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The 155th Day

The long march came at last to an end. Eight paws had left the lair on the green hilltop at the end of spring; twenty-four paws strode or leapt inside near the end of summer. There were gleeful and curious noises at the sight of the cave, followed by exclamations at the strong scent of badger, followed by a rapid rushing for the exit as the three badgers settled happily inside went running from the lupine invasion. Mei watched them speed down the hill, screeching all the way. Then the pups, only barely shaken by this drama, piled inside the lair and explored, snuffling their snouts in the soft earth, spreading belly-wide and remarking on its coolness. Gabu and Lala went in after them.

Mei stayed outside. He watched the displaced badgers until they were out of sight, wondering whether they would return. He'd seen that his moss bed was once again gone to ruin, and that his flower nook was still there but empty; he decided to wait before replenishing it. The lair was a place of wolves now, and while Mei would continue to sleep there, the joy of privacy he had once enjoyed with Gabu was gone. That was all right. Caves were not for goats—not in the long term. Open spaces were the herd animal's friend. So Mei wandered a ring around the lair, re-accustoming himself to home. Home was this hill now; there was simply a family living at its peak.

Was it his family? Mei kept teetering back and forth on that. Of course he was a part of that family. Of course he was. And just as surely, of course it was not his family. His family couldn't be a pack of wolves. His family was far away, in Sawa Sawa Valley, that was all. And just possibly… in Para Para Field?

He lay down and shut his eyes. Well, there was someone there who had used the word mate to describe himself and Mei… even if it was in the context of something that couldn't be. That was something like family, wasn't it? A trace of family? An undertone?

He sighed. Really, Gabu was Mei's family, just like ever. But Gabu was very distracted these days, and with good reason. Maybe, after the pups had grown and moved on to their own territory, Lala would get bored, knowing Gabu would never consent to another litter. Maybe she would leave eventually, and things could once again be how they were.

Some noise brought Mei's eyes open, putting him on alert. He'd half been expecting a soft little pounce; to find a wiggling wolf cub crawling on him playfully, asking for Uncle Mei. But this was a shriller noise, from down the hill: "Hoofyy! Hoofy come!"

Mei scrambled down the hill, seeking the source of the voice. "Bepo?"

"Hoofy! Are back! Soo forever long!"

The vole stood raggedly upright, paws hanging, nose slightly limp. Its black fur was lightened from when Mei had last seen it, especially on the belly, chest and chin. "Oh, Bepo! It's so good to hear your voice."

"Maybe not come back. Maybe not live. Thought maybe special done. But not done!"

Mei hated to admit he already wasn't comprehending his friend. "No," he said. "Not done."

Bepo looked around at the wolves cavorting slowly on the hilltop. "Sooo many woofies! What happens? Now woofies everywhere!"

Mei smiled unsurely. "Well, that is the way of it. I'm told four is a rather average litter."

"Litter on hillside. How many months Bepo? Tall wolf? Head far from ground. Small woof? One chomp gone!" Somehow, despite its fears, Bepo didn't seem to be very upset.

"I'll tell them all to leave you alone," promised Mei. It occurred to him that this was a violation of his own rules, but surely, it couldn't make a difference—how could one little black vole who never went anywhere make a difference?

Bepo nodded several times. "Safety for Bepo. So funny. So funny, hoofy." It stood awkwardly and arched its back, head high, but couldn't seem to arch very far. "No good stand." It dropped its back and lay like a lump on the earth. "No good breathe. How many months?"

Chill took Mei's spine. The vole was talking about its own death. "Are you… are you feeling old, Bepo? I'm so sorry."

"Sorry? Apology?" Familiar tittering emanated from the rodent. "Apology accept! Do better next time. Not make Bepo old."

Mei smiled bittersweetly and lay down, chest against the grass. "I just meant I'm sad to see how much you've changed." Only on the outside, though, he reflected. You don't seem changed on the inside at all.

Bepo shook its head. "Your fault! Is your fault Bepo old."

