbit," said Tollee smugly.

Storm stared at her.

"I knew you wouldn't kill it," she said. "The cub who followed you from the cave, I mean."

"Am I that predictable?" asked Storm.

"Maybe not to everyone." She hesitated and glanced at her clique, who had moved a little distance away, shooting covert glances over their shoulders. "Obviously not to everyone."

Teek stared up at Tollee, his posture uncertain. "She's a friend," said Storm. "And," he added, "a very good hunter."

Teek's ears came up. He was always impressed with superior hunting.

"I don't know whether you should say that after this winter," said Tollee. "The oldest of our clique starved to death. We thought she was getting enough, but...we woke one morning and she was dead. When we examined her, we realized that she was a lot thinner than we thought...under her winter coat. Her foal died in her belly, poor thing."

Tollee herself looked fit enough. Like all the ferryshaft, she was in the process of shedding her winter coat, and she had patches of sleek brindled fur between heavy, dense wads of winter fluff.

"But Remy's alright?" asked Storm.

"Oh, yes. She's actually spending time with Kelsy and Itsa again. There were no raids this winter, you know. Remy thinks maybe she was wrong about Kelsy rolling over for Arcove. Maybe it did more good than fighting, in the end."

Storm was impressed. "No raids? Really?" He felt suddenly that he should have known this, should have been paying more attention to what was happening to his herd. Before Tollee could answer, he said, "I should have been here."

"Why? I wouldn't have let you help me."

Storm smiled. "You never needed my help."

"But I did miss you."

Storm thought that this might be the nicest thing he'd ever heard in his life.

Tollee's voice grew wary. "How are Sauny...and Valla?"

Is that jealousy? "They're fine. They're practically telshees now. They-"

Storm broke off as Teek leaned forward to sniff noses with Myla, who seemed equally curious. Tollee stood perfectly still, legs braced as though she might need to strike. Storm held his breath.

Then Myla sneezed. Teek jerked back, but he only shook his head. He glanced up at Storm and said, with absolute seriousness, "She's just a baby."

Storm did his best not to laugh. "She's one year more of a baby than you."

Teek came forward again and proceeded to wash Myla's face.

Tollee gave a surprised snort. "Well..." she said in a wondering voice. "It's a new year, I guess."

"I guess it is," said Storm.

Chapter 15. Solution.

On the evening Arcove went to visit Treace, he took Halvery and a dozen of his cats, but he did not tell them what he intended to do. He told Roup, although he wouldn't let him come along. "I should be there," complained Roup. "If this works, it may be the most important thing you do as king."

"You don't get along with Treace," said Arcove patiently, "and he's just enough of a cub to resent your presence. Let me do this."

When they reached Treace's territory-now restricted to his immediate den-site, Arcove was not entirely surprised to find a mock-fight in progress. Treace was sparring with one of his clutter members. They were going at it just aggressively enough to be mistaken for a real fight at first glance. However, the relaxed att.i.tudes of half a dozen females and adolescent cubs in the vicinity prevented any experienced cat from making that mistake.

The other den members scattered when they saw Arcove and Halvery. Arcove wondered how many of them thought that he'd come to do as Nadine had suggested. The two combatants were so focused that it took them a moment to realize what was happening. When they finally broke apart, Halvery's clutter had circled them.

Treace's officer gave a nervous hiss, bristling all over, but Treace didn't make a sound. He tried to catch his breath, eyes darting around the group.

"Well, that was interesting," said Halvery. "Your leg seems much improved."

"Oh, he's practicing," said Arcove. "He's not good enough yet, though."

"Won't be for a long time," said Halvery. "If ever."

Treace said nothing, just watched them.

Arcove turned away. "Come on, Treace. I'm going to treat you like an adult for a moment. Try to act like one."