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The tree cover wasn't anywhere near thick enough for Jai and Tong to

pick up parts of the machine and stash them anywhere dry. That was

clearly and undeniably true but Jai looked around anyway, just in case

he could see somewhere dry enough. Just in case somewhere here would be

dry enough to save his plan to reassemble the machine. There was

nowhere, and even if there had been there were too many parts to carry

before something got clogged up with water. The raccoon gave up on the

idea with something approaching despair.

But he refused to stay in that kind of mental state for more than a

few seconds. Not with Tong around. If Jai himself got depressed, he

couldn't imagine how bad the red panda would get. We will be fine,

he assured himself. //Come on, let's find shelter,\ he said, forcing

optimism into his voice, and scampered back the way they'd come, Tong in

tow.

Earlier in the night they'd passed by a rock formation, not quite a

cave, more like a chunk of rock overhung by a lip. They could climb up

and in easily. It would be cold but it would do.

They found it without too much searching around: the rock smelled

distinctive and led them to it. They stood in the rain and looked up at

its rough, pock-marked surfaces. //This way,\ he told the red panda and

led him up into the space under the lip. It was cramped and a few drops

of water were seeping in from above, but it would have to do. He sat,

hunching his back because it wasn't high enough for him to sit straight,

and curled his tail around his feet. He tucked his legs close to him

with his hands to stay out of the rain and to warm his hands in his

tail. Tong did much the same.

Jai fumed as they sat nestled in the rock. Why did it have to rain now? We needed to put the machine together! How are we going to get home without it?

He was angry with the weather, he was angry with Lotus' uncle for not

keeping the secret room more secret, and he was angry with Tong for

depending on him so much. He sat silently, determined to keep to

himself, and Tong pretty much did the same thing. Although, Jai did

notice that the red panda didn't look angry, only sad.

During their time of silence they sat side by side listening to the

rain, mostly because it was too dark to watch it. Before too long Jai

realized that this was going to be a very boring night unless they

spoke, so he relented on his anger.

//So what's the deal with your family?\ he asked.

Tong looked at him, surprised. Then he looked pained.

//I mean, you call Lotus and his family your family, but you're clearly not.\ Jai continued doggedly. //They're snow leopards; you're a red panda. So what's the deal?\

//I was adopted,\ came the simple answer, quietly spoken over the rain.

//Oh.\ They sat silently for a while longer, mainly because Jai

didn't know what to say to that. Maybe Tong would say something. When it

eventually became clear he wouldn't, Jai continued: //So what's that

like?\

Tong fidgeted with his tail for a moment. //I wish I'd known my real

family. But I was given up as a newborn. I was put on the doorstep of

the orphanage in my native country without any note, so nofur knows why

my family gave me up, but it was probably because they were too poor. A

lot of families are in that part of the world.//

In most other circumstances Jai might have made fun of a fur from a

poor family, but who was there to make fun of Tong to? But he didn't

know how to be supportive either, not with something like this. //I

guess that kinda sucks,\ was the best he could do.

The way Tong curled his tail back around himself, tight and high, spoke the volumes his voice didn't.

//I've always enjoyed my family,\ said Jai into that silence.

//Except for my sister. I mean, we're still family but we don't really

get on. You know what I mean?\

Tong looked at him sadly for a moment, but then seemed to make a

decision and brightened a little - although given Tong's low-key

personality, it didn't express itself as outright excitement or

anything. //I always wondered what it was like to have real brothers and

sisters. To actually share blood with another fur. I might have them

somewhere in the world but I'll never know. It looks really fun when I

see others with siblings, though. I wish I had that.\

//I wouldn't really say fun,\ countered Jai, still thinking of his

sister. But then he relented. //Sure, I guess it can be fun. You're

definitely close to your family. I am,\ he corrected himself.

Tong smiled but then hugged himself again. //I've always known that I

didn't belong in my new family, but now that they're divorcing-\ He

stopped talking abruptly as if something was stuck in his throat. Even

in the vague moonlight Jai could see his eyes getting wet and glassy.

//Hey Tong - you know - don't do that,\ bumbled Jai, uncertain of

what to do if Tong started crying. //Everything that happens, it... you

know, it happens for a reason. It'll be okay in the end. You know that,

right?\

Tong gave him another of those looks, the ones that seemed to mean, you don't understand.

But then he smiled once more, sniffed and pinched the space between his

eyes as if to dry them. //I think you're right. I'm sad about it and

actually, kind of scared if I'm honest, but what's the worst that can

happen?\

//Yeah, that's the stuff!\ answered the raccoon cheerily, feeling

like he'd failed in some way but baffled as to what else to say to Tong.

The way the red panda had rallied seemed strange to him, false, maybe.

But he'd take that over a crying companion any day.

Tong fell silent and listened to the rain again, and Jai noticed that

he had his hand on his chest, just under his throat. He seemed to have

some kind of pendant there which he'd taken to touching. He held it

securely in his fist through his tshirt for a moment as if deriving some

kind of comfort from it.

Jai decided against asking about that.

 xXxHe awoke to the scent of wet stone, sunlight turning his eyelids a

dull glowing pink from the inside. He already knew something wasn't

right but for the moment his mind was still too sleepy for him to figure

out what it was. His tail was wrapped around him as if that was his

only source of warmth and the ground beneath him felt cold and hard, and

a little bit sharp. He rolled over to stretch and banish the ache in

his muscles from laying on such an unforgiving bed. His limbs creaked

despite his young age and he recognized that he'd roughed it last night.

