again at her side, she was also worried.
Worried that she was leading him into greater peril.
"Remember what I said last night?" she said, as they started down the trail. "About
meeting the werewolf? Well, that's not the half of it. I really need your help, Runt, but what I've
got to do is likely to be extremely dangerous. I want you to know everything before you decide
whether to come along."
Runt cocked his head to one side and stared inquisitively.
"It began right after you and Smoky headed down the trail..."
Twenty minutes later she shrugged. "So you see what I'm up against."
"Wreet?"
"No, he didn't mention how, or even what it is that you will do. He just said that
familiars naturally know. I suppose that's how you knew the werewolf was real. Maybe it's
instinctual with you brainy animals. Maybe your ancestors came from The Hub. Could be you're
a multitasker, too."
Runt agreed it made sense, given the fact that Hub students trained with familiars, which
clearly proved that such animals lived on that world. He lifted his chin and swaggered into the
lead.
"What's with you?" Carole giggled.
"Rit ret!"
"Oh, multitasker Runt, is it? Perhaps, but I won't know for certain until I get
back there."
"Reet wreet."
"Sorry. Until we get back." She stopped and stared. "You still want to come? Despite the
danger?"
Runt told her that as far as he was concerned, Beatrice was far scarier than any werewolf
could ever be.
"Oh Runt." Carole gave him a hug. "You're the greatest!"
"Reeeet!" He was grinning from ear-to-ear.
"Yes, you're absolutely right," Carole said, letting him go. "We'd best get down to the
business of finding that connector."
"Reet, Reet?"
"The tunnel was rainbow colored. As for the connector, your guess is as good as mine.
Unless of course you know what a 'woo' is."
"Reeet?"
"A woo! The last thing Philamount said was that most connectors resemble a woo ."
"Rit, reet."
"Well, let's hope we'll know when we see it."
Runt shook his head doubtfully.
"Hey, you're the one who wants to be a multitasker."
The remainder of the morning passed pleasantly. Carole continued to practice
soft-walking until it was nearly second nature to her, though she didn't press too hard a pace so Runt
could keep up. Towards midday the ground became hillier and rockier, and travel grew more
tiring. The forest also began to change, clogging up with brambly thickets in some places,
opening into tracts of scrubland in others. "I guess the ground's too poor to grow anything decent
around here," Carole remarked, as they passed yet another derelict farm.
Not only was the route becoming more difficult, but the path itself was becoming harder
to identify, often little more than a rabbit trail through the trees, if not altogether invisible.
Consequently they spent less time chatting and more time scanning the countryside. Even so, the
small farm caught them both totally by surprise.
The homestead was ringed by a thick patch of forest, but it looked nothing like the
played-out farms they'd been seeing all afternoon. One field had obviously been cultivated last
year, and near the center of the clearing was a small patch of newly-tilled ground. The cabin
itself was so well camouflaged amongst a grove of shade trees that it was easy to miss, though it
looked to be in very good shape. Someone was definitely living here.
Someone wishing to be left alone?
As soon as she realized what they'd stumbled upon, Carole dropped to the ground and
wormed over to the nearest tree. She lay there for a while, studying the area. Unfortunately, it
appeared that the Boar's Head trail ran right past the front door.
"Two choices, Runt," she said quietly as the pig bellied up beside her. "Sit tight 'til dark
and skirt around the fields, or detour through the forest and hope we don't lose the trail
altogether."
Runt opted to wait until sundown, pointing out that going through the woods seemed
like a lot of extra work, especially since they'd been on the go
Worried that she was leading him into greater peril.
"Remember what I said last night?" she said, as they started down the trail. "About
meeting the werewolf? Well, that's not the half of it. I really need your help, Runt, but what I've
got to do is likely to be extremely dangerous. I want you to know everything before you decide
whether to come along."
Runt cocked his head to one side and stared inquisitively.
"It began right after you and Smoky headed down the trail..."
Twenty minutes later she shrugged. "So you see what I'm up against."
"Wreet?"
"No, he didn't mention how, or even what it is that you will do. He just said that
familiars naturally know. I suppose that's how you knew the werewolf was real. Maybe it's
instinctual with you brainy animals. Maybe your ancestors came from The Hub. Could be you're
a multitasker, too."
Runt agreed it made sense, given the fact that Hub students trained with familiars, which
clearly proved that such animals lived on that world. He lifted his chin and swaggered into the
lead.
"What's with you?" Carole giggled.
"Rit ret!"
"Oh, multitasker Runt, is it? Perhaps, but I won't know for certain until I get
back there."
"Reet wreet."
"Sorry. Until we get back." She stopped and stared. "You still want to come? Despite the
danger?"
Runt told her that as far as he was concerned, Beatrice was far scarier than any werewolf
could ever be.
"Oh Runt." Carole gave him a hug. "You're the greatest!"
"Reeeet!" He was grinning from ear-to-ear.
"Yes, you're absolutely right," Carole said, letting him go. "We'd best get down to the
business of finding that connector."
"Reet, Reet?"
"The tunnel was rainbow colored. As for the connector, your guess is as good as mine.
Unless of course you know what a 'woo' is."
"Reeet?"
"A woo! The last thing Philamount said was that most connectors resemble a woo ."
"Rit, reet."
"Well, let's hope we'll know when we see it."
Runt shook his head doubtfully.
"Hey, you're the one who wants to be a multitasker."
The remainder of the morning passed pleasantly. Carole continued to practice
soft-walking until it was nearly second nature to her, though she didn't press too hard a pace so Runt
could keep up. Towards midday the ground became hillier and rockier, and travel grew more
tiring. The forest also began to change, clogging up with brambly thickets in some places,
opening into tracts of scrubland in others. "I guess the ground's too poor to grow anything decent
around here," Carole remarked, as they passed yet another derelict farm.
Not only was the route becoming more difficult, but the path itself was becoming harder
to identify, often little more than a rabbit trail through the trees, if not altogether invisible.
Consequently they spent less time chatting and more time scanning the countryside. Even so, the
small farm caught them both totally by surprise.
The homestead was ringed by a thick patch of forest, but it looked nothing like the
played-out farms they'd been seeing all afternoon. One field had obviously been cultivated last
year, and near the center of the clearing was a small patch of newly-tilled ground. The cabin
itself was so well camouflaged amongst a grove of shade trees that it was easy to miss, though it
looked to be in very good shape. Someone was definitely living here.
Someone wishing to be left alone?
As soon as she realized what they'd stumbled upon, Carole dropped to the ground and
wormed over to the nearest tree. She lay there for a while, studying the area. Unfortunately, it
appeared that the Boar's Head trail ran right past the front door.
"Two choices, Runt," she said quietly as the pig bellied up beside her. "Sit tight 'til dark
and skirt around the fields, or detour through the forest and hope we don't lose the trail
altogether."
Runt opted to wait until sundown, pointing out that going through the woods seemed
like a lot of extra work, especially since they'd been on the go
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