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Alister awoke, tense and unsure where he was. He clenched his right hand into a fist, ready to clobber anyone who might happen to come near, then looked around in confusion. He was beneath the rusty iron leg of a train trestle perched at the top of a deep ravine, with a very large dog sleeping next to him. Below, a branch of the Iveria flowed past. Then the memories came rushing back—meeting Henry, the fight at the tavern, the escape, the bird called the Messenger, and the mysterious apelike being with the monkey on his shoulder. More snippets from the night before returned. He remembered everything. After fleeing the tavern, he and Henry had made a run for the train station during the fire.
The fire.
They had fled the scene while it was still burning, so he was unsure how it had ended for the Grotelby’s, or if the inn was even still standing. But he cared little to know; he was finally free, and his only hope was to never see Garibaldi or Rodene again.
When they had reached the station, it was boarded up for the night, but the bird and the silent man with the monkey were there waiting. Monkey was no longer wearing his archaic military uniform. Their reappearance had surprised him, though Henry seemed to know they would be there. This time, Alister had been able to understand everything conveyed between them. He learned that the bird, as well as the strange duo—Monkey, as Henry referred to them collectively—were from Kellandale Wood. Deep into the night, the pouring rain and the cold air had driven them to seek shelter. Down the tracks and around a bend Alister had found the bridge, and he and Henry had climbed down, wedging their bodies into the rocks so they would not fall into the ravine as they slept.
Alister sat up and rubbed his eyes. The chill of the dawn air hit his damp clothing. He shivered, pulling his arms around himself, then looked over at Henry, who was still fast asleep. “I hope I did right by you,” he said quietly. He looked around for the Messenger and Monkey, but they were not there. He stood up, brushing the dirt from his trousers and coat and moving his body around. He turned to Henry. “Hey, fella,” he said, waking him.
Henry roused himself. He stretched his long legs, flexing his toes, and wagged his tail softly.
“I think we slept pretty hard, though I’m not sure how, considering our accommodations. I hope we didn’t miss that train. We’d have to wait another week, because I don’t know how to find the circus without it.”
Henry stood up and together they climbed the embankment, intending to walk along the tracks back to the depot. Just then, there was a deep rumble and the trestle above shuddered as it grew louder. A train whistle sounded in the distance.
“Son of a mop bucket, we missed it,” Alister muttered. He watched as the nose of the train appeared from around the bend, then he ducked back down beneath the trestle with Henry. “It’s not going very fast yet. We can jump on as it passes by.”
Henry understood him and got ready to leap.
Alister wasn’t sure his plan was the best idea, but he didn’t want to let Henry down. He closed his eyes to concentrate, but opened them again as a loud crack cut through the air, followed by a dull thud as something heavy dropped onto the tracks just above them.
The train whistle blew again, this time long and loud, then the train came to a full stop with a piercing squeal of grinding metal.
Alister covered his ears, then nodded toward the embankment. Together they crept back up to see what had happened. The train was a mere twenty feet away and had stopped just short of hitting a mammoth-sized, uprooted, dead tree now splayed across the tracks. Alister could see through the underside of the train as a pair of enormous, ape-like feet flitted by, disappearing into the woods on the other side. A bird called out from the treetops.
Alister looked up, then back to the tree trunk and smiled to himself. Quickly, he scrambled behind a large boulder. Henry followed. Alister crouched down and looked up at the train, just barely able to make out the words “Amazing Feats” painted on one of the cars. The rest of the letters were chipped off, but the fanciful images of animals were a giveaway. “This is our ride, all right,” he said to Henry. “Looks like Monkey and the Messenger made it possible for us to get on after all.”
The conductor disembarked and three men emerged from the car behind the engine room to join him. They all walked to the front of the train.
Alister groaned when he saw it was Mudd, Ghant, and Oliver. They had obviously made it to the train depot from the tavern despite their eventful night, though without the prized bird or dog. To Alister’s relief, they hadn’t spotted him or Henry.
“What happened!” Mudd snapped as he surveyed the damage.
“The wind?” the conductor suggested weakly.
“The wind? There isn’t even enough of a gentle breeze to bend a daisy!”
The argument that followed, along with the droning of the idling train engine, gave Henry and Alister the perfect opportunity to slip on board without anyone noticing. “Over here, Henry,” Alister said as he reached up and grabbed the latch of the nearest train car and opened it slowly. Henry quickly jumped in.
They could hear Mudd barking more orders off in the distance just as two more men, neither of whom had been at the tavern, emerged. “Hey, boss!” one of them called out.
“What is it, Byron?” Mudd shouted back at the man.
“Looks like we got a hop-on. Saw some legs scrambling into car three.”
Mudd looked back at the train with annoyance. “Freeloader, eh? Come here and help get that consarned tree out of the way; I’ll take care of it.”
Byron walked to the front of the train as Mudd stormed over to the car and slid the door open abruptly.
Alister froze. His mind raced trying to figure a way out, but Henry’s thoughts washed over, steadying his nerves. He also connected the dots, recognizing that Mudd had played a crucial part in Henry’s past.
