Long ago and far away there was a tiny village. If you stood on a hill above the village you would see that you were on the edge of a great forest. It stretched as far as the eye could see, rising towards distant snow-capped mountains, hazy in the sunlight. In the other direction, the land dropped away slowly, a mix of woods and open spaces with chimney smoke marking occasional villages. There were even towns down near the coast, but they were too far away to see.

The few people who knew about the village called it 'the village in between', because it was between the wilderness of the forest and the inhabited lands below. No road led to it; if you wanted to get there you had to walk, or ride on horseback. Not many people visited.

The villagers lived a simple life. They cut a few trees to build their log houses and collected fallen logs to heat their wood stoves. In the clearing they had made they kept goats for milk and hens for eggs. They grew vegetables and some corn. There were beehives, and the forest provided them with berries and mushrooms, herbs and roots to eat. They made earthenware pots and plates from local clay. Anything else they needed, they traded for down the hill. On the whole, they were content. They did not spend much time down the hill where were more people, or up the hill in the wilderness. Just keeping alive was hard enough work.

In the forest lived the usual animals that live in forests. But there was one extra. He was a Thumpus Wumpus — and that was his name as well. He was as big as a Highland cow, and even more hairy, with shaggy brown fur which was always getting twigs caught in it. He had a long, powerful tail — his thumpus, with which he could make a loud booming noise when he bashed it on the ground or against large trees — his wumpus. When he was happy — especially at nightfall or when the moon was full — he would howl (he called it singing), a dreadful, long drawn out gargling noise, followed by the wump of his thumpus. He was a very rare animal — so rare that he himself had never seen another Thumpus since he was a cub.

The villagers were very frightened of this racket, though the most they ever saw of Thumpus was a shadow far away through the trees. They imagined there were many Thumping Wumpii — they called them 'Thumps' and thought they were very ferocious. Apart from two daring young hunters we shall meet later, they never went far into the forest, and only in daytime at that.

In actual fact, Thumpus Wumpus was a pretty harmless sort of animal. He scruffled around in the woods, sniffling at anything, eating what he could find — as long as it didn't bite back. He had a placid and easygoing disposition. True, he was a bit devious and, if hungry, might sneak up on a potential meal from the other side of a tree to catch it from behind. He also smelt rather rancid.

The special thing about Thumpus was that he was telepathic. He could pick up the thoughts and feelings of other animals and project his own thoughts to them. It was his main means of defence against the more ferocious animals that lived in some parts of the forest, for whom he would have made a tasty meal.

Although the villagers were frightened of Thumpus, he was interested in them. His telepathic sense caught scraps of thought from the village. At first, they made him confused and ill. But, perhaps because he was so lonely, instead of clearing off, far from thought range of the village, he continued to listen till he began to understand. He even practised sending small thoughts like, <Fungi tasty this week>, or, <Feels good to have a full tummy.> After a while he became quite good at it.

As you can see, Thumpus was ready for closer contact with human kind, and this is how it happened.

Scientific Note.

Thumpus Wumpus is the only remaining species of the ancient order, Scrofulus Woofulus, other varieties being long extinct. Characterised by patching and moulting of their dishevelled, shaggy fur (Scrofulous) and by the ghastly sounds they emitted (Woofulus), they existed briefly at the dawn of history. It has been surmised that they used their telepathic faculty to keep order in the forests, but this theory is contested by Crutt (q.v.), who thinks they were merely an aberration.

One fine morning, when the forest was damp and tangy with smells of autumn, the birches were yellowing slightly in the glades and the pine trees had vague thoughts of cold, long nights to come, two children came out to gather mushrooms in the woods beyond the clearing surrounding the village. They were happy in the autumn sunshine, smelling the autumn smells, listening to the occasional autumn squawk of the woodland birds. Tash was ten, and dark like his mother. Tesh was twelve and fair like her father. They knew about wild mushrooms as well as anyone in the village; which were good to eat, which were better left alone, and those few types which should never on any account be picked. With them they did not make mistakes, for just one taste could spell serious trouble — or even disaster.

There were plenty of mushrooms in the forest, but today they were after a specially tasty variety — large, with a round brown top, whitish, sponge-like gills and a fat stalk touched with black lines — the famous 'gurgli', delicious in soups, and to be dried for the winter. There weren't so many of these mushrooms at the edge of the forest so it was tempting to venture a little further in, to glades of birch deeper amid the pines, which they had visited before only in more experienced company. This they should not have done; there had been clear warnings of the multiple dangers of venturing too far into the trees, of getting lost, of wild animals that might be hungry, and especially of the secretive 'Thumps' who, as far as anyone knew, might relish a young human as a morning snack.

Nothing was further from the mind of old, grey-muzzled Thumpus as he sat, satisfied but a little lonely, and enjoyed the morning. He began to distinguish the thoughts and feelings of Tash and Tesh as they wandered the woods on the trail of elusive gurgli. He knew that they wanted to take full baskets back to please their parents; that they loved the autumn feel of the place almost as much as he did; they were really happy.

Not far from where Thumpus sat was a clearing with a small stream, around the edge of which were growing large numbers of gurgli, so far undiscovered by humans. It was about a quarter of an hour's wander deeper into the woods than where Tash and Tesh were searching.

