“He thinks he’s being clever.” Balsam pointed down at the far western side of the Dream Cave. “He’s hiding just inside.”
Horseweed scrambled up the gritty side of the boulder and squinted. Just back from the mouth of the cave, a tiny fire lit the shadows. A dark shape hunched beside it. It did look like a man sitting there. Horseweed sniffed the wind. The rich flavor of roasting meat caressed his nostrils. “Smells like he’s keeping himself well-fed on those sacred deer.”
“Smells more like pack rat cooking to me,” Balsam said and sniffed the air. “Ho! Stranger!” Horseweed called. “You! In the cave!”
Balsam leaned over the edge of the cliff and shouted, “It’s us! We’re planning on getting you out of that cave… one way or another. Now, be smart and leave, before you force us to kill you!”
Ten
A hoarse cry ripped through the morning stillness, causing the bird songs to die. Balsam’s mouth hung open, but his eyes moved, following the echo of the scream as it bounced around the mountains. “Blessed Father Sun, there he goes again,” Balsam said.
Horseweed ground his teeth as he watched the shadow by the fire. It looked taller now, as though the stranger had stood up. But it might just be the way the sun is hitting the cave. Horseweed jumped down from the boulder and began searching the rocks until he found a log about fifteen hands
long. “Balsam, come here. Help me with this. We’ll get him out of there.”
Balsam frowned. “What are we going to do with that? Roll it off on top of him?”
“No. We’re going to use it as a lever.”
“A lever? What for?”
“To pry the rocks loose. Now, hurry it up. I want you to take the small end.” When Balsam had grasped the log, Horseweed continued, “All right, now wedge your end under that medium-sized boulder at the very edge of the cliff.”
Balsam shoved the end beneath the rock and turned to squint at Horseweed. His young face had a quizzical expression. “Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean—”
“We’re trying to kill him, aren’t we?”
“Sure, but—”
“Then stop complaining and start pushing.” Horseweed flopped down on the big end of the log and pushed with all his might. The pink tip of his tongue stuck out of the right side of his mouth. The boulder teetered. “Help me, Balsam! We’ll show that stranger that he can’t just dance in here and take over one of our sacred places.” Balsam scampered up beside Horseweed and threw his weight into the effort, too.
“Push!”
They sweated and grunted until finally the boulder groaned and tumbled over the precipice. Horseweed and Balsam ran to the edge to watch. Balsam jerked when the boulder crashed thunderously on the lip of the cave, bashed its way down the talus slope and rolled out into the center of the meadow. The mangy dog that had been lying at the base of the cliff shot into the trees with its tail between its legs, howling like a lost soul. They heard a crash in the forest, followed by snarling and yipping.
“Well, will you look at that,” Horseweed said.
“What?” “The fire in the cave is still going.” Orange flickers glittered through the veil of dust that had risen.
Balsam crowded forward to peer over the edge. “That means he’s probably still alive. At least he’s stopped that inhuman wailing. It gives me a stomachache. Let’s shove some more rocks over.”
They hunkered down, wedged the log again and heaved. This time five boulders broke loose and fell at once. Staggering to their feet, they watched them sail downward. The boulders struck the lip of the cave one after another and shook the mountain like the Quaking Earth Spirits that lived under the ground. Dust belched upward in a blinding gray cloud, concealing the cave altogether.
“Where is he?” Balsam asked. “Do you see him? He ought to be coming out after that one.”
“I can’t see anything.”
The glowing face of Father Sun rose higher above the eastern peaks, and an orange gleam possessed the dissipating dust. As it started to clear, Horseweed frowned. Half of the lip of the Dream Cave had broken off and slid down the talus slope. It rested in great chunks at the bottom.
“Fire’s out,” Balsam noted. “You think he’s dead?”
“I don’t know, but he’s sure deaf by now.” Horseweed got down on all fours and crawled to the very edge of the cliff to study the devastation. An avalanche filled in half of the cave’s entry. The pounding of the boulders must have loosened the weathered roof and rattled it right off. Anyone inside would have been buried in the dirt and debris, maybe splattered across the walls by flying stone. “Come here, Balsam. Look at this.”