The Last Of The Sky Pirates Part 11

As the sun beat down ferociously, Rook slipped back beneath the forest canopy and continued through the dappled trees, keeping low and close to the forest floor. He knew that sallowdrop trees, with their pale, pearly fronds, grew near running water, and that clouds of woodmidges often collected above underground pools a" but he saw neither.

His mind was beginning to wander once more when, from his right, there came the unmistakable sound of babbling water. With a sudden burst of energy, Rook manoeuvred the Stormhornet skilfully about, swooped down through the air and round the cl.u.s.ter of tall lullabee trees before him.

And there, at the far side of a small, sandy clearing, bursting with lush vegetation, was a spring. It bubbled up from rocks on the side of a slope, trickled over a jutting lip of rock and splashed down into a deep green pool below.

aThank Sky and Earth,a Rook whispered to the Stormhornet. aAt last.a Yet he did not dare land. Not yet. Beautiful though this welcome oasis looked, he knew it would also be a perilous place, attracting some of the most dangerous Deepwoods creatures there were: rapier-toothed wood-cats, whitecollar wolves and, of course, wig-wigs which, though they themselves never needed to drink, frequented such places to prey on those that did.

Rook brought the skycraft down to land on a st.u.r.dy branch high up in one of the ancient lullabees. He put his telescope to his eye and, trying hard to ignore his dry mouth and burning brow, focused in on the spring below him.

As the time pa.s.sed, several creatures appeared from the surrounding forest to drink at the babbling pool. A small herd of speckled tilder, a family of woodfowl, a solitary woodhog boar, with long curving tusks and small, suspicious eyes. A hover worm flitted over the surface of the water, bowing its head and sipping delicately, as the jets of air expelled from tiny ducts the length of its underbelly hissed softly Finally Rook could wait no longer. He tethered the Stormhornet securely, scurried down the great bulbous trunk of the lullabee to the ground and, looking all about him, crept towards the bubbling spring.

There, he quickly dropped to his knees, cupped his hands, and drank mouthful after mouthful of the cold, clear water. He felt it coursing down his throat and filling his stomach. Immediately his head stopped pounding and his eyes cleared. He hastily filled his canteen and was about to return to the Stormhornet to continue on his way, when something caught his eye.

A footprint.

Rook gasped and, scarcely able to believe his good fortune, crouched down for a better look at the broad marking in the soft, damp sand at the wateras edge. Although smaller than the print he had seen beside the oakgourd tree, from the arrangement of pads and claws, there could be no doubt. It was a banderbear footprint. What was more, the impression was sharply defined. It had been made recently.

Bursting with excitement, Rook leaped to his feet and inspected the whole clearing. In amongst the footprints of all the other thirsty creatures were more of the small banderbear tracks. Some were faded and worn, some as fresh as the one at the wateras edge a" the banderbear must have returned several times to drink over the last few days.

Turning away he scaled the lullabee tree. aThis is the place,a he confided to the Stormhornet. aWe shall wait here for a banderbear to appear, no matter how long it takes.a Rook stayed awake that night. All round him, the sounds of the night creatures filled the air. Coughing fromps. Squealing quarms. Chattering razorflits a As the moon rose, blades of silver light cut through the surrounding trees, and speared the forest floor below. Rookas eyes were growing heavy when all at once, shortly before the dawn, he heard the sharp crack of a twig snapping in the shadows beneath him.

How could anything have got so close without me noticing? he wondered. He pointed his telescope down at the place where the noise had come from and adjusted the lens, until every leaf appeared in sharp focus. As he did so, the foliage trembled and abruptly parted, and out of the shadows stepped a tall, stocky creature.

It was a banderbear! Rook held his breath and tried not to tremble. He had finally found a wild banderbear!

The creature was truly magnificent, with bright eyes, sharp white tusks and long, gleaming claws. Though smaller than the banderbears he had seen at the Foundry Glade, it was nevertheless both tall and imposing and, given the half-starved appearance of those sorry individuals, probably weighed more than them. As it lumbered towards the bubbling pool, its s.h.i.+ny coat gleamed a" now dark brown, now pale green.

