Black Water tpa-5 Read online

  Boon stepped onto the bridge, and I was happy that he didn’t pull the leash tight. He waited for me to walk beside him. That was good. If he had made me walk behind him I think I would have lost it again. It was then that I noticed the band of light in the sky had moved lower on the horizon. My guess was right; this thing was like the sun. This small revelation made me feel more comfortable. At least I was getting to understand Eelong, even if I wasn’t so thrilled about most of what I was learning. I looked ahead over the sky bridge to a huge tree on the far side. The bridge led to a large portal in the tree, like we were walking over the drawbridge to the entrance of a giant castle. There was dense foliage to either side of it, blocking my view of what was beyond. “You okay?” Boon asked.

  “Yeah, whatever” was my answer. Truth was, I wasn’t, but what could I do?

  We walked through the portal to find that this hollowed-out tree held a guard station. Two large cats stood in front of a cage that blocked the way. They each held long sticks as weapons and had coils of ropes attached to their belts. They were the same weapons I saw the cat named Kasha use against the tang.

  “Boon!” one of the cats shouted jovially. “Where have you been? You missed the wippen tournament!”

  “Busy,” Boon answered, trying to sound casual. “How’d it go?”

  “Lousy,” the other cat answered. “Those big klees from the north end were too good.”

  “They’re no better than us,” the first cat corrected. “They just train more.”

  The second cat added, “We needed you, Boon.”

  “Next time,” Boon promised. He nodded to the cage door. The first cat swung it open for us.

  “New gar?” the cat asked.

  I had been looking to the ground the whole time. I was afraid if these big cats looked into my eyes, they might see some hint of intelligence they weren’t used to. But now, I glanced to Boon to see his reaction. Boon gave me a quick, embarrassed look.

  “Uh, yeah,” he answered.

  “Do yourself a favor,” the first cat said. “Wash him down. He stinks.”

  It took every bit of willpower I had not to say something. The truth was, these cats didn’t exactly smell like roses either.

  “Yeah,” Boon said. I heard a slight nervous quiver in his voice. “I’ll do that. Thanks.”

  Boon led me through the door. I was a good little gar and followed with my head down. As we walked away from the cage, Boon whispered, “Sorry.”

  I decided not to give him a hard time. Instead I asked, “What’s wippen?”

  “It’s the game I told you about,” Boon said, relieved to be talking about something else. “We’ve all played since we were kids.”

  “Kittens,” I said.

  “Excuse me?”

  “Forget it.”

  Before I had the chance to ask him any more about what to expect, we stepped out of the portal on the far side of the tree and I got my first view of Leeandra. Oh man. What a sight! Like I wrote before, it was a city built in the air. There were wooden huts of all sizes dotting the sides of the trees. Busy sky bridges were everywhere. The structures were built high overhead, and down low, with the lowest buildings only about twenty yards off the ground. I guessed they were still high enough to be safe from marauding tangs. The city was big. I saw no end to the buildings, either way. It all looked to be manufactured out of natural material. Wood, bamboo, and woven vines. I didn’t see anything that looked like metal or plastic. Everything I saw was very much like I had seen on my way to Leeandra, but multiplied a few hundred times.

  But there was more. Running alongside many of the sky bridges were vehicles that traveled on a single track, like a monorail. They were open-car trains that each carried about twenty klees. They moved silently and stopped at intersections where klees got off and on. I also saw elevators. There were round platforms that carried passengers up and down the outsides of the trees, to all levels. I saw fountains on many levels that emptied into square troughs where klees bellied up and lapped water like, well, like cats. That meant Leeandra had pumps, and plumbing. But maybe the most incredible sight was the streetlights. The entire city was covered by a thick canopy of foliage that didn’t let in much light from the sunbelt in the sky. So even though it was daytime, it was pretty dark. But the streetlights took care of that. Every few yards along the sky bridges and walkways was an overhead light fixture that was made up of a handful of small, vertical tubes that looked like wind chimes. The lights gave off a warm glow that made the city look as if it were lit by giant fireflies. It was something out of a fairy-tale fantasy.

