Teddycats (3 page)

Finally, Bill broke his gaze. What was the point? Omar had already seen Luke. “Hi, Omar,” Bill said. “Long time no see.”

Omar smirked. “Just what kind of trouble are you scaring up today, Bill?”

No way was Omar going to believe Luke's pathetic cough, so Bill tried quickly to come up with another story. “Meet Luke the Olingo,” Bill said. “He's here on a . . . diplomacy trip. To discuss the poaching problem the Olingos are facing. I was actually just about to show him out.”

Omar's eyes refocused on Luke, who put on an expression of fake fright.

“It's true,” Luke said. “Those humans are out to get us.”

“Admit it,” Bill said. “You gotta think he'd be
especially
vulnerable.”

“Maybe so,” said Omar, “but I don't trust a word that comes out of your mouth.”

“Doesn't make it any less true,” Bill said. “Well, see you around, Omar.”

And with that, Bill and Luke were off. They fled back to the Wall and down to the tree line. After a quick farewell, Luke was gone, and Bill was left to face Cloud Kingdom alone.

Dusk approached and the sky began to blend into the clouds. Bill doubled back to his den, really wishing he could start over and see a friendly face. But while his last trip had been marked by nerve-racking chance encounters, now the Kingdom felt strangely deserted. He was almost relieved to see the jaguar, Felix, this time soaking in the hot spring.

“Hello there,” said Bill. “Again.”

“Good evening,” said Felix.

“Sorry if I woke you earlier. I'm Bill Garra. You're Felix, right?”

“I am,” the jaguar said. “It's nice to formally meet you, Bill.”

The water bubbled, releasing a sulfurous odor. Bill had no interest in the smelly hot spring, which was always jammed with snooty Elders. But he understood that it held restorative properties.

“Is your friend feeling better?” Felix asked.

“Yeah, I guess,” said Bill. “He's home safe now. The truth is . . . well, he was never really sick to begin with.”

Felix nodded, as if he already knew.

“I think,” Bill said, absentmindedly scratching his head, “that I messed up pretty bad today.”

“It's not fun to make mistakes,” Felix said.

“You're telling me.”

“But I think mistakes are inevitable. And valuable—as long as you learn from them.”

“Really?” Bill said. “I guess I just don't understand why Luke can't visit. He's a loyal friend.”

“The jungle is a dangerous place. It's hard, but you'll understand when you're older.”

“Yeah,” muttered Bill. “After I make about a million more mistakes.”

Felix laughed. “Probably. But as my father always said, ‘Dust yourself off and try again.'”

“My dad says, ‘Mind your mother' and ‘Keep your snout clean.'”

“Well, my father said those things, too.”

Bill suddenly felt shy. “I should run home for dinner,” he said. “Get well soon, Felix.”

“Oh, you'll be rid of me in no time,” Felix said. “But I wish you luck, Bill Garra.”

IT TOOK SOME
time for Bill to fall asleep that night, but the next morning, he felt a bit better. An early fog was burning away under a gentle sun. Happy clatter and comforting smells wafted through the den. Cloud Kingdom felt less like a fortress and more like home.

His mother was already up, fixing breakfast. Breadfruit porridge. Not a personal favorite, but not the worst recipe in her arsenal. That would be root stew, which Bill choked down only when his father was watching.

“Good morning, sunshine,” Marisol said. Well, she sang it, really. Ordinarily, Bill would find her singing (and her dancing, and her tendency to lapse into gibberish and flabbergasted expressions, and her kissing attacks) embarrassing, and downright deadly when she did it outside their den. But this morning her wacky ways comforted him.

“Mornin', Mom,” said Bill.

“Now, I know you don't
love
my porridge,” Marisol said, “but I tried to sweeten it up a bit.”

“It smells great,” Bill fibbed.

Marisol watched him take a lap with his dry morning tongue. Just as Bill had expected, it tasted the same as ever.

“So, what do you think?” Marisol asked.

“It's very savory,” Bill said, smacking his lips and rubbing his paws together, really hamming it up.

“Okay, wise guy,” said Marisol. “Take it down a notch.”

“No, really!” Bill said, laughing. “It's my new ultimate all-time favorite.”

“Very funny,” said Marisol. “You know, there are plenty of folks out there who would go bananas for a nice homemade porridge. Down in the jungle, the way things are? Forget about it.”

The porridge was gritty with nutrients. Seeds stuck in Bill's teeth.

“Bananas would be a nice touch,” Bill said. “Actually, now that you mention it, Mom,” he began, slowly, “why are we so separated from the jungle? I mean, I get that Cloud Kingdom's up there and the jungle's down there and all, but . . .”