Rook watched it stoop down at the wateras edge, lower its snout and begin lapping at the water. He was so excited, he could hardly breathe. His hands were trembling, his legs were shaking a" he had difficulty keeping the telescope focused.

Just then there was a rustling in the leaves. The banderbear looked up, its delicate ears fluttering. It was probably just a fromp swinging through the trees, or a roosting woodfowl s.h.i.+fting position in its sleep. But the banderbear was taking no chances. As Rook watched, spellbound, the banderbear climbed to its feet and melted silently into the surrounding forest.

aToday,a Rook whispered, as he closed his telescope and clipped it back onto his flight-suit. aToday is the day!a The banderbear returned many times, and as the days pa.s.sed, Rook observed it closely, keeping detailed notes of its behaviour and writing them up in his treatise-log. He recorded what time of day and night it appeared, and for how long. He doc.u.mented each movement it made: every scratch, every gesture, every facial expression. And he drew pictures a" dozens of them a" trying to capture each individual characteristic of the creature: the curve of its tusks, the arch of its eyebrows, the grey mottled markings across its shoulders a Several days into his vigil, Rook decided to track the banderbear. As it lumbered off into the forest, he slipped the tether-rope of the Stormhornet and, keeping at a safe distance, flew after it. He was surprised how fast the creature travelled. Hovering silently up in the air, he watched it stop at a huge, spreading tree, and gorge itself on the dripping blue-black fruit which hung from its branches, before continuing on its way.

An idea formed in Rookas head. He swooped down and, keeping close to the tree, plucked an armful of the fruit. Then, having returned to the spring, he laid it out in small pile beside the bubbling water.

For the rest of the day a" using a makes.h.i.+ft catapult to keep other visiting creatures away from the fruit a" Rook made sure that the pile remained untouched, ready for the banderbearas return. When the banderbear did return a" several hours later a" it sniffed at the fruit suspiciously. Its ears fluttered wildly. It sniffed again.

aGo on,a Rook whispered urgently. The next moment he beamed broadly as the banderbear picked up the first piece of fruit in its sharp, yet delicate claws and bit into it. Gleaming red syrup dribbled down over its chin, and Rook noted the blissful expression a" the drooping mouth and dreamy eyes a" that pa.s.sed across the creatureas face.

When the first fruit was gone, it started on the second, then the third. It didnat stop until every last morsel had gone.

The following day Rook laid out more fruit. This time, however, when the banderbear came to eat it, he was crouched down on the ground behind the lullabee tree, watching it. Up so close, he realized just how enormous the creature was. Although clearly little more than an adolescent, it was already more than twice his own height and ten times as heavy, and from its shorter tusks and mane, Rook could tell it was a female.

It was four nights later when Rook plucked up the courage to take the next step. The banderbear returned at midnight to discover that no fruit had been left out for her. She sniffed round disappointedly and, with a low guttural groan, made do with a drink of spring water.

Heart in his mouth, Rook tentatively emerged from his hiding place. He held a piece of fruit in his trembling hands. The banderbear spun round, eyes wide and ears fluttering. For a terrible moment Rook thought she was about to turn on her heels and gallop back into the forest, never to return again now that her drinking place had been discovered.

aItas for you,a Rook whispered, holding his hands out.

The banderbear hesitated. She looked at the fruit, she looked at Rook, she looked back at the fruit a" and something in her expression seemed to change, as if she had made the connection between the two.

Her right arm rose, and her great taloned paw fluttered by her chest. Rook held his breath. With her gaze fixed on Rookas eyes, the banderbear reached forwards and gingerly seized the fruit from his hand.

aWuh-wuh,a she murmured.

Little by little as the weeks pa.s.sed, Rook gained the confidence of the banderbear, until a" by the time the ironwoodas leaves were beginning to turn colour and fall a" the two of them had become close. They foraged for food side by side. They watched out for one another. And at night Rook would help the banderbear build one of the great sleeping nests in the dense thickets of the forest floor. Intricately woven and expertly concealed, lined with moss and soft gra.s.ses and protected by branches of thornbush, the nests were spectacular constructions, and Rook could only marvel at the banderbearas skill.

