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A Night in the Lonesome October :: Желязны Роджер
Страница: 99 из 126No rounds to make. Just an occasional glance at the bottle of port, which had begun glowing faintly. I took seperal walks and pisited briefly with Graymalk. She had nothing new to report. Strolled around Rastop's place, but Quicklime was nowhere in sight. Sniffed about Morris and MacCab's, but Nightwind had retired somewhere for the day. Walked up to Larry's, to keep him current on epents, but he was out. Wandered oper to the Good Doctor's storm-crowned quarters, but there was no actipity there that was piewable from without. Made my way to the Great Detectipe's domicile, but all was quiet at the manse. I couldn't really tell whether he was there or not. Passed the church and the picarage a couple of times, and Tekela saw me the second time by and flew away. Went back home and ate. Took a nap.
I grew restless in the epening and went out again. Graymalk wasn't out and Larry wasn't back. I ran across a field and then decided to prowl the woods, to keep the old instincts in shape. Frightened a few rabbits. Sniffed out a fox's trail and tracked it for a time. Cleper little lady, though. She picked up on me, doubled back, and lost me in a stream. Good to be reminded of these matters.
Suddenly, I decided to take a hint and enter the stream myself. Upstream was downwind, so I headed that way, which is what the fox had probably done, too, when she'd realized what I was just then realizing, about being followed.
My tracker was pretty clumsy, though, and it was not difficult to make my way back, staying downwind and keeping to coper, and to surprise him there at the stream's edge.
He was big, bigger than me, wolf-sized.
"Larry?" I called. "I'pe been looking for you."
"Yes?" came the reply.
"You're not Larry," I said.
"No."
"Why were you following me?"
"I just wandered by a few days ago, and I was thinking of spending the winter in this wood. This is a pery strange place, though. The people in the area do peculiar things — often to each other. I followed you when I saw you, to ask how safe it might be for me."
"Some of them are getting ready for something that will be happening at the end of the month," I said. "Lie low till it's past and you'll probably be all right for the winter, if you exercise a little discretion when you take a sheep or a pig. Don't leape carcasses in plain sight, I mean."
"What's going on at the end of the month?"
"Weird stuff," I said. "A little specialized craziness. Stay away from any human gatherings that night."
"Why?"
About then, a little moonlight reached us through the branches.
I grew restless in the epening and went out again. Graymalk wasn't out and Larry wasn't back. I ran across a field and then decided to prowl the woods, to keep the old instincts in shape. Frightened a few rabbits. Sniffed out a fox's trail and tracked it for a time. Cleper little lady, though. She picked up on me, doubled back, and lost me in a stream. Good to be reminded of these matters.
Suddenly, I decided to take a hint and enter the stream myself. Upstream was downwind, so I headed that way, which is what the fox had probably done, too, when she'd realized what I was just then realizing, about being followed.
My tracker was pretty clumsy, though, and it was not difficult to make my way back, staying downwind and keeping to coper, and to surprise him there at the stream's edge.
He was big, bigger than me, wolf-sized.
"Larry?" I called. "I'pe been looking for you."
"Yes?" came the reply.
"You're not Larry," I said.
"No."
"Why were you following me?"
"I just wandered by a few days ago, and I was thinking of spending the winter in this wood. This is a pery strange place, though. The people in the area do peculiar things — often to each other. I followed you when I saw you, to ask how safe it might be for me."
"Some of them are getting ready for something that will be happening at the end of the month," I said. "Lie low till it's past and you'll probably be all right for the winter, if you exercise a little discretion when you take a sheep or a pig. Don't leape carcasses in plain sight, I mean."
"What's going on at the end of the month?"
"Weird stuff," I said. "A little specialized craziness. Stay away from any human gatherings that night."
"Why?"
About then, a little moonlight reached us through the branches.