piece of bark, as big as a baseball mitt, stuck between two of Carol’s back teeth. “It’s a big piece,” Max noted as he gently dislodged it. He emerged from Carol’s mouth and presented the bark like a trophy fish.
Carol looked at it, amazed at its size. “Oh wow, thanks,” he said. He held it in his hand for a while, staring at it. “Thanks, King. Really. I can’t tell you how much that means to me,” he said, and looked up to Max as if seeing him for the first time.
They were interrupted by Judith and the Bull and Alexander, who were running toward them, each of them blindfolded and carrying a dozen or so tiny cats. They were giggling like lunatics, and ran past Max and Carol and on down the hill, toward the remains of the forest. Max knew he had to follow, had to get himself a blindfold and some tiny cats, so follow he did.
CHAPTER XXII
There was a good deal more rumpusing done over the course of the night, all the way until the night paled into dawn and dawn tipped toward morning.
Max was becoming tired, at last, when he saw Katherine, the one who had given him the knowing smirk. She was alone, observing the mayhem from afar. Max watched her as she took everything in, processing it, a bit dismissively.
Then Max did the obvious thing: he ran up a tilted tree-trunk until he was above her, and then jumped onto her back, growling like a wolf.
Surprised, she stumbled back and fell to the ground, giggling. “I’m eating you for breakfast!” he yelled, as he pretended her stomach was oatmeal and his thumb was a spoon.
“Okay, okay,” she sighed. “Just don’t use any spices. I’m good enough as is.”
This made Max laugh, and it caused in Katherine a full-throated laugh, and the laughing aroused the attention of the rest of the beasts.
“Get over there and be social,” Judith said, pushing Alexander directly onto Max and Katherine.
Now Max was on top of Katherine, and Alexander was on top of both of them, and because there seemed to be a pile in progress, Carol came running over and jumped atop them all. Seeing where this was going, Max ducked into the pile and found a safe pocket and covered his head. Judith soon jumped aboard, and Ira followed, and finally Douglas and the Bull. Each landing shook the earth.
When they had all arrived, Max found himself in a hollow at the bottom of the pile. It was dark and furry there, but he could imagine the look of the scrum from outside -- probably twelve thousand pounds of hairy flesh, piled thirty feet high.
Groans and jokes ricocheted within.
“Somebody’s leg is in my armpit.”
“Who’s drooling?”
“Drool? I thought that was ear-juice.”
“Is someone tickling?”
“Carol, that’s not funny. Don’t.”
“It
is
ear-juice. But it doesn’t taste like mine.”
The assemblage of bodies had created a network of Max-sized tunnels, so he began to crawl through. As he did, he felt like tickling everyone, so he did this, which turned up the volume on the laughing. It was deep, rumbling laughter, big vibrating laughter that shook the walls of the tunnels, changing them, and suddenly Max’s leg was trapped under a pile of flab and fur. He pulled at it, to no avail. He began to get claustrophobic and more than a little nervous.
In the wall of bodies, a head suddenly turned, and a pair of huge eyes opened, like two headlights coming alive. Max looked up. It was Katherine.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey,” Max said.
“Are you all right?”
“My foot’s stuck.”
With her free arm, she pushed someone’s blubber off and reclaimed his foot for him.
“Now you owe me,” she said.
“Okay,” he said. He liked the idea of owing her.
She looked at Max, grinning for a moment. “Wow, I can’t even
look
at you.”
She closed her eyes tightly.
“Why?” Max asked.
Her eyes remained closed, a wide smile on her face. “I don’t know. I guess you just seem
good
.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
She opened one eye, just a
Carol looked at it, amazed at its size. “Oh wow, thanks,” he said. He held it in his hand for a while, staring at it. “Thanks, King. Really. I can’t tell you how much that means to me,” he said, and looked up to Max as if seeing him for the first time.
They were interrupted by Judith and the Bull and Alexander, who were running toward them, each of them blindfolded and carrying a dozen or so tiny cats. They were giggling like lunatics, and ran past Max and Carol and on down the hill, toward the remains of the forest. Max knew he had to follow, had to get himself a blindfold and some tiny cats, so follow he did.
CHAPTER XXII
There was a good deal more rumpusing done over the course of the night, all the way until the night paled into dawn and dawn tipped toward morning.
Max was becoming tired, at last, when he saw Katherine, the one who had given him the knowing smirk. She was alone, observing the mayhem from afar. Max watched her as she took everything in, processing it, a bit dismissively.
Then Max did the obvious thing: he ran up a tilted tree-trunk until he was above her, and then jumped onto her back, growling like a wolf.
Surprised, she stumbled back and fell to the ground, giggling. “I’m eating you for breakfast!” he yelled, as he pretended her stomach was oatmeal and his thumb was a spoon.
“Okay, okay,” she sighed. “Just don’t use any spices. I’m good enough as is.”
This made Max laugh, and it caused in Katherine a full-throated laugh, and the laughing aroused the attention of the rest of the beasts.
“Get over there and be social,” Judith said, pushing Alexander directly onto Max and Katherine.
Now Max was on top of Katherine, and Alexander was on top of both of them, and because there seemed to be a pile in progress, Carol came running over and jumped atop them all. Seeing where this was going, Max ducked into the pile and found a safe pocket and covered his head. Judith soon jumped aboard, and Ira followed, and finally Douglas and the Bull. Each landing shook the earth.
When they had all arrived, Max found himself in a hollow at the bottom of the pile. It was dark and furry there, but he could imagine the look of the scrum from outside -- probably twelve thousand pounds of hairy flesh, piled thirty feet high.
Groans and jokes ricocheted within.
“Somebody’s leg is in my armpit.”
“Who’s drooling?”
“Drool? I thought that was ear-juice.”
“Is someone tickling?”
“Carol, that’s not funny. Don’t.”
“It
is
ear-juice. But it doesn’t taste like mine.”
The assemblage of bodies had created a network of Max-sized tunnels, so he began to crawl through. As he did, he felt like tickling everyone, so he did this, which turned up the volume on the laughing. It was deep, rumbling laughter, big vibrating laughter that shook the walls of the tunnels, changing them, and suddenly Max’s leg was trapped under a pile of flab and fur. He pulled at it, to no avail. He began to get claustrophobic and more than a little nervous.
In the wall of bodies, a head suddenly turned, and a pair of huge eyes opened, like two headlights coming alive. Max looked up. It was Katherine.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey,” Max said.
“Are you all right?”
“My foot’s stuck.”
With her free arm, she pushed someone’s blubber off and reclaimed his foot for him.
“Now you owe me,” she said.
“Okay,” he said. He liked the idea of owing her.
She looked at Max, grinning for a moment. “Wow, I can’t even
look
at you.”
She closed her eyes tightly.
“Why?” Max asked.
Her eyes remained closed, a wide smile on her face. “I don’t know. I guess you just seem
good
.”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
She opened one eye, just a
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