Then Thumpus did something he should not have done, something that was to change his life and that of the children, for ever. True, it did not seem to be dangerous. Humans, being much less sensitive than animals, could only pick up the vaguest feelings from his telepathic sendings. Nevertheless, he was usually careful. But the morning was so nice, the sunshine so mellow, the enjoyment of the children in his forest so delightful, that he forgot himself for a moment and projected an image of the gurgli in the glade nearby. …

Tesh shook her head. In it was a picture of a woodland glade not a long way further into the forest, covered with unspoilt, fresh gurgli, some of them almost as large as a dinner plate. She had picked up Thumpus' projection perfectly! Tash, however, had just got a feeling, — <Mushrooms!> and some excitement.

'Tash, I know where we can fill our baskets with gurgli! I saw it in my head, absolutely clear. It's not far away in that direction,' said Tesh, pointing deeper into the forest. 'There's a sort of clearing, with a stream flowing through it and there are masses and masses of them!'

Tash thought of the endlessness of the forest, of how easy it was to get lost, of parental warnings, and of trust in him to be sensible. But he did not want to appear faint-hearted to his sister.

'Well,' he said, doubtfully, 'we'll go a little way, but we must be really careful to remember the way we came from here.' He was fairly sure he could find his way back from their present spot.

Following Tesh's lead, they moved deeper into the woods, climbing slightly, till all the little signs they used to find their way — the form the roots of a particular tree took, the way the trees bunched together, variations in the undergrowth — became unfamiliar. Still Tesh went on, following the image in her head, turning this way and that to avoid trees and dead branches, till Tash felt more and more worried. However, there was nothing he could do but follow Tesh.

In a quite short time — to anxious Tash it seemed much longer — they entered a glade; it was not really a clearing, but a place where the trees were not so dense, where more birches grew, and where the sunlight dappled the ground in an endless patchwork of different shapes. And amongst them all, gurgli! — the crop of a lifetime; something to be recalled round the winter fire for years to come; an endless supply of pure, unadulterated gurgli, far more than they could ever carry home.

Tesh and Tash set to to fill their baskets, anxieties forgotten, oblivious to everything but gurgli.

'You see, I was right. They are here.'

'You were right,' Tash had to admit.

There were so many mushrooms, the children could even be choosy, picking only the freshest, largest, most perfectly formed specimins. It wasn't long before the baskets were overflowing. They sat by the little stream enjoying the abundance of harvest.

'This isn't the River, is it,' said Tesh. The River was the name of the large stream that flowed by the village and gave them water.

'No, it's much too tiny. Besides, I think it flows in the other direction.' Tash did not want to admit that he was not sure exactly where the River was. All his anxieties were returning now that the excitement of the gurgli picking was over.

'Tash,' whispered Tesh, leaning over to him, 'something is watching us!'

Thumpus, who had been cautiously peering at the children round the side of a tree at the edge of the glade, picked up the thought behind the words perfectly and hastily drew his head back.

'Damn!' he thought.

'It doesn't want to be discovered,' Tesh went on, cuddling up to the now dejected Tash. All their pleasure at the wonderful harvest of gurgli had evaporated. The morning was no longer bright. They were frightened and alone in the sinister forest of the stories they had heard.

'We've got to get back home,' said Tash. He clenched his teeth. He was not sure where home was. How long had they been in the glade? Where had the sun been when they arrived? He stood up, picked up his laden basket and started off in the direction he thought they should go, more or less following the stream downhill. Tesh followed.

'Are you sure that's the right way?' objected Tesh, mildly. 'I thought we came over the ridge to get here.' Tash was not sure. Nor was he sure if Tesh was right.

'I think its this way.'

Thumpus was suddenly very awake. The children were heading in the wrong direction, on a path that would never bring them back to the village.

'Damn!' he thought again, 'and blast, too!'

'The thing's there again,' said Tesh, misinterpreting the thought this time. 'It doesn't want us to go.'

'So it can eat us, probably!' Tash started to run.

Thumpus felt woolly in his head. What should he do? They were heading away from the village and Kamal, the ever-hungry bear, might find them if they went much further, especially after dark. He could leave them to their fate, but — he had been responsible for sending the thought which had drawn the children to the glade in the first place. Tesh had picked up that thought as no human had ever done before. Besides, he liked these children. He had never dared to be so close to humans and he was finding them were more than intriguing — they were positively attractive. On the other hand, if he did do something to help them, they would learn who he was; people might come after him from the village and he would have to leave the area…

Thumpus wumped his tail on the ground in frustration, snapping a small tree and sending a deep boom echoing through the forest. The terrified children panicked and ran, scattering mushrooms behind them. Back in the village, people looked at each other, startled at the unexpected sound on the sunny morning, and Tash and Tesh's parents grabbed sticks. Shouting to others for help, they started for the woods.

The sound penetrated the wool in Thumpus' head. He had to do something, now.

He loped around, on a course to merge with that of the fleeing children. When he had to, he could be surprisingly fast.

<Stop!> he sent, <Wrong way! I'll help you.> Tesh pulled up short. She had received the projection loud and clear.

'Tash, there's something wants to help us. We're going the wrong way. It called to us. I heard it, clearly — in my head.'

Part of Tash just wanted to run and run, but he couldn't leave his sister behind. That would be the end of everything. He stopped and reluctantly returned to where she was standing, rooted to the spot.

Fearfully they looked around, and there, suddenly, lumbering between the trees and stopping as soon as it saw them, was a huge, mangy beast with an enormous tail and a long pink tongue hanging out of its large jaws.

'This is it,' thought Tash. 'The End! If only we hadn't gone off to get the gurgli. If only I hadn't listened to Tesh!'