While Mudd didn’t recognize Henry as such, he did recognize him as the prize he had wanted to capture the night before, and he knew Alister from the tavern. “Well, look who we’ve got here. Not only did I not have to pay a dime, but I didn’t even need to lift a finger to catch that giant. You made it easy for me, lad. I thank you for that. I’ll just keep the dog, and you can hop right back off this train and get yourself back to town. The tavern was looking pretty rough when we left, but the inn is still standing. Right, get out son, I’ll handle the dog from here,” he chuckled.
Henry continued to silently communicate with Alister, giving him an idea.
He followed Henry’s lead. “I don’t think so,” Alister said to Mudd. “This dog is wild and unruly. You’re not going to be able to handle him without my help. I’m the only one he will listen to.”
Henry snarled to show Mudd exactly how unruly he was.
“It’s all right, boy,” Alister said, pretending to subdue him.
Henry immediately sat down at his command.
Alister turned to Mudd. “We have a bond. He listens to me, and only me. So that means wherever I go, he goes with me. Take me with you, and I promise I’ll look after him and I will teach him amazing tricks. Anyway, you can’t make me go back to Craggybog. It’s miserable, and I’ve got nowhere else to go.”
Mudd looked at Alister suspiciously. He reached out to grab Henry, who growled fiercely and snapped at his hand. He backed away.
Alister watched Mudd without breaking his gaze.
“I’m not so sure about this, kid. You’re just another mouth to feed and I’m not sure the boss will go for that.” He paused for a moment, then hollered to the front of the train. “Ghant Louis, get over here!”
He stormed over.
“Seems like you might have a purpose after all.”
Ghant’s eyes blazed.
“What can you do with this beast? Make him listen to you.”
“Here boy,” Ghant said gruffly to Henry, attempting to coax him out of the train. Henry didn’t budge so he stepped up into the car and approached him. “I know who you are, you mangy mutt. We were gonna snatch you up at the tavern. Come on then, don’t make me get rough.”
Henry’s fur bristled as he stood up to reveal his full size. He showed his teeth.
Ghant lurched backward. “He’s a wily one. Forget it, he’ll be too much work, and we’ve already got wolfhounds that look just like him,” he said, stepping out of the car.
“Here boy,” Alister said to Henry. Henry turned and wagged his tail at Alister again. “Up!” Alister commanded. Right on cue Henry reared up on his back legs.
Alister looked back at Mudd and Ghant with a grin.
“Ready!” a voice from the front of the train shouted.
Mudd stepped forward to get a look. “All right, everyone back on! That means you, too, Ghant,” he ordered.
Ghant sniffed and walked off.
Mudd turned back to Alister. “You might think it’s miserable back at the tavern, but you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into, son.”
Alister didn’t flinch.
“All right, you pesky kid. We need to get moving. You got lucky; you can hitch a ride with your dog. But remember, he belongs to us now—you’re just here to handle him. And you’d better be prepared to pull your own weight.” He slammed the door shut.
A few moments later the train began to creep forward. As it picked up speed, Alister searched for a spot to sit down, unsure how long of a ride they were in for. In the dappled light weakly shining through the spaces between slats of the car, he and Henry could just make out the shape of a small animal riding with them. It was facing the wall and its feet were shackled with chains to a bolt on the floor. Shriveled, dusty hay was spread around for food, but the animal’s head was hanging low and it showed no interest in its surroundings.
There was a jolt as the train lurched forward. The animal tried to maintain its balance, but the movement caused it to knock its head into the wall. Its rear legs buckled from the impact, and it fell to the ground.
Alister quickly rushed over to help and it turned to look up at him, quivering. It was very small—a tiny Rahsican grey elephant, just a baby.
She was breathing hard. She coiled her tiny trunk in the air repeatedly, trying to soothe herself.
Alister could understand her and realized that because Henry was beside him, he could communicate with her in the same way they could. “Don’t be frightened,” he said.
The tiny elephant was confused and instinctively shrank back, but when Henry looked into her eyes she relaxed. He told her his story, and Alister’s. Then images of her capture raced through their minds.
Her family, while searching for water, had become entangled in hunters’ traps. Then they were attacked, and many of them were killed. Then more men, different men than the hunters, had appeared and captured her. Other elephants who had heard her cries had come to help, but they, too, were attacked as she was taken away. She was put on a ship, then loaded onto the train by some of the very same men who were there now. She was far from her homeland and mourning her family, alone and frightened, with no hope of returning.
Henry moved over to her and lay by her side. Alister did the same, leaning his head next to hers. “All three of us are without family, now,” he said. “But we can be family to each other, if you want.” She wound her tiny trunk around his arm and he patted her gently.
Henry conveyed to her about his family at the circus. He promised she could trust them, and that they would take her to Kellandale to a new, loving family one day.
“You need a name,” Alister said gently.
She rumbled softly, her long eyelashes reflecting in the light. There was a tiny dandelion lying in the hay next to her and she picked it up in her trunk, offering it to him.
“How about we call you Wildflower,” he said with a smile.
For the first time since she had been captured, Wildflower had a moment of feeling safe, protected, and even loved. It helped ease her fear and deep sadness, even if just a little bit.
The train picked up speed, taking them to a place they did not wish to be taken. For the time being there was no other choice, but they had each other now. There was power in numbers, and now there was hope. The newfound comfort that came with a sense of unity allowed them all to drift into a quiet slumber as they raced onward to their new home together.