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Darwin's Legacy

Chapter 14 - Revelations: Part II

"Renaud was a Human!" Annie was so shocked that she took a step backward, away from the statue. The figure in the statue was larger than her, but smaller than the average male wolf. Its bare arms and legs did not look particularly muscular, nor did it look very mean. The face was smooth and hairless, except for a band running from one temple around the back of its head and ending at the other temple. The eyes looked kind, and a slight smile played about the lips. "But he looks so ... so ... harmless."

"Harmless?" Tig asked, intrigued.

"I haven't told you our legends about humans?"

"No. Tell me."

"Human and wolves did not get along. Humans were the masters of fire, and they were jealous of the wolf's strength, so they hunted us down, using their fire on us. Then the goddess Fer-Na stole the secret of fire and turned it against them. They were destroyed, consumed by their own fire. We were safe in our mountains, and we have flourished there ever since. But we are wary of their return, because they were said to be monsters of considerable size and strength, with clever snares and steel weapons so they did not need to rely on fire alone. Are you sure he was one of them?"

"Yes, we are certain." Tig assured her. "Renaud spent considerable time scrounging through the ruins and he left us many books in his language as well as the common tongue with pictures of the various species, especially humans. But he never claimed to be a warrior, a hunter, or a god, just a simple teacher. I'm sure there must have been many humans more formidable than he." He cocked his head, examining the statue for traces of the fearsome creatures she had described.

"He told us that his name meant 'wise advisor'." Tig continued. "But that it was also a variant of Reynard, or Renard, which is the word for fox in his language, and that was why he chose to enlighten the foxes, rather than any other species. He gave us intelligence, and moreover, he gave us humanity. He taught us his language so that he could pass his knowledge unto us. Now when we say 'le Renaud' we mean him, us, all of the foxes."

"But you must have been fairly well developed by the time he came to you," Annie pointed out, "in order to understand him and learn from him at all."

"No, apparently we were completely feral. A blank canvass so to speak. The other species had already started evolving by the time Renaud came to us. According to the journals written by the earliest intelligent foxes, those that actually knew him, he 'gave of his blood to the wild foxes and then watched over us while we became like onto his image'." He was unpretentious, but his state of holiness was never questioned because he was with us for many, many generations, and he never seemed to grow older. We have a number of images of him drawn and painted by foxes over hundreds of years, and other than the quality improving as the artists' skills improved his appearance did not change. He looked like this always," Tig pointed to the statue, "right up until the day he died."

"How did he die?"

"He went out alone one day to see about putting one or two of the wind turbines back in working order. We had tamed the lands between here and the river so the trip should have been safe enough, but he encountered a wandering Great Bear in the open. We found bloody rags, bear tracks, his sword still in its sheath, and several crossbow bolts. Crossbows are notoriously fickle machines, and he should have been carrying a ... ah, well. There is no sense in scolding the dead. The bear headed north after devouring Renaud, and we tracked it as far as the high passes but it left the valley before we could catch up to it."

"I'm sorry for your loss." Annie patted his back as Tig choked back a tear.

"That was hundreds of years ago, and we have made slow progress since then, but progress all the same. We don't know how or why Renaud made us the way we are, but I believe that he would have told us eventually, if he had lived. Meanwhile, we struggle to fulfil his plan for the peaceful integration of the species. He had predicted that one day all intelligent creatures would be able to breed with each other. Silver Tip and Aster's baby is proof that that day has come."

"But so has war, and from what I have seen of your numbers and your weapons you are no match for Ang-Ro and the army he has assembled. Besides, they must be down to the southern end of the valley by now, so how can you even expect to catch up with them?"

"Oh, do not fret, my lovely Annie." Tig said, the sly smile returning to his face. "We still have a few tricks up our sleeves.

* * * * * * * *

Snow drop told them all she knew about the semi-deity that the foxes worshiped. "He is referred to mostly as a teacher or a mentor." She concluded.

The pudgy human biologist, George, told Snowdrop about the Renaud that they knew.

"When Renaud found out about our plans to replace the human race through canine and feline surrogates he was quite critical. He pointed out that none of the dogs in North America were native to the continent; they were European breeds that were brought over and which had replaced the native ones, and all the domestic cats were imported as well. He claimed that foxes, however, had come to the continent on their own, some ten thousand years before the Europeans, around the same time as the first people came over. He also pointed out that the red fox was so adaptable that it was the most geographically spread member of the carnivora, that it was not listed as endangered anywhere, and in fact was considered one of the world's worst invasive species." George had to explain the tern to Snowdrop.

"Well, they do seem to be everywhere, even in the south." She joked. "But they are so different from the other species. They even have their own language; a complicated one with a large vocabulary, not a simple one like the ones the wolves or coyotes carried over from their wild ancestors.

"That was due to another of Renaud's quirks." Ray stuck his nose in the air again. "He was French."

Tom had to explain what French was, the nationality as well as the language, for Snowdrop. "He was French Canadian, actually," he concluded, "from a land far to the north and east of here, but on the same continent, although his family came from France some four hundred years before the downfall. His name meant 'fox' and his family emblem was a fox. His English was almost accentless, but French was his mother tongue. So I suppose they got it from him." Her puzzled look was enough to prompt George into explaining further.

"After the rest of the humans in our compound died of disease or old age we stayed inside, breathing filtered air, drinking distilled water and eating the produce of our hydroponic garden until the monitors indicated that the air was sufficiently clear of radiation and poison gas to make it safe to go out. Although we would probably not die of radiation sickness or the cancers that and the gasses and chemicals could bring we did not want to spend years in pain and suffering as our bodies constantly warred with the after effects of the apocalypse."