<Friend!> sent Thumpus, in spite of himself. These were the most unlikely friends he could imagine. Besides, he didn't have any friends, ever. <Won't eat you.>

Tesh stared at the dishevelled monster with wide eyes.

'That's what's talking to me!' Her breath came unevenly. 'He won't hurt us. He wants to be friends.' Tash didn't hear the sending like Tesh, but he felt better. The fear was suddenly his own and not the situation's.

The little group eyed each other cautiously. Thumpus saw, for the first time, the bright, intelligent, frightened eyes of the small humans, looked into them — and was hooked like a fish on a line. They were important, the most important thing that had ever happened to him. He felt his heart turn over and a giddy shiver went right through him. He loved. He raised his head and gave a soft, whining yowl, like a dying pig. He sat down on the ground. This felt awful.

Tesh and Tash saw, for the first time, the large, soft, silly, slightly duplicitous brown eyes of a Thumpus Wumpus. They were irresistible.

'He's gorgeous,' breathed Tesh, 'so cuddly. And what a mess!' She thought of herself combing that matted brown and cream fur, disentangling bits of stick and bark, even of being licked by the dangling pink tongue.

'You could ride on his back,' said Tash, finally releasing his fear.

Far away, in the direction they hadn't been running — the direction of the village — came the shouts of searchers and worried parents.

Overcome with a new wisdom, Thumpus, got up and turned.

<This way,> he sent, <Lead you back.>

He lumbered off between the trees, slowly, dejectedly. Now he would have to lose them again, just found. How could he bear it?

Tesh, too, found a new wisdom in herself.

<We'll meet you again, just here. You'll lead us to you.> She thought the thought and at the same time, sent it.

Thumpus received it, like a bell clanging in his head. For the first time since he parted from his mother, someone had sent a message personally directed to him. He started shivering again. This was getting totally out of control.

<All right,> he answered. <Know when you coming. Will call.>

'Tash, he'll meet us again. He says so, inside…'

But the anxious voices of human adults were getting louder, and nearer.

'Tash! Tesh! Where are you? Come back — at once!'

Thumpus moved to one side and melted into the trees like a patch of light and shade. The children ran towards the voices. The worried, scolding arms of their parents embraced them. Somebody saw a moving shadow at the edge of vision.

'Why were you so far away? Thank God you're all right. There's a thump about. Didn't you hear it wumping? You could have been eaten!'

'But…,' began Tesh.

'No buts. Lord's Mercy, we found you safe! Back to the village.'

The gurgli lay scattered around the forest where they had been dropped in the panic. One or two remained in the baskets, the only evidence of the glade and the day's adventures.

Thumpus felt more dejected and confused than he could ever remember. What on earth had he got himself into? What had happened to him? It was crazy to meet Tash and Tesh again. The villagers would kill him if they saw him with them. He absent-mindedly chewed on some grass to settle his stomach…

III

Of course, their stories about meeting the wump were not believed. Even less were Tesh's assertions that it was friendly and that she could talk with it 'in her head'. That made her mother angry.

'What rubbish! Are you sick, girl? Animals can't talk, in your head or outside. How can we let you out alone if you're going to come up with such stories?' Even their friends scoffed in disbelief. The children were forbidden to go to the woods alone, and that, for several days, was that.

But Tash and Tesh knew that they were not making it up At least they were both sure about meeting Thumpus and how he had led them back towards the village. Tash had heard no voices in his head, and tried to persuade Tesh that she had imagined that bit — at least to compromise with parental views.

'But he did talk to me. Otherwise how would we have found the gurgli or known that he was friendly?' Tesh was not quite sure how it had happened, though. She would wake up at night, thinking about it. Surely it was not some dream. She had had the pictures in her head. She had sent one and the wump had understood.

As for Thumpus, he thought it was the most miserable time of his whole life. He had messed everything up. The children were gone and would no doubt never be allowed out alone again. His peace of mind was gone. The pleasant, lonely life scruffling around in the woods had no appeal any more. Life was just miserable.

For a whole week he resisted doing anything. Then it was just too much. In spite of himself and fearing the worst, he was driven by feelings he did not understand and could not control. In the woods with the children, love had woken in his heart. He just wanted to be with them.

The night was star spangled, with a quarter moon. He crept down through the forest, close to the village clearing. To Tesh, who could hear him, he sent a despairing call:

<Unhappy! Miss you so much. Come see again.> Tesh was dreaming of the monster beast. In her dream, it had crawled up to her abjectly and was licking her toes with its pink tongue.

'Good beast,' she said absently and half woke. As she did so, she heard Thumpus' dejected message. In an instant, she was wide awake. Another instant and she was by Tash's bed on the other side of the room.

'Tash, Tash!' she whispered urgently. 'Wake up! He's calling us. He's unhappy. He misses us. He wants to see us again.' Tash, awakened abruptly from his own dreams, lay still with wide open eyes, looking at the starlight softened dark of the room. He was fed up with being disbelieved by his parents. He felt rebellious and defiant.

'Come on then, let's go to him,' he said, and instantly regretted it. But the words were spoken. Tesh needed only that encouragement from her brother. Silently, they put coats over their night things. Silently, they picked up their shoes. Almost silently, they opened the creaking door and crept out. Another door and they were with the stars outside. No one had stirred!

<We're coming. Wait for us,> sent Tesh and once more Thumpus heard her message loud in his head. They headed to the edge of the sleeping village and across the cleared area to the wall of dark woodland blackening the sky.

