The River Wall Read Online Free PDF

mind and nose, for some source of danger.
    *lt’s all right
,* I reassured them. *
Follow at your own speed; we’ll wait for you to catch up.*
    *Can keep up
,* Koshah insisted, and started to run after us.
    *No
,* I said sharply, then spared my full attention to reach out to both of them with a mental hug.
*Take your time, and follow when you feel like it. We won’t be far*
    I suffered a momentary uneasiness about leaving the cubs on their own.
Don’t be stupid
, I scolded myself.
There’s no question of them getting lost—their sense of smell is as keen as Keeshah’s. If nothing else, I can guide them to us through our mindlink. And I can’t believe I’d be worried about them getting hurt. Who’s going to mess with kittens with that much tooth and claw?
    While Yayshah followed the road, Keeshahs marginally longer stride narrowed the females lead. When Yayshah’s dark tail seemed to float in the air beside Keeshah’s head, Tarani directed the female to veer off into a dakathrenil orchard, where Yayshah’s slightly smaller size yielded a distinct advantage in maneuverability.
    I noticed that the fur along Yayshah’s tail was fluffed slightly, and I took it for a sign of Tarani’s mood. My reaction probably translated through Keeshah’s mind to fluff his tail, as well.
    Yayshah dodged among the trees, keeping Tarani just out of my reach. Tarani’s back skimmed beneath branches that might have given me a concussion, if Keeshah had not been watchful of my safety. As it was, I had to protect my head and face with my arms, until the sleeves of my tunic were redolent with the nutty odor of the trees.
    I took an extra risk and lifted my head to look around. Through the whipping branches, I saw that this orchard followed the pattern of most others I had seen.
    Most orchards had a system of groves, or fields, in which the trees were planted in successive years, so that one field would reach maturity each year. The sha’um were in one of the older fields; we had run across an open space that marked the area where the trees had already been harvested. To the north was the next field, with less mature trees.
    At my direction, Keeshah began to herd Yayshah northward. The division between the fields was obvious, and Tarani gave a small cry as Yayshah carried her into an area where both of us had to go around, rather than under, the trees. Blocked from retreat to the older trees by Keeshah’s body, Yayshah whirled and plunged into a corridor between the rows. I slipped off Keeshah’s back and sent him after Yayshah with instructions to catch up and drive the female eastward. Then I started running northeast, listening to the progress of the sha’um and adjusting the angle of my run.
    When I caught sight of the sha’um, Yayshah was still resisting Keeshah’s drive, moving eastward slowly but feinting frequently toward the north. I was half-surprised to see Tarani still with Yayshah.
    Tarani has to have figured out what I’m doing
, I thought, as I ran up a corridor toward the group, and I slowed down, wary for her next move.
    It came quickly. Tarani caught sight of me and laughed. Yayshah whirled away from Keeshah and pounded down the corridor, straight toward me. I backed up a little, waited until it was obvious Yayshah was not going to stop short of running right over me, then launched myself backward and to the left. My back came up against the young dakathrenil I had spotted. The resilient trunk bent backward, then righted itself, catapulting me back toward Yayshah, who had nearly passed me. I grabbed Tarani’s leg and pulled her down with me as I fell in Yayshah’s wake.
    “Gotcha!” I yelled, noting in passing that I had actually used Ricardo’s slang instead of some Gandaresh equivalent.
    Tarani laughed and struggled for a moment, then abandoned pretense and put her arms around me.
    “Who shall judge which of us is the prisoner?” she asked softly.

4
    The orchards, grainfields, and berry patches became