“It's just the way things are, I'm afraid,” Marisol said.

“But if there's suffering down there, we could do something about it.”

“We do help,” said Marisol. “In our way.”

“Right, the Sanctuary, I know,” said Bill. “I walked through there yesterday and met Felix.”

“Oh, really?” Marisol said, clearly surprised that Bill was on a first-name basis with the visiting cat. “Well, there ya go. Felix is a perfect example of how the Teddycats help out in the jungle.”

“Mom?” Bill asked in between bites of porridge. “I have this . . . friend. We have lessons together. And he was wondering . . . what would happen, exactly, if a Teddycat brought another species up to Cloud Kingdom?”

“You mean, like Felix?” said Marisol. “He's here with the permission of the Elders. You know that.”

“Right, sure. But . . . what if another kind of animal came up here
without
permission?”

“
Without
permission?” Marisol repeated. “How would that even happen? Who is this friend asking you these wild questions?”

“I don't know, Mom! Like I said, it was just a question,” Bill said. The day was starting to feel less bright by the minute.

“Well, I can say this,” Marisol said, her tone tightening. “If a Teddycat were ever to knowingly expose Cloud Kingdom, or even reveal the route to Cloud Kingdom, that would be an offense that could be punishable by banishment.”

Banishment?
A shiver rippled down Bill's spine.

“Even if it was just an Olingo?”

“
Especially
if it were an Olingo!” Marisol said.

Bill concentrated on his porridge, willing himself to stay calm. “But it can't be
that
big a deal, right?” he said. “I mean, it's nothing like what Sebastian did.”

As soon as Bill said Sebastian's name, Marisol froze. She stopped fussing with tidying the den and stared straight at Bill. Her expression was grave and filled with concern.

“Look at me, Bill,” she said.

Bill met his mother's eyes.

“This is important. Sebastian acted very selfishly. He risked the exposure of the Kingdom to dangerous elements, all to enrich himself. The resources of Cloud Kingdom—the water, the sweetmoss, the fruit—are reserved for Teddycats and the select few we believe we can safely accommodate. And bringing up an Olingo . . .”

Marisol sighed. “Many years ago, Teddycats and Olingos lived together in a place called Horizon Cove,” she said.

“I know all of this, Mom,” Bill said. “The story of Horizon Cove is, like, the first thing they teach us in lessons.”

While Bill knew about this shared history between his kind and Luke's, the reality of it was hard to imagine. Teddycats and Olingos had been at odds for ages, since well before Bill was born, and he knew the troubles went back much further than that. But he never
felt awkward when he was with Luke. There was something natural and easy about their time together. When Bill overheard other Teddycats speak about Olingos, saying they were lazy, stupid, weak, dirty, and distrustful, he didn't recognize his friend in their belittlements.

“Well, you're going to listen to this anyway,” Marisol said. Her tone was gentle, but stern enough to make Bill sit up a little straighter. “Horizon Cove was a beautiful place, protected from the elements by a deep, secret ravine. But when the fierce predators closed in, the Teddycats had to make a decision: Stay and fight, or leave and find a new place to call home and raise our kittens. The Elders sent scouts, who climbed until they found Cloud Kingdom. We left the very next night.”

“But I still don't understand why the Olingos didn't come along, too.”

“They couldn't mobilize as quickly,” Marisol said. “Or climb as high.”

“So we just left them there in the Cove? They could've been wiped out!”

“The Elders have one responsibility, Bill. Survival of our kind.” A hint of grief slipped into Marisol's voice now. “I know how cold that sounds, but it's just a fact of life. Cloud Kingdom has to remain a secret. There's too much at risk. We're lucky that the hunters who drove us out haven't found us here. Hopefully, they never will.”

Bill's heart was beating wildly. His vision blurred.
How could he have made such a horrible mistake? Had he really just put the Teddycats in danger by bringing one little Olingo up to visit?

“I don't know if hiding is the answer,” said Bill. “Think of everything we sacrifice and everything we've left behind.”

Marisol gave Bill a sad smile. “You're sweet, kiddo,” she said. “Just promise me you'll behave. And no more talk about Sebastian. That's something for grown Teddycats to worry about.”

“Fine,” Bill said with a sigh.

“Now finish your breakfast.”

BILL AND MAIA
sat together in their meeting place in the Crook. The Crook was once just another dead branch, but it had been rescued by a network of green offshoots, which crossed and fused together, creating a thick, smooth webbing, a natural hammock overlooking a far corner of the Kingdom. But instead of the usual conversation that flowed between them—about lessons and friends and funny things their instructors and families did and said—there was only strained silence and the weight of Bill's growing guilt.