As they approached the trees, they paused, scared again.

'Suppose he's fooling us,' Tash said, softly. 'Suppose he just wanted to lure us out here in the dark, alone, so he could eat us undisturbed!' Tesh shivered.

'He won't do that,' she replied. 'He just wants to see us. He's lonely.' As they stood, undecided, in front of the line of trees marking the beginning of the endless forest, she sent another message into nothingness:

<We're frightened. What do you want with us. Do you want to eat us?> Thumpus, heading along the edge of the woods in the general direction he thought the children might arrive — if they really came at all — was also feeling anxious. Would they come alone? Might there not be villagers creeping up behind them? But the ambience of the village seemed calm, full of night sleep and dream states. When Tesh's message came to him, he realised he was already very close — 20 metres inside the tree line, almost opposite to where they were.. How could anyone be frightened of a Thumping Wumpus? Such a delightful, soft, shambling creature. They must know he would never hurt them. He wasn't a Mountain Lion or a Grizzly Bear. He made a quick telepathic check to be quite sure that the thoughts of such a beast weren't anywhere in the vicinity and sent a message back to Tesh.

<Friend. Hurt never! Want be with again! Close in woods.>

'He's there,' whispered Tesh, very quietly. 'He says he'll never hurt us, that he's our friend.' She pulled at Tash's sleeve to go to the woods' edge. Tash hesitated.

'How do we know he's truthful,' he thought, remembering the friendly, captivating, slight duplicity in the eyes he had seen in their first encounter a week before. But he allowed Tesh to pull him forward to the trees.

In the dark in front of them, there was a darker patch — a patch that moved.

<Friend, friend, friend!> sent Thumpus, picking up their fear, rapidly mounting to terror as his dark, uncertain shape slowly approached them. An incredible feeling suddenly swept over him. They had come — to him! Not for any other reason. Just because he was Thumpus. The urge to howl and wump was almost overwhelming. But Thumpus had some sense in him and knew it would spoil everything because it would wake the village. However,the feelings were so strong he couldn't stand up any longer, and dropped on to his belly, panting breaths shaking him.

Summoning more courage than she knew she had, Tesh moved slowly towards him, Tash a little behind. Lord, it was large! Even lying on the ground, the dark, barely distinguishable shape was almost as high as she was. If the images in her head were wrong, they were wump meat! She was less than 2 metres away from him! She stopped, and hesitatingly put out her hand. The only thing Thumpus could think of to do was to edge forward and lick it , gently, sweetly.

Tesh shook with suppressed excitement. Just like in her dream.…

'He licked me!' The words burst out of her in a low voice. 'Tash, he licked me — it's rough, like wet sandpaper!' Nervously, Tash advanced to his sister and put his hand gingerly forward. Once more, Thumpus obliged.

'Wow! You could plane wood with that tongue.' Thumpus picked up the thought behind the words, and was a little hurt. His soft, tentative tongue, licking like a baby Wumpus at his mother's nipple, compared to — Thumpus was not clear what sandpaper or planes were, but he sensed they were rough. Meanwhile, Tesh, confident now that her dream had been confirmed, stepped forward and started to run her hand over the thick, woolly, matted fur.

'He's so soft.'

'But he smells pretty strong,' countered Tash, nevertheless himself advancing and running his hand over and through Thumpus' protection against the winter, now beginning to grow strong and thick.

'We could wash him, and comb him.' Thumpus, in seventh heaven as the children stroked and cuddled him, had a dreadful thought — Getting to know these children wasn't going to be all pleasure. He didn't smell. His coat was perfectly all right as it was. It had served him for many years without being washed.

<Don't smell,> he sent out querulously.

'He says he doesn't smell' said Tesh. <I'm afraid you do, my dear,> she sent back, <rather dreadfully, actually.>

'They say people can't smell their own smell,' said Tash. 'Probably he's been on his own for years and wump smell just seems like 'no-smell' to him.' Thumpus became aware that loving and being loved had a definite down side. People judged you all the time. He changed tack, giving just the tiniest little whine. The sound was like someone dragging a knife across rusty wire. The children shrank back a little.

<Hush, you'll wake the whole village!> sent Tesh, after a moment to recover. Then she realised the poor wump had not meant to be loud and stroked her fingers once more though his fur.

<You two smell,> he sent, <not me. You pong> — he couldn't resist fighting back a bit — <like pine needles on summer morning.>

'Oh, he says we smell, too, but lovely like fresh pine needles.' Tesh giggled. She didn't care much about the wump's bodyodour. That could be dealt with later — though the appalling breath would be more difficult. Perhaps they could change his diet. She turned her attention to the hulking animal once more.

<Tell us about you. Who are you? What are you?>

<Thumpus Wumpus, of course,> returned Thumpus, <of Thumping Wumpii. Perhaps last one,> he added, sadly.

Tesh was shocked. Like all the villagers, she had thought the woods were full of Thumps.

<What about your mother and father? Your brothers and sisters?>

<Don't know father. Brothers, sisters, no — only me. Wumpii leave mums as get older — just way we're made. Maybe dead now.> Thumpus paused. <Happy to have friends,> he added. Tesh shared his story with Tash. Both of them hugged the old beast hard. He shivered and was sad for a moment, remembering all the years of loneliness, all the years without any other Wumpii around.

'We've got to go back.' Tash had suddenly remembered what they had done. 'It'll be morning soon. We've got to get in before anyone wakes.' Tesh knew he was right.

