River of Secrets Read online

  “Please, my dear pandas, you must have patience. We all must,” he said, and looked right at Ghost. He climbed down from the rock, and even though Blossom looked up expectantly, he walked over to Ghost first. “You see, Ghost, before the flood, pandas could have large territories all to ourselves. But since the rising of the river, we have been living here together, and so we have given up any claim on territory, in order to avoid just this kind of argument. The whole Prosperhill and all its bamboo belong to every panda equally, from the Dragon Speaker to the youngest cub.”

  Ghost took a deep breath, trying to understand. “I guess . . . I can see why you would do that,” he said.

  “So you see, Blossom never expected you to defend your territory. Perhaps you should apologize for giving her a fright?”

  I gave her a fright? Ghost thought. But he stepped forward and bowed his head. “Sorry, Blossom. I didn’t understand about this place, but I do now.”

  Blossom huffed scornfully, but nodded. “I accept your apology.”

  “Then let us go to the clearing and enjoy the Feast of Sun Fall together!” Sunset proclaimed, and the pandas began to pick up their bamboo and move away.

  “Sunset, can I ask a question?” said Shiver. The large panda turned to look down at her.

  “Of course, my friend.”

  “Well, the river’s going down again now. You can go anywhere you like. So . . . will the pandas spread out and find their own territories again?”

  “One day,” Sunset said. “I’m sure we will, but it’s not time for that yet. There are still many dangers in the Bamboo Kingdom. For the moment, I have advised all the pandas that we must stick together, so that I can protect them.”

  Ghost nodded. He guessed he could see that striking out into the unknown wouldn’t be right for every panda, especially not the younger ones who’d grown up in a big group. He had done it himself, and it had been a lonely and difficult journey.

  But Shiver didn’t seem quite so convinced. “Snow leopards would go right away, no matter what anyone said,” she mewed.

  Sunset nodded. “I’m sure that’s true. And I would never force anyone to stay here if they didn’t wish to—but I’m very glad both of you have decided to remain. I’ve seen that you are doing your best to adapt to life among the Prosperhill pandas, and I’m grateful. I’ll see you for the feast?”

  “Of course,” said Ghost. Sunset nodded and strode away.

  “Well, what do we do now?” Shiver said, sitting down and cleaning her paws. “We have a den, but that Blossom won’t rest until she’s eaten it all up.”

  “We’d better forget about it,” said Ghost. He tried to give Shiver an encouraging smile. “Sunset’s right—we should try harder to adapt. We’ve got a home and food. The least we can do is try to live like pandas.”

  Shiver just sighed.

  “I know,” Ghost said. “You’re not a panda. But I’m not a leopard, remember?” He gazed after the large Dragon Speaker’s retreating back. “In the mountains, Winter looked after me. Now we’re here, and Sunset will look after you. It’ll be worth it. I promise.”

  Chapter Six

  “LEAF!” RAIN GASPED. SHE put her shoulder against a heavy rock and shoved with all her might, her paws slipping in the snow. The rock made a screeching noise that echoed between the high cliffs as it shifted and fell. As soon as it was out of the way, Dasher sprang up beside her and started digging, throwing dust and snow and small rocks aside with his nimble paws.

  “Please hurry,” said Plum. Rain could hear the soft crunch of snow as she raked it with her claws.

  Rain seized another rock between her paws and heaved it out of the way, and finally saw a flash of black fur, and then a white grip pad, and then the rest of Leaf’s back paws.

  “Leaf,” she said again. “We’re here, we’ve got you. . . .” Don’t be dead. She couldn’t bear to voice the thought aloud. She concentrated on moving the rocks, and finally she saw the fur on Leaf’s chest rising and falling with a shuddering breath. She pressed her muzzle into the dust, gripped the fur on Leaf’s back like a mother panda grabbing hold of her cub, and pulled. For a moment she thought Leaf might still be trapped, and she might even be hurting her, but then they both slid backward.

  “Keep pulling!” Plum gasped, and Rain focused all her strength on scooting back, dragging Leaf with her, as stones tumbled into the space she had left, sending up sprays of freezing snow and dust. For a moment, even when she was sure they were a safe distance from the rock wall, Rain kept her grip on Leaf’s fur, just in case. Then the crash of stones stopped, and she let go and started to lick Leaf’s face.