Mei shook his own head, ears flapping. "It can't be! I don't know how to make someone old."

"Old, not dead! Your fault. If never hoofy? Probably give in. Probably not try. Why so low, Bepo?" The vole gestured with nose and tail to the lower part of the hill, where they were. "Why not high?"

"I was thinking this was lower on the hill than I normally see you," acknowledged Mei.

"Lower! Why low?! Because young vole. Long ago, Bepo fight. Win battle, claim hill. Now summer? Young vole fight. Bepo lose. Run down, down. Need to struggle. Fight weaker, not stronger. If never hoofy?" It shook its head. "Bepo waiting. One more strong, just for hoofy. Just for someday, hoofy back. Hello, hoofy! Never gave up!" And it laughed and darted forward, giving Mei a kiss on the nose.

Mei sniffled. "You held on to life, just for me?"

"You and allll woofy. Made Bepo special. If special? How can not say goodbye?"

Now Mei took in a stiff breath. "Are you dying, Bepo?"

Again, titters of laughter. "When not dying? Some way, always dying. Some way always living! Is always both. Not hoofy always both?"

Mei reflected, but decided he didn't want to think about that right now. "I'm very glad you were here to meet me. I hope you'll be well for many months to come."

"One month, maybe three. No more! Will good life, hoofy. Maybe fight again. Maybe snuffly." It pointed up the hill. "While away, snufflies. Some voles die."

"Badgers," Mei gathered. "Black and white?"

Bepo nodded. "Now Bepo black and white!" It groomed a patch of brittle gray fur on its chest. "White for toughen up!"

Mei closed his eyes for a moment and sniffed with pain and laughter. "In that case, Bepo, I'm all the more glad I decided to go and visit my old home sooner than I'd planned. Because now I'll get to tell you all about it."

Bepo curled down swiftly on the ground. "Tell Bepo homeland?"

Mei chuckled. He turned to watch the brood of little hunters roaming over the hill—Lala chasing Meiko at a self-imposed three-legged limp while Gabu playfought with Bari, trying to tumble him using only his nose. Nogusa and Himari were grooming each other. Gabu glanced at Mei for a moment, and Mei grinned. Gabu grinned back.

"I think I have time to tell a little of it," said Mei. "But if you want to hear the rest, you'll just have to live until tomorrow."

Bepo sat up straight, tail straight back, as if offended. "Hard bargain," it said. "Is deal."

"Well, then," said Mei. "I suppose we'll have to start with our trip southeastward to the deep, dark forest…"

The 156th Day

Well, there they were. Lingering at the brook just outside of the woods, like always. Gabu was scared, but he kept pride in his stride, just like his mother had always taught him. This wasn't as scary as meeting the animals for the first time had been. It definitely wasn't as scary as being caged in a pit to await his fate as a traitor. (After that, Gabu had doubted whether anything would be truly scary again… but now he was a father.) So he walked into the gathering like he belonged there (which he did, really), pride on his face and a train of stumbling little pups behind him.

He looked around and saw a lot of different reactions. Which was what he'd expected, really. Wilhelm was tense and alert, nostrils tight. Coryn looked over sternly, but only his eyes really changed. Bedelia drew back, but stood in front of the younger does, who mostly cowered. The muskrats were chittering quietly to each other, lying low. A chipmunk ran in a circle to stop behind a patch of grass. Tsume, sitting on a rock, beat his wings twice. The squirrels crept forward curiously, though, and Akiara, accompanied by a few rabbits from her warren, dashed ahead of the crowd to greet them. She was the one it was impossible to ignore.

"I'll be dashed. You brought them back. You popped them out and brought them back, just like you said you would."

Gabu nodded. Mei was coming up beside him; Lala was guiding the children from the rear. "Hello, everyone! As you can see… we're back! I know you're not all glad to see us… but I'm glad to see you, and I'd like to introduce you to my new children… Meiko, Himari, Bari and Nogusa." Gabu indicated each one in turn. Apart from his natural pride, he really was glad, on a deep level, to see all the animals again. It just went to show—this was home now, and no two ways about it. And it meant what he had with Mei wasn't as impossible as it seemed. Making friends had been an incredible fluke, but once he'd had one…

"Oh my gosh!" shouted Taffet. "A whole little murdery brood!"