'We must meet him again, soon, for longer, in daylight. This way isn't any good. We'll have to find a way for everyone to meet him and learn that he's gentle, not violent.'

<You aren't violent, ever, are you?> she sent to Thumpus.

<Never!> returned Thumpus, not even thinking about mice and wood hares he killed occasionally to supplement his diet.

<We must go,> sent Tesh. <But we'll see again very soon, in daytime. Don't worry, listen for my thought. Have to find a way to introduce you to the others, so not afraid of you.>

'Bye now!' Tesh and Tash cuddled up to the huge, fawning beast as if they had known him all their lives, suffered another lick, and ran off out of the trees across the cleared land, as the sky gave just the slightest hint that another day might be in store for them. They got back into their room without incident, flung off their coats and snuggled, chilled, to warm themselves in the bedclothes.

After a while, Thumpus got up, turned, and retreated slowly into his forest. They were wonderful, he thought, sharp and responsive; but so critical. Thumpus' sense of self was somewhat mauled. Did he really smell? Was his tongue so rough? Did even his tiniest whine sound so loud? Yet it was so lovely to have them touch him, stroke him, to have friends at last…

For the next couple of days and nights, the forest resounded with wumps and howls as Thumpus released his joyful feelings. The villagers shook their heads and did not go alone into the woods. But, at Tash and Teshs' house, something was going on.

Lelesh, the children's mother, looked in on her sleeping brood just after 7.30. The sun was shining, a glorious day, and the children were usually well up by this time, since everyone went to bed pretty early in the village. The first thing she noticed was the smell. There was a very strong animal smell in the room, somewhat reminiscent of goat. Then she saw the outdoor coats, thrown carelessly on the floor and, bending down, she traced the source of the smell to them. Next, as she bent over the sleeping Tesh, she realised that the smell also came from her face and hair. The same applied to Tash. Finally, she left the room quietly and sought her husband, Prush, just getting up in the other room.

'Something very strange, Prush,' she said. 'I want you to come to the children's room for a moment.'

Prush pulled on his shirt and trousers and dutifully followed his wife back into the children's room.

'Do you notice anything,' she whispered.

'Funny stink — like a goat, I would say. The children are sleeping late.'

'Look at the coats. They've been out last night. We've got to get to the bottom of this!'

Prush went over to the now restless Tash and gently shook his shoulder. Tash and Tesh were his pride and joy.

'Wake up, Son,' he said. Tash gave a shiver and emerged into the bright morning, stretching.

'Tired.' He yawned, then realised that both his parents were in the room. 'Something the matter?' By now, Tesh was stirring as well.

'What's the stink in here? You two been out with the goats last night?'

'No,' said Tash, truthfully, 'of course not' — this for emphasis. He was still a little confused from sleep.

'Yes, we were,' lied his sister, who had become fully awake while attention was on her brother, and, taking in the situation with parents and coats, and a definite smell in the room, realised that the game was up. Maybe goats would save them!

'Goats!' Her mother turned on her sharply. 'What's this all about. You've been cuddling up to them from the stink on you!' She wrinkled her nose. 'And it isn't quite goat smell either. Now, we'd better get to the bottom of this — and fast. It could be dangerous at night. No-one goes out alone. Besides, you two are banned from going out alone at all right now!'

Tash and Tesh glanced at each other. They hadn't thought of preparing a story in case of discovery, and their first responses had made it clear to their parents that something was certainly amiss. Tesh suddenly realised that she was sensing her parents' mood — there was more anxiety than anger, but it was unstable.

'It was a dare,' she said, hoping to take the pressure off Tash. 'I dared Tash to go out in the moonlight, and he took me up on it. We were fed up with being kept in,' she added. This seemed a good stratagem, to turn some of the responsibility back on her parents.

'Yes, that's right,' said Tash, lamely, following his sister's lead, and contradicting his own first words. 'She dared me, and we went out to see the goats.' His slight hesitation made it clear to Lelesh that the truth was not coming out. At least not all of it.

'Now tell me,' she spoke slowly, in a voice that said the children had better not mess with her, 'what's going on. I don't like you trying to fool us with stories. You're transparent as two glass windows. It was Tash that told the truth, at first, wasn't it?' She glared accusingly at Tesh.

Tesh could sense a tinge of anger in her mother's anxious feelings now. 'We've had it,' she thought. 'She's even noticed that it's not goat smell.' The only thing left was to try to play it out and hope for some diversion.

'I did dare Tash to go out,' she answered. At least that was more or less truthful.

'And where; and why?' Her father's thoughts were actually anxious and loving, though his voice was stern.

'For an adventure,' she said, 'to the wood's edge.' In another situation, that would perhaps have been all right, earning them no more than a good talking to — but they hadn't explained the smell. And she knew her mother wouldn't let up.

At that moment, the diversion she had hoped for happened, but the worst one possible in the circumstances. In remembering his pleasure at the night's meeting, Thumpus emitted a howling whoop and wumped his tail magnificently against a big old pine tree. Even he was gratified by the result.

'Eegh — Oww — Aargh — Ugh — Grrrr…' Thwack! The noise resounded through the woods and spread over the village. Lelesh and Prush blenched and shuddered. Tesh and Tash looked at each other. Tesh clearly felt Thumpus' joy and knew he was happy to have been with them. In spite of the circumstances, she could not totally repress a little smirk and half giggle that bubbled up in her.