Bill took a deep breath. “I need to say something.”

“Okay,” Maia said, slowly.

“And I think I can say it only to you.”

“Hey, you can tell me anything,” Maia said. “You know that.”

“Every decision I make is the wrong one, Maia.”

“You're always moving at a million klicks an hour, in a million different directions, Bill,” Maia said. “I can
see how you might get twisted up now and then. My mom says we're just at that age.”

Bill and Maia were born mere moments apart. Big Bill, who rarely reminisced, liked to tell the story of that night, the way the newborns' bleats blended together beneath a spectacular moon, waking everybody up.

“No, Maia. I might have really done it this time,” Bill said.

A shiver hit him as he said it aloud.

“Bill, just tell me what's going on already,” Maia said. “Nothing is going to get any easier until you do.”

“Okay,” Bill said. “Well, remember Luke?”

“How could I forget?”

“Well, you might have noticed that he's not a Teddycat. And I know you noticed that he wasn't sick. And, well, according to my mom, bringing him up here was a banishable offense.”

“You already knew that, Bill!” Maia said.

Bill stood up and began to pace the Crook. “Sure, I knew it was
frowned
upon! And hey, you know I like to have fun and everything, but I don't know what I would do if somebody actually got
hurt
because of me.”

“Slow down,” Maia said. “Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Who's hurt?”

“No one! Not yet, that is. But when I brought up the topic of visitors in Cloud Kingdom, my mom got very serious very quickly,” Bill said, wringing his paws.
“And I wasn't exactly honest and forthcoming about why I was asking her about it.”

“Marisol is an extremely smart Teddycat,” said Maia. “I'm sure she knows more than you think she does. And by the way, you're not the only one around here who sometimes feels stifled by the Elders and their rules. Or by Cloud Kingdom in general.”

“That's good to know,” Bill said, taking genuine comfort from her words.

“I mean, we're not all as obnoxious about it as you are, maybe . . .”

“Thanks a lot,” Bill said, laughing.

“Just remember, you're not in this alone,” Maia said. She patted the space beside her on the smooth bough, and Bill slumped down again. “But next time you want to break a major regulation, you might want to think twice. I don't know what I'd do if you really did get banished. For starters, Elena would absolutely lose it.”

Bill nuzzled against Maia's shoulder. He felt better, as he always did after talking with his friend. “Where is Elena anyways?”

“Oof, I needed a break,” Maia said, stretching her arms out and yawning. Bill noticed, not for the first time, the striking streaks of color in her fur. “I left her with a little friend to play, but I know she's around here somewhere.”

“Bill!”

The shrill call echoed from somewhere below. Both Maia's and Bill's ears perked up, and they locked eyes.

Then the call came again.

“Bill Garra!”

Bill's heart sank. “That sounds like Luke,” he said.

“Is he in trouble?” Maia asked. “What's he doing here?”

Bill shot Maia a worried look, then bolted out of the Crook. He hustled to a little-used pathway down to the jungle. This was the express route, a straight drop. He swooped and zipped through the canopy so fast the friction shredded the vines.

Bill panted, taking in his surroundings as he rested on a low limb just above the forest floor. There was Luke, but he didn't appear to be in any danger. On the contrary, he was surrounded by a gang of fluffy, expectant Olingo faces. These must be Luke's cousins. He had often mentioned them—they seemed to be Luke's only other friends besides Bill—but Bill had yet to be formally introduced.

“Luke!” Bill shouted, confused and still dizzy from the drop. “What are you doing here?”

“Bill!” Luke said. “I had such a great time yesterday! I just had to bring my cousins back to see it all.”

“Luke, what are you thinking? You know I broke a huge rule by bringing you up, right? I could've gotten into real trouble yesterday. Still might!”

“Sorry, Bill,” Luke said, embarrassed. “We weren't
meeting today, and I didn't know how else to get in touch with you.”

“You shouldn't have gotten in touch at all! From now on, I'll see you when I see you, okay?” Bill reminded himself of his father. It was a strange feeling. Still, he kept going. “I thought you were in trouble! Why else would you come back here? So I double-timed it down, and now I find that not only are you perfectly fine, you've gone and blabbed about Cloud—ahem, my
home
—after sitting on the secret for not even one day!”

Luke sank back on his haunches, and Bill immediately felt sorry. But he couldn't just forgive and forget, right? It was better to double down and scare everyone off his scent for good.

Still, it seemed to Bill that whenever he had the chance to do the right thing for Cloud Kingdom, it didn't really
feel
like the right thing. After all, this was Luke, his partner in crime! If not for him, Bill could have been a goner, living out his last days as a lump inside of a viper. And the fort was almost done! Maybe the two of them could bring the Teddycats and the Olingos together again . . .

