Chapter 9: The Secret
The TTC followed the river all the way to the cave village of the Eloi. It looked different from all the other villages they had seen in the outside world--there were no huts or wooden cabins of any kind. Instead, the Eloi lived in dwellings on the sides of stony walls, with wooden ladders to help them get up to their destinations. And like Weena, they were all raccoons.
"That's strange," said PowerPaws. "Those raccoons are wearing the same clothing the Vulpians wore when we came to their planet."
"That's correct, my daughter," replied Rufus. "But those are mammoth skins. The Eloi were the only race to preserve and breed wooly mammoths for fur, skins, and meat. They use the fur and skin to make clothes and blankets, and the meat for a food source."
Bert said, "How did they keep the mammoths alive, despite the fact that they're now extinct?"
"I have no idea, Mr. President, but I'm sure the archaeologists would be proven wrong once they see this. The Eloi, as you may notice, is a hunter-gatherer society, and once every full moon they go out into the world and gather anything they can find before the moon disappears. Once they have everything they need, they wait until the next full moon so they could do it again. Sometimes the Eloi collect more than just food--don't be surprised if you find an old TV set or a handheld mirror inside any one of their homes."
"Oh, that's interesting. They act like pack rats!"
"And one more thing you must know--the Eloi have a tendency to keep their rituals and traditions alive. Most of the stories about the tribe's history are passed down orally, for many generations."
Just then, Weena cried out happily and pointed to an elderly Eloi couple walking far ahead. She ran up to them and gave them a tender hug. The couple looked up and saw the TTC, and they walked up to greet them.
"Oh, thank you," said the man. "Thank you ever so much for bringing back our granddaughter."
"Granddaughter?" asked Bentley. "But, she--"
The woman said, "Her parents had died when she was only a infant, and we raised her. You look unfamiliar--who are you?"
"We're the TTC," said Bert, taking a bow. "The Time Toon Cops, from the aboveground. And I'm Bert Raccoon, president of the United States of Canerica."
The couple looked at each other, and looked at them. Bert continued impatiently, "Hey, you don't know what Canerica is? Boy, you guys are indeed so primitive..."
"Ignore him," said Rufus, coming up to the couple. "He always does that when people don't understand what he says. Anyway, I'm Rufus Dudley, and I'm the interpreter for the teams."
"Oh, you are?" replied the woman. "How delightful to meet you. My name is Aerona, and this my husband Delwyn. We're the Diamondfurs."
"Delwyn and Aerona Diamondfur," said Rufus. "A pleasant family name, indeed. Listen--we're trying to hide from Chris Roberts and his evil forces. Do you mind if we stay at your home for a while?"
"We'd love to. And who is this Chris Roberts that you speak of?"
"We'll explain when we get to your house."
As the TTC followed the old couple up the ladder to their cliffside home, Charles said, "I hope the forces will be confused, since they won't find us in here."
Meanwhile in the aboveground, Dark Hunter and Bugs arrived in the Evergreen Forest. They looked around, but the TTC were nowhere to be seen. Dark Hunter said, "Where did they go?"
"They must have disappeared," said Dark Bugs. "But let's send our men to find them."
"Right."
Then Dark Hunter turned to his men and said, "Go and find the TTC. If you spot
them, radio us."
They saluted him, and headed out.