Teddycats (13 page)

FELIX AND DIEGO
took the bad news calmly. Omar was steaming mad at first, but he swallowed his rage once he saw Bill's slumped shoulders and wet eyes. Together the group walked the site, searching for clues. There were scratches and divots in the mud; a couple of smelly leather contraptions shaped like a human's paw; a pile of golden husks that Felix identified as part of a human weapon; and a menacing, claw-like blade stuck in a tree.

The whole time, Bill half-expected the humans to return. The air felt occupied. He didn't feel safe, even though it was clear they were gone.

Felix motioned for the gang to take a seat around the gray fire pit. “I know you all are disappointed,” he said once everyone had gathered.

Bill felt his snout heat up with remorse, and he stared down at his paws. Felix looked very tired. He shouldn't have pushed him so hard. He should have listened.

“It has been a long journey, and we still have a ways to go,” Felix continued. “But this is the jungle—things can change in an instant! Some of you already know that. Others are still learning. Yes, the humans were here. We can smell them and see their fire and the mess they left behind.”

He gestured to the debris.

“This is all useful. Their arrogance and lack of respect makes them easy to find. Despite our best efforts we did not get here in time, but we will find them. In the jungle we learn to adjust and adapt. Sometimes the current is fast and smooth; other times it drops you off a cliff. The secret to success—and survival—is a willingness to keep moving forward. The humans have moved on? Great—so will we.”

“I'm sorry,” Bill said. “I got too excited and I didn't consider the safety of the group. I just saw the cloud and chased after it.”

“Your passion is an asset,” said Felix, his voice soothing as balm.

“You did what ya thought was right,” Diego said. “Besides, I couldn't have climbed that crazy tree. Couldn't even see the top!”

“It
was
pretty tall,” said Bill, sniffling.

“So where do we go now?” asked Omar.

“That depends,” Felix said. “Luke, you're
sure
this is the site where you were held?”

“I'm positive,” Luke said.

Felix limped past the fire to the deep ruts in the mud. The tracks seemed to head in both directions—to the river and to the savanna. He knelt down and sniffed the tracks. “If the humans went to the river, then there will be no way to track them. But in the savanna they will be exposed. If we follow them through, day and night, we will find them.”

“Does that mean they're headed to Cloud Kingdom?” asked Omar.

The group exchanged anxious glances.

“That's not important now,” Felix said. “What matters is
our
next move.”

“That's what my father always says,” Bill said.

“Well, it's true,” Felix said. “Now let's see if we can use anything they left behind.”

THEY DUMPED MUD
onto the fire until the gray clouds turned white and wispy before finally getting snuffed out. This made Bill feel better. The sun was shining. The savanna was only a short ridge away, and the humans were sure to leave a trail in the dirt. Omar had forgiven him, and Felix still believed in their mission. All was not lost. Just another temporary setback. He was still a little embarrassed by his tears. If any of the group had noticed them, Bill hoped they were interpreted as a sign of his dedication, rather than immaturity.
Besides, maybe he felt better now
because
of the tears. They had been a release. Also, hadn't he pledged to be honest with himself and his friends? This was the real Bill Garra, flaws and all. He could squeeze out a few tears whenever he felt the need. Still, he wanted to apologize once more to Felix. And probably Omar.

“Don't worry about it, Bill,” Omar said, combing the tall grasses on the outskirts of the campsite, searching for lunch.

Everyone was hungry, and the savanna was certain to be a dead zone, meal-wise.

“I really did mean what I said back there,” Bill said. “About us and all.”

“Right,” said Omar, head still in the grass.

“I just got too caught up in the rescue, and I lost sight of the most important thing: our own safety. After all, like you said, what good are we to Elena if we're too exhausted to move?”

“Exactly.”

The fact that Omar was speaking to him at all was a good sign, but there was something funny—stiff—in his tone, and he seemed very preoccupied with whatever was hiding in the grass.

“So,” Bill said, drawing the discussion out, “we're okay?”

“We're fine, Bill.”

Bill looked up from Omar and surveyed the site. The jungle was already reclaiming it, curling about the edges,
erasing the damage the humans had caused. “Hey,” said Bill, “remember when Maia carved ‘PET ME' in your fur?”

Omar didn't say anything, but Bill caught the early curl of a smile.

“Let's just get back to work.”

“Sure,” said Bill. “See you out there.”

Felix was more gracious about Bill's apology, maybe because he was older, or maybe because he was just too tired to put up a fuss. Whatever it was, he seemed more concerned with Bill's well-being and emotional fortitude.

“You're a good kid,” he said. “Don't forget that, no matter what happens.”