"They are fine children," said Bedelia, nodding.

"They're cute," said Itsuko.

"They certainly are," said his mother, Umenoki. "And they'll gobble you down quick as the river if you aren't wary. Learn that scent! You smell it, you slap your tail in alarm, understand?"

"Yes, mum," said the muskrat children.

"You're all really neat and pretty," said Meiko, wandering up to one creature, then another. Some of them shied away, sometimes with a squeal; some of them sniffed her. Coryn stood at a slight angle, watching warily, and said nothing as his stout leg was examined. The other pups followed, and soon everyone was introducing themselves in a big beautiful chaos. He and Mei had dreamed once about their peoples socializing happily—now it was happening before their eyes.

Haburo and Hatsu soared overhead like friendly caretakers, watching the proceedings.

"So, now," said Coryn. "Our land that once knew no trace of the wolf, and which recently knew a single hunting pair, is now home to half a dozen."

"They're not ready to start hunting yet," said Lala. Gabu could tell from her voice how much she loved them. "They're mostly weaned, though."

Kiput cleared his throat. "So, until they learn to hunt, they'll be eating…?"

Lala smiled broadly at him. "Chewed up flesh that we regurgitate."

He winced. "Sorry indeed I asked."

"Yeah, that's pretty disgusting," said Akiara. "But hey, congrats on spawning the next generation! I don't know which one's cutest."

"That's Meiko," said Himari with a smile.

"You're just saying that since she's the girl," retorted Nogusa.

"Nah, it's 'cause she's always wagging her tail. And she does it up high!" Himari wagged his own golden tan brush to demonstrate.

"There's nothing wrong with being cute," said Meiko, and sure enough, she started wagging on cue. It brought a thick chuckle to Gabu's throat.

"Who wants me to eat them first?" announced Bari loudly, looking at the crowd.

This silenced most of the murmuring. "You'll have to grow wings if you want to catch me," said Tsume, who went on to demonstrate his gift of flight. Gabu was glad for the graceful escape—Bari and his jokes about eating creatures were awkward at the best of times. Especially since all too soon, they wouldn't be jokes anymore.

Coryn stamped his hoof once to regain attention. "This is no small reunion," he said. "For a season, we have enjoyed and known our old peace. Now our respite ends, and we must consider."

"Consider?" asked a young buck at the edge of the assembled deer.

"What to do," he replied. "In particular, whether these parts may no longer be our safest home."

Gabu suddenly felt like he had a bur stuck in his throat. "You're leaving? Just because we had children?"

Coryn swung his head to stare. "It bears consideration. That is all."

Gabu hoped no one actually wanted to leave. Somehow, he'd never really thought about it as a possibility. Animals lived where they did—if they migrated, it was to find new territory or mates, not to escape predation. But… he couldn't really blame them if they did leave. They'd lived in a place with no wolves, and now…

Well, if the cubs all grew up healthy and stayed here, they'd be killing off creatures three times as fast. Could he really ask them to shrug that off? He gulped.

"Tall Meadow's not moving," said Akiara, "so we're not moving. We'll learn to dig deeper and sounder, that's all."

"I don't want anyone to go," said Meiko, her tail falling even as it kept faintly swaying. "I want to make friends with you all."

"And I don't want to eat anyone," added Himari.

"Then don't," chirped one of the chipmunks.

There was an awkward moment. Mei glanced at Gabu, and Gabu felt his snout sag—he didn't know what to say. But fortunately, Lala spoke into the silence.

"Well! We've been gone a long time, and I'm sure we'll be glad to tell you all about it. But if I've reckoned the days correctly, I believe today should be Play Day… yes?"

"That's right," said one of the muskrat does.

"Are we going to have a game?" exclaimed Taffet.