Lelesh's sharp eyes were focused on Tesh's face. She missed neither grin nor giggle. The cat or, in this case, Thumpus — was out of the bag!'

'I knew it,' she said, horrified. 'You've been out after that terrible thump. And by the smell of you, you got pretty close to it!'

'You can't be serious,' said Prush in a strangled voice. 'That thing would have had them in an instant.' There was no use dissembling any more. The children glanced at each other. It was Tash who now came to the fore.

'It's not an it — it's a he. His name's Thumpus.'

'He's not terrible at all,' he continued, the words tumbling out, 'he's lovely. He's lonely. He was so happy to meet us. We cuddled up to him. He does speak to Tesh in her thoughts. That's how we found him and knew that he was our friend. He's lovely,' he repeated, 'We want you to meet him.'

'That's right,' Tesh confirmed. 'You see, he does speak to me inside. I know everything he thinks, as he thinks it. He's lonely and friendly. There aren't any other Thumps. He's the only one. Nobody needs to be afraid of him. You've got to come and see him.'

It was the turn of Lelesh and Prush to look at each other. This was all too much to believe.

'You will stay indoors,' said Lelesh, sternly. 'You will not go out, day or night, except to the toilet hut. If you try, we will lock you in your room. In the meantime, we have to talk to Indalesh about this.' Prush nodded, reinforcing her decision.

Indalesh was the children's grandmother. She was aged, all wrinkles, but the people of the village venerated old people. Quite rightly, they felt that if one grew old, surviving accident and illness, one must have accumulated great wisdom and experience. Indalesh was respected by the whole village.

Lelesh and Prush were good parents. Although Tash and Tesh were not afraid of them, they resolved to obey the prohibition, at least for the time being. Thumpus seemed to be so happy at their meeting, Tesh thought, that perhaps he would not be impatient for another one. Maybe Indalesh would understand.

Lelesh and Prush went to see Indalesh and told them all that had happened as they saw it. How could they stop the children from being in touch with the ghastly thump? Indalesh looked at them in their fear, chewing on a sweet liquorish stick as she often did when she was thoughtful.

'Well, in spite of the stories, no one's every actually been killed by thumps,' she said, 'or even seen one properly, up to now.'

'What about the Karinish twins,' countered Prush. 'They went exploring over to the East and were never heard of again. Thumps were heard howling in that direction.'

Indalesh regarded him steadily.

'Maybe. But there's no proof. It could have been something else. The Death Bear, or something we don't know about away in the deep forest. From what the children say, the thumps could have been trying to warn the Karinishes.'

'How can we be sure?' Lelesh was still very worried. 'Everyone says thumps are dreadful. Even if what Tesh and Tash say could be true, it might just be fooling them, waiting for a good opportunity.'

'What better opportunity than alone at night in the forest? I need to talk to the children. By myself, I think.'

Indalesh did not hurry. The story would not be any less or more true if she rushed round, and maybe a night's sleep would calm things down. Lelesh had said they had promised to obey and not go out again. Let it cool a little.

Next morning, after breakfast, the autumn sun already warming the village, she hobbled round to the log house of Prush and Lelesh. It looked good in the sunlight, a curl of smoke coming from the chimney. Peaceful. Being a little deaf, she heard the occasional whoops and wumps from Thumpus, now getting less frequent anyway, only as background noise.

In their room, she affixed the children with her wise, still twinkly eyes, smiled at them, chewed her stick and waited for the story to come out. Tash and Tesh loved their Gran and respected her. They told her everything, every detail they could remember.

'He talks to you in your head?' Indalesh questioned Tesh again. This was the hardest part of the story to believe. 'But not to you.' she turned to Tash.

'I feel something. I don't get pictures. Still, I believe Tesh. Everything she says, happens.'

'He seems to get thoughts from both of us,' said Tesh. 'He understands everything I send quite clearly.'

'It has been heard of, very rarely… My own grandmother was supposed to have been able to know people's thoughts.' The second big question was — what were the animal's intentions? 'Now, do you really believe that this 'Thumpus' is not violent? Perhaps his secret intention is to eat you up.'

'No it isn't. He's our friend,' said Tash

'He's not violent at all. Not to us, not to the village. Not to anyone. He's a strange, lonely creature. He just wants to be friends — with everyone, I think,' Tesh added.

Indalesh hesitated. Part of her wanted to accept the children's story. Another part struggled with the beliefs of a lifetime. Thumps were common. Thumps were violent. Thumps would eat anyone caught out alone in the woods and in the past had been responsible for the deaths of some. She also knew the other villagers would not accept the word of the children alone.

'People will not believe this, even if it is true,' she said, after a long pause.

Tesh had a brilliant idea.

'Come with us then,' she urged her grandmother. 'We'll go and meet him. They'll believe you.'

'Do you think he would come to us, even during the day?'

'Yes, he would. We only went at night because we were forbidden to visit the forest in the daytime.'

In spite of her years, Indalesh felt a surge of excitement. It was like being a girl again. On the other hand, she was confused. What a risk! She believed the children; but what if she were wrong? Suppose the wump wanted to eat them all. Her loss wouldn't be so bad — she had had a good, long life. But the children… Yet again, if Tesh could communicate with it.… They'd have to keep it a secret. The rest of the villagers would never understand.

'I have a better idea,' she said, 'one that I might be able to convince your parents about. You can send it thoughts? From how far away?'