  Plum hurried over, and Dasher lay down in the snow with his small face near the top of Leaf’s head.

  “Leaf, are you all right? Please, speak to me,” Dasher mewled.

  Leaf let out a long groan, and opened her eyes. “Oh, Dragon,” she moaned. “Ow.”

  “Can you stand?” Rain asked. She could feel the air growing even colder as the sun sank toward the horizon. There was no shelter here, and the earth could quake at any moment. If they were stuck here with Leaf until she could walk again . . . If Leaf couldn’t walk again . . .

  Stiffly, and with a lot of wincing, Leaf managed to sit up, and then staggered to her paws.

  “Everything hurts,” Leaf said faintly, “but I think I’m all right. A couple of scratches and broken claws. Nothing worse.”

  “Thank the Dragon,” Plum said, nuzzling against Leaf’s cheek.

  Rain pressed her own forehead to Leaf’s. Even if they weren’t sisters, she was glad the other panda was all right. Then she stepped back, letting Plum and Dasher cuddle up to Leaf as she got her breath back.

  She let them all recover for as long as she could bear to. “We need to go,” she said at last. “It’s Sun Fall. We should find shelter before Moon Climb. We can start to head back down the mountain tomorrow.”

  “I’m not going back, not to where we came from,” said Leaf.

  Rain threw her head back, completely exasperated. “Are you serious, Leaf? You still think we’re destined to go to that mountain? Even if the Great Dragon is real, don’t you think it’s told you pretty clearly how it feels? It threw a pile of rocks in your path, and when you wouldn’t take that for an answer, it chucked you off the top and almost crushed you! I don’t know if I believe in signs and visions, but even I think there’s no way to see that as a welcome. Just face it—we got our answer. We’re not Dragon Speakers!”

  Leaf sat and listened to Rain in silence, and Rain felt a little bad as she came to the end of her rant and Leaf was still quiet, swaying very slightly, with a trickle of blood seeping through the fur on her cheek.

  “You’re right about some of it,” Leaf said. “We’re not meant to be here. Not yet. I think I know what happened. The Dragon was trying to warn me: it’s not the right time. We’re triplets. So where’s the third one? We need to go and find them, and bring them back here with us.”

  “Oh, is that all?” Rain snapped. “And I suppose all that came to you in a vision while you were falling? Maybe you did hit your head after all,” she added. “You’re going to have to accept it sometime. All of you. The tiger was lying to you. We’re not sisters! And we’re not special! But we are going to starve to death up here, if we don’t freeze to death first.”

  “No!” Leaf shook her head vigorously, and then had to pause, swaying dizzily on the spot. Dasher hurried to her side and tried to prop her up. “It’s the truth. I know it is! And you’d know it, too, if you’d stop being so stubborn and selfish.”

  Rain blew out an angry breath in a thick cloud. “How dare—”

  “Please, let’s all stay calm,” said Plum, stepping between Rain and Leaf. Rain glared at her, even angrier than before. She wasn’t going to hurt Leaf! How could Plum imply that she would?

  “The bats,” Leaf said in a small voice. “Didn’t you see them?”

  Rain frowned. “Yes? They swarmed you, and then knocked you off the rocks. What about it?”

  “I think they were trying to tell me something.”

  Rain rolled her eyes, but Leaf pressed on.

  “I mean it. I heard the Dragon roaring while the bats surrounded me. And they formed the shape of a dragon in the air. Didn’t you see it as they flew off?”

  “I was a bit busy running to dig you out from under a pile of rocks,” Rain said. She sighed. Whatever Leaf thought she had seen, they couldn’t get distracted by it now. “Look, I’m sorry I snapped at you. We’re not going to settle the future of the Bamboo Kingdom standing here in the open, though. And we won’t do it if we freeze to death on the side of the mountain, either. Can we please find somewhere to shelter, and something to eat, and leave this for tomorrow?”

  “That I agree with,” said Dasher. He was shivering, kneading the snow under him with his paws.

  “Of course,” Leaf said. “Let’s go.”

