Canary in a Coal Mine

[Deadtail]

He didn't mind the dark. Outside, the hordebeasts among whom he was trying so hard to fit in would mock his ?choice? of ally. Inside, he had a chance at impressing those who really mattered. But with Matukhana, the Whirlwind, and several others joining Deadtail in the cave just beyond the waterfall, it was crowded. At least the bird didn't take up that much space.

?Right, you two.? Matukhana passed the end of Damask's tether to a weasel, nodding at a stoat as he did so. ?Haul the bird up a ways with you, see if he can tell what's beyond those rocks.?

?That seems a bit hasty, does it not?? Damask replied. ?This art could be of use?mayhap it represents some route we must travel to reach the treasure.?

There were more markings than Deadtail had first noticed, mostly of various creatures. The beasts formed groups of two or three, and seemed to have been placed without regard for species. Nothing about it could have signaled a message...to any reasonable beast, Deadtail mentally corrected himself.

?Mouse, Otter, Rat, Stoat. Mors? No, 'tis an ermine! More...but more what, more what?? Damask fluttered as the weasel dragged him forward.

?D'you think a smudgy mouse with an acorn is gonna help us find the loot, featherbag?? Deadtail turned his attention to the pile of rocks. Reaching for a small stone wedged at paw height, he set it down on the cave floor. He grabbed another, careful not to choose any of the truly large obstacles. They were the real barrier, but he knew better than to yank the wrong one.

Rath approached Deadtail. ?It'll take a couple seasons at that rate,? the ferret noted.

?D'you have any better ideas?? Deadtail snapped. ?Preferably some that don't involve this whole pile crashin' down on us??

Rath seemed to nod as he paced along the pile, realizing the nature of the problem. He turned around at the edge of the cave and walked back to the group of small rocks that the rat had managed to extricate. ?This oughta work.?

He selected one of the rocks and walked to the opposite edge of the cave, in front of the waterfall. ?You'll want to get out of the way.?

Deadtail pressed himself against a painted wall, with the other hordebeasts settling in beside or opposite him. Damask fluttered above them all, still trying to make sense of the smudges.

Rath shifted his weight to his front paw, then leaned back before throwing the rock towards the pile. It hit in the middle, dislodging one of the larger rocks and causing a few of the highest to fall down. ?Too short,? he judged, dashing forward to pick up a second small rock. He threw it from a closer distance, and that one flew true; the topmost rocks fell either down or deeper into the cave. The resultant slope was shorter and shallower. ?Can you climb this??

?Better than before,? said Matukhana. ?We'll give it a shot.?

Deadtail had never been much of a climber, and lagged behind the strong corsairs and the skillful fighter. While he was certainly used to bringing up the rear, it wasn't quite as comfortable in that context. As soon as they got to the top of the rocks, he would have no more information that the others didn't.

He didn't stop to admire what passed for a view once he reached that summit, but concentrated on the descent. It was tiresome, but no more straining than the ascent. Once they had reached solid ground, he was able to see just how little there was to see. The rocks had brought the bottom of a tunnel a whisker closer to the ceiling, and there seemed to be no place to go but forward.

?You know where you're going, bird?? Matukhana demanded.

?Alas, the rhyme did not give very clear directions,? said Damask. ?Were it to be clear, any bumbler could have made off with the treasure.?

The fox sighed. ?That's our luck, eh? Don't worry, you can still lead the way. You two, hold him close.?

?Ah...yes. Perhaps I should double-check the paintings? They might be more useful now that we know what's ahead.?

?What did you expect to find but a dark tunnel?? Deadtail retorted. ?Lead on.?

?Of course.?

At that point, Deadtail was perfectly happy to bring up the rear. Following a bird, after all, would do him no good had the ground been hazardous. He followed, first Rath's silhouette, and then just the sound of the ferret's paws against the floor.

Some time later?he could not tell how long?the paws fell silent. ?Rath?? he whispered. ?Captain??

?We've hit a dead end,? said the robin. ?A false trail, to throw off those who just arrived by accident.?

?And where were we supposed to turn?? asked Matukhana.

?It looked like there was another branch perhaps a third of the way in, but I'd rather not have pursued it just then?were we to start taking every turn, we'd never find our way out. Never fear, I remember the way. Just turn around, we'll be back there soon enough.?

?I didn't notice it on the way in,? Deadtail called. It happened to be true. ?Someone else should come back in front.?

?I'd dearly love the opportunity, but that seems impractical at this time.?

The rat did not argue too long. He was less concerned about being the frontmost vermin on the return trip; had there been some trap for his paws, he'd already have come across it. They retraced their steps, though he did not notice whatever crack in the walls the robin had seen and was already past it by the time Matukhana called ?Halt!?

But this worked out to his benefit; the vermin closer to the second tunnel could enter it first, and he was glad to follow once again. It was steeper and harder to navigate, but they slowly made their way through the darkness.

He flinched at noise, but it was only a sulking voice. ?Are you sure you know where yer headed?? A weasel, by the sounds of it.

?As I've told you,? Damask continued irritably, ?it's in everybeast's best interest to follow these routes as far as they go. If you see another pathway that looks promising, you need but mention it. I'm sure the Captain can??

?Command his own troops, thank you,? Matukhana interrupted.

?We should've brought food,? whined a stoat, but it was a halfhearted complaint. No one dared ask how long they would remain in the tunnels.

Deadtail felt hungry, but tried not to dwell on it. It was a trick of the mind, nothing more?without light to gauge the passage of time, he'd blow things out of proportion. Surely they'd realize the need to leave soon enough. They wouldn't dare proceed any further in?but no, he caught sight of Damask's wing tilting as if to round another corner.

Caught sight?

Curious in spite of himself, he took another step forward.