Enchantment (4 page)

Todd
tugged
at
the
fur
on
his
paws.
“
Well,
actua
ll
y
…
t
h
ere
are
two
bodies,
and
th
e
y
…w
e
ll the
y
…
a
lmo
s
t
died,
but
didn’t.”
Sheepish
l
y
,
he
continued.
“When
the
larger
of
the
two
fell
in
the water,
I
swam
aw
a
y
,
my
intent
being
to
watch
from
afar,
but
I
realized
it
m
ust
have
been
hurt before
hitting
the
water.
The
current
pulled
it
d
o
wn,
and
I
followed.
Blood—or
s
o
m
e
thing
like blood—came
from
its
head,
so
I
swam
closer.
That’s
when
I
heard
the
other
noise.
The contraption
they
were
floating
in
had
turned
upside-down
in
the
water,
and
the
other
creature see
m
ed
to
be
caught
inside.”
H
i
s
voice
dropped
into
a
whisper,
and
he
looked
terrified. “Kerrigan…it
spoke
to
me.”
Todd
thrust
his
little
pa
w
s
up,
and
s
hook
his
head
quick
l
y
.
“No, wait.
It
y
e
l
l
ed
at
m
e.
I
didn’t
think
Upper
World
creatures
could
co
m
mun
i
cate
with
us.
I
alwa
y
s believed
th
e
m
to
be
unable
to
speak
our
tongue.”

Kerrigan
frowned.
This
w
as
going
to
be
a
doo
z
y
.
This
story
wouldn’t
end
well.

“The litt
l
e
one
from the floating
thing
told
m
e
if I didn’t do
so
m
et
h
ing
to
save
its
m
aster,
I’d live
to
regret
it.
Can
y
o
u
believe
that!
The
tiny
creature
actual
l
y
threate
n
ed
m
e!
I
s
wam
closer and…well…before
I
tell
y
ou the
rest,
pro
m
ise
m
e
y
ou won’t
be
m
ad,”
Todd
pleaded.

Todd
never
hesitated
with
his
decisions,
and
Kerrigan
had
great
respect
for
h
i
m
,
but
a co
m
bin
a
tion
of
sleep
deprivation
and frustration
boiled
over.
“I’m
alrea
d
y
m
ad,
Todd.
Finish the stor
y
,
pronto,
or
y
o
u’re
going
to
have
a
bad
case
of
Itchits!”
Kerrigan
stifled
a
s
hudder
at
the thought
of the ti
n
y insects that loved
fur-bearing
creatures.
Their spi
k
y
legs
and incessant chatter had
been
kn
o
wn
to
drive
an
an
i
m
al
m
ad.

“You
w
ouldn’t.
I’m
sure
I
raised
y
o
u better
than
that,”
Todd
said
with
an
indignant
gasp. “Don’t
test
m
e.
Get
on
with
it.”

“Oka
y
.
Oka
y
.
The
lit
t
le
one
s
hrieked
at
m
e,
begging
m
e
to
save
its
m
as
t
er.
I
continued
to
s
wim
closer,
and
the
large
creature
looked
a
lot
like
an
Enchanter.
The
lit
t
le
it
s
wam
with desperation
and
attached
itself
to
the
larger
one.
My
heart
broke
when
I
heard
the
whi
m
p
ering. Kerrigan,
y
ou
weren’t
there.
Y
ou
don’t
kn
o
w
what
it’s
like!
I
couldn’t
watch
th
e
m
die,
s
o…I cocooned
the
m
.”

“You
did
what
?
”
Kerrigan
roared.

Paddy
Beaver
entered
the
kitchen,
paws
planted
on
her
sides.
“
Y
ou
two
keep
y
o
ur
voices d
o
wn!
I
won’t
have
this
bickering
in
my
house.
We
have
two
ve
r
y
sick
gu
e
sts,
and
they
need rest.
K
errigan,
I’ll
not
have
y
o
u
threatening
a
n
y
o
ne
in
my
house—especial
l
y
y
o
u
r
father.” Looking
from
the
sha
m
e
-
faced
Todd
to
the
du
m
bstruck
Kerrigan,
she
waddled
to
the
table
and sat
down.
“Behave
y
o
ursel
v
es.”

Kerrigan
re
m
ai
n
ed
silent.
Pad
d
y
had
such
an
air
of
confidence
and
genuine
care
that
few ever
questioned
her
authori
t
y
,
including
Kerrigan.

Enchantment
beavers
were
very
si
m
ilar
to
their
distant cousins
in the Upper
World,
with
the exclusion
of
size
and
m
a
g
ic
a
l
abili
t
ies.
Paddy
and
Todd,
the
eldest
of
the
clan,
were
w
ell- respected
in the
land of Enchan
t
m
e
nt.
Soul mates
through
and through, th
e
y had witnessed
m
uch together.
Their
abili
t
y
to
keep
Enchan
t
m
e
nt
secure
from
the
U
pper
World
m
e
ant
survival
for
all the
residents
of
the
hap
p
y
di
m
ension.