The Secret of Glendunny by Kathryn Lasky

Author:Kathryn Lasky
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2021-12-09T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19

The Otter’s Lament

“Oh, pups.” Glory sighed as she sculled back upstream to her den carved out of the riverbank. “He is the one,” she moaned. “Dunwattle.” She recognized him as the son of Berta and Grizzmore and grandson of the famed Wanda the Wattler. She knew the scent of him, the family scent, and not only that but the scent of the waters from afar where he had been swimming. She began to untangle the web of scents that had filtered through her mind as she approached Dunwattle. One of those scents was that of a distant river far to the south. What had a young kit been doing down there in the lower Tweed? He had the pungent scent of that salmon river all over him. Luckily his parents didn’t have the keen sense of smell that an otter had, or they’d be furious. What should she do? The poisonous words of the lynx Grinfyll still blistered in her ears.

That poor family. They had lost the wonderful Wanda, and surely this other kit would be either cast out of the pond or, worse, murdered by Grinfyll. But what choice did she have? If she didn’t tell the lynx, her own pups would be murdered. And it would hardly take a curse of lynx to do in Iggy and Edy. One bite and they would be swallowed whole! Both of them. But what would happen if she didn’t tell? If she and the pups just vanished?

She thought about all of this as she swam back to her own den in the riverbank. Climbing out, she held the two pups close to her chest. They nestled deep into her fur. She could feel their tiny hearts beating with hers. She looked up at the sky and felt a shudder pass through her. Hours ago, the stars Iglemore and Edlmyn had slipped west into another day on the far side of the previous night. If only she and her pups could follow them—go west with the stars. But soon she would be seeing the paws of Felis, the lynx constellation. What a terrible omen this was. Not even the stars were on her side! Dim and misty, the dreadful constellation started to rise. The starry lynx began to claw its way across the coming night. By morning all the stars would have dissolved. If only she could swim away into another world with her precious pups. Or might she go west?

She could at least try. She had to try. There was no other choice. She listened to the sounds of the night, every sound, and every tiny critter seemed to chant, Go . . . go . . . go, Glory, with your pups. Nevertheless, she felt that first she had to confirm that it was indeed Dunwattle who bore the scent. And if he did, was there any way she could warn him? She would need to visit the pond. Mornings were best to go to the pond, for that

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