VAGABONDS: An American Fantasy

A Decision

For several hours, the tunnel to El Garro's den had been pulsing with moonlight and shadow, beckoning to him, making his head throb with the weight of the decision that faced him when he stepped out of the den.

He turned his back to the unsettling tunnel. With eyes barely open, he listened to the chirps of crickets, which clustered in depressions in the ceiling. A garter snake lay coiled in the deepest corner, where Anabel had always made the babies' nest. Not for the first time, a surge of emotion swelled: El Garro loved this den. All six litters of quadruplet females were born here, and his beloved Anabel died here. With Anabel gone and all his beautiful daughters gone, the den was empty. Lonely. The garter snake was cold comfort, and the crickets no longer sang of youth and beauty, love and family, triumphs and celebrations.

He shouldn't have forced Corrie to join the trek. With her in his den, he could have put off the inevitable a bit longer. But now, it was almost time to destroy this den.

With a sigh, he rose and started up. Halfway up, where the moonlight dropped a pale shaft of light into the tunnel, he paused and inspected his forelegs. Neither leg hurt. The absence of pain created the horror of leprosy: he could hurt himself and not even know it. Pain, as a means of protection, was lost to him. The sore on his right leg was creeping into his armor. His left leg was weaker than ever. He had probably injured that leg while trying to stop Victor and Galen from fighting. Walking was difficult. When he lifted his leg, his claws drooped, and he couldn't keep from dragging them along the ground. The leprosy was affecting everything he did.

"It was worth it," he thought. To establish Victor's leadership, El Garro had exerted his own leadership to make Galen submit. Victor wasn't the kind of armadillo to be content under another's command. Galen could follow a leader like Victor, though, and still make sure the trek was safe and successful. Both had roles to play, and El Garro was glad he had put them both firmly into the right roles.

Emerging into the meager light of the crescent moon, he nodded solemnly to the females who were waiting with slugs, a night crawler, and wild strawberries laid out on a strip of bark. The sweet smell reminded him of the first time he led his youngest daughters, including Corrie, to a strawberry patch. Smiling, he remembered their red mouths, red claws and the tight-stretched little stomachs. Where was Corrie tonight? Would she find her sisters?

Two females served him while two more scurried into his den with fresh leaves for his bed, and reappeared a moment later with the old leaves. With Corrie gone, the family had taken over her duties with a seriousness that made El Garro groan. He would rather be left alone, but he had to do these last things gracefully. There were ballads of aging leaders who ran about like a two-year old trekker, but they were pitiful tales to El Garro's ears. Regardless of how fearful it was to walk these days, he would be gentle, grateful and fair.

"Do you need anything else?" asked the smallest of the females.

El Garro didn't recognize her, but then he didn't have to let on. "Thank you, niece. Everything is fine." He did recall clearly dozens and dozens of armadillos who had gone trekking over the years. Sometimes he remembered them better than the first-borns who stayed with him; sometimes he dreamed of them trekking all alone and the burden of his decisions was almost too much to bear. He drew a deep breath. That was one good thing about the announcement he was planning: he would never again send young ones off on dangerous treks.

The females waited respectfully, without fidgeting, while he ate. He lingered over his meal as long as he could, but finally, he had to face it.

He lifted his head, struggled to keep it from trembling, and held them in a steady gaze, despite the effort it took. "Call a meeting for tonight. I will set a time for choosing a new leader."

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This American fantasy is available in print at your favorite online bookstore. eBook versions are available at MimsHouse.com and your favorite online bookstores.

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