'I don't know,' admitted Tesh. 'If I concentrate, I think I can tell how he's feeling, even from here. I think he can feel me, too.'

'All right. You and your parents come to the edge of the wood. Send it a thought that I want to meet it and tell it to come close, close enough to be seen. I'll go forward and we'll see if it really is friendly.'

'We can come with you,' said Tash.

'Your parents would never allow that, but I might just persuade them to give it a try with me going forward alone. And you mustn't tell anyone else at all about this.'

If the wump would allow itself to be seen, went Indalesh's reasoning, then it proved that Tesh could talk to it. That supported the rest of the children's story. If so, she wouldn't be harmed if she went to the beast. A lot of 'ifs'. She gulped, but the children were nodding. She would try to win over Prush and Lelesh to the plan.

It turned out to be very hard work. Prush and Lelesh objected that it was too much risk, that Indalesh was indispensable to the village, that they would be responsible if they accepted and she was harmed. But Indalesh could be determined if she wanted (some people called it stubborn). She explained it all again and again. If the beast showed up when Tesh called it in her head, it already proved the major part of the story. If it didn't, nothing was lost. And Prush and Lelesh could arm themselves with big staves to drive the beast off, if it wasn't friendly. Eventually, over many protests, she had her way.

It rained later that day, a mushroom inducing rain. Among others of their kind, gurgli stirred and sprouted. It was an auspicious sign. The next morning, however, was fine and, after breakfast, the experiment was set to begin. Tesh could feel that Thumpus was still in the area and beginning to get over the euphoria of their first meeting. He wanted to see them again.

The little group went across the cleared land and just into the woods' edge. Prush and Lelesh carried strong staves, sharpened at one end. Everyone was nervous. From where they stood, they could see clearly about 60 metres into the woods in the morning sunlight. Now for the critical part. Would Thumpus come?

<Thumpus, dear,> sent Tesh, <are you there?>

Thumpus heard her call clearly. There was also an uneasy-making background of anxiety around her. Tash was there, too, he knew, but he could sense the presence of others as well.

<Can hear you,> he thought back, cautiously.

<We're at edge of wood. Come near, so we can see you. Our mum and dad here, Gran, too. Wants come and meet you.>

Thumpus was concerned. It could be a trick.

<I only want to be with you,> he sent.

'He says he only wants to be with us,' Tesh told the others. 'He's worried you want to hurt him.'

"Tell him it's the only way you can ever meet him again," said Indalesh, firmly.

<They're afraid of you,> sent Tesh. <They have to be sure you don't mean to hurt us — or them,> she added. <Won't let us see you again unless you agree.>

There was quite a long pause, while Thumpus tried to get his head round this. He was afraid of them, afraid they might hurt him. They killed things. Not him. No-one could be afraid of him. He never killed anything. Well, nothing big, anyway… But he did want to see Tash and Tesh again. Very much. His life was different now. He didn't think he could go on living without seeing them. So he had no choice, really.

<What to do?> he eventually replied, grudgingly.

Tesh's heart leapt. She was beginning to worry that he wouldn't respond.

<Come near enough so can just see you. Then let my Gran come meet you.>

<If must.> Thumpus began shambling from his position about half a kilometre away. He would not hurry. A stupid plan!

The others were getting more and more impatient at the wait. 'Probably it won't come near at all and we can forget this whole silly idea,' thought Lelesh.

Tesh spoke, briefly. 'He's coming!' Everybody waited. After a long while, a large shape emerged at the edge of their vision. Blending with the dapple of trees and sunshine, it seemed to be there one moment and gone the next.

<Come closer,> sent Tesh.

Cautiously Thumpus approached. He could sense them clearly enough and see them, too. At just 60 metres distance, he stopped. That was quite near enough. Anxiety levels were very high.

<Gurgli,> he sent, hopefully. A large gurgli was right where he had stopped. Tesh ignored the attempted diversion.

The adults were looking in some horror at the beast sitting on its haunches through the woods in front of them. They saw a big furry head, a long, lolloping tongue, big teeth and a matted coat, brown on top and cream-coloured under the body. And an enormous tail.

<My Gran, Indalesh, is going to come and say hello to you,> sent Tesh. <She old and lovely, wise. Won't hurt you.>

<If must,> responded Thumpus. He could see who Tesh meant. An aura of fear surrounded her. What was she afraid of? It was he who should be afraid.

Indalesh clenched her hands and made herself release them. The beast had come, in response to Tesh's call. That meant it ought, probably, ought to be OK..

Tash and Tesh were looking at her in admiration. Prush and Lelesh seemed to be in shock at the events. Summoning more courage than she knew she had, she started forward. Adventure, be blowed! She was too old for this sort of thing.

Nearer and nearer she came to Thumpus. Fear approached fear. Suddenly from somewhere deep inside, Thumpus felt, 'This old lady's not going to hurt me.' From behind her fear, he sensed what Tesh had sent. She was wise and loving. Somebody it could be really nice to know. He relaxed.

A lovely, warm feeling of acceptance flowed through Indalesh, smothering her fear. She approached the beast, noticing its big, diffident, reassuring, brown eyes. She held out her hand. Slowly, Thumpus reached out his head to it and gave it a tentative lick. The last of Indalesh's fear evaporated. This was not just a wild beast. This was a wonderful being. It could love. How could they all have been so afraid of this?

She stepped close and stroked its fur. Confident now, she put her arm round Thumpus' neck and turned to the others.

