Now
Zach could hear the thunder of the approaching cloud more clearly, so
loud that it drowned out the ragged sound of his gasping breath. He
glanced ahead and saw with relief that Jonna and Billy had both
reached the safety of the trees. It was not far. He allowed himself
to look back and now saw that the cloud was a huge billow of dust,
raised by the thundering feet of two or three dozen very large
onrushing animals. He had no further impression of them beyond their
size, and then he picked out a different sound among the crashing
feet, a kind of low-pitched droning, almost like a musical
instrument.
The
ground shook beneath his feet, and as his legs were whipped by the
wild grasses he tried not to think about stepping into an animal
burrow and going down, perhaps breaking his leg. The trees were just
ahead, and he sprinted to their shade, then reached up for the
outstretched hands of Jonna and Billy, in the lower branches of the
largest tree. With their help he pulled himself up, then sat a
moment, getting his breath, while the herd of beasts drew closer.
It
was difficult to see through all the dust, but Zach had an impression
not only of great size, but of large heads with wide ears, and long
appendages in front.
The
creatures had slowed, then the entire assemblage stopped, several
hundred feet from the oasis.
“What
are they?” Billy asked, sounding awed.
Zach
didn’t have a ready answer. “The animals who used to live on the
plains, before civilization, were said to travel in groups like
this—even larger,” he said, trying to remember pictures he had
seen from old, pre-Change books. “But I believe those beasts were
somewhat like very large mounts.”
Three
of the creatures stepped away from the group and approached the tree.
Now Zach could see that they were much larger than mounts. Each
animal had two long, curved, and very dangerous-looking teeth
protruding from its mouth, and large, flapping ears. Most astonishing
of all was that where their noses should be, each animal had a single
long, sinuous rope-like appendage. Bizarre though they looked, there
was something familiar about them. Zach searched his memory and a
picture and a name came to him. “I believe they are called
elephants,” he said. A moment after he spoke, the largest animal,
who seemed to be the leader, called, with a sound like the old
pre-Change musical instrument called a trumpet. At the same time, it
tapped the ground with one of its forefeet, as if in agreement with
him.
“Elephants?”
said Jonna. “I’ve never heard of this sort of animal.”
“They
did not originally live in this land,” Zach said. “They were from
another continent, far across the ocean. Before the Change, many
elephants and other even more exotic creatures were brought to the
civilization that lived here, where they were exhibited for all to
see.”
“Are
these elephants as they were?” asked Jonna. “Or are they Changed
like so many other animals?”
“I
do not know,” said Zach. “I don’t know if we can know. These
must be the descendants of captive animals that became free after the
Change. They seem strong and adaptable, which may be why they
survived.”
Again
the lead animal trumpeted, then took a step closer to the tree where
the travelers clung to a sturdy branch. Billy shrank back, and
climbed further up the main trunk.
As
Zach continued to study the animals, he had the distinct impression
that they were likewise studying him. He noticed that all the
elephants he could see seemed to be females—at least none displayed
male genitals. Interspersed with the large beasts were a number of
smaller, juvenile animals. They too seemed curious, but when one
tried to approach, an adult wrapped her tube-like nose around its
neck and pulled it back. After a few more moments, Zach made a
decision and carefully dropped to the ground. “Brother Zach!”
Jonna cried.
“Shh,”
Zach replied. “I don’t think they mean us harm. I believe they
are just curious.”
“But
they are so big,” said Jonna
.
Zach
didn’t answer. Instead he slowly approached the lead animal. As he
did, she very slowly and delicately stepped toward him.
“I
am Zach,” he said, holding out his hand.
As
soon as he spoke, a very low rumbling vibration enveloped him, so low
that he almost could not hear it, but rather felt it throughout his
body. At the same time, an image of the elephant formed in his mind.
Zach was so startled he took a step backward. The image of the
elephant seemed to dissolve, then changed into an image of wildly
rushing streams combining into a roar of rapids. The low-pitched
vibration changed, repeating three times in a rhythm that reminded
him of the buzzing of a fox-cat. The image disappeared, then
returned, along with the rhythmic vibration.
Because
there was no other explanation, he had to accept that the elephant
was causing the image to appear in his mind. Now the image flickered,
alternating between the image of the rapids and the elephant herself.
The low, powerful rumbles matched the roar of the rapids in his mind.
Zach felt as if his entire body were vibrating with the elephant’s
rumbling sounds
.
Quite
suddenly, Zach realized that [Rushing River] was the elephant’s
name. The instant that thought occurred, the flickering images in his
mind disappeared and the elephant reached out slowly with her
nose-tube, then lightly—almost impossibly gently for such a large
creature—touched Zach’s face. He stood still, feeling the thick,
rough skin against his own. He reached up and touched the elephant in
turn, caressing her flexible nose-tube with his hand. Her scent
enveloped him, a mixture of dried grass, water, and freshly-turned
earth.
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