Bill was surprised at how much better the jaguar's words made him feel.

THE RIDGE BETWEEN
the forest and the savanna was short but steep. Together the crew pushed their way up the incline.

Diego had found a new stick, Luke was whistling, Omar kept mum but was moving along. Meanwhile, Bill was completely focused on the bright side: This new direction meant that they were already on the way back to Cloud Kingdom. They were going home, and it was only a matter of time until they had Elena back and Maia could finally forgive him.

He was also happy to be leaving the human site behind. While it was true he was still on their trail, in their wake, the tattered remains of their squat had made Bill uneasy. It was not a place he knew or understood, and it had an effect on him, a certain bitterness on his tongue, smoke in his eyes, ears and fur at an odd angle. The jungle was not meant to look that way, flattened and whipped, cut down and burned to a crisp. On the ridge they were back in the lush green, fragrant and chaotic and maddeningly dense.

Secretly, Bill was holding out hope that they would see the humans from the crest, somewhere in the near distance, kicking up dust. He tried to temper that expectation. The air had cleared, smoke and grievances extinguished. No reason to get fired up all over again. Felix's encouraging words stayed with him. Bill hoped this meant that he was truly becoming a member of the jungle, able to communicate meaningfully with other species, applying special Teddycat skills to the problems of others. It was hard to believe how deep they had traveled in just a few days. Bill used to think the Olingo den was really out there. He had never entered the savanna, much less crossed it. But these were the types of valuable experiences he could bring to the Elders in an effort to demonstrate the possibilities of life down below. Bill hacked at a web of vines. It felt good to make things a bit easier for those behind him.

He turned, and there was Luke, right beside him.
“Feels good to get out of there,” Bill said. “I can't imagine how it must've been for you.”

“So now you understand why I couldn't draw a map?” said Luke.

“I do, buddy,” said Bill. “Humans are disorienting. One more reason we have to stick together.”

A final threshold of brush separated them from the crest. Bill flailed his arms, shredding a path through the thicket.

“Bill, hold on!” Omar shouted. “It's Felix!”

Felix was lying on his side, his head cradled in Diego's forelegs. That dazed and peaceful expression had returned to his face. His eyes were clear but narrowed, as if he barely had the energy to keep them open, and though his body seemed to have shrunken in size, it also seemed to be embraced by an aura of peace.

“What's the matter?” Bill asked, rushing over to Felix's side. “What's wrong? Did something bite you? Is it your leg?”

“Nothing's wrong,” Felix said. “I'll be fine.”

He wheezed, that same sickening sound Bill had tried to outrun while chasing the smoke.

“We'll rest here for a bit,” said Bill. “There's no rush.”

“Nonsense,” said Felix. “You all go on ahead. I'll catch up with you.”

“No way,” said Bill. “Right, guys?”

“No way,” agreed Omar. “We need you, Felix.”

“We need you!” Luke said.

But Diego was silent.

“Where would we be without you?” Bill whispered.

“I'll be right behind,” Felix said softly. “You all run ahead. Remember the seasons. And if you get lost, just look to the horizon, the last line of light.”

“We're not leaving you here,” Bill said. “I won't do it!”

Omar and Luke dropped their heads. Even Bill knew his protests were futile. This was the jungle. There was no outrunning it, no way to hide. Eventually, the jungle came for everyone.

“You must,” Felix said. “I insist.”

Suddenly, a tranquil harmony closed in around them. A delicate composition of soft air, whispering wind. The sounds of the wild, the rustle of leaves. The color of the sky, the shapes of the clouds. Flickering light and shadows. It was as if the fierce, feral jungle paused for a moment just to reassure them of its balance.

“Go on,” Felix urged. His eyes were pale slits, but they held no fear. Bill felt a spirit pass through the group, like a warm stream, pooling in their chests and delivering a deep sadness that somehow also promised peace. “You'll be great.”

The warmth swelled and radiated until it was almost too much to bear, and then it was gone, reabsorbed by the surrounding wilderness.

THEY DIDN'T CELEBRATE
when they broke through the brush and reached the crest. Before them, the savanna stretched for days. They scanned for telltale dust clouds and human caravans but saw only a long slog with no shade or water. Nobody wanted to be the first to leave the shade of the jungle and slide down into the blinding yellow sand.

Something else tugged at them as well. The ridge was still home to Felix. Leaving meant they would be forced to say a final farewell.

Bill slicked back his fur, grimed with dusty sweat, and turned to the others.

“We left behind a good friend,” Bill said, his voice clogged with gratitude and sorrow. “And all we can do now is try to live up to his example. The humans are somewhere out there, and they have Elena. It won't be easy, but worthwhile missions rarely are, right, Diego?”