  “You have electricity?” I asked Boon.

  “What’s that?”

  “You know, power, juice.”

  Boon shrugged and shook his head. He had no idea what I was talking about.

  I tried another tack. “What makes those trains run? I mean, I doubt if you have little birds inside running on a treadmill like the Flintstones.”

  “Oh! You mean energy!”

  “Yeah, energy. What makes everything go?”

  “Collectors, above the canopy,” Boon explained. “We use crystals to collect and store energy from the light in the sky. It’s very simple, really. But I don’t know what a ‘flintstone’ is.”

  Amazing. This walking, talking jungle cat was telling me that this society of animals had figured out a way to collect enough solar energy to power their city, while our so-called advanced society on Second Earth had no clue as to how to make solar energy practical. If it was so simple, how come we couldn’t do it?

  “Don’t you get your energy that way on Second Earth?” Boon asked innocently.

  “Uh…yeah, sometimes,” I said quickly, not wanting to admit the truth. “Where is this meeting?” I added, changing the subject.

  “At the Circle of Klee,” Boon answered. “This way.”

  The two of us walked through the city, crossing over several more sky bridges and taking two different elevators. Klees were everywhere-on the sky bridges, on the elevators, riding the monorails and hanging around on every level of the city. I didn’t see many gars, though. The ones I did see were either walking along on leashes with klees, like I was with Boon, or doing some menial work, like lugging heavy materials or cleaning the monorail tracks. The gars may have been considered animals, but they were smart enough to do work. I was beginning to think there was a lot more to the social system on Eelong than Boon had explained to me. The gars were small people. The biggest guy I saw was maybe a little over five feet. They all wore rags like I did, and had wild hair that looked like it hadn’t been brushed or cut since the day they were born. Only a few had beards, though. I wasn’t sure if that’s because they shaved, or they simply didn’t have much facial hair.

  What really freaked me out, though, was the look in their eyes. It was like nobody was home. They walked all hunched over, always glancing back toward the klees they walked with. I was beginning to realize what Boon meant when he said I’d stand out. Without thinking, I found myself hunching over a little bit.

  One last note about the gars. Just before we reached the Circle of Klee I saw something that was kind of odd. I’m not sure what it meant, but it was strange enough to write about here. We passed two gars who were tied up outside a tree house like dogs waiting for their master. They sat huddled together, staring at something that one gar held in the palm of his hand. It was a cube about the size of a box that a ring would come in. It was amber colored and could have been made of some kind of crystal. The odd thing was that the gars were both petting it like it was alive. They made this strange cooing sound, as if they were consoling a baby. It was totally creepy. They were so focused on this little cube that they didn’t hear us coming, but as soon as we drew even with them, the one gar closed his hand around the cube and hid it so fast, it made me feel like it was either very valuable or very illegal. I made brief eye contact with the gar and could tell that the guy was scared I had seen his treasure. Or maybe he was scared that Boon saw i
t. Either way, he looked pretty nervous. I decided not to say anything to Boon, but filed it away to ask about later.

  We took one last elevator and arrived at a platform that led to an archway into a hollow tree. As soon as we stepped off the elevator, I sensed that the tree was busy with activity. The general buzz gave it away. When Boon led me inside that archway, I saw that it was a meeting place. The room was big, with benches circling a round stage at the center. And it was packed. There must have been a hundred klees. What do you call a group of cats? A pack? A herd? A litter? They were all sitting on benches, looking toward the stage at center. Yes, they were sitting. They were cats, and they were sitting. Unbelievable.

  Standing onstage was a tall cat dressed in a royal blue tunic. He actually looked somewhat like a lion, but his hair, or mane, wasn’t as full as a lion’s. It was long, though, and fell halfway down his back. He looked older, too. He stood center stage holding a long, wooden staff that had the carving of a snarling cat’s head on top. I wasn’t sure if he needed this for balance, or if it was a symbol of power. Behind him sat six more cats, each wearing tunics that were bright red.

  “The Council of Klee,” Boon whispered, as if reading my mind. “The governing body here in Leeandra.”