There was a clamoring, especially among the youth. Gabu noticed that there were a few marmots in the group now, including a litter of little ones. Two smaller squirrels, probably born that spring, frolicked between the six or so grownups. And most amazingly… in the back of everything, there was a badger! Was Gabu seeing it right? He couldn't make out its scent with so many different animals here, but yes, it was definitely a badger. He'd have to ask who that was and when they'd joined the group. Despite their best efforts, they'd never attracted any predators before but Gabu and Lala themselves. Right that moment Gabu couldn't really fathom the consequences, but he knew that was a big development!

"I can't run really good yet," said Nogusa.

"Lemme see you try," said one of the last litter of muskrats. They were about the pups' size, Gabu noted.

"Okay!" chimed Nogusa, and started clambering clumsily in a circle. The other young muskrats joined in, circling them both.

Lala walked up, flanking Gabu. "Children know how to play, it would seem."

Gabu nodded deeply. "They just somehow jump right in!"

Itsuko, the muskrats' older brother, walked up alongside Lala. Gabu knew they'd had something of a bond, and hoped they could rekindle it after being apart so long. "I'm glad they're getting along," he said.

"Indeed," said Lala. "Would you like to play, too?"

"I guess I could. But I'm a little scared. What if he learns all about how they run and how they smell and he tries to eat them when he's big enough to hunt?"

Lala shrugged. "What if? We've already taken your sister, and your father. Yet life goes on, doesn't it?"

Gabu was amazed how nonplussed the kit was; he just glanced at Lala with a twitch of his whiskers. "Yeah. I guess."

Lala looked meaningfully at the rodent. "Is there something more you want, Itsuko? Something beyond what you have?"

The way he looked at her was like… he admired her. Or, no… it was like she was his teacher. Gabu didn't know what to make of it. "I don't know," said Itsuko. "What kind of thing could I want?"

Lala shrugged one shoulder. "Revenge, perhaps? You could swear to become the most powerful muskrat in history, and to defeat us in combat once you're full grown."

Itsuko giggled nervously. "Like that ram in that story you told?"

Lala nodded serenely. "Just a thought."

Itsuko balled a forepaw and bapped it gently against Lala's leg. "I don't think I could do that. I don't even have any horns."

"But you have those lovely rodent teeth," Lala pointed out.

"Maybe I could gnaw through you if you lay still for a couple hours," he joshed. "But if not, I don't think I stand a chance. I'm just never gonna get that big."

Lala looked away, toward a cloud. "Then I guess revenge is a hopeless dream! We wolves will just continue to eat your family until we've gobbled you all up!"

"Do you want me to get big and fight you?"

Lala chuckled. "Only if that's what you want. You could focus on… oh, swimming instead. That's something muskrats love, isn't it?"

Itsuko shook in confusion. "Do I have to focus on something?"

"Of course not." Lala brought her nose right over to his face. "All I ask is that, one way or another, you continue to be interesting."

The youth took this in. "I'll think about that," he promised.

It was amazing, the relationships that could form. Gabu listened, but made sure not to get in the way.

The children played in two main groups, and the adults took inspiration from them and started their own game. It was original and spontaneous and involved a lot of tight circling. As if everyone was trying to catch someone else's tail. But things quieted down after a while. They met the badger. She was a shy creature with folds of skin visible over her ribcage when she turned—Gabu gathered she'd used to be bigger. She'd heard about the brook club months ago but only gathered the courage to show up there last month, afraid of scaring the smaller creatures away. Well, it turned out she had scared them away, but the deer had heard her out, and she'd told them she wanted to keep to the sacred schedule they called the 'week' and befriend the other animals in the meantime.

Coryn had asked, "But what of the rest of your clan? Will they not miss your presence?"

She'd shrugged and said she lived alone. She'd never been much for the dominance trials in her original family, and had gone off on her own after about half a year. None of the clans she'd met after that had wanted to take her in, but maybe the brook club might?