"While we were locked away, a period of several hundred years, the local species had made a comeback. Wild bears, wolves, and cougars abounded, and they could sense that there was something tasty inside this rock fortress ... us. But Renaud was an outdoorsman. He grew up in the northern part of his homeland and he liked camping, hunting and fishing. He knew most of the trails in these mountains and could defend himself with the weapons that the military had left laying around. It was his job to keep things in working order, and now that we could go out he set about improving the perimeter defences and clear away the carnivores that were lurking about. This he did in as a humane manner as possible, building speakers to transmit vibrations and sound frequencies that drove most of them off. The more determined hunters were taken out by the more deadly defences that were always part of the facility, but which he put back in working order. "

"Once we could move about the immediate area freely we wanted to travel to the northern valley to check on how the colonies were doing. But we were surprised to find that the zoo animals were still alive and hunting in the valley that separates your home from us. With their small breeding population the human DNA was reinforcing much faster than we had expected. They were already showing signs of humanity, walking upright and using their forepaws to grasp objects. So we decided to stay for a while and study them."

"We thought that it would be a good time to make contact with them," Tom took up the narration, "but Renaud advised a period of observation first. So, using the devices we still had from before the fall and Renaud's knowledge of hunting we built blinds and recorded their Activities."

"They had made amazing progress, considering that they had no guidance for those first few centuries. They were only using the simplest of tools, and for fighting they still relied on their teeth and claws, but they were communicating orally and in writing in a rudimentary form of English. They were living as hunter-gatherers, but they were also foraging for artefacts from before the apocalypse. We observed them collecting light bulbs, circuit boards and power tools and examining them carefully in group discussions. They were obviously very intelligent."

"Not enough to be able to figure out how to make any of those artefacts work, mind you." Ray chipped in. "And their slow physical development made manipulating the tools and weapons they did find impossible. But it was encouraging to watch them try all the same. After all, they were like our children. We had mixed DNA from all three of us into the serum they ingested, and high intelligence is hereditary." He sniffed. I myself was a member of two social groups restricted to those with an IQ of one hundred and fifty or better. In fact ..."

"Nobody cares anymore, Ray." Tom said tiredly. "Besides, George tested ten points higher than you."

Ray's mouth slapped shut and he glared at Tom as George continued the tale. "We finally did attempt to make contact, and it was nearly the end for all of us." He said sadly. "We left out some food from our gardens, a couple of chicken carcasses, mirrors, nylon combs, stainless steel knives, and some juvenile reading material we had found in the old army barracks, comic book versions of 'How To' manuals and such. Gifts, you see?"

"We also left a photo of us, taken on Ray's cell phone and printed here. It showed the three of us smiling and waving over the gifts, so that they would know it was recent and not some artefact. Renaud had taken it. But including the photo was a mistake."

Tom took over again. "They were amazed at first, when they found the gifts we left on the trail, but when they saw the picture of us they went wild. They threw all of the food we had left into the forest and scattered the rest. Then they set to examining the ground around the site."

"We were watching from a blind several hundred yards uphill, using powerful binoculars, and as soon as Renaud saw them checking the ground he told us to pack up and head back to the compound. 'Why?' we asked. 'Because they are mad as hell, and they are hunting us.' He said."

"We headed back. Renaud stayed behind to hold them off and give us a head start." Ray said. "As I have said, we were unused to the rigours of the outdoors and it was a long hard climb back up to the compound. Before we were safe back inside we heard shots on several occasions, the last coming from quite close by, close enough to hear the snarl of whatever creature Renaud had just dispatched."

George took over. "He showed up at the gate an hour later, carrying the body of a leopard. The feline was still alive, but severely wounded. So was Renaud. He had been scratched and bitten, but not too badly. We tried to save the big cat's life, I swear that we did, but he had lost too much blood."

"It ... he, regained consciousness briefly before expiring." Tom hung his head in remembrance. "His vocabulary was very limited, and his palette was not well formed for proper pronunciation, but we could make out the gist of it."

"It said 'humans bad, humans evil', and the look on its face." Ray shuddered. "The look on its face made its feelings clear even if its words were not."

"The leopard said more than just that." George corrected. "He called us devils, sent to torment them. It seems that the zoo animals had remembered the early experiments and perhaps some of the trauma of zoo life from before. They associated humans with pain and captivity, and the three of us in particular because our faces were imprinted in the memories they had inherited from the animals we experimented on hundreds of years before. Who could blame them? In our rush to develop a means to save our race we treated theirs horrendously."

George fell into a reflective silence and Tom continued with the story. "From then on we were under constant attack. The five intelligent species that had emerged from the zoo, the lions, tigers, leopards, pandas and wart hogs meant to wipe us out. They tracked Renaud to these mountains. At first they tried using brute force in frontal attacks, but with little else but their hides to protect them the automated defences cut them down like wheat before a scythe. After the first few attempts they got smarter. They tried going around, under and over the kill zones, but could not get close enough to damage the defences. All the same, we were trapped in here, with our artificial gardens and a flock of chickens. Renaud was the only one who ever went outside, and only to service the defensive works. With his hunting and tracking skills he was able to tell that the five tribes were patrolling the base of this mountain constantly."

"The defences included microphones and cameras," Ray informed her, "so we could still observe their development and catalogue the individuals. After several more generations it was obvious that they were getting more intelligent, and living longer, much longer than they should. The combination of mental development and time to experiment and learn allowed them to improve their language skills. We overheard them discussing the need to match our technology in order to root us out. Eventually their attitude toward us changed. They no longer wanted to kill us just because, in their minds, we were evil incarnate but because we obviously held the secret to wondrous technology. Technology that would make them greater than we ever were."

"That was around the time of the first King." Tom pointed out.

"Did you try to communicate with them?" Snowdrop asked. "Surely once they developed beyond a certain point you could reason with them."

"We lost that opportunity before they reached that point," George sighed, "when Renaud disappeared. You see," the chubby scientist leaned forward, his elbows on his knees and his hands clasped, "he had to kill many of the zoo inhabitants during his repair excursions. But as their development advanced, when they began wearing clothes and talking like us, the killing started to get to him. He started wondering why we had been spared, what contribution to the future of the planet we were meant to make. He did not like the thought of our being here simply to serve as devils in the kingdom's theology."

