SEVEN
Jet and Walter took me to a large tent on the outskirts of the fair. Even from outside the tent I could hear loud voices, laughter and sudden shouts. Inside it was large, with lots of lights strung all around it and groups of people sitting on bales of hay drinking from large mugs. It smelled of liquor, not exactly beer. I later found out it was a kind of spiced hard cider. Through the knots of people I could see in the back large wooden barrels on their side, with large, fat women standing in front of each, pulling on spigots to let out the golden colored liquid into mugs held by other women. A few people turned to look at us when we came in. It was difficult to miss Walter’s large body. But most people did not seem to care. We headed towards the side and found a small area away from the crowds. Even so, within moments one of the women with a hand full of mugs came up.
“Cider’s all?” Walter asked, shouting to be heard above the din. The woman shook her head yes. Jet put up three fingers, the woman put up 5. Walter handed her some coins and she handed over three full mugs. The cider had a sharp crisp taste to it, with some spice thrown in I couldn’t put a finger on. It felt warm going down. I must have had a smile on my face.
“Is good, no?” Walter bellowed as he wafted the entire mug down and held up a paw for more. The serving maid gave him a frown but soon returned with another. It was noisy, loud, a band played somewhere in the crowd adding to the noise. I sat back and for the first time since I arrived in the place looked around. It was all people, all kinds, but all people. Just as I was about to ask Jet, who was next to me, where all the lepus were a large grey bunny flopped down next to Walter.
“Ay! Path!” Jet called out. The rabbit smiled in her direction and then began to earnestly chat with Walter even as Walter signaled for more cider. The server now had a very dour look on her face. I noticed a few other people nearby also staring at us, or more precisely, the two rabbits.
“What’s their problem?” I asked Jet, jerking my head towards a table of particularly sour looking men. Jet laughed and leaned in.” Lepus! Same as everyone else. One by himself is fine, get more than a couple in a room and people get nervous. Think they’re going to cause trouble. They never do of course, the rabbits that is. People are another thing. We’ll be fine with just the two of them, it when we get three that trouble starts. I just hope Nell doesn’t show.”
“Who’s Nell?”
“The third rabbit.” Jet said, with a look that asked if I were thick.
“Do you think, maybe sometime, you or anyone here could just explain to me what the hell is wrong with the rabbits?” I yelled, trying to get above the noise of the crowd.
“Nothing’s wrong with them!” Jet looked angrily. I put up my hand flat.
“Ok, I get that, but it seems like you and I are about the only ones…”
“Oh, that. Long story. People think they have foxes..”
“Foxes?”
“You know, after them.” I am sure I looked totally lost already. Jet sighed and pulled closer.
“People think the rabbits have foxes chasing after them.”
“OK, so, people don’t like foxes? I didn’t like them in the chicken coups at home but they’re not gonna cause me any harm.”
“No, not those foxes. Big foxes. Bigger than the rabbits. A lot bigger. Or people say. Never seen one myself, but people think you get too many rabbits living and the foxes come. Load of crap I say.”
“Giant foxes? Wouldn’t they be hard to miss?”
“My point. Oh no.”
“What?” Jet had a look of concern on her face.
“The third rabbit just arrived.”
“Should we go?”
“No relax. It’s a big crowd, three will push the limit but-…never mind. We just got the fourth. Walter!” She shouted and held up her hand, flashing three then four fingers to him. “Eri, how are you with your fists?”
“Been in a couple of scuffles. I can hold my own.” I replied, trying to sound braver than I was beginning to feel .
“Good. Make your way out then and don’t let anyone stop you, clock ‘em if they do. Meet us outside by the large oak. And do not go for your bow, you’ll end up in the keep for sure that way.”
“Wait Jet, I want to help.”
“Then get out and stay out of the way,” she yelled as she went around the table. Jet was already moving around to the front of Walter and the, now, three other rabbits. I noticed that the tent had fallen somewhat quiet. Even the band stopped playing. Jet smiled, a smile that looked like it must have almost killed her right then. Right in front of her were a small knot of large men with angry faces.
“Right.” She put her hands up to the crowd. “No need for such hospitality good people. My friends and I had a good drink and now… we’re off! If you please?” she swept the group of men with her hand, but they did not budge. The smallest of the bunch, teetering on his own feet, clearly way in too deep in the drink, stepped forward half a step.
“Look little flea ain’t you we’re concerned bout, it’s the filthy rabbits. Step off.”
“Get your friend a seat before I do it myself,” Jet said through gritted teeth, addressing the men behind the drunk. “Now let us through.” Jet’s voice had grown very cold and quiet, but there was no mistaking the message.
“Filthy little flea- ugnh!” Jet’s hands quickly boxed the man on his head, sending him down in a pile. It was about then that all hell broke loose. Walter and the three other rabbits made giant leaps for the tent opening, throwing aside several people in the way and a few others who were trying to stop the escaping rabbits. I had probably waited a few seconds too long to begin my escape. A fairly large guy stepped in front of my path. Remembering what Jet told me I wound my arm up and smashed my fist as hard as I could into his stomach. He doubled over and I darted around him.
Around me complete chaos was breaking loose. In front of me two burly looking guys had Walter by his long ears, with one of the men standing on Walter’s legs, the other holding one of Walter’s arms. Walter looked in pain, but the two men were trying to avoid Walter’s free paw, wildly trying to connect with one of the men. The other rabbits were nowhere to be seen, neither was Jet. Barely thinking I grabbed a stool nearby and swung it as hard as I could against one of the men, causing him to yell and let go of Walter’s other paw. Walter promptly boxed both men hard with his paws and they fell quickly.
“Get out!” Walter screamed.