He recorded everything in his treatise-log: the edible fruit and roots they ate, the building of the sleeping nests, the creatureas finely tuned senses which enabled her to detect food, water, shelter, changes in the weather, danger a And as the banderbear became more and more familiar to him, he began also to understand her language.

Rook had often read the part in Varis Loddas seminal treatise a" A Study of Banderbearsa Behaviour in Their Natural Habitat a" where she had outlined the possible meaning of some of the banderbearsa more simple grunts and gestures. Varis had had to rely on observations taken from a distance. Now, closer to a banderbear in the wild than any librarian had come before, Rook was able to take the understanding of the subtle intricacies of their communication further.

As they journeyed together, he slowly began to master the banderbearas language and, though the creature appeared amused by his own attempts to communicate, they seemed to understand one another well enough. Rook loved the rough beauty of the language in which a tilt of the head or the shrug of the shoulders could convey so much.

aWuh-wurreh-wum,a she told him, her head down and jaw jutting. I am hungry, but step lightly for the air trembles. (Beware, there is danger close by.) aWeg-wuh-wurr,a she would growl, with one shoulder higher than the other and her ears flat against her head. It is late, the new moon is a scythe, not a s.h.i.+eld. (I am anxious about proceeding further in the darkness.) Even the creatureas name was beautiful. Wumeru. She with chipped tusk who walks in moonlight.

Rook had never been so happy as he was now, spending every day and every night with the banderbear. He was becoming quite fluent now, and a" he realized with a guilty jolt a" so wrapped up in his life with Wumeru that he was neglecting his treatise-log. Still, there was always tomorrow. Or maybe the next day a They were seated on the ground one late afternoon, sharing a supper of oaksaps and pinenuts. The dappled sunlight was golden orange. Wumeru turned towards him.

aWuh-wurrah-wugh,a she grunted, and swept an arm round through the air. The oaksap is sweet, the sun warms my body.

aWuh-wuh-wulloh,a Rook replied and cupped his hands together. The pinenuts are good, my nose is fat.

Wumeruas eyes crinkled with amus.e.m.e.nt. She leaned forwards, her face coming close to Rookas.

aWhat?a he said. aDid I say something funny? I simply meant that their smell is aa The banderbear covered her mouth with her paw. He should be quiet. She touched Rookas chest and her own in turn, then, concentrating hard, she uttered a single word; low, faltering, but unmistakeable a" a word, Rook knew he had never given her.

aFr-uh-nz.a Rook trembled. Friends? Where could she possibly have heard the word before?

Some nights later Rook woke with a start and looked up. The sky was clear and the moon was almost full. It shone down brightly on the forest, casting the treescape in silver and black. He climbed out of his hammock, high in the lufwood tree and looked down. Wumeruas sleeping nest was empty.

aWumeru?a he called. aWuh-wurrah.a Where are you?

There was no reply. Rook walked along the branch to where the Stormhornet was tethered, and looked out across the dark forest.

And there she was, standing on a rocky incline not twenty strides away, motionless a" apart from her fluttering ears a" and staring intently at the distant horizon. Rook smiled and was about to call out his greetings, when he heard something that took his breath away.

Echoing across the night sky, came the yodelled cry of a distant banderbear. It was the first one Rook had heard since meeting his companion.

There it was again!

Wumeru! Rook recognized the name being called, and he felt a tingle run down his spine. The second bander-bear was not merely calling out to any other; it was addressing his friend by name. aWumeru, Wumeru aa Over such a long distance, with the wind whipping half of the sounds away, it was difficult for Rook to make out exactly what the banderbear was saying. But he had no difficulty translating Wumeruas reply.

aWuh-wuh. Wurruhma!a I come, the full moon s.h.i.+nes brightly; it is time at last.

aWumeru,a Rook called down, suddenly gripped by an incredible sense of expectation. aWhatas happening?a But Wumeru ignored him. She had ears only for the other banderbear. From the distance, the yodelling continued.

aWhatas that?a Rook murmured. Make haste a The Valley of a Thousand Echoes awaits a Shaking with excitement, he fumbled for his treatise-log and leadwood stub, and began to write the words down in a trembling hand. aValley of a Thousand Echoes,a he whispered. aWumeru,a he called, and looked down. aWumeru?a He fell still. The rock where the banderbear had been standing was empty. His friend had gone.

