“It’s probably because I was so pissed that I didn’t see that one of the branches of the crown oak my sister Larissa was sledding under was weak. Sumi did, though. She screamed a warning and ran all out, knocking Larissa out of danger…Sumiko didn’t get clear, though. The branch hit her from over a hundred meters up.”
Stephanie could see it all in her imagination, the crown oak limb tearing free, the fragile black-haired girl smashed. She knew all too well how hard things could fall in heavy gravity.
Karl went on, his voice stiff. “I hollered for someone to call for help. I ran and hauled that tree limb off, but there was nothing I could do. Sumiko’s chest had been crushed, her lungs punctured. There was blood on her lips. She said something about our having at least six kids, that she loved me, and then…she died.”
Karl was crying now, his calm, stiff tone a frightening contrast to the tears that rolled down his cheeks. “She was dead and I’d killed her. Killed her because I wouldn’t give her a stupid ring that would have made her happy.”
“Karl…you didn’t! It wasn’t your fault….”
Karl gave her a twisted grin. “Yeah. Except it felt like it. It still feels like it. There’s not a day I don’t think about it, don’t wonder how things might have worked out. When I turned eighteen, I realized this would’ve been the year I gave Sumiko her ring…And I also realized that maybe I wouldn’t have. I mean, people change a lot. Three years? Would kids’ dreams have lasted that long? I don’t know.”
Stephanie fought back tears. “Kids’ dreams? That’s why you’re telling me this? Because of Anders?”
“Some.” Karl looked directly at her. “Maybe other reasons. Maybe because I’m beginning to be ready to let go of the ghost. Look, I don’t think what you felt—feel—for Anders isn’t real, but the fact is that most people don’t end up settling down with the first person they fall in love with. Even if they do, not all those relationships work out. I’m finally accepting that even if Sumi and I had gotten married, maybe it wouldn’t have been as perfect as we dreamed.”
“And maybe,” Stephanie said slowly, “if Anders hadn’t fallen for Jessica, something else would’ve come along to break us up. Still, there have got to be easier ways to get dumped than having your guy fall for your best friend.”
Karl poked her with one long finger. “Yours?’ They don’t really belong just to you, you know. And you don’t belong just to them. No matter what words you use, Jess and Anders have lives beyond how they relate to you…And you wouldn’t have gotten involved with them if you hadn’t thought both of them were pretty great people, right? Imagine how you’d feel if Anders had dumped you for Trudy!”
Stephanie actually found herself giggling. “I see what you mean. Okay.” She grew suddenly somber. “And, hey, Karl…Thanks. I won’t tell anyone.”
Karl nodded his appreciation. “Actually, I’m thinking it’s time I told my family. Maybe I’ll start with Irina. She’s pretty understanding. It’s time I stopped carrying this shadow on my heart. Sumiko deserves more than to be remembered for her last few hours.”
Stephanie nodded. “I think so. I think, you know, she’d probably like that a lot.”
* * *
“So, essentially,” Chief Ranger Shelton said, “you want to move an entire clan of treecats. You’re just giving the SFS a chance to pick where.”
Stephanie felt as if this was another test—and one where a lot more than the final mark rested on her answer.
“Well, sir, it’s sort of complicated. First of all, there is precedent—SFS relocated the remnants of the clan the Stray came from.”
“Ah, but in that case,” Shelton said, “the treecats were endangered by human actions. In this case, the fires were completely natural.”
Karl pointed to the holo map they’d brought with them. “Sir, humans are involved here, too. Not by causing the fires, but indirectly. Look at how many possible areas are blocked by human settlement.”
“Point taken,” Shelton said. “Still, why should the SFS get involved?”
Stephanie drew in a deep breath. “Well, sir, like I said, it’s complicated. If the treecats are animals, then this particular clan is living on Crown Lands, which makes them Crown property. If we just move them, say to a space on the Harrington freehold or on Karl’s family’s lands, then we’d be stealing. We don’t want to do that.”
“I am vastly relieved. Continue.”
“If, however, as a lot of people—”
“Including some members of the Adair Foundation,” Karl inserted helpfully, with an innocence that didn’t fool anyone.
Stephanie glared at him. “If, as some people seem to think, the treecats are sentient, then they should have the right to move wherever they want as long as where they go doesn’t get in the way of other people’s claims. I mean, if the ’cats are people, not property, then they can’t be stolen. If, say, Chet parked his truck and a bunch of ’cats got on, and then he gave them a lift, that wouldn’t be theft, right?”
“Perhaps letting you take those law courses wasn’t a good idea after all, Ms. Harrington. You have the makings of a bedroll lawyer.” Chief Ranger Shelton steepled his fingers and peered thoughtfully at his two provisional rangers. “Still, that’s an interesting point. I’ve been reading the interim reports from both Dr. Whitaker’s expedition and Dr. Radzinsky’s team. Certainly the balance seems to be tipping in favor of ruling the tree cats as at least marginally sentient.”
Karl nodded. “We’ve been looking at those, too. I must say, sir, with all due respect, that I think the question of sentience is settled. The level, now—that’s quite different. Dr. Whitaker’s in favor of a higher ranking. Dr. Radzinsky’s arguing for a lower one, especially since there’s no evidence the treecats have any form of writing or even a complex spoken language.”
“I expect,” Shelton said, “the debates will continue for a long while to come. And even when the scientists have submitted their papers, the question of the treecats’ legal status will take even longer to settle.”
He sat in thoughtful silence for long enough that only Lionheart’s calming presence stopped Stephanie from fidgeting.
“Still, I think it would be all for the best if in this instance we erred on the side of protectiveness,” he said finally. “We don’t want future generations to judge us for knowingly letting an entire group of ‘people’—no matter how unsophisticated—freeze and starve through our inaction.”
He sighed. “I mean, we drop hay for near-deer and prong bucks. The only thing that makes this different is that problem of interference—”
“—with a pristine indigenous population,” Stephanie and Karl chorused, made a bit giddy by relief.
“Yes. For that reason, I think that, other than suggesting a location, it would be better if the SFS didn’t take an official role. From the images Anders and Jessica sent, this Skinny ’Cat Clan is fairly small. Could you arrange for, say, Chet’s truck and a few other vehicles to be in the area on a day to be named later? I’ll make certain neither of you are on the duty roster that particular day. In fact, it might be a good time to arrange a field trip for all our anthropologists to some distant location….”
“Yes, sir!”
“Anders won’t mention any of this to his father?”
“He hasn’t so far, sir,” Stephanie said, “and he and Jessica have known about this the longest of anyone. By the way, in case you didn’t know, they took Survivor back to his clan yesterday.”
“I’d heard. Very well, start making arrangements. These maps narrow possible relocation areas, but we’ll need to make sure prospective locations are indeed uninhabited. Recruit Jessica Pheriss and Scott MacDallan to help with that—we’ll need Fisher and Valiant to help scout, since treecats are so good at hiding from humans. I’ll be in touch. For now, you’re dismissed.”