  The four of them began the long trudge back up and over the mountain peak. It was slow going, with Leaf and Plum both injured and all of them stiff with cold. Rain kept a sharp eye out for anything that could provide shelter or food, but she also noticed that Leaf and Dasher walked close together, their heads bent in low conversation. Occasionally Leaf looked up to check on Plum, or to give Rain a worried look.

  It’s true that I’m sorry for getting so angry, Rain thought. But I’m not sorry for saying what I thought. . . .

  They finally found a sort of cave, really just a spot underneath a large overhang that was a little sheltered from the snow, and Dasher dug around until he found some roots and grubs that had made the place their home. Rain slumped down with her back against the rock and chewed on a root. It tasted bitter, but it was food.

  “Great Dragon, at the Feast of Moon C
limb your humble pandas bow before you,” intoned Plum. Rain paused in her chewing, feeling embarrassed that she hadn’t thought to wait. “Thank you for the gift of these roots, and the bravery you bestow upon us.”

  The others tucked into their meager Moon Climb feast, Leaf looking especially thoughtful as she chewed.

  Rain gazed out at the mountain as she ate. She had never seen the Bamboo Kingdom from a vantage point like this: white mountain peaks rising and falling to their left, snow gleaming under the moon, while ahead and to the right the hill dropped away and there were scattered clumps of pine trees, then more and more green as the peaks softened into the hills and valleys of the Northern Forest. Somewhere, lost in the darkness, the river was rushing through the kingdom, and the Prosperhill pandas were sitting down for their Moon Climb feast.

  Is Mother all right? Is Pebble? They don’t know what I know, but Sunset doesn’t know that. What if he’s hurt them?

  “Rain?” Leaf said. “I think we need to talk about what happens next.”

  Rain sighed, and turned to look at Leaf. “What do you think happens next?” she asked.

  She sort of knew, from the way Leaf looked at Dasher, that she wasn’t going to like the answer very much.

  “I’ve been thinking. I’m sure I need to follow the bats. I saw the sign they were giving me, and the direction they went. I believe I can find them, if I set off tonight.”

  Rain wasn’t exactly shocked, but she stared at Leaf with exhausted horror.

  She really is that crazy. She’s desperate to find meaning in all this, and she’ll cling on to anything she can convince herself is a sign.

  What could Rain say to stop her? Climbing the mountain had been bad enough, but at least the Dragon Mountain stood still. Was Leaf really going to drag them all off chasing bats?

  One thing I do know: I absolutely won’t be doing that. . . .

  But before Rain could say so, Plum let out a heavy sigh.

  “Leaf . . . I wish I could go with you,” the older panda said. “But I don’t think I can go any farther. I must return to the forest and find the others, if they’re still alive. The white monster’s claw marks ache in this cold. I’m sorry.”

  “I understand,” Leaf said quickly. “Completely. I wish we could stay together, but I don’t want you to hurt yourself. Dasher and I will go.”

  She turned to look at Rain.

  “And you’re welcome to join us, if you want.”

  Warmth filled Rain’s heart. Leaf was trying so hard.

  “I can’t,” she said. “I have to get back to the Southern Forest somehow. I need to expose Sunset for the fraud he is.”

  “No, Rain. It’s too dangerous,” Plum said. “He almost killed you once! I won’t let you go back alone. You’re my niece, and it’s my duty to protect you. If you won’t go with Leaf, why not come with me to find the Slenderwood pandas?”

  “That’s a good idea,” Leaf said. “They’ll be able to help you.”

  “And we’ll be able to find each other again,” said Dasher.

  They all looked expectantly at Rain. She felt their attention on her like a sunbeam piercing through clouds.

  She sighed.

  “All right,” she said softly. “I’ll go with Plum. You two had better get going, if you want to catch up with those bats.”

  “Right,” said Dasher. He walked up to Rain and, slightly to her surprise, butted his head affectionately against her shoulder. “It was nice to meet you, Rain.”

  “You too,” Rain murmured.

  Leaf walked up to Plum and bowed her head for her aunt to nuzzle between her ears.

  “Good luck,” Plum said. “I truly couldn’t be prouder.”

