Page 57 of Tiger's Trek
Sima bumped into Stribog, and while they argued over who could board the transport first, Daz shook her head and smiled.
“And where are you in this thing?” Stacia asked.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Daz asked.
When Stacia just frowned and shook her head, Daz laughed and ballooned her cheeks, then made a shape with her hands over a rounded belly. “I’m the goddess of motherhood. Remember?”
“Oh, you’re responsible for the...” Stacia pointed out the great rounded shape above them floating in the air. “Does that mean we should expect something else in a few months’ time?”
Daz shrugged. “Not necessarily. But you never know. Do you?” She leaned closer. “I’ve also smuggled aboard a bagful of sunshine. When you need a break from the storms and lightning, just toss one overboard. You won’t get anywhere for a few hours, but at least you’ll have a nice sunny day. With Zima around, it will still be cold. But the sun helps.”
“I understand. Spasibo,” Stacia said.
“Pozhaluysta. Speaking of which, I’d better fetch her so you all can get going. And here.” She pressed another bag into her hands.
“What’s this?” asked Stacia. “You’ve already given us too much.”
“It’s nothing. Just three extra biscuits. I have a feeling you’ll need them. Remember: Once the Games begin, your friend must see them through to the conclusion.”
“I’ve got it. Now, teach me how to drive this thing.”
Stacia hooked arms with Daz, and they followed the other sisters and Zakhar into the very strange transport.
* * *
Zima and Zakhar were much more enthusiastic about the new means of travel than Stacia, who much preferred having her claws dug into the dirt or in the bark of the nearest tree trunk. It was strange to her that she missed her tiger. She felt... off-balance without it. Like she was always teetering on the edge of a cliff, almost on the verge of falling over.
When the birds rose in the sky, taking them along for the ride, Stacia’s stomach lurched. She even feared she’d lose the contents of her belly over the side of the ship and sank down to the bottom of the vessel, putting her head between her knees and taking several deep breaths to steady herself.
Meanwhile, Zima and Zakhar were studying all the instruments, pressing every knob, and flipping every switch, then taking careful notes as to what resulted from each button push. Zima seemed to make a very good scribe-in-training. The only problem was that the inkpot kept freezing. They solved the problem by switching over to chalks and charcoal pencils.
Zima told them the ermine’s name was Belizna. The furry white creature stuck its nose out of Zakhar’s pocket and slid out onto the floor, then hopped on its short legs over to Stacia. With twitching whiskers, it sniffed around her and quickly found the bag containing the biscuits Daz had given her.
“Oh, no you don’t, little lady,” Stacia said, taking the bag away and stowing it in her own coat. “Here, you can have some rye or barley instead. This stuff won’t run out. If you want it cooked, you’re going to have to wait.”
The animal sniffed the grain and hissed at her, baring its teeth.
“Don’t like that, eh?” she said.
“She doesn’t eat things like that,” Zima said as she scratched on her paper.
“Well, what does she eat?” asked Stacia.
“She mostly hunts for herself. She eats birds, mice, lizards, that sort of thing.”
“Ah, you’re more like me, then, aren’t you, little girl?”
Zima looked up from her drawing. “Did you say she’s like you?”
“Yes. Like me and Iriko.”
The little girl frowned. “You’re not like Iriko.”
“I used to be,” Stacia said softly as she began petting Belizna. “How are we going to feed you, I wonder?” she said as she scratched the white ermine’s soft ears. “I’m fresh out of mice, and I don’t think Sima would take too kindly to you eating one of her birds.”
“Perhaps she can hunt when we put down for the night,” Zakhar said.
“Do we need to? Set down, I mean. Wouldn’t it be better to keep going? Get there as fast as possible?” Stacia asked.
