The Pool of Two Moons by Kate Forsyth Page B

try again, and this time Johanna caught two. "It takes time to catch the trick o' it," she said consolingly as, drenched and dripping, they made their way back to the cave. After they had all hungrily eaten their supper of fish, Finn crept towards the back of the cave. "Kitty," she called. "Come on, wee one, lap up some water and eat some fish. Ye mun be so hungry and thirsty." A piteous mew answered her, and she saw the elven cat crouched on a high shelf, its slanted eyes gleaming turquoise in the firelight. Its tufted ears were laid back against its skull and its sharp little fangs gleamed.
    "Mmm, fish," Finn whispered. The elven cat's tail lashed from side to side. Moving very slowly, she dipped her fingers in, then held out her fingers for the kitten to smell. Immediately the black cat spat, scratching Finn's hand. Finn was unable to prevent a cry, snatching her hand back to suck the welling droplets of blood. Behind her Dillon and Artair jeered, but she ignored them.
    "I be your friend," she said to the kitten reproachfully, trying to project feelings of warmth and security. "I be your friend. I brought fish for ye." Slowly she reached out her fingers again, and again the kitten scratched her.
    She sat for a time in silence, subduing her impatience and letting the kitten get used to her presence. The elven cat's natural curiosity asserted itself and, although its ears were still laid back, it crept forward a little, staring at her with bright eyes. Again she dipped her fingers in the fish and held them up for the kitten to see and smell, and this time, although it snarled, it did not strike. She could see its little black nose quivering at the smell of the trout, and so she lifted the bowl and set it close to its paw. This time it thrust its face hungrily into the bowl. Once it was empty, the kitten sat and washed itself while, exhausted, Finn curled up where she sat and slept.
    The children were too frightened to venture out of the cave the next morning, having been woken just before dawn by Artair, who reported nervously that a large company of soldiers had just gone crashing past.
    Jorge said kindly, "We shall have another quiet day, my bairns, just to make sure we are all fully recovered from the spring rites." He sighed, and Jesyah the raven hopped onto his knee so the blind beggar could scratch his neck. "I am anxious indeed to be home, but a day o' rest shall do none o' us any harm."
    Finn spent the long day trying to tame the wild kitten, which had lost its weakness and was full of spite and spunk. Finn's hands were disfigured with innumerable scratches and bites, and even her face and neck were marked. Most of the other children were happy to keep well away and mocked Finn for her foolishness in trying to tame an elven cat.
    "They will no' be tamed," Johanna said for the umpteenth time. "Elven cats would rather die than be handled by a human. Give it a rest, Finn."
    Instead Finn sat silently as a shadow, staring at the elven cat and trying to emanate love and protection. Every now and again she offered the little cat some more to eat or drink, but mostly she remained still, using every Skill of Silent Communication that Jorge had managed to teach her. The cat occasionally arched its back and hissed, but was demonstrably more accepting of Finn's presence than the day before.
    The next evening, after another day of silent communication, the elven cat at last took food from Finn's fingers without trying to scratch her. That night, as Finn slept in her self-exile at the back of the cave, she woke to find the kitten curled against her neck, purring so loudly she thought it must wake the others. The garden of the Celestines blossomed with all the delicacy of spring. Birds flew with flashes of bright wings, baby donbeags clung to their mothers' backs and, in the clearings, clouds of butterflies danced out their brief, ecstatic lives. Where the summerbourne wound through the green forest, a ribbon of flowers trailed.
    As