"He longed to get out of here, and we were still anxious to see how the colonies in the northern valley were faring. So one day, about a thousand years ago ..."

"One thousand, one hundred and twelve, to be exact." Ray chipped in.

"Yes, we'll, as I was saying, Renaud decided to risk the trip to the valley."

"We did not want to let him go at first." Tom said.

"We relied on him to keep things running around here." Ray added.

"But we really were dying to find out how the canines and felines we had treated were doing. So Renaud made extensive manuals for everything we could get at without going outside and then he set off. That was the last we heard of him," George shrugged, "until today."

"We thought that the members of the kingdom had gotten him, although we never picked up and indication of such on the surveillance equipment. There were plenty of equally dangerous wild animals about too, grizzly bears, wolves. Or perhaps he may slipped on a narrow mountain pass and fell to his death. It would have to have been something that killed fairly quickly, otherwise he would heal and carry on."

"He spent a lot of time in our labs the last few years before he left." Tom continued. "We still had samples of our original serum, the ingestible one. All that it needed was some human DNA to meld with. Evidently Renaud set off with the intent of starting his own colony of foxes."

"How could he do that?" Snowdrop wondered. "Did he sneak away with some of your serum?"

"No." Tom answered. "He did not have to. He just needed to inject it into his veins and give it some time to infuse through his system. Then the serum with the complete, dormant, human genome would be in his blood, just as it is in ours. All that he had to do then was to locate a den and leave out some bait along with a bit of himself, a finger or a toe, or perhaps a bowl of his blood. He would heal soon enough, and the animals would be treated just as the ones in the zoo had, except instead of a mixture of our genes, as the serum we developed later contained, the DNA they inherited would be pure Renaud."

"Phah! A race of sly, oversexed, French mechanics."

"Shut up Ray." Tom glared at his colleague before turning back to Snowdrop. "He is jealous because Renaud got all the girls, when there were still girls to be had. He was a handsome devil. Anyway, with a small breeding group the foxes would reach the end same level of development as your species and the canines in far less time. And from what you have told us about how they revere him it seems that he was around long enough to pass some of his knowledge on to them, including the language that he felt most comfortable in."

"What about the self-healing and the longevity?" She asked. "Foxes live no longer than felines or canines, as far as I know, and they can die of illness or injury, I have seen that myself during my time as their slave."

"The version we used on ourselves was not transferable. We did not want what was left of the military finding out and using us as Petrie dishes while they treated their own."

The conversation was interrupted by a long, loud yawn from Snowdrop.

"We should let you rest." George said kindly. "You have had a hard time of it lately and you need to recuperate before the baby is due."

"No, please." She said as she fought to keep her eyes from closing. "Before you go, tell me what happened here after Renaud left. Have you three been trapped inside for all these years?"

George frowned but he conceded to answer all the same. "The compound is very extensive, with areas open to the sky in the centre, and we could go about to the extent of the outer defences for a time. But yes, we have been isolated here for over a thousand years now." He shot a glance at Ray before the thin scientist could provide the exact number again. "We never heard any talk about him in the conversations our surveillance system picked up from the kingdom folk, so we assumed that he gotten around them at least."

"As for the zoo's descendants, they continued to develop physically only for a short period of time. The lack of fertile females was a popular topic a thousand years ago, and I would guess that the situation only grew worse as time passed. Their longevity, however, allowed them to linger in the coastal valley and provided them with the time they needed to develop their language and explore the environment. There was some evidence that they were scouring the ruins of San Diego for artefacts and materials, especially maps and books. They were developing a sense of the world around them, and of its past, but they were unable to take advantage of the knowledge."

"Occasionally youngsters would gather just outside the kill zones, which they had accurately marked by then, and hurl insults and threats. They had developed throwing weapons and crude bows so we kept away from the perimeter, and only heard them in the surveillance system while it lasted. Over the years the microphones and cameras broke down, one by one, and our perimeter shrunk, but the number of attacks dropped too. With such a poor birth rate they could no longer afford to lose any of their population testing our defences. But that could change soon."

"How so?" Although she had to struggle to stay awake Snowdrop was fascinated by the history of the humans and zoo kingdom.

"They seem to have discovered what cameras and microphones are. For centuries they ignored them, even those that were out in the open, because like you they did not know anything about radio waves or imaging technology. But they must have come upon a reference to them in their search for knowledge, because for several years now they have been actively seeking them out and disabling them whenever they find them. It has gotten so bad that we only learned of your approach and the pursuing posse of foxes when you arrived on our doorstep."

"Without surveillance our outer defences are worthless." Tom pointed out. "Now we have to rely on the weapons that the military left behind."

"But the ammunition for them is limited." Ray informed her. "We used up quite a bit of what we had left fending off those foxes."

"And we have to expose ourselves to use them." George said slowly. "And we do not have anything in the way of body armour except for the Rubber HAZMAT suits you saw us in earlier. So if the Kingdom has accurate weapons provided by the foxes, and if they attack in force, they may very well win though the next time."

"But why would they do that?" She asked. "If they have learned so much about the past and humans they must realize that you do not really hold the key to ultimate knowledge."

"Maybe. But now we hold something that is much more valuable to a race that is dying out because they can no longer reproduce, a fertile female that can breed across species lines. I think that they will come and fight, although many will die, for you, Snowdrop."

* * * * * * * *

Roark was stunned. The king of the southerners was a huge fierce feline that had reigned for two hundred and twenty-seven years. The grey wolf wondered how long he had been a prince before that.

The crowd of tigers, leopards, pandas and wart hogs was on its feet, shouting fidelity to the king, ignoring the three captives and their escort waiting on the ramp of the amphitheatre. Roark leaned towards the tiger that Dylan suspected was infatuated with him and asked how old the king, known as San Diego, was.