Bill's grim expression softened. “Listen,” he said. “I'm sorry. It's just—”

A terrible, sickening
whoosh
interrupted him and rustled his fur. Bill turned just in time to see Elena slipping through the canopy and falling, fast and hard. She landed with a thud on the forest floor, then rose, clearly
dazed, and looked up. Her already wide eyes stretched further with fear and welling tears.

“Elena!” Bill hollered. “Hold on! I'm coming to get you!”

He leapt off the limb, leaving Luke and his cousins to shake and fret, and dug his claws into the tree trunk. Just as he began to scamper his way down, he heard a loud, snapping click. He snapped his gaze over to Elena. It was a trap. A human one.

And Elena had fallen directly into it.

All on its own, the large metal cage fastened shut and locked into place.

Elena gripped the wires with her tiny paws. “Bill!” she cried out. “Help me!”

Panic surged through Bill. For a moment, he couldn't even move. He was frozen, stuck on the trunk, but his thoughts were racing.
This is all my fault, Maia will never forgive me, I'll be banished, our lives are over
. Bill's heart was clenched like a fist. Then, all of a sudden, it burst open and he scrambled down to the ground.

“I've got you, Elena,” Bill said, making his voice as soothing as he could manage. “Just a second here. Nothing to worry about.”

Bill fumbled with the trap. He tried to fit his claw into the contraption that had clicked, thinking that was the thing keeping the entrance shut, but it wouldn't fit. He began to saw and gnaw at the wires.

“Bill” Elena whispered. “There's something coming. Behind you.”

A long shadow fell over Bill and Elena. Bill watched it stretch and swell as its source crept closer. Anything with a shadow that size couldn't be entirely friendly. Even if it was a leaf-chomping herbivore, there would still be serious trouble if it came stampeding through with the two of them caught underfoot. Worst of all, maybe it was Joe, with his stolen snakeskins and furs.

Bill wanted his mother. He would even be grateful to see Big Bill Garra at his meanest, swooping down to free Elena, vanquish the shadow, and lead them back home.

The dense vegetation rustled as the presence approached. Soon it would break through the brush and it would be too late. Elena whimpered. Bill wondered how much she understood. If he stayed to fight, it was possible he could fend off the shadow and eventually unlock the cage, but it was far more likely that he would wind up wounded or worse, with nobody left to tell the Elders who had taken Elena. Just as he'd come to the conclusion that there were no good options, a vine dropped down and dangled before him.

“Hey, Bill!” hissed Luke. “Grab on!”

Bill brushed the vine aside. He knew what he had to do. He gulped, dug in, and got ready to pounce.

“Come on, Bill!” Luke whispered urgently. “What are you doing? Hurry up! That thing is headed straight for the clearing!”

“I can't do that!” Bill said. “I can't leave her down here all alone.”

The brush broke open. It wasn't a stampeding herbivore. It wasn't a hungry carnivore, either. Bill had never seen it before, but he was absolutely certain what it was.

It was Joe.

Joe was the true threat to Cloud Kingdom, not Luke, not even his own big mouth. The humans were the reason for the Elders' fears and strict laws, their insistence on secrecy, the heavy cloak of silence every Teddycat was expected to wear.

Bill felt faint. He heard Elena's cries behind him. The world was quickly slipping away. Joe's face was obscured by the brim of an object perched atop its head. It began to tilt its head toward the cage, and Bill's vision began to narrow to a panicked slit.

He was about to make a desperate lunge, when Luke swooped down on the vine, knocking Bill into the brush and landing on top of him. Bill looked up just in time to watch the vile human snatch up the cage. Elena huddled in one corner, tiny and helpless.

Bill tried to call out, but Luke gripped his snout shut. His strength was surprising. Bill managed to get out a wild croaking sound, and the human froze for a moment, surveying the clearing. Bill's breath caught in his lungs. He waited, hoping he'd managed to spook it. But then the human turned back around and carried Elena off into the jungle.

Once the coast was clear, Luke released his grip on Bill, who then pushed himself away from his friend as violently as he could muster. Together they emerged from the dark brush and into a ghostly shaft of sunlight.

“I'm so sorry, Bill,” Luke said, his eyes downcast.

“Don't apologize to me,” Bill snarled, pushing him away. “Apologize to Elena. When we get her back.”

“I will,” Luke said. “I swear.”

“You'd better believe it,” Bill said.

Luke tried to console his friend, but they both knew there was nothing he could say. Elena was gone.