  Leaf looked up with watery eyes. “I hope you find the others. We’ll be together again soon, I know it.”

  She and Dasher walked to the edge of the overhang, paused to look back for just a second, and were gone, climbing down the slope out of sight.

  Chasing after bats, Rain thought, staring after them. It seemed crazy, but it was a kind of crazy Rain found she could respect. Leaf knows exactly where she needs to be.

  And so do I.

  Rain and Plum slept under the overhang, huddled together for warmth, and at Gray Light the next day they thanked the Dragon for the wisdom it bestowed on them and set out to make the journey down the mountain.

  It was quicker than the climb up. To Rain’s relief, Plum’s injuries seemed to benefit from the warmer air. They had to take the safest, gentlest slopes, which added some time onto the journey, but with every step Rain’s mood lightened. She was heading in the right direction at last. She also knew that every step brought them closer to where they might find some actual bamboo to feast on, and that thought kept her walking when her paws were aching and her nose was dry and crusty from the cold mountain air.

  Whenever they stopped to catch their breath or have a meager, unsatisfying feast, Plum asked Rain questions. What was life like in the Prosperhill, before Sunset returned? How many pandas were there? Who led the blessings for the feasts? What did Rain like doing best? Did she have lots of friends there? What were Peony and Pebble like?

  Rain answered her haltingly, trying to tell herself that they were just making conversation. She even asked Plum some questions. But she just couldn’t help feeling awkward about it all—before every answer, she held back the same thought.

  I am not your niece.

  Rain felt painfully aware of the fact that Plum thought she was getting to know a long-lost member of her family, and she didn’t know what to do about it. It would be rude, not to mention annoying, to keep on interrupting her to insist that they weren’t related. But saying nothing felt wrong too.

  “I like swimming,” she said, when Plum asked her how she spent her days in the Southern Forest. “And hanging out with Pebble. Playing with the cubs.” Pretending to be a Dragon Speaker, she thought, but decided not to say.

  “That sounds wonderful,” said Plum. “I hope—oh!” Plum stopped walking abruptly. She sniffed the air, her eyes wide. “Can you smell that?”

  Rain sniffed, looking around. They had rested overnight in a clump of pine trees, surrounded by swirling mist, and all day they had been walking downhill into greener and greener territory. Now they were on the edge of a real forest, with gingko trees and mossy rocks, trails made by small animals and birds, and more scents than Rain could easily count. . . .

  But then she sniffed again, and realized she knew exactly which one Plum meant.

  Bamboo!

  Rain rushed forward, searching the undergrowth, until she almost ran face-first into a whole stand of tall, green bamboo. It seemed to shine in the light of High Sun coming through the golden gingko leaves.

  “Plum!” she called back. “It’s here!”

  “Oh, thank the Dragon,” said Plum, flopping down onto her belly on the soft moss nearby. “Be a dear and break us off a few canes, won’t you?”

  A few canes? I’m planning on eating this entire thing, Rain thought, but she started by clamping her jaws around two thick canes and twisting. The crack resounded through the forest and made Rain’s mouth water. She passed both canes to Plum and broke off two more, leaving another six or seven for a second and third helping.

  It was almost unbearable, but she waited for Plum to thank the Dragon before tucking in. The bamboo tasted fresher and more wonderful than anything she’d ever eaten, after days and days of cold, dry roots and tickly insects. They both munched in delighted silence for some time, getting through the first two canes and then two more before Plum let out an enormous yawn and rolled over onto her back.

  “A wonderful feast,” she murmured, a soft smile on her muzzle. “And now a nap, I think.”

  “Good idea,” said Rain, settling her back against the trunk of a tree. “Plum? Do you think we’re close to the Slenderwood now?”

  “Oh yes,” Plum yawned. “It’s not far at all. The others may not be there, but we’ll find them soon, I’m sure.”

  “Good,” Rain said. “That’s good.”

  She fell silent, looking up at the blue sky through the golden canopy, watching the flickering green and the brown shapes of birds as they hopped between the branches, listening to the gentle rustling of creatures passing by in the undergrowth. Finally, for the first time in days, she felt warm and full. Even her aching paws burned a little less as she patted the soft mossy ground underneath her.