"He is three hundred and fifteen, if I remember correctly." The tiger Kaplan replied, taking the opportunity to squeeze Roark's upper arm while the crowd was distracted. "His father, San Diego the Seventh, was almost four hundred when he died, and each generation has lived longer than the previous one. But this could be the end of their line, as he has no heir. Hey!" he elbowed Roark playfully. "It's the end of the lion for him. Get it?"

"Shut up Kaplan." The panda, Rock, growled as the volume of the cheers had diminished to the point where they could be overheard. "Your insubordination will get us both killed one day."

The king's eyes had been scanning his subjects up to this point, noting who had not been cheering with the proper amount of enthusiasm, Roark supposed, but now they focused on the three prisoners. Roark expected his expression to darken, as they had been responsible for the loss of his intended bride, but surprisingly, the large lion's face brightened.

"Ah, we see that we have guests. Unbind them Lord Kaplan." The king flicked a broad, blunt paw towards them. "There is no need for restraints here."

Kaplan and Rock rushed to comply. Roark, Dylan and Darwin rubbed their wrists as they stood waiting for whatever was to come next. In the ensuing silence, the king locked eyes with Roark, and a silent battle of wills ensued.

Roark could read a lot in those big golden orbs, even from a distance. He saw a lot of Ang-Ro's ambition, and some of Ro-Da's cruelty, but more of her calculating, contriving nature. He felt the king's eyes measuring him up, and from the slight tilt of the maned head and an upturn in one corner of the great mouth he believed that he had been found worthy, but only as a challenging opponent, not as an ally.

The king broke contact first, a small point of pride for Roark. Then he stood and addressed his subjects.

"The arrival of our northern neighbours marks the start of a new era for our kingdom." The lion intoned as he strode slowly around the stage. "An era of hope. An age of rejuvenation. An epoch that will see us fulfil our destiny as the masters of this planet, known as Earth."

The cheering began again, although Roark noted that the wart hog Nolan, standing behind the king's throne, did not join in.

"You may have heard that we were negotiating the, uh, dowry, of a new bride for the King. Her arrival has been .... postponed, but we have here the father of the child she is bearing, a completely different species we might add, and his two servants."

"Servants?" Dylan mouthed.

"He's trying to salvage the situation." Roark whispered. "Make us look like a delegation rather than admit that she has escaped."

"Why is he talking like there was more than one of him?"

"Shut up." The big panda poked Dylan in the back.

"Lord Kaplan, Lord Rock, please escort our guests to the, uhm, negotiating room and make them comfortable while we carry on with, ah, kingdom business out here. Lord Nolan will show you the way."

The king slipped back into his chair. Rock gripped the upper arms of the two wolves, his big paws squeezing tight enough to be painful. Kaplan poked Darwin into motion and walked behind him as the beagle followed along quietly. While they descended the steps the two male lions who had carried the chair earlier brought out a plank. The semi-circle of females and guards parted slightly, to allow them to lay the plank over the moat. Roark noticed the degree of alertness and tension in the lions go up while the board was in place, as if they expected the crowd to rush the stage. Looking around he saw similar signs of stress in many of the king's subjects. It seemed that not all was well in the kingdom.

As they passed the throne the king kept his face pointed towards the audience, but his eyes followed the three prisoners for as long as they could. The wart hog turned as they neared him and led them through a large door hidden by a red curtain. Before the door shut they could hear the roar of many voices calling out to the King, demanding answers to questions that were indecipherable in the tumult, but angry in tone. The closing door cut off the cacophony abruptly.

Dylan spoke as soon as it was quiet. "So you are 'Lords' Nolan, Kaplan and Rock. You did not tell us that you were nobility."

"We don't use such titles among ourselves." The wart hog answered. "Only during official ceremonies. They mean nothing."

The tiger laughed. "He is too modest. Only a few in each species are honoured with such titles. The most senior creature in each group being a Baron, and his heirs and advisors are Dukes and Earls, respectively. Special advisors to the throne are Lords, unless they already have another title."

"So you three are special advisors? What do you advise on?"

"Nolan, excuse me, Lord Nolan, is the King's advisor for external affairs. That meant dealing with the foxes up to now, but since your appearance he will have two more species to deal with. Three when we find that cat."

They exited the back of the amphitheatre and the wart hog lead them towards the sea, which they could see through the trees, shimmering in the distance.

"I'm the king's advisor for interspecies policy." The tiger continued. "Keeping the peace between the four species and between the lions and the rest as a whole."

"He's a spy." Rock grumbled. "He runs a network in each group and reports to the king so the big bastard can play one against the other."

The tiger moved around and in front of them in a blink of an eye. They were forced to stop as he stood in their way, glaring at the panda with his claws extended. "Now who is talking too much, Lord Rock?"

"Quiet down you two." Nolan said. His position obviously gave him authority over the group. Kaplan retracted his claws after a moment and then the customary smile returned to his face. But the smile did not reach his eyes.

"Why don't you tell them what you do, Rock?" Kaplan said with fake sweetness. The panda remained silent as he propelled the prisoners forward once again.

"His official title is 'Information Specialist'. Kaplan called from behind as he fell in behind Darwin. "That means torturer. He will be making sure that you answer the questions we need to ask you before your, ah, private audience with the King."

Dylan looked up at the deceptively comic face of the big panda. "Is that true?"

Again, Rock declined to reply, providing answer enough for Roark. The ocher stains on the floor of the featureless stone cell they threw him into shortly thereafter only helped to confirm it.

* * * * * * * *

Roark, Dylan and Darwin were kept in the cells for three days before the King sent for them. Three days in which they were questioned individually, beaten regularly, starved continuously and only given water occasionally.