  He gently nudged me to an area away from the stage, where we could watch the proceedings while keeping our backs to the wall. That was a good idea. We didn’t want any klees sneaking up from behind to hear us talking.

  We had stepped into the middle of an argument. It wasn’t chaotic, but it was close. Cats were yelling at each other, throwing up their hands for emphasis. Everybody was talking at once so I couldn’t make out what anybody was saying. Whatever it was, emotions were definitely running high.

  “Who’s the guy on the stage?” I whispered to Boon.

  “Ranjin, the viceroy of Leeandra,” he answered.

  Viceroy. I guessed that meant he was the boss. But the boss wasn’t getting much respect. He held his paws up, calling for order, but nobody paid attention. Ranjin kept his cool, though. He glanced back to one of the cats in red, who was sitting politely, not joining in the argument. The cat nodded and lifted what looked like a carved, wooden horn to his mouth. He blew into it, sending out a long, low note. At the same time Ranjin raised his wooden staff over his head. Immediately the crowd grew quiet and looked to Ranjin. When he spoke, it was with a soft, calm voice that showed he was used to being in charge.

  “What exactly is it that we are proposing here?” he said. “The repeal of Edict Forty-six?”

  The cats all looked at one another nervously, as if none wanted to answer. I leaned close to Boon and whispered, “What’s Edict Forty-six?”

  Boon looked straight ahead, deliberately not answering.

  “Boon?” I pressed. “What is Edict Forty-six?”

  Boon sighed and said, “It’s the law that forbids klees to hunt and eat gars.”

  Gulp.

  “And they’re thinking of getting rid of it?” I asked nervously.

  “Yes,” he answered. “You still want to risk getting picked up by the Stray Division?”

  I was really starting to hate Eelong.

  JOURNAL #16

  (CONTINUED)

  EELONG

  “Weare not barbarians,” Ranjin said with passion. “Edict Forty-six is what separates klees from the beasts of the jungle. As long as I am viceroy I will notallow this to happen.”

  Good man, Ranjin. Or good cat. Whatever.

  “Then what do you suggest?” a cat shouted from the crowd. “The situation is getting worse. We can no longer grow enough food to feed our own young, let alone the gars.”

  Another cat jumped up and shouted, “Their numbers are growing daily. They have no concern for our society; they are savages.”

  I was beginning to realize why Boon wanted me to hear this. He wanted me to hear, firsthand, that humans weren’t treated well here. Heck, they weren’t even treated as well as cats on Second Earth. At least we didn’t need laws to stop us from eating them. The more I heard, the less I minded being tied to Boon. That leash was starting to feel like a lifeline.

  One of the cats in red who shared the stage with Ranjin stepped up to the viceroy. He bowed to the older cat respectfully. Ranjin nodded as if giving him permission to address the crowd.

  “Who’s that?” I whispered.

  “His name is Timber,” Boon answered. “He’s one of the Council of Klee.”

  Timber, Ranjin, Boon, Seegen… I was in another one-name territory. How does that work? How many names have to be handed out before last names kick in?

  “The Council of Klee gives advice to the viceroy,” Boon continued. “But all decisions are the viceroy’s to make.”

  That was good. From what I’d heard so far, the viceroy didn’t want to declare open season on humans.

  “Fellow Leeandrans,” Timber began. “It is clear that we are in difficult times.”

  The big cat spoke with confidence. He had dark brown fur, with thousands of black spots, like a leopard. His mane was long, and it looked as if he actually combed it. How’s that for an image? A big jungle cat with a slick hairdo? Amazing.

  “Not one of us here today welcomes the idea of turning back the clock and returning to the ways of our primitive ancestors. Hunting gars has been outlawed for generations. The gars have become valuable to our very existence. Not just here in Leeandra, but throughout Eelong. Besides providing manual labor, they aid in our protection when traveling on the jungle floor. Some have even become beloved pets, family members, if you will.”

  The spotted cat was making it sound as if gars were pampered lapdogs. From what I had seen so far, it wasn’t like that at all. But if this cat’s speech was going to keep the cats from hunting humans, as far as I was concerned, Timber could spin the situation any way he wanted.