“Tough as a croc's tooth, most often,” Diego said.

“Right,” Bill said. He had never touched a croc's tooth and hoped he never would. “It will be hot and dry on the savanna, so we'll bring along whatever supplies we can carry. We will conserve our energy and resources while making the best time possible. At night the temperature will drop; we'll scrounge for food then.”

They gathered fronds and stuffed one with bitter and hopefully worm-filled clumps of decaying underbrush. They helped one another lash the leaves to their backs, like turtle shells.

“Are we ready?” Bill asked. The band of explorers before him looked beaten down and slightly ridiculous, but there was an unmistakable determination to their grim nods of assent. “Okay. Let's go make Felix proud.”

THAT DETERMINATION BEGAN
to wane almost immediately. The savanna was endless and excruciating. And there was something else, something beyond the heat and fatigue. Bill could not shake the feeling that they were being followed. He even entertained the idea that it was Felix's spirit, watching over them. But whenever he stopped and turned, he could see nothing. The sun was blinding—the ridge was already just a dark smudge in the distance—but every few minutes Bill would swing around, absolutely sure that something was there, only to see nothing but an expanse of wiggling air.

Sweat stung Bill's eyes. His paws were fried, and his bones felt hollow, his muscles like jelly. The only thing that kept him moving was the thought of Maia's heartbreak and Felix's sacrifice, which propelled him forward despite his growing terror.

Even Diego, that stoic, battered veteran, had begun complaining about the brutal elements. “It's too hot, mates,” said Diego. “We're gonna turn to crisps out here.”

His dissent was contagious. Soon Luke requested a ride on Bill's back, and Omar threatened to turn around.

“There's nothing back there for you, Omar,” Bill said. “We're wasting time we don't have even talking about it.”

“But we're not going to make it,” Omar insisted.

“Hey,” Bill said, stopping short. The hard, dry dirt sizzled on his paws. “You wanted to be a hero? This is the moment, right here. We have to keep moving. Felix believed in us. He believed we could do it. And Luke, you've crossed this stretch before. Tell him it's possible.”

Luke looked pained, but complied. “I've done it. It's possible. We can do it.”

While not exactly rousing, Luke's speech seemed to do the trick. Diego and Omar piped down, and Bill did his best to ignore the growing, itchy sensation that they were being watched as their supposed destination seemed to bleed further and further into the distance.

Their grit and persistence was finally rewarded with a cloud in the sky. And not just any cloud—a fat, roiling, dark gray monstrosity that blocked the sun and cooled the savanna for a merciful span of late afternoon. They took advantage of this spot of good fortune by scurrying with increased vigor, stopping only briefly to nibble or catch their breath.

“I'd do anything for a juicy bite of sweetmoss,” said Diego, choking down another clump of grubby mud.

Bill tried to remember the time, not that long ago, when Diego was an almost unknowable Cloud Kingdom fixture, this larger-than-life warrior scout on the front lines of defense. Now he was just another hungry Teddycat lost in the jungle, trying to hold on.

“I want to gorge myself on fruit,” Omar said. “Just chop down a whole grove and go nuts.”

“I miss Felix,” Luke said.

“We all do, buddy,” said Bill.

“He knew he wouldn't make it across this cursed sand,” said Diego. “And he knew we wouldn't make it with him. The Teddycats owe him a great debt.”

Everyone was silent for a moment, heavy with memories of Felix.

“Bill, do you think we'll make it?” asked Omar, breaking the silence with his quiet query. “I mean, really make it, all the way back home.”

“Depends what you mean by ‘home,'” Bill said. “I can't know what the Elders will say or what the rest of
Cloud Kingdom will decide, but the beauty of the wilderness and the love of friends like Felix makes me realize that the jungle was our home all along. So here's the deal: First we free Elena, then we free the rest of the Teddycats.”

The cloud shifted. Sunlight began to leak through the seams, and heat hovered in the air once again. They had to get back on the trail before it returned in full force.

“We're burning shade,” Bill said.

“I'll go a bit further,” Diego said. “For Felix.”

“For Elena and Maia,” said Omar.

“Let's do it,” said Luke.

Bill smiled. “Take the lead, buddy.”

At last, dusk came. They combed the sand for dinner as the sun settled into the distant hills and the sky faded purple. Bill's optimistic estimate placed them a little over halfway across the savanna, and no closer to catching the humans than they had been back at the ridge. Their limbs were sore, their paws tender and crusted. Bill took one last look, still haunted by the creepy sensation of strange eyes drilling into his back.