As he reached the pinnacle of his stretch his feet came up against somefur else's warm fur. He forced open his eyes and looked. Tong.

The red panda lay in a slowly-breathing ball, red and ivory and fluffy.

The push from Jai's feet seemed to stir him to wakefulness and the red

panda stretched too, rubbed his eyes, farted and looked around as if to

remind himself of his surroundings.

Jai looked around too, the memory of the previous night finally

coming back to him. The storm had passed and obviously left a clear sky

in its wake because beyond the rock was a clearing dappled with sunlight

and sparkling with dew. He'd never felt so glad to see daylight, never

felt so happy to see the grass and trees look so green. It felt to him

as if, whatever their challenge, they could do this. They could find

their way home.

//Tong,\ he mumbled, yawned, and spoke more loudly. //Tong, are you ready to get walking again?\

//I guess,\ said the young red panda. The two slid out from their

shelter and planted their feet on the grass. //Do you think there'll be

anything to eat around here?\

//Maybe we can find some apples or something,\ said Jai, rubbing his

belly. He was hungry too. And thirsty. //Let's get walking. We'll find

something.\

With the light he found it easier to navigate. The forest cleared a

little to one side and he led Tong, keeping the sun to his left. The

grass was thicker there and left thick rainwater and dew on their calves

which saturated their fur and soaked them in-between their toes, but

they didn't care. All they wanted was a way home.

They gradually angled towards the open ground to their left, and it

turned from open grassland to fields. They passed by one, they passed by

two, and when they found the third one they saw a house at the far

corner. The field itself was full of a strange, heavy-seeded grass,

swaying in the breeze.

//What kind of crop is that?\ asked Tong, quietly as if he was half-asking himself.

//I don't know,\ the raccoon answered anyway. But he didn't care about the crop. //The house looks interesting.\

Tong hmmed as if half-interested, half-cautious, but it was Jai who

made the decision to cross the field and get closer. He set off,

breaking away from the forest completely and traipsing through the crop

grass, seed heads scratching the backs of his hands and batting against

his lower belly.

//Uh - Jai? Do you think we should go around? I mean, it's disrespectful to trample a farmer's crops.\

Jai looked over his shoulder at the red panda wading carefully

though. //We're not trampling anything. I don't know about you, but I

just want to get indoors, somewhere. I want a hot drink and I want to

get dry. Why go around? We can get there faster in a straight line.\

//I don't want to upset the farmer,\ said Tong uncertainly. //And what if he doesn't want to take us in?\

You don't want to upset me either, thought Jai, but he didn't

say anything. All he wanted was those home comforts and he'd make sure

he got them, sooner rather than later. And anyway, why would the farmer

turn them down? They could always offer to do some kind of manual work

in payment.

The house was... imposing. He paused at the edge of the field and

looked up at it. Three storeys, tall windows and decorated on the

outside like a mansion. Expensive-looking. //Must be some farmer,\ he

mumbled before making for the door.

He realized he was approaching it alone and turned back to Tong. //Come on! Don't you want to get warm and dry?\

Tong was just standing there, nervously rubbing the back of one hand

with the other. //I don't know about this, Jai. Something doesn't feel

right.\

Jai sighed and turned away from his companion. //Whatever,\ he

muttered, took the three steps up to the front door, and knocked. He

waited for an answer but there was none. He tried again.

Nothing.

He looked around. Beside the house, half-obscured until they'd approached more closely, was a barn.

//Maybe he's already working,\ he said and trotted down the mansion steps to check it out.

//Jai,\ Tong repeated, his voice tremulous, //I really don't feel safe.\

//Shut up Tong! It's fine.\ The barn was well-made with solid walls.

He was fairly close before he heard a sound. Quiet talking. Several

sets of furs talking in fact, spaced out beyond the barn wall. Rustling

all along, like many sets of feet on straw or dead leaves, constant

activity of some kind or another. And further than that, he could hear

clinking metal, like heavy chains moving. //What in the world?\ His

curiosity thoroughly inflamed he went around the side of the barn where

he saw the double doors were opened.

No sooner did he see the inside of the barn than he saw dozens of

pairs of eyes looking at him from the gloom. He'd been right about them

standing on straw but he hadn't imagined that they could all be bound in

chains, though. They looked haggard, every one of them, wide-eyed and

unprepared to have seen him. A few had open mouths as if about to speak,

just as soon as they'd thought of something to say.

//What-?\ he began to ask right before he heard Tong cry out in

terror. He looked around, his heart almost exploding out of his chest.

The panda was in the grip of a creature at least twice his height,

maybe more. Mostly hairless except for the top and bottom of its head,

with pale-ish skin. Swathed in clothing and stocky with muscle.

It spoke, examining the red panda despite Tong's desperate attempts

to get out of its grip, but Jai didn't understand the language.

Somefur from the crowd in the barn shouted to him in that same

guttural language. He didn't know the words but they were shouted with

urgency.

Jai's legs tensed as if to prepare to run, but how could he? When

Tong was in trouble, when he didn't know where to go? When there were

monsters about like this hairless monstrosity?

//What do I do?\ Jai blurted, panicking. All he got in return was a

sea of tired and confused expressions, a few worried here and there. How

was he going to fight the monster on his own?

Tong's panicked cries suddenly cut off and the fur on the back of Jai's neck stood on end.

What did it do to him?

The farmer approached fast on long legs, batted Jai upside the head

with the back of one heavy paw, and Jai's world turned black.

TO BE CONTINUED...