Roark was sitting in the corner of the cell, trying to keep the grime from getting into the open sores on his upper body when Kaplan, Nolan and Rock came to fetch him. At first he thought that they had come to take him to the interrogation room again, and he pressed himself back against the wall, prepared to resist. But when he saw that Darwin and Dylan were with them he realized that they had come for a different purpose. He gathered his strength and pushed himself up, ignoring the paw that Kaplan extended go help. Roark had developed a healthy dislike for the tiger over the last three days. Rock may have been the one dealing out the punishment but it was done under Kaplan's direction.

They were led out of the cells at a slow pace, slow because Dylan was so week that his deformed legs could barely hold him up. The big panda had to prop the hunchbacked wolf up to keep him moving at all. Darwin did not look nearly as bad as the two wolves, but the vacant expression on his face told Roark that whatever torture they had used on the beagle had been no less effective.

"Are you alright?" The grey wolf asked, as he put a paw on Darwin's shoulder to comfort him. But the wart hog pushed them apart.

"No talking." He ordered.

Once outside they made their way under an overcast sky to a large building in the middle of a clearing. Roark's practiced eye noted that all approached to the structure were exposed and easily covered from defensive positions on the parapet crowning it. There were lions with crossbows visible in the gaps up there. In addition, there was a wide ditch that surrounded the building that was spanned by a narrow bridge. It was so narrow that they had to cross in single file. Glancing down, Roark saw that the ditch was deep and its bottom was lined with jagged rubble from the ancient city.

The entrance was flanked by guard stations, again occupied by lions, so that anyone trying to get in uninvited would find themselves facing enemies on three sides. But they were expected and the lions stood aside to let them pass through the opened gate.

Roark took the opportunity to examine the construction of the King's fortress as they crossed the courtyard to the inner keep. It was fashioned with blocks of the artificial stone the foxes called concrete that had been carved into large blocks and fitted together like a puzzle.

"We designed it." Nolan said when he saw Roark examining the joints between the blocks. "The wart hogs, I mean. The pandas put it together. Each block has protrusions on the top and depressions on the bottom so they fit together without shifting. Each one is individually cut and placed. It took over a hundred years to complete."

"It's very impressive." Roark commented, not in an attempt to flattered pig, but more so that the others could hear his voice and be reassured.

The inner building had defences similar to the outer walls, but instead of a ditch there was an overhanging balcony with slots in it so that defenders could fire downing the intruders, or pour boiling fluids on them. The walls were thick, and the entranceway was lined with firing ports as well. This time they had to wait by the inner door to be identified before they were let in. A short walk down a wide corridor brought them to a large room. Here the walls were covered with thick decorative cloths that took the chill off the cold stone. At the far end there was a raised dais, where the King's chair sat, and in the chair sat the King.

"Ah, our honoured guests." The lion roared, ignoring the dirt and the blood that caked their fur. "Come, sit, and join us in a light lunch while we chat." He indicated a table with three stools that was placed a few yards away from the dais. The three prisoners shuffled over to it, with Rock assisting Dylan and Roark guiding Darwin, who seemed not to be aware of his surroundings. They sat. Bowls of warm soup, bread, and wooden cups full of water were placed before them while the King watched with amusement. Dylan immediately began ladling soup into his maw, as did Roark, but Darwin only toyed with his spoon and stared at the wall behind the throne. The King let them eat in silence.

When he was done, Dylan, who was sitting in the middle, began guiding Darwin's spoon between the bowl and the dog's mouth. "Why do you refer to yourself in the plural?" He asked the King, breaking the silence.

The King replied in a friendly tone, apparently not offended by the question. "Because we represent all of our kingdom and we speak for all of our subjects when we talk. It is our privilege, as rightful ruler of this land, and all other lands known or as yet unknown."

"I suppose by that you mean the northern valley, where we come from." Dylan opined. "I recall mentioning to Lord Kaplan here during one of our recent chats, that there is another who lays claim to that land, and has designs on yours."

"Yes, you three have been quite informative, and we thank you for that." The King's smile took on a sarcastic tilt. "We now know about this upstart Ang-Ro and his plans to invade our peaceful kingdom." He nodded toward Dylan as he spoke, but the crippled wolf defiantly kept his eyes up on those of the King. He had suffered greatly before giving up that information, and he felt no shame.

"More importantly, we also know much about his character, and that of Ro-Da, his mate. Oh, we are so looking forward to meeting her." He shifted his gaze to Roark as he spoke, and Roark dipped his head slightly. Although he held off talking for as long as he could the tiger had used what he had already learned from Dylan to get a hook into him. From then on it had been pointless to resist any further, and he felt no lingering loyalty to Ang-Ro anyway, not after his former leader had sent assassins out after him. But he had managed to keep form speaking of the foxes, who he somehow felt were a bigger threat to any erstwhile conqueror than they seemed. Whenever Kaplan had asked about the foxes, how many they were and how they were armed, Roark would begin babbling about how Ang-Ro planned to enlist all the valley species into his army before marching south and change the subject.

"And thanks to our little canine friend, who is dribbling his soup, by the way." The King turned to regard Darwin. "We know about the lovely Snowdrop and the inter-species child that she bears. As well as the fact that you two witnessed a rather miraculous birth, proof that such cross breeding possible." The beagle did not react to the comments much, except to twitch at the mention of Snowdrop. Dylan used a cloth placed by their bowls to wipe Darwin's mouth before feeding him a chunk of bread.

"But it is unfair that we should know so much about you while you know so little of us." The lion said as he settled back in his chair. "Allow us to educate you while you finish the next course." Lionesses brought plates covered with meat and placed them before the prisoners and the two wolves dug in as the King began to speak.

"Our advisors, the Lords Kaplan, Nolan and Rock inform me that they have already told you a little about their species, and that of the leopards, so let us begin with ours. We are a Barbary lion, the largest of the lion species before the change, and heralded widely as 'King of the Beasts'. We know this from the plaques in the zoo, and the many references we have found in the books left behind by the humans."

