The Legend of Podkin One-Ear by Kieran Larwood

Author:Kieran Larwood [Kieran Larwood]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780571328277
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Published: 2016-05-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TEN

Fox Paw

Outside in the gloomy tunnel, Podkin stood and stared at the other little rabbit. She stared back for a moment, then shrugged her shoulders and hurried off down the tunnel, towards the market.

‘Hey, wait up!’ Podkin scampered after as best he could, struggling not to drop Pook in the process. He caught up with the rabbit by a flickering candle, which was balanced on the crumbling tip of some creature’s leg bone, jutting out of the tunnel wall. The light threw wavering patterns over the dangling roots and piles of rubbish on the floor, making it seem like they were at the bottom of a particularly filthy lake.

The small rabbit gave him another impatient look, as if Podkin was keeping her from something important. ‘Yes?’

Podkin stood, huffing and puffing, thinking of something to say. ‘Um … hello. My name’s Podkin. And this is Pook. I just … I was just wondering …’

‘Look,’ said the rabbit. ‘I don’t mean to be rude, but we really should get to the market as quickly as we can. If we don’t come back at dusk with plenty of food and some coins … well, let’s just say it won’t be very pleasant.’

‘Do you do this every day?’ Podkin asked. ‘Stealing and begging from the market? Haven’t you tried to escape?’

‘Escape?’ The little rabbit looked at Podkin as if he was crazy. ‘They’ve got my brother. How could I escape without him?’

‘But your parents,’ said Pod. ‘Can’t you find them? Can’t you tell the guards or the chieftain or someone?’

‘My parents are fifty years old and living in a warren on the other side of the Eiskalt mountains.’ When Podkin looked at her as if she was talking Thriantan, she sighed and shook her head. ‘I’m not a child, Popkin – or whatever your name is. My brother and I are dwarf rabbits. I might be as small as you, but I’m actually fully grown. Those stupid ferret-brained lumps back there think we’re children too. That’s why they grabbed us.’

‘Have you been there long?’

The dwarf rabbit shrugged. ‘Six months, I think. Although it seems like longer. They had another rabbit caged up when we got there, but he got sick and died. They buried him further up the tunnel.’

Podkin gulped. He really didn’t want to end up shovelled into a shallow grave in this dingy, miserable place.

‘So, you see, it’s best to try and keep them happy. That way they don’t hit you. Try and find as much food as you can, but don’t get caught stealing anything. There aren’t any guards in this place, and definitely no chieftain, but the stallholders do horrible things to thieves.’

The dwarf rabbit patted Podkin on the shoulder, and then turned and headed up the tunnel. Podkin watched her go, calling out before she disappeared from sight: ‘It’s Podkin, not Popkin!’

‘Sorry!’ The rabbit called back. ‘I’m Mishka. But you can call me Mish. My brother is Mashka.’ And then she was gone.

Mish and Mash, Podkin thought. Well, at least they weren’t in this mess completely on their own.

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