More scratching, and the pack passed back a fragment as big as Jefri's head. There really was a hole between the blocks, and it was big enough for Amdi. One of him darted into the tiny cave. "Satisfied?" Jefri plunked himself down by the hole and tried to look in. "Guess what!" Amdi's shrill came from a member right by his ear. "There's a tunnel back here, not just another layer of stone!" A member wriggled past Jefri and disappeared into the dark. Secret tunnels? That was too much like a Nyjoran fairy tale. "These are big enough for a full-grown member,
复件 (99) air max, Jefri. You could get through these on hands 'n' knees." Two more of Amdi disappeared into the hole. The tunnel he had discovered might be large enough for a human child, but the entrance hole was a tight fit even for the puppies. Jefri had nothing to do but stare into the darkness. The parts of Amdi that remained at the entrance talked about what he had found. "-- Goes on for a long, long way. I've doubled back a couple of times. The top of me is about five meters up,
mbt clearance, way over your head. This is kooky. I'm getting all strung out." Amdi sounded even sillier than his normal playfulness. Two more of him went into the hole. This was developing into serious adventure -- that Jefri could have no part of. "Don't go too far; it might be dangerous." One of the pair that remained looked up at him. "Don't worry. Don't worry. The tunnel isn't an accident. It feels like it was cut as grooves in the stones when they were laid. This is some special escape route Mister Steel made. I'm all right. I'm all right. Ha ha, hoohooo." One more disappeared into the hole. After a moment the last remaining one ran in, but stayed near enough to the entrance so Amdi could still talk to Jefri. The pack was having a high old time, singing and screeching to itself. Jefri knew exactly what the other was up to; it was another of the games he could never play. In this posture, Amdi's thoughts would be the weirdest rippling things. Darn. Now that he was playing within stone, it must be even neater than before,
复件 (30) air max2,
DRE BEATS BY LADY GAGA, since he was totally cut off from all thoughts except from member to adjacent member. The stupid singing went on a little longer, and then Amdi spoke in an almost reasonable tone. "Hei, this tunnel actually splits off in places. The front of me has come to a fork. One side is heading down.... Wish I had enough members to go both ways!" "Well, you don't!" "Hei ho, I'll take the upper tunnel today." A few seconds of silence. "There's a little door here! Like a member-size room door. Not locked." Amdi relayed the sounds of stone scritching against stone. "Ha! I can see light! Up just a few more meters, it opens onto a window. Hear the wind." He relayed wind sound and the keening of the sea birds that soared up from Hidden Island. It sounded wonderful. "Oh oh,
复件 (39) air max, this is stretching things, but I wanna look out.... Jefri, I can see the sun! I'm outdoors, sitting way up on the side of the dome. I can see all round to the south. Boy,
复件 (70) air max, it's smoky down there." "What about the hillside?" Jefri asked the nearest member; its white-splotched pelt was barely visible through the entrance hole. At least Amdi was staying in touch. "A little browner than last tenday. I don't see any soldiers out there." Relayed sound of a cannon firing. "Yipes. We're shooting though.... It hit just on this side of the crest. There's someone out there, just below my line of sight." Woodcarver, come at last. Jefri shivered, angry that he couldn't see, frightened of what might be seen. He often had nightmares about what Woodcarver must truly be, how she had done it to Mom and Dad and Johanna.