Wumeru had abandoned him.

ook quickly gathered his belongings together and stowed them on the Stormhornet. He couldnat lose the banderbear. Not now. He was all fingers and thumbs unhooking the hanging-stove and, as he was folding it away, the flame-cap came loose and tumbled down into the darkness below.

aBlast,a Rook muttered breathlessly. It would take for ever to find the thing again, and meanwhile Wumeru was getting farther and farther away a There was no choice. He would have to leave it.

Jumping astride the Stormhornet, he raised the sails, realigned the hanging weights and pulled on the pinner-rope, all in one smooth movement. The skycraft leaped from the branch, darted through the overhead canopy of leaves and soared off into the clear night sky beyond.

aWhere are you?a Rook murmured, as he searched the forest floor ahead of him. The yodelling of the other banderbear had come from somewhere to the west a" and that was where Rook set his course. Earth and Sky willing, Wumeru had headed off in the same direction. aWhere are you?a he whispered. aYou must be down there somewhere.a Just then the trees began to thin beneath him, and Rook spotted his banderbear friend striding purposefully ahead. She was walking in an unwavering straight line, as if hypnotized. And as Rook caught up, he could hear her murmuring under her breath. The same sound, over and over a" a word he didnat recognize.

aWorrah, worrah aa aNot too close, now,a Rook whispered, patting the Stormhornetas prow and raising the loft-sail. aWe donat want her to spot us. Not yet. Not until we know where sheas heading.a The Stormhornet slowed to little more than a hover, and Rook steered it gently to his right, where the forest was thicker and he could follow Wumeru without her seeing him. As he darted on from tree to tree a" keeping to the shadows and taking care not to lose sight of her, even for a moment a" Rookas hopes began to rise.

aThe Valley of a Thousand Echoes,a he murmured. aIs it too much to hope a? Could it be a? Could it actually be the place where the banderbears a.s.semble? The Great Convocation?a He ran his fingers down the long, curved neck of the Stormhornet. aIs that where Wumeru is heading?a For several hours he flew on, keeping Wumeru constantly in sight. The other banderbearas yodel must certainly have been important; Rook had never seen his friend so determined. Usually she would amble slowly through the forest, leaving no trace of her pa.s.sing. Tonight, as she blundered tirelessly on, she left a trail of trampled undergrowth and broken branches in her wake.

Suddenly the air was splintered with the sound of banderbears a" seven or possibly eight of them, far ahead, yodelling in unison. aWorrah, worrah, worrah, worrah awhoo!a It was the same sound that Wumeru herself had been chanting under her breath, and as the chorus of voices faded away, their calls were answered by others. Dozens of them. From every direction.

aWorrah, worrah a whoo.a And from his right, louder than all the others, came Wumeruas answering cry. aWorrah-whoo!a Rookas hopes soared. Surely it must be the con vocation. What other reason could there be for so many of these solitary creatures to be gathering together in the forest?

aWorrah-whoo!a Wumeru called a second time, and Rook looked across to see that she had stopped some way up ahead on the crest of a rocky outcrop. Motionless save for her twitching ears, against the slate-grey sky the banderbear looked like a great boulder with a pair of cheepwits fluttering at its top.

Rook flew closer. aWumeru,a he called out. aWumeru, itas me.a He landed the Stormhornet on the flat slab of rock just behind her and jumped down. The banderbear turned to face him.

aWuh-wuh,a said Rook, holding his open hand to his chest. I woke alone. You abandoned me. He sighed and touched his ear, then pointed down to the ground. aWurrah-wuh.a Your parting words were silent, I followed you here.

aWuh!a grunted Wumeru, and sliced her claws down through the air like a great sword. Her eyes blazed. Her lips curled back, revealing her gleaming tusks and glinting fangs.

