Quest for the Faradawn - страница 23

After a long time, the trio, satisfied that they had not been seen or heard, relaxed. They were in single file behind a large willow and a holly bush that had been seeded, probably by a bird, many seasons ago and which had flourished by the water. The only sound, apart from that coming from the hollow, was the continuous tinkling of the stream as it meandered over the pebbles in their sandy bed. ‘What shall we do?’ said Nab quietly as he turned round to face the others, who had been walking behind him when they had heard the noise.

‘It’s the Urkku,’ said Perryfoot. ‘Come on, we’ll go back. Come on Brock, turn round,’ and he gave the badger a gentle push with his paw.

‘No,’ said Brock firmly.

‘What do you mean, “No”? It’s Urkku and they’ve probably got guns. Don’t be silly. Let’s go back,’ the hare whispered fiercely.

‘No. I’m pretty certain they aren’t dangerous. I can tell; they aren’t behaving like the Urkku we normally see. Besides the sounds of the voices are different; higher and softer. No, there’s no danger. It’s a good opportunity for you, Nab, to see some Urkku at first hand. Listen, here is what we’ll do. Perryfoot, you go round the front of the hollow, as near as you dare, so that they can see you. Then while they’re watching you, Nab can run across at the back and take cover behind the gorse bushes. I’ll stay here and watch.’

‘Hmmm. I don’t like it at all,’ muttered the hare. 'Not one little bit. Still, if my learned friend says there’s no danger, there’s no danger. I just hope he’s right. Why don’t you go, Brock?’

‘Because if I’m wrong, you can run faster,’ said Brock, smiling mischievously.

‘All right,’ said Perryfoot. ‘Wish me luck.’

The hare ran slowly over the grassy bank and, when he appeared in view at the front of the hollow, the two remaining animals heard little squeals of delight coming from behind the gorse bushes. Perryfoot had stopped and was preening himself and from the sounds of merriment Brock guessed that the Urkku had seen him and were fully engrossed in watching his antics.

‘Right, off you go. But be careful and keep well out of sight,’ whispered Brock, and the boy scuttled along, bent almost double, until he reached the shelter of the bushes at the top of the little hollow. He sat silently for a moment, hardly daring to breathe and then, bursting with the most intense curiosity, he crawled along until he found a gap in the bushes through which he had a clear view. There he saw, for the first time in his life, another member of his own race. There were in fact two of them, both sitting watching Perryfoot with their backs to Nab. Even though they were sitting down he could tell that one was bigger than the other and he guessed that they were parent and young and, from what Remus and Bibbington had told him, he further believed that they were both female. He had not known what he had expected to see but he recognized himself in them and was not so surprised as he thought he might have been. Nevertheless he was fascinated by the way they talked and the way they looked and as he watched he found his attention drawn more and more to the little girl as she snuggled up close to her mother, holding tightly on to her arm with the thrill of seeing the hare so close. Perryfoot was obviously beginning to enjoy himself now as he found himself the object of such rapt attention and in no danger: he hopped a few paces and then stopped, raising himself up on to his back legs and putting his ears erect so that he looked like an arrogant monarch, and then he hopped a few more paces and repeated the performance. The little girl had now turned to watch Perryfoot, and Nab could see her face; judging by her size she had probably seen as many seasons as he had and, as he stared at her wide blue eyes and delicate mouth and the gentle pink of her cheeks framed by a tangled cascade of golden hair, he became entranced. All the magic of the spring day seemed to Nab to be captured in her face and when she laughed he could feel his heart miss a beat in sheer joy; she was a Princess of the Golden Afternoon and he would never forget the way he felt as he first saw her, through all the rest of his life.