“I’m trying!” I yelled as I scrambled for the tent opening, Walter already bounding ahead of me, disappearing into the tumult. All around me people were yelling and fighting. Well, mostly barkeeps were yelling, trying to restore order before the tent was destroyed. As I got closer to the door I found myself being carried rather than blocked. I guess a lot of other people had the same idea and within seconds I found myself spilling out onto the ground along with a dozen others. I didn’t wait around to introduce myself, I bolted up and took off straight ahead into the mass of tents and booths set up in the fairground. I rounded several tents and finally arrived at a quiet and deserted area. Catching my breath I looked around and tried to get my bearings, scanning the horizon for a large oak. I had no idea where Jet and Walter had gone.
Suddenly I heard voices coming closer. I ducked down behind an empty booth and crouched, waiting, until the voices passed. I could only hear a bit of the conversation.
“… and ain’t it always like that, them boys starting trouble with the rabbits. Why I ask you, why mess with em… Lord knows that they can do to you when you aren’t lookin… I says we’d be better off ignoring em…”
The voices faded and I came back out from behind the booth. I was confused by the things I had seen and heard tonight and resolved to ask Jet and Walter about them as soon as I found the oak.
It took several minutes to locate the large tree, off on the far edge of the fairground, well away from the beer and mead tents in the center. I saw only Jet at first, sitting with her back to the tree.
“Thought maybe you gotten the pulp beat out of you.” She said with nary a trace of a smile on her face.
“No thanks to you lot.”
“I told you to clear out. Not my fault you stood there like a slack jawed yokel.” Although you’d never know it I recognized that as sarcasm. I ignored it.
“Where’s Walter and company?”
“Down there talking, and hiding. We should join ‘em until the commotion fades a little. I doubt anyone will worry too much, not worth the hassle, but you never know.”
I still didn’t see Walter until Jet got up and walked down a slope to where the three rabbits were laying down. They blended very well. Jet and I sat down next to an empty wagon. The rabbits murmured to themselves. I sighed and lay down. I was tired, but my mind was racing. Jet sat down next to me, making a small place to sit directly under the wagon. It was almost like she was nesting for the night.
“You tired Eri?”
“Yeah, but not going to go to sleep. My mind is wide awake.”
“I bet. We haven’t talked much since you… got here. Must seem a little strange huh?”
“Yeah, a little.” We both laughed. “It’s not too weird, I mean it’s like I just crossed a stream, that’s all. But the rabbits do throw me off. What is up with them really? If I think about it, Andrew didn’t tell me anything at all.”
“He’s good at that. Yeah, the rabbits. It’s a long story.”
“I’ve got time.”
“Really. I mean, you seem to have fallen in here pretty easily. No one to go back to, over there?”
“Nope. No. My parents both… died about um, six months ago. Not much work around those parts either. Seems nicer here too.”
“Huf. Well, must be pretty bleak there if this looks nice.”
“Not so bad back home, but not better either. But anyways, you’re getting away from the story Jet, just like Andrew…”
“Sorry, habit. So you want to know about the rabbits? The simple is that they showed up about oh, a hundred years ago. Came out of the mountains in the West.”
“My mountains you mean?” I said, but quickly realized I had no idea what directions were what here.
“No, well, not that I know of. The bamboo forest where you came out from is down south, close to the Galyts desert. See, this land here, in the valley, is surrounded on all sides. Kind of pins us in.”
“What do you mean surrounded, I thought the rabbits came in. I came in.”
“Well, that’s the issue, we can’t figure out how to go beyond this vale. See, to the South is Galyts, to the east is the Great Ocean and then to the north and west are the mountains.”
“So the Rabbits came over the mountains?”
“Yes.”
“So why not go back over the way they came?”
“Well, they guard that passage. For as long as we have records no one ever found a passage over the mountains. Then one day the rabbits came down. They said they came down from a passage, but they’ve never allowed anyone back up it. Say it’s too dangerous. But that’s what gets them in trouble.”
“Why?”
“People wanna know what’s over there. Some people say that other creatures come over from the mountain with the rabbits.”
“The foxes?”
“Exactly.”
“But no one’s ever seen them?”
“No and the rabbits aren’t telling. Most of the rabbits here today have never even been over the mountain anyway. They’re called “Nats,” naturalized rabbits. But at the passage you might run into to some “Overs.”
“Rabbits who have been there and back I guess.”
“Yeah. It’s really not a big deal. The rabbits settled in nicely. Most of them live way out in the country in burrows, far from people. But people still get itchy about them. Trust issues I say.”
“And that’s why tonight…”
“Exactly..”
“And what was the deal with the Flea remark? If you don’t mind me asking…”
Jet grunted and spat on the ground. “Its crass. Ugly. Fleas are people, women who… live with Rabbits.”
“Oh… and do you, I mean, are you and Walter…?”
“What!” Jet laughed. “Well, ok, ok. I guess it would seem that way, but no. That’s another long story. You lost your parent right? I lost mine when I was 8. Walter took me in, trained me to be a shield. That means someone who travels with groups of people to protect them.”
“Oh… so do you have anyone then?”
She smiled again. “Naw Eri, not really.” Then she gasped and hit me.” And don’t you go thinking that either!”
“What?” I asked, smiling.
“Not happening solider. Plus you aren’t what I usually look for anyway. You’re not… soft enough…” She smiled again, this time I think from the look on my face.
“Oh… sure, ok.”
“Go to sleep Eri.”
“Sure Jet. And thanks.”
“For what?”
“Everything, for not killing me the first time we met.”
“Sure, no problem. I have a soft spot for the lost,” She said smiling.
No comments:
Post a Comment