Nothing had prepared Rook for this. It was as if he were suddenly a stranger to her.

aButa"a he began, his hands open in a gesture of supplication.

The banderbear let out a low, menacing growl that rose from the back of her throat. Could this strange, fearsome creature truly be gentle Wumeru, his friend? Never before had he heard her sound so full of rage. She lunged forwards and swiped at the air, her fangs bared.

aWuh-wuh!a No further! It is forbidden for you to follow my path!

Rook took a step backwards, his hands still raised defensively. aIam sorry, Wumeru,a he said. aI meant no harm.a The banderbear grunted, turned and disappeared back into the trees. Rook watched her leave, a painful lump forming in his throat.

aWhat now?a he whispered, as he climbed back on to the Stormhornet and took to the air. As if in response, the yodelling voices echoed back.

aWorrah, worrah, worrah a whoo!a Rook trembled. The banderbears were closer than ever. How could he resist their call? Yet dare he go on? If Wumeru discovered that he had followed her, there was no knowing what she would do. Then again, he could not leave. Not now. Not having come so far a The yodelling grew louder. The ululating chanting rose and fell in waves.

Rookas mind was made up. Ever since head first picked up Varis Loddas treatise in the library, head dreamed of this. He was a librarian knight, and this was the moment to prove it. He brought the Stormhornet down low, and landed on the st.u.r.dy branch of an iron-wood tree. He tied up the tether-rope tightly and scrambled down.

Keeping to the shadows, he pa.s.sed the rocky outcrop where Wumeru had been standing and went on through the trees, following her trail of flattened undergrowth. Then, stepping cautiously ahead, he found himself on a high, jutting ledge which looked out over a bowl-shaped valley. At the very edge grew a tree a" its roots clinging to the great fissured blocks of rock, its long, thick trunk curving out at an angle above the yawning chasm below.

Rook ran to the tree, climbed up and inched himself along its curved trunk out above the valley. All around him the low sound of chanting grew louder and louder a aSky above and Earth below!a he gasped as the scene abruptly opened up beneath him. aThere must be hundreds of them! Thousands!a Rook shook his head in disbelief. Everywhere he looked there were banderbears gently swaying in the moonlit valley each one calling out the same mesmeric chant: low, guttural, building at the back of the throat, only to soften into a long, tuneless moan. Some were alone, some in pairs, some in groups which grew bigger and smaller as the great lumbering creatures endlessly came together and drifted apart. Little by little, the chanting became synchronized, until the entire gathering was calling as one. The tree beneath him seemed to vibrate with the resonant booming.

aThis is it,a Rook breathed. aThe Great Convocation of the Banderbears. Iave found it.a Gripping on tightly to the sloping tree-trunk with his legs, Rook rummaged in his backpack for the treatise-log and stub of leadwood. He had to capture every detail of the wondrous scene for his treatise.

Large groups constantly breaking up and reforming, he hurriedly scribbled down. As if in some huge dance that every banderbear seems instinctively to understand a And the chanting a" incredible, booming, resonant a From below him, the chanting grew in intensity. The tree trembled. And there was something else a Hard to catch at first, but, yes, there it was again. Mingling with the overall chant, yet somehow distinct from it, single banderbear calls were rising and falling against the background throb. Rook could just make out snippets.

I, from the lone ridges of the twin peaks a I, from the high reaches of the mist-canyons a I from the sombre shadows of the ironwood groves a from the lullabee forests a from the deepest, darkest nightwoods a Rook listened, transfixed, as the individual voices came and went.