Her name was Kyrie. She'd been coming regularly to the meetings and had become the token predator in the wolves' absence. At first the attention had made her uncomfortable, but she'd grown to love it. Mei asked her questions while Gabu listened, keeping an ear and an eye on his children.

There were a lot of new faces, in fact, even if many of them didn't want to meet him. The club had swollen while they were away, which seemed strange to Gabu—wasn't the whole point of it to allow him and Lala to be with other animals when they weren't hunting? But he realized that now it was something special in its own right—it was a way that animals could get to know other animals who were different.

"It's really something," agreed Mei. "I wonder how common this sort of society is."

"It can't be that uncommon," Gabu speculated. "After all, it's always nice to meet someone new. Why not someone from a different species?"

Mei grinned. "I think most animals prefer to stick to their own kind. We're just more comfortable that way."

"But what about you, Mei? You could have stayed behind in Sawa Sawa Valley. Or with your black goat friends in Para Para. Yet here you are!" Gabu had worried that the goats would imprison Mei, or that he'd otherwise be injured along the way… but he'd never really doubted that Mei would choose to return.

Mei considered. "I suppose I'm not most animals," he decided. "If I had decided to abandon you… well, I think I'd have never been comfortable again."

Gabu couldn't help it; he seized Mei against himself and gave him a tight, tight hug, balanced on his hind legs. "Mei!" He didn't care who was watching… which was good, because that was everyone.

Mei laughed helplessly. "Gabu!" he replied. But naturally he hugged back.

The 156th Evening

There was an excited tension spread throughout the group tonight as they ascended the grassy hill. The pups were bickering and jostling each other, tired from their big day and daunted by the slope of the hill they had ascended so easily the day before. But there was also the wonder of their guest, Kyrie the badger, as she took in the familial procession, along with her wonder at being a guest—at the fact that Mei and Gabu had chosen to invite her to their home after knowing her for just one afternoon. And then there was the reason they'd invited her—the possibility the badgers from yesterday would have returned in their absence. They'd awakened that morning to the sounds of furtive snorting, and Mei had caught a badger marking the hillside; it had squealed and run off. Mei couldn't blame them—it wasn't easy to give up a home just like that.

Kyrie wasn't even halfway up the hill when she quailed, sniffing aggressively. "Ohh dear. Yes, I'm afraid you've got a problem. They're back again."

"The badgers are up there? Now?" asked Gabu.

"Yes." She nodded her conelike muzzle. "I'm sorry to say."

Mei sighed. "Is it possible you could… pop up there and clear things up? I'd rather they didn't run straight away. Maybe if it were you, they'd stick around and listen."

Kyrie drew a long breath. "I'll do what I can," she promised. "Hold on." And she scuttled with surprising rapidity up the remainder of the hill.

"Ahoy!" they heard her call, just before she peeked into the lair and was met by a barrage of hissing. She backed out but didn't run. "Oy! Folks. Folks, listen!" Then Mei could no longer make out her words as she lowered her voice. He could see her stance lower defensively; he watched her scuttle back, then forth. He made out one more snippet of her raised voice: "…won't take no for an answer, believe me!" Then things went quiet again.

The pups gathered, ready for conquest if it turned out to be needed. Gabu and Lala were nervous—they'd told the pups not to join in the fighting, since a spiteful badger could easily carry one of them off. But Mei could tell they loved this situation. They weren't just going home tonight. They had to earn their home.

But tawny Himari had a different perspective. "Maybe we could dig out a new burrow," he suggested excitedly, tail wagging. "We could let them have this one."

He was promptly shouted down by the others. "No!" "It's our home, we're not gonna let them have it!" And he backed down, lowering his tail between his legs, and watched with the rest of them.

After a while, Lala called up: "Would you like me to come up there?"

Kyrie exchanged a few more words with the squatters. "Might be a good idea," she called down. So Lala traipsed up the hill, and Mei, wanting to keep things bloodless, went along behind her. Gabu stayed with the pups down below.