The king went on to explain how, as the zoo animals became more intelligent, they were able to decipher the writings on the plaques and signs in the zoo and the nearby ruins. After finding the reference to lions being king of the beasts his ancestor had had gathered the lions, the strongest and most fearsome of the surviving species, and led them on a campaign to subjugate the rest.

The various species were always searching the ruins for resources, but the first King directed them to also search for reading material, so that they may better understand the world they had inherited. The first great find had been a children's bookstore, where they discovered texts to teach them how to read and write properly, as well as stories that often featured animals. In many of the latter, lions were featured as kings, holding dominance over all other creatures. This only helped to reinforce the lion's dominance over the others. From those books they also developed the system of titles and honours that they governed under.

The second great discovery had been an almost intact branch of the San Diego Public Library, from which they learned the history of the area. Interpreting the phrase 'capitol of the southwest' to mean that this was the human empires principle city the first King changed his name, and that of the kingdom, to Diego, and took the title 'San' as the first or foremost.

"Nolan's folk have since developed an alternative interpretation," the King commented at that point, "claiming that there was a second language in use in this area. But San Diego the fifth decreed that the old interpretation would stand, and so it has. Now, let us speak of recent history."

"You have been told of our age, and know that it far surpasses those of your species in the north. But we are not the only creature here with such a long lifespan. No, it is not just the line of king's that bears this trait. All of the species that originated in the zoo are the same. Lord Nolan here is already over two hundred years old, and Lord Kaplan is forty years older than us"

"Gee, he looks so much younger." Dylan could not help but quip. Kaplan, who was standing behind him, poked him hard between the shoulders.

"Do not interrupt the King." The tiger said in a loud voice, and added "Thanks though" under his breath.

The King continued without pausing. "Each generation has lived longer than the one before. But this longevity has come at a price. As our life spans elongated, the number of cubs shrank. This has affected every one of the five species. Every generation had less fertile females than the one before. Eventually those found capable of bearing young were reserved for the nobility. The last lioness to give birth was my mother, and she died doing so."

The king leaned forward again. "I have had relations with every single lioness multiple times, as is my duty, but none have conceived after almost three hundred years of trying."

"I suppose that it is the same for the other species here." Roark spoke up when the King paused. "I can't imagine them leaving your rule unchallenged if they were still reproducing and you weren't." The slight frown that passed over the lion's face told him that he had struck a nerve, but not a deep one.

"There have been no births whatsoever in the kingdom for over a hundred years."

"Have you tried breeding with the other felines?" Roark and Dylan looked around in surprise, it had been Darwin who spoke. "Snowdrop said that when to many deformities or weaknesses started turning up in the small tribes they would send their males away to find mates from other tribes, to restore the health of the community. It works for dogs too, although we generally try to stick to our own breed." The beagle was talking in a hollow, detached voice, still staring off into space, and that scared Roark more than his previous silence.

"After a puzzled look at the dazed canine the King answered. "The first King forbade it, to keep his species pure. We overturned that restriction and instituted royal privilege of first night with all females coming of age, but with no more success than before. We have abandoned the practice. The tigers and leopards were not taking it well in any event. Except for Lord Kaplan here. You don't care what we do with the females, do you Kapo?"

"His Highness remembers his childhood nickname for his first advisor." The tiger said in a sour voice. "How quaint."

"But back to the point of our story. You can imagine our wonder and delight when my dear friend and business associate Patch sent word that he had found a female that was capable of bearing the young of another species, and a feline at that! The foxes had led us to believe all these years that the northern felines were incompatible with us, and since none of us had ever caused one to conceive we believed them. It seems, however, that the foxes may have taken precautions against such a pregnancy. But it does not matter now. Even if your smaller cats were not capable of breeding with us in the past the appearance of this one female bearing the canine child is enough to give us hope."

The lionesses were just clearing away the plates when the King said this, and the expression on their faces was not one of hope, both Dylan and Roark could see that. It was one of frustration and anger. They knew that they could soon be replaced by new mates.

Roark recalled some of the feline lore that Darwin had learned from Snowdrop and then repeated for Dylan. How the females held much of the power in the home, while paying the chief and even their mates only token respect. He wondered if it was the same among the lions, and if these females were willing to give up that power. If it was so, he doubted that they would.

The King continued while Roark studied the lionesses and pondered. "When we learned of the lovely Snowdrop's presence in Patch's caravan we immediately sent out an invitation for her to visit us here and stay through the birth. Imagine our chagrin when we were informed of her disappearance." The lion leaned forward and his fake smile dissolved into a very real snarl.

"We did not free her." Dylan said defensively. "We only reacted to the screams we heard."

"True, though we have no doubt that you would have attempted to rescue her had you the chance." The King sat back. "It would have been better if you had rescued her, then she would not have become lost in the mountains. Now we are afraid that she has met a much worse fate."

Darwin blinked, his eyes clearing and focusing for the first time since they left the cells. "Sno ... Snowdrop ... is still out there?" He jumped to his feet, faster than the tiger behind him could react, and rushed to the foot of the dais. "Where is she? Which direction? I'm a tracker, I can find her!" He shouted at the King.

"Restrain him!" A pair of males almost as large as the King leapt forward and took the beagle by his arms. They dragged him away from the throne and forced him to sit back on his stool.

"No! Wait! You must tell me where she is! I have to go to her!" Visions of his love trapped in a canyon surrounded by great bears, or pinned by a rock too heavy to move spun through his mind.

"Calm down little one, and we shall tell you."

Darwin's struggles subdued, and then died out all together as the King waited patiently. When he was satisfied that he had everyone's attention again the King continued.

"Your Snowdrop stumbled upon the last enclave of humans in this world, the lair of an evil band of devils that has plagued this kingdom since time immemorial. I am afraid that they intend to perform vivisection on her." Noting the blank expression on all three of the prisoner's faces he added, "They are going to cut her open and dissect her ... alive."

