WOLVES DON'T TALK

Chapter 17. TAILS ON FIRE

I don't know how long I lay there in the bushes collecting berry stains all over my clothes, maybe for hours and hours. When I finally opened my eyes, I saw a shiny white moon and another light, an orange and yellow one flickering in the distance. I also heard thunder rumbling and even saw a streak of lightening flash across the sky.

My head throbbed wretchedly, but I forced myself to get up and make my way toward the flickering light. I had to get back to the animal camp and find Pythia. She and the wolf were both counting on me. I had no choice; I had to keep going.

I moved slowly at first, inching my way along in the darkness, carefully sliding one foot in front of the other, trying to figure out what I might step on before actually stepping on it. I didn't want to trip and fall again. I'd already lost valuable time lying on my back passed out and just couldn't lose any more.

However, I got lucky that night. Before I realized it, my journey ended and I stumbled in the animal camp just about the same time the moon hit the center of the sky.

I opened my mouth to let out a big WHOOP of joy when I realized I'd made it back but shut it without saying a single word when I saw the white rabbit and the evil fox standing next to a burning tree limb in the middle of the clearing. The lightening I'd seen earlier had apparently struck the huge redwood and ruthlessly separated the limb from the trunk after setting it on fire. The orange and yellow flames had acted as my guide back.

Pythia lay on the ground nearby with cinders from the blaze swirling over her white robes. More of the scaling I'd noticed earlier covered her arms and face and neck. Her eyes were plastered shut. She did not move.

Neither the rabbit nor the fox took any notice of my entry on the sorry scene. Both appeared to be too busy, snapping and growling at each other; clearly involved in a vicious argument. The fox tilted its head upward and howled to make its point. The rabbit stood on his hind legs and shook his head vehemently. The fox responded by dropping a shiny golden coin from its mouth at the rabbit's feet. The rabbit's eyes glistened as it reached for the coin; it was clearly too beautiful to resist.

Then the evil, evil, treacherous vixen pointed its terrible toothy snout at Pythia. It was clearly egging the huge white creature on, tempting him with the gold and the knowledge of another such coin inside the oracle's robes.

They intended to rob the first coin I'd found from Pythia. And they had the third one, the coin I needed to complete the set. I couldn't believe my eyes; they'd had it all along. Suddenly, I knew they'd gotten it off the dead rabbit, the one who'd gone to the chemical dump and died bringing it to them.

Standing on the edge of the clearing and taking it all in made me feel sick. The scene of the poor rabbit's death reeled before me. The creature had passed away in the middle of the road with the fox standing nearby with its paws planted firmly in the mud and accusing the wolf of murder. And for what? For what? For a shiny coin. It didn't make any sense. It didn't. I couldn't stand the swamp of ignorance I'd wandered into any longer.

"You're not taking anything from anyone!" I shouted, walking right up to the huge rabbit and the vile fox as I hollered.

The fox actually responded by smirking at me with its sharp teeth hanging out over its pointy jaw. I gulped in reply and spent two very late and short seconds wondering why it hadn't occurred to me that they might be just as willing to get rid of me as they had the wolf. But the seconds were short because I knew I didn't have time to wonder. I had to act.

"Get away from Pythia. Get away right now," I ordered, moving in on them, confronting them face to face.

I even stepped on one of the fox's front paws. The horrid creature snapped its teeth together a few times and glared angrily at me in response. The rabbit just stood there with a stupid look on his face. Neither one seemed to know what to do or say next.

I pressed on, understanding I needed to get my message across while I had the chance.

"Give me that coin. It belongs to the lady. You can't keep it!"

This time, I got a response.

The fox snarled viciously at me and shot a commanding leer at the rabbit, who quickly hopped to my side. He lowered his soft white chin onto the top of my head, trying to calm me with his huge presence. He wanted me to know that we were all friends and could work together. Maybe even share the coins.

I caressed his soft fur in response; he was so reasonable, just like an adult lecturing a little kid on the importance of sharing.

"Well, maybe," I faltered, answering his plea just like the typical kid might.

A huge grin slid across his jaw and his buck bunny teeth rattled in joy. He knew he'd won as he watched me cower in his shiny white wonderfulness, twisting my fingers inside my pocket around the coin inside it, preparing to give it away.

"Carmen," a thin voice cut weakly through the air as Pythia opened her eyes and stared up at me.

My fingers froze in my pocket.

"What about Pythia? She needs the coins. What will happen to her?" I asked the ever so soft white creature hovering above me.

He shrugged and flipped his crooked sapphire eyes upward. Pythia didn't matter; we'd just leave her there.

"What?" I stammered, not believing I'd understood correctly.

Leave her there? Leave her there? Just like Brock had left me alone in the forest.

Something very important happened next. It felt an explosion right in the middle of my head. I stood back and took one long look at the overwhelming rabbit and I, Carmen Pimentel, the Great Diviner, finally saw him for what he really was: A great big jerk, just like Brock Baldwin.

"No," I said without stammering at all. I won't leave her here and you won't take her coin. Now, give me the one you have or, or, or." I ran out of words as I tried to think of some good threat to use to enforce my demands.

Flames from the nearby log sputtered as if in response to my dilemma, giving me the answer. I raced over to it and wrapped my fingers around a long burning branch, jerking vehemently on the unlit end until I ripped it from the log.

"Or I'll set both your tails on fire," I completed my threat as I flourished the fiery stick in their ugly faces.

The rabbit let out a long loud grunt, actually sounding like a raggedy old crow.

"Yes!" I challenged, moving close enough to singe his twitching whiskers and the fox's handlebar mustache in one swooping motion.

The fox let out a long vicious snarl as the rabbit threw the coin at my feet. I grinned in cold triumph and quickly reached down to pick it up. The fox reached too and snatched the burning stick out of my hand with its wicked jaws and razor-sharp teeth and then tossed the fire at my head. I jerked aside just in time to avoid it. The flames skidded past my skull and landed in the middle of a mound of dry grass. The grass began to crackle and burn almost immediately.

The fox started howling with a vicious joy.

I stood in stunned silence, not knowing what to do and completely unable to move as I watched the flames race wildly along the ground. I was going to burn. I was going to burn!

"Carmen, Carmen," a calm voice called to me in the middle of the fury. "Bring the coins to me, it instructed."

And that is what I did. I carried the two new coins to Pythia, who now stood up very straight and stony still in the middle of a ring of flames.

I couldn't imagine how she managed to get there. Hot sparks sputtered just inches from her white robes, but she didn't seem to notice and extended her hand, calling me to join her. Transfixed by her bidding, I moved toward her, traipsing straight through the flames like they didn't even exist, not even feeling the fire. I reached her side almost immediately and handed her both coins.

"What do they say?" she asked, her eyes actually shifting from their normal flat white to a pair of piercing gold and black slits as she spoke.

"I know," I replied, staring helplessly into her terrible gaze and volunteering to offer up what I knew without even having to look at any of the coins.