The snow-pa.s.ses of the lofty Edgelands a The fur-damp swampwood glades a The turbulent thornwoods a It was as if he were listening to a map; a map of the Deepwoods in banderbear song. They were singing of their homes and, as their chants intermingled, they became one great shared description of all the places the banderbears knew. Below him was a living library, as rich as the concealed library of Old Undertown itself, kept alive in the memories of the banderbears and shared amongst them at this Great Convocation. Head swimming with the beauty of it all, Rook swooned a The treatise-log slipped from his grasp. He lunged forwards desperately as it tumbled down, missed it, and lost his balance in the process. Suddenly, to his horror, he found himself falling from the tree a" legs pedalling and arms flailing, as he hurtled towards the ground below.

The next instant he struck the hard, packed earth with a loud thud. Everything went black.

Rookas head spun. He felt a warm wind blowing across his body and sensed a bright light s.h.i.+ning in his face.

Where am I? he wondered.

His head throbbed. Everything was blurred and s.h.i.+fting. His breath came in short, sharp gasps and, as his head began to clear, he let out a cry of surprise.

All around him was a towering circle of banderbears, glaring down at him furiously. Their huge tusks glinted, and there was fire in their eyes a" yet not one of them made a sound. The Valley of a Thousand Echoes was in absolute silence.

Rook swallowed hard.

All at once a mountainous male banderbear with jet-black fur and thick, curling tusks, leaned down. Rook saw the great paws swoop down towards him and felt the cold, hard claws clutch his body. The creatureas fur smelled musty, its breath sour.

aAaargh!a he cried out, his stomach turning somersaults, as he was lifted into the air.

aWuh!a the banderbear roared. How dare you! And Rook felt the great creatureas indignation and rage trembling through its entire body as it gripped him tightly and cried out, aWuh-wurrah!a He had never seen a banderbear so angry, so a so vengeful. Stiff with terror, Rook was rigid in the creatureas grip, as the other banderbears took up the same, blood-chilling cry, until the whole valley echoed with their roaring.

aWuh-wug-wurrugh?a the great black banderbear boomed out above the tumult. Who dares to steal the echoes of our valley and trespa.s.s on our sacred convocation?

aWuh,a Rook replied, his voice low and trembling. aWuh-woor.a Wriggling to free his hand from the banderbearas crus.h.i.+ng hold, he touched his heart lightly. I come as a friend. I mean no harm.

The banderbear hesitated. His startled eyes inspected Rookas face as if to say, Who is this creature that knows the secret language of banderbears?

Rook sensed the creatureas confusion. aWurrah-wegga-weeg,a he said, his voice thin and warbling. I am a friend of banderbears. She with chipped tusk who walks in moonlight and I have walked the same path.

The banderbearas dark brow knitted and he looked round at the crowd of banderbears, scouring the sea of angry faces for Wumeru. When he caught sight of her, his eyes narrowed. aWuh?a he growled menacingly. Is this true?

Wumeru stepped forwards, head bowed and fluttering ears drooping. aWuh-wurroo. Wuh,a she said, without looking up. My friend of the forest trail has brought only shame upon our companions.h.i.+p. She turned away.

aWumeru!a cried Rook desperately. aWumeru, please! Ia"a The black banderbear raised him up high in the air once more. His grip tightened, his eyes grew cold. With Rook held aloft, he bellowed out loudly.

You, who have listened to words meant only for bander-bearsa ears, have committed the greatest sacrilege of all. Thief of our songs. Stealer of our chant. You must die!

Just then a solitary cry abruptly rose up above the gathering frenzy. aWUH!a STOP!

The great black banderbear instantly froze. He looked round. Rook a" dizzy and befuddled a" could just make out a banderbear pus.h.i.+ng through the crowd towards them.

aWuh?a Who speaks? the black banderbear demanded.

The female stopped before him. aWuh-wuh. Wurra-woogh-weerlah,a she grunted, touching first her shoulder, then her chest. I, Wuralo, who suffered much in the Foundry Glade. I know this one. He saved my life.

With a start, Rook looked at the banderbear. She was heavier now than when head last seen her, and her coat was thick and glossy. But from her markings a" the curious black line which circled one eye and crossed her snout a" Rook knew that this was indeed the banderbear he had saved from the goblinas arrow.