Deep Canyons: Under Carico's Moons, Book 2 by Nan C Ballard

Author:Nan C Ballard [Ballard, Nan C]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Not a Pipe Publishing
Published: 2022-11-21T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

Lee

The afternoon dragged on. Lee sat under the protecting rock overhang. Lightning flashed. The first raindrops painted patterns of dots on the outer edge of the shelf. She breathed in the petrichor, the unique odor of rain on dry ground, the blood of gods upon the stones of the earth. For her it meant hope, the beginning of the summer rains that brought the desert to life, a good omen if she believed in such things. But the thunder strummed restless tunes on her nerves as the first sprinkle turned into a downpour. She got up and paced, unable to be still. She envied Seth who dozed on the bedding undisturbed.

The brief, heavy rain passed. Shadows climbed up the far side of the canyon as the sun dropped toward the horizon. Something caught Lee’s eye at the gathering area. Weaver or one like her. Followed by four more, all stout, raisin-skinned, walking upright with tails carried just off the ground.

Lee nudged Seth’s bare foot. He jerked upright. She said, “They’re back. A bunch of them.”

A group of Guard’s type followed the first group. They clustered together so she couldn’t tell how many for sure, except for one who stood apart. “They brought the kids,” she added.

“Kids?” He stepped out where he could see better.

“I guess,” she said. A pack of miniatures of both kinds ran across the opening and splashed in the shallow stream. “Looks like a family picnic.”

“Predators bring their young to a kill to eat,” he pointed out, chilling her optimism. “And where are the teenagers?”

She looked again. Full-sized individuals and small ones no more than about waist high on the adults, but none in between of either kind. “That is odd. Maybe they’re coming later?”

“Guard and Weaver are headed this way.”

“Bringing us dinner?”

“Or inviting us to join them,” he said.

Just in case, she picked up her wrap and tied it into a makeshift jacket over her tank top. The rain shower left cooler air. Whipbrush danced in the gusty wind. Thunder grumbled. Not the evening she would choose for an open-air party.

The ladder thumped into place, and Guard appeared. He put a full net bag against the wall and pointed Lee to the ladder without giving her a chance to see what was in it. She gave Seth a worried look and complied, swallowing the anxiety that rose in her throat. She shinnied down the ladder. Weaver waited for her at the bottom. Lee looked back and saw Seth straddle the bundled canes. Weaver clicked her beak and hurried her away.

When they reached the gathering site, Weaver shepherded Lee to the single mat facing three other fantails waiting on the row of mats. One of the fantails picked up the final mat, carried it to one side, and placed it down in front of a fifth fantail who stepped onto it with a squared-up bearing that reminded Lee of a military officer. It — she? — gave Lee and Weaver a flat stare that chilled Lee more than the wind.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.