* * * * * * * *

That night, after being washed and having their wounds treated, the three prisoners were placed together in a stone room at the back of the castle keep. The three huddled in the corner farthest from the door and discussed what the King had told them.

"Dissected alive!" Darwin moaned. He had come out of his comatose state when the King mentioned Snowdrop, but now he was in danger of slipping back into a stupor.

"We can't take anything he told us at face value." Roark reassured him. "He is an expert at manipulation, and I'm sure that he told us that for a reason. They may already have her and but want us to believe that she is dead so we'll stop looking for her."

"He did say that he wanted us to go back to the valley to recruit females for them." Darwin said hopefully. "But I wouldn't go back if there was even one chance in a thousand of finding Snowdrop alive. So maybe he was just trying to scare us?"

Roark shrugged. "Maybe. After all ... humans! He may have well as said that ghosts took her."

"I'm not so sure." Dylan interrupted. "Storytellers say that there is truth in every myth, otherwise they would not be passed down from master to apprentice. And there are certainly enough myths about humans, every species has them. These southerners know more about the world before the change than any I've met, including the foxes. Perhaps there is some truth in what he says."

"Then we have to get out of here as soon as possible!" Darwin exclaimed with alarm as he rose to his feet. "If half of what he said about how they tortured and killed his folk for fun and 'science' is true then Snowdrop is in grave danger. We should send for the King and tell him right now that we agree to be his emissaries. Then we can go back to where she fled Patch and I can track her. I know I can! Then when we find the human's fortress we can ... we can ...."

"Calm down Darwin. Take deep breaths." Roark pulled the dog back down. "We need to analyze everything he said before we chose a course of action. Besides, he said that he would send some of his lions to escort us. We would be prisoners just as we are now."

"But wouldn't our chances of escape be better."

"Maybe. Probably. I don't know." Roark was finding it hard to think, partially because Darwin was distracting him but mostly because of all the incredible information the King had passed to them over supper that was swirling in his head. Human scientists in a mountain fortress, weapons that spit metal and fire, wires that killed on contact, gases that made your skin peel off, beams of light that burned. It was all so unbelievable. But then the King had shown them artifacts, and a few living subjects who had suffered terrible wounds, wounds that had healed but left horrifying scars behind.

He looked and Dylan. "One thing is certain, the kingdom is not as peaceful and content as he makes out. Even his own kind are as tense as harp strings. Do you agree?"

To his surprise, Darwin answered before Dylan could. "Yes, there is the scent of great tension here." The beagle said, nodding his head. "At first I thought that it was part of their natural scent, but it intensified as he talked about their reproductive problems. Especially from the lionesses. They smelled of fear and apprehension."

"You can tell that?"

"Yes. Trackers are taught to pick out such scents and report the condition of those we are following to whoever is in charge of the chase. An anxious but confident enemy could be leading us into a trap, but one in a panic can be harried into making a mistake, or so my uncle says. I must confess thought that until today the only creature I have smelled emitting such odours has been myself."

"Well, I agree with both of you, if anyone cares to know." Dylan said, rubbing his twisted legs to ease the aches that lingered from the interrogation. "But I do not see what else we can do but to play along with the big beast. After all, It's not like the walls will open up and let us stroll out of here unchallenged."

An instant later all three jaws dropped as the wall opposite the door began to move, swinging inward with a grinding sound.

"Or maybe they will." Dylan breathed as the gap between the stones widened. They scrambled to their feet. But before any of them could step toward the breach it was blocked by a tawny figure in a white robe.

The lioness that had appeared was holding a long sword like she knew how to use it. It was almost as intimidating as the cold hard glare from her yellow eyes as she regarded the three.

"I am Leandra." She said after studying each of the prisoners. "I am the King's official mate."

"Official in the sense that no other has provided the King with an heir yet, and until they do ..."

The sword came up fast, and its tip stopped less than an inch from Roark's throat. "I could have you killed for speaking to me thus." She snarled, barring her teeth.

"But you won't." Roark said, outwardly calm although his brain was whirling with the all possible motives behind this meeting. "Because you want something from us. Something no one else can give you. Piece of mind."

The blade never wavered, nor did it retract. "I do not need all three of you to give me what I want. The small one will be sufficient."

"Me?" Dylan asked, pointing at his massive chest. With his stunted legs and hunched back he was the shortest of the three.

"No. She means Darwin." Roark replied, keeping his eyes locked on hers. "She believes that Snowdrop is alive and wants him to find her and take her far away from the King. Am I right?"

"Snowdrop! Alive!"

"Shush, you fool!" The lioness spun on the beagle and grabbed his snout with her free paw. "If the King learns that I am here ..."

"I'm confused." Dylan said, pulling Darwin back out of Leandra's grasp and patting him on the back to calm him down, although he really wasn't. But he wanted to hear what he suspected to be the reason from her lips. "Why did you come, Leandra?"

The lioness stepped back a half pace, lowering the sword but not her guard. "I came to set you free."

"And ...?"

"Once you are away you must find the feline my mate speaks of, and if she is alive you must take her back to your valley. Whether or not you find her you must still warn the others in your valley. They must close the gap so that the King's army cannot get through to steal females, and so that the dirty foxes that he deals with cannot bring any south. If you swear to do this then I will set you free."

"You know that you are condemning your species to extinction, and the other four as well." Roark said softly.

"Better to die together than to watch others take our places and start a new race of half-breeds while we grow old and wither, unloved, unneeded, less than slaves to those who once professed to love us." The tip of the blade shook and began to drop as emotion finally wore through her haughty shell. "You saw the look in his eyes when he proposed sending you back to fetch him fertile female felines. He lusts for an heir as well as for fresh mates. And the mother of the heir ... she will have power second only to that of the King. I cannot live with the thought of some snip of a forest dwelling savage lording it over me after I have spent so many years winning a position by his side. No, I won't." The barest hint of moisture appeared around the rims of her eyes.