  “However,” Timber continued. “There are times when higher intentions must give way to harsh realities. The production of our farms can no longer keep up with the growing population of both klees and gars. At this rate, we will soon reach a point where there are dangerous shortages. We are always trying to find new ways to increase our yield, but even with the great strides we’ve made, we cannot keep up with the exploding gar population. I hate to say this in such dire terms, but soon there will not be enough food to go around.”

  Uh-oh. His speech was taking a bad turn.

  “One of the beauties of our society is that we welcome free and open debate. We are encouraged to challenge our leaders in constructive ways. It is what has made Leeandra the most powerful city in Eelong, and I’m sure we all want it to remain that way. That is why I challenge the opinion of our esteemed viceroy.”

  His passion was growing, and so was the enthusiasm of his audience. Suddenly I wasn’t liking Timber so much.

  “As important as it is to keep sight of our loftier ideals,” he continued, “noble intentions cannot take importance over our very survival!”

  The crowd of cats cheered him on. Timber was feeding off their energy. This was looking very bad. I started to sweat.

  “I for one cannot sit idly by and see our children go hungry in order for some lowly animals to fill their own bellies.”

  A big cheer. Public opinion was on his side. Being the only gar in the room, I was feeling pretty uncomfortable. I glanced to Boon. He wouldn’t look at me. I looked to Ranjin, the viceroy. He stood firm, with his feet planted. He didn’t seem angry, though I wasn’t entirely sure what an angry cat looked like. Would he hiss? Would his ears go back?

  “This is why I pledge to you today that I will use whatever humble influence I have on the Council of Klee to repeal Edict Forty-six until we have devised a way to increase our food supply. I believe the choice here is simple, my fellow Leeandrans. If it comes down to the survival of our race, I say: Let them eat gar!”

  Yikes. The crowd jumped to their feet with wild applause. It was like one of those political conventions you see on TV. I half expected balloons to start falling f
rom the ceiling. My stomach turned. In a few short minutes I had gone from being insulted by having to wear a leash, to understanding that gars were treated worse than gerbils, to fearing it might soon be hunting season on gars…and like it or not, I was a gar. I looked back to the stage to see what Ranjin’s reaction was to Timber’s speech. What I saw made my blood freeze.

  The klees in the audience were on their feet, stomping and clapping. On the stage, the red-robed Council of Klee all stood, calmly discussing something with Ranjin. They didn’t seem upset or caught up in the emotion of the moment. But that’s not what I focused on. My eyes went right to the big cat named Timber. I expected him to be on the edge of the stage, waving his arms to whip the crowd into a frenzy. But he wasn’t. This cat stood by himself, away from the others. He didn’t face the Council of Klee. He didn’t face the crowd.

  He was looking directly at me.

  His gaze was solid and cold, like a predator who had located its prey. In some ways, that’s what it was. I had been here before…and so had he.

  “We gotta get outta here,” I said to Boon.

  “Let’s wait till things calm down,” he said.

  “No!” I shouted. “Now!” I yanked my leash and pulled Boon toward the doorway. Boon quickly jumped in front of me. I’m sure he didn’t want to be seen being led by a gar. It didn’t matter to me. We had to get out of there. We got halfway through the large room when a crowd of klees spilled in front of us, laughing and cheering.

  “Boon!” one cat yelled. It was the same cat who had chased the quig back in the tree with the flume. “You made it back in time!”

  “Can’t talk now!” Boon said as he tried to pull me through the crowd.

  “But this is history!” The cat grabbed Boon and tried to pull him into the crowd. Boon struggled to get away, but these guys weren’t letting him go.

  Boon complained, “I need to bring my gar-“

  “Forget the gar!” the cat said. He yanked the leash out of Boon’s paw and tied me to a railing along the wall. “He’ll be here when you get back… if he’s lucky!” The cat laughed. He and the others grabbed Boon and pulled him into the crowd. Boon glanced at me, helpless. He was swept away in a jumble of fur and whiskers. Now I was alone…and trapped in a room full of predator cats who were getting all sorts of psyched about eating humans. As bad as that was, there was something that worried me more.