There were three of them, wide-eyed, teeth showing, flanking the entrance. When Mei and Lala appeared, one badger fell back in surprise and the others raised their gazes. "What's this about, then?" demanded a male.

"I'm terribly sorry," said Mei, "but this was our home before we left for the summer, and we need it back. We have pups to raise, you see."

Their fuzzy rumps rose. "Pups? Between you two?" cried another.

"Not between us," said Lala. "Between me and another wolf, who's waiting down the hill. But if Mei and I had given birth to pups, somehow… don't you think the little half-goat, half-wolf darlings would need a secure home?"

"I think you're confusing them," said Kyrie. "Look—you can see these guys mean business. They're being nice, coming to evict you in the evening, with all night to find a new place. But you have to leave, now."

"Finder's Keepers!" objected the third badger, eyes wild.

"Indeed," said Lala, raising one paw and brandishing the claws. "And we intend to keep what we found."

A female squatter thrust forward and hissed at her. Lala snapped her jaws forward and hissed back. The attacker retreated and the three drew together defensively.

Mei stepped to one side, leaving a way out for them. "I'm afraid you have to go," he told the trio. "The wolves here have killed badgers before. They will do it again."

"Wait—they have?" asked Kyrie, looking suddenly back.

Oops. Mei regretted saying anything—that hadn't been terribly politic, had it?

"On the count of three, I'm coming in," called Lala.

The squatters, formed into a triangle, just hissed and bared their teeth.

"And I'm counting by threes," Lala continued. "THREE!"

With that, she barreled into the cave and snapped at the lead badger. They fell back, tumbling; they squealed and scattered. With Lala snapping at their shanks, they ran rapidly from the cave, piling past Mei.

"I am sorry," he called after. "But you do realize you mustn't come back, don't you?"

One of the badgers yelled back a word Mei didn't even understand. Then they wound around the back side of the hill and swarmed away. Mei hurried around to watch them go.

"That wasn't a very nice thing he said, was it?" asked Lala.

"It was a cuss word," agreed Kyrie. "But I think you drove the point home—I doubt they'll be back." She gave the she-wolf an apprehensive look. "Er… should I go, too?"

"Nonsense," said Lala. "You were very helpful! I'd say you've earned a night here, if you want it."

Mei sighed. A random near-stranger in their home, on their second night back? But he couldn't begrudge the favor.

Kyrie considered. "Well, I wouldn't want to get in the way." She tilted her head up. "The goat said you'd killed badgers before?"

"Well, when times are lean!" replied Lala. Gabu was leading the pups up toward them now. "But of course, you're perfectly safe 'til Huntday."

"I was… actually hoping it wouldn't apply to me. That we could maybe… go hunting together?"

"Oh! Now there's an interesting thought." She advanced toward Gabu. "Gabu-sweet, this lovely badger has offered to try joining us on our next hunt!"

"Huh?" said Gabu. "Well… that's interesting. "Do you think it would work? We probably have pretty different hunting styles."

"Possibly," said Kyrie. "But we could compliment each other. You'd specialize in the open ground—I'd go after those that duck underground. It could work out."

Lala smiled warmly to Gabu. No, not warmly. Hotly. Mei knew this expression of hers—she was excited. "Shall we go inside and talk it over?"

Gabu let his tail sway. "I don't see why not! Children, Kyrie here is going to stay the night as our special guest."

"Welcome!" cried Meiko.

"That's so funny," said Himari.

"Okay!" said Bari. "But I call the spot in the back."

"You got that spot last night. We have to trade!"

As the horde piled into the lair, filling it to the brim, Mei had to wonder whether Kyrie had any notion what she'd gotten herself into.

A/N: Badger badger badger badger badger wate no

According to the literature, real wolves handicap themselves when playfighting like Lala and Gabu do here, and take turns attacking and defending. A recent study, however, finds that when adults playfight with pups, the pups are more likely to be the ones that handicap themselves.

The muskrat tail-thumping alarm signal is real. The dreams Gabu recalls himself and Mei having were from the TV show.

~~||==||O