"How is it that the King is unaware of the particular features of this room?" Roark indicated the secret door she was standing before.

"We lionesses manage the household affairs, including commissioning the construction and renovations of residences, not the males. These passages were built several generations ago, when jealous mates needed to keep track of errant sires, or evade them when seeking more potent partners to provide an heir. The wart hogs that designed them are long dead, and the mothers of the Kings have only shared the secrets with the mothers of the heirs, until my mate's mother dying mother confided in my mother, the sixth King's second mate, before she died. My mother told me when all hope of an heir was gone."

The lioness closed her eyes for a moment to gather her composure. "This passage leads under the wall to a secluded grove. There are three packs with food, water and other useful items there. Follow the trail north and you will intercept your Snowdrop's path, the one that leads to the human's fortress. I cannot tell you how to get inside; none of us have ever been inside. None that ever came out again anyway. But getting inside is your concern, not mine." The sword came up level with Roark's snout. "What say you?"

"How do we know that we can trust you?" He asked, concentrating on the muscles around her eyes for clues to her honesty.

"You can't." The ironic smile that softened her expression of pride and fear was honest enough. While it was little comfort, at least it was better than an outright lie. "And you have little time to decide. If you are not away within minutes you will not be clear of the valley before dawn. Decide."

Dylan and Darwin both began whispering in his ears, offering advice and suggestions. Roark blanked them out, but not completely. A portion of his mind listened and noted their observations about her character. Dylan had seen her sad smile and interpreted it as one of resignation. Dylan smelled fear and stress, and thought that it was due to the impending loss of status and the risk she was putting herself through to aid them. But most of Roark's mind was comparing scenarios. Running through a myriad of motives and outcomes, plots and conspiracies, trying to find the ones that fit the situation best so that he could chose the right course. He bit his lip nervously as he compared alternatives.

They were in the stronghold of the King, and could be executed summarily without the excuse of them being escaping prisoners. The King's folk knew the location of the Human fortress, if it existed, and did not need them to lead them to it. Most of all, he could sense that the lioness had made a momentous decision, and what else could make one so proud so resigned to fate other than the knowledge that one had condemned their own species to a slow, lingering death?

"Alright." Roark said. "Let's go."

* * * * * * * *

Kaplan slid a heavily insulated panel across the thin layer of porous stone that separated the room he was in from the one the prisoners had just left. When the panel was open sound and even light could pass both ways, but now that it was closed he indicated that the lamps could be turned up and that it was safe to speak again. Behind him Nolan adjusted the wicks on two lamps that burned fish oil, while Rock released his grip around the snout of fox that was tied to a chair.

The fox had a shiny, old scar over his left temple where the fur was missing. He also had several fresh wounds where equally large patches of fur and flesh had recently been hacked off. One may expect the victim of such abuse to cry out in agony once his mouth was freed, but the fox did not. Instead it began babbling about giant green beetles that spit fire and dealt fatal stings from a distance. Rock shrugged at Kaplan's irritated stare and wound a cloth around the fox's face to shut him up.

In the back of the room the King stood and stretched. He paced back and forth impatiently as his three advisors stood silently. Crouched beside the chair that the King had been sitting in was a lean leopard. The spotted feline squatted unmoving, staring at the ground between his feet, as they waited.

After a few minutes passed the door to the corridor opened and Leandra slipped into the room. She closed the door behind her before stepping up to the King and bowing her head.

"They are on their way to the grove, your Highness."

"Good. You have done well Leandra. It will not be forgotten."

"I want you to reconfirm your promise, here before witnesses from all the kingdom's species." She said without lifting her head.

"Very well. You will raise our offspring, no matter who the mother is, as your own, retaining your position as mate, and mother to the heir. You will be by my side, and honoured, for the rest of your days. As our genes are sure to dominate those of the lesser felines the cubs will look like lions, and therefore be raised as lions, by lions. This will hold true for all species that mate with the northerners. Their females shall be breeding stock, nothing more. All offspring will be adopted by the mates of the fathers.

"And our mating rights, your Highness?" Nolan injected.

"Once we have an heir all other species will be allowed to breed also."

"If you can convince any to lay with something as ugly as you." Kaplan muttered under his breath.

"You'll get what you want Kaplan." Nolan said, not offended by the comment in light of the hope that the arrangement brought for his folk.

Kaplan smiled, his eyes narrowing in anticipation. The grey wolf was to be his prize.

The leopard stood up in one languid motion. "I have to be going if I am to be in position before they leave."

"You know what you have to do?" The King asked.

"The dog claims that he can track the feline, even after all this time," the leopard snarled, "and that may be so, but he will wake the whole forest crashing through the bush after her. I can track the three of them silently and observe their movements." With that he slipped out the door. The King turned to his three advisors, and taking his mate by the paw, bid them goodnight.

Once they were alone Rock unwound the bindings from the fox's mouth. "Explain to me again why we need these three when we already know where the humans are holed up?"

"Because they stand a better chance of getting inside than any of us." Nolan explained. "The humans would cut us down in an instant if we showed up on their doorstep, just like they did to poor Patch's folk. They don't like large groups of angry creatures with weapons on their stoop, eh Patch?" There was no answer. "What's wrong with him?"

Rock poked the fox and he slid off the chair to lie on the floor. "He's dead. I guess I tied the gag too tight."

"Oh well. Anyway, according to him the feline was taken inside alive. Maybe the humans were interested in her because she was different. Maybe they just did not see her as a threat. They may let the northerners in too for the same reason. Maybe not. But the defences are not what they used to be. This lover of hers is very determined, The cripple is strong and loyal, and that wolf that leads them is clever and capable. Between the three of them I'm willing to bet that they can find a way in." The wart hog smiled a cruel smile of his own. "And when they do, we'll be right behind them. The King has already ordered the army to prepare to move out."