The Cat in Cradle by Jay Bell

Author:Jay Bell [Bell, Jay]
Language: nld
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Jay Bell

"Not a good person," Lali answered, "and he was just a boy at the time." Dylan's mouth fell open. "Tyjinn or the victim?"

"Both. They were the same age, thirteen at the time."

"Well, was it in self-defense or what?" Kio asked.

Lali shook her head before changing her mind and nodding. "Did

Ty ever mention his dog, Fenric? No? Well, he was crazy about that dog.

He'd had Fenric since he was little and would take him everywhere, even

to school when the teacher would allow it. They were really close, just as

you two are. Fenric sometimes roamed the nearby woods on his own,

which was usually never a problem since he always found his way home.

One day, Fenric had a run in with two boys, one of which Tyjinn—"

"Killed," Dylan filled in for her as she struggled with the word.

"Tyjinn was always something of a social outcast," Lali said, trying a different approach. "His talent and brains alienated him from most of the other boys, and his looks made enemies of the girls once they realized that

he wasn't interested. Even being a son of the Red Oligarch didn't earn

him any popularity since his brothers and sisters could claim the same

status and were much more accessible.

"So these two boys were out bow hunting, and they shot Fenric.

They said it was a mistake, and they thought he was a deer. He was a big

dog, but he wasn't that big." She shook her head. "Still, mistakes do happen, but they made two more that day. The first was leaving Fenric

there to bleed to death."

"He was still alive?" asked Dylan.

Lali nodded. "Tyjinn followed Fenric's howls as best he could, but

he didn't make it in time. I think if Tyjinn had been with his dog before he died, even if it had only been a minute, things might not have gone so

wrong. Tyjinn became obsessed with the idea that Fenric died alone and

afraid."

"I'd want to kill them, too," Dylan said quietly. "If someone did something like that to Kio." His jaw clenched, and he shook his head.

"You'd want to kill them, sure," Lali said, "but would you? Would Kio even want that?"

"What was their second mistake?" Kio asked, changing the topic.

"The second mistake was leaving the arrow in Fenric. The two boys

had their arrows initialed so they could later prove who had made what

kill. Tyjinn figured out pretty quick whose name went with the initials,

since he had a troubled history with these two schoolmates. Of course

they lied when confronted until Tyjinn showed them the arrow. That only

made them laugh. They didn't even apologize."

Kio leaned forward. "So he just toasted them right then and there?"

"No. In a way it would have been better if he had. Instead he waited

almost half a year. He intended to avenge Fenric but needed to wait until

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