Frost Dancers: A Story of Hares by Garry Kilworth

Author:Garry Kilworth
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Science Fiction
ISBN: 9780575114326
Publisher: Orion Publishing Group
Published: 2013-03-29T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty Four

‘Who said that?’ cried Skelter, staring into the darkness at the back of the tomb. ‘Who’s there?’

Skelter’s eyes could not penetrate the murk within the blocks of stone and though he was sure he was being watched intently – by one whose eyes were obviously used to the dimness – he had no idea of who or even what it was. He felt helplessly insecure. He was trapped inside the tomb, for there was certain death outside, and had to face whatever the darkness held within its musty folds.

There was a snuffling sound and someone began to move towards Skelter. He backed up to the exit, ready to kick out if the creature turned out to be dangerous: his heart drummed in panic.

‘I’ve got powerful hind legs,’ he told the other occupant of the tomb, ‘and I’m not afraid to use them.’

‘I’m sure you’re not, Skelter, but would you kick an old friend?’

The other animal came forward and nuzzled against his face, and Skelter felt a surge of joy go through him as he recognised the scent.

‘Rushie?’

‘The very same jill.’

‘How did you … why … when did you … ?’

Rushie nuzzled him again, saying, ‘Slowly, take it slowly. First you tell me what happened to you after I left that farm, and then I’ll give my own story. Come on, how did you escape? Did they put you in the hare coursing?’

Skelter could hardly contain his feelings, but he could sense that Rushie did not want a lot of emotion poured over her, so he pulled himself together and tried to calm down.

‘Yes, they did put me in the coursing, but I outran the greyhounds. You should have seen me, Rushie, I was magnificent! The poor hare before me, a creature with a funny accent – he was torn to pieces by the dogs …’

So Skelter told the tale, of how he escaped from the coursing, and of everything that had happened to him since that time. Rushie listened patiently, interrupting him only when she wanted something clarified, and encouraging him to fill her in on the tiniest details. She was especially interested in the relationship he now had with Eyebright, and questioned him quite closely on this point.

‘So, you share a field with this jill?’

Skelter said, ‘More than a field, which can of course be of any size. We have two large fields actually: a meadow and a field of mustard. There’s a river at the bottom, and a stream running alongside. I’ve made friends with an otter who has his holt in the stream.’

Rushie said, ‘You seem to have made yourself quite comfortable.’

‘Not bad. I owe a lot to the kindness of the creatures that I’ve met on the flatlands – Jittie the hedgehog, and one or two others. Moonhare and sunhare are a bit stuck up, but that’s because they’re leaders of the colony I expect. They’ve got a lot of responsibilities.’

‘So what are you doing here, at the church?’

He told her that he had

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