'It's safe,' she called, simply. 'He's OK!' Nothing could hold Tesh and Tash back. Like arrows from a bow, they flew towards their friend and their grandmother, ignoring despairing calls from their parents.

'Isn't he wonderful!' shouted Tash, jumping round Thumpus.

<Now you must meet my mum and dad,> sent Tesh. <Names, Prush and Lelesh.>

<Not with sticks,> sent Thumpus hastily. Prush and Lelesh were advancing uncertainly through the forest towards them, gripping their sticks.

'Come and meet him. Put your sticks down,' shouted Tesh back across the woods. Prush and Lelesh hesitated. Then they laid their sticks on the woodland floor and walked closer, till they, too, felt the loving energy given off by the great animal. Tentative hands touched the fur, stroked.

Old Thumpus felt the urge to do something that only baby wumpii do with their mother. He rolled over, legs in the air, exposing his chest and belly, thick with downy, yellowy-cream fur.…

V

<Thumpus, my Gorgeous One,> sent Tesh, as the children cuddled the basking animal in the place where they had first met, the 'gurgli glade, as they had come to call it, <It's time to introduce you to the village.>

In the days since the conversion of their parents and gran, Tash and Tesh, freer than ever before to be in the forest, had spent all their spare time with their 'Thumping One'. They neglected their friends, their lessons and their various duties in the euphoria of being with the telepathic beast. People were getting suspicious and all sorts of rumours were flying round.

Tesh and Thumpus were becoming more and more in tune. She could 'hear' him at home in bed now, and he could hear her, however widely he ranged in the forest. Tash was a little jealous, but even he was beginning to get impressions which might, or might not convey Thumpus' thoughts. The house stank, to Lelesh's dismay, but the children were quite accustomed to the distinctive Thumpus odour.

At Tesh's thought, Thumpus came out of the indolent reverie which he felt was his true nature, and wuffled lightly. More problems, just when things are good!

<Don't want to!>

'Don't want what,' said Tash, half picking up the thought.

'He doesn't want to meet the people,' replied Tesh. <You're just a lazy, sloppy old poot!> she continued affectionately, turning to Thumpus. 'All you like to do is lie with your legs in the air and get cuddled.' She scrambled up on to the great beast's chest and scratched through the thick fur with her bent fingers.

<Oh, bliss,> sent Thumpus, unequivocally accepting the insult. Tesh slid down.

<We are going to prepare the way,> she told Thumpus, grandly. Tash left his position cuddling Thumpus' neck and came to hold Tesh's hand.

'Laziness is not a virtue, even in thumps,' he toned sanctimoniously, remembering moral dressing downs at home. 'And I bet you are the laziest thumpus wumpus that ever lived!' Tesh translated.

<This is how wumpii should be,> sent Thumpus, defensively, <me, old wumpus — deserve peace.>

<Nonsense. You aren't old at all. World full of new things and village is next one to discover!>

Thumpus only wuffled once more and with fond goodbyes the children strode purposefully from the glade. Now they knew the way back, it seemed impossible that they could ever have been lost there. The kitchen at home was hung full of magnificent gurgli being dryed for the winter. There would be a bottling evening very soon, as well.

Left alone, Thumpus cursed his fate. Where was all this going to lead, he thought, ruefully.

'We'll never talk them round,' said Tash, as the family gathered to discuss.

'That's for sure,' agreed Prush. 'What should we do? Rumours are going all round the village already. Some are talking of a hunting party — Thumpus has been so noisy since he met us all — so near, as well.'

'Talk's talk,' said Indalesh, 'but what your own eyes see is another matter altogether. If we all came into the village with Thumpus; if he sat down with us outside your house, if they saw us all petting him — that would do the trick. But would he do it, Tesh?'

Tesh, able to communicate directly with Thumpus, was the expert.

'He would hate it at first. But as soon as everybody liked him and petted him he'd be over the moon. He still thinks people want to kill him to eat. He can't believe that anyone's really afraid of him, even now. So the hardest part for him is experiencing their fear.'

Now Tash had an idea.

'Tell him that humans are afraid of anything new and different; that it's not about him personally, then he won't be so upset.'

'Could we give him a wash first,' said Lelesh, 'so he doesn't look so wild and stink so!' She wrinkled her nose. The ineradicable, ever present odour of Thumpus was always around the house now.

'No chance.' Tesh was firm. 'At this stage, that would drive him away. We'll have to get him used to that really slowly.' She grinned broadly at the thought of scrubbing and grooming the protesting Thumpus. Luckily Thumpus himself was far away, trying to get at the honey in a wild bees' nest without getting dreadfully stung, and did not notice her thought.

They made a plan. Tesh and Tash would persuade and prepare Thumpus. Then they'd all meet just inside the woods, on a Sunday, after lunch, when everyone was around the village. They would walk ostentatiously, with Thumpus, to their house, where he would lie down and be stroked and cuddled. The other children would not be able to resist this, and their parents would have to come, too. As soon as they were close to him, everyone would fall under his spell.

When they sneaked off into the woods to meet Thumpus later that day, Tash was quite shocked by the way Tesh played the politician. Thumpus was in a good mood, being full of honey, and virtually stingless. A sting or two didn't bother him much, as long as there weren't too many. He had imaged such a glorious glade, full of wild flowers, and only a short distance away, that almost every bee who could fly had left the next to find it. By the time they came back, deceived and frustrated, to find their nest despoiled, Thumpus was well away through the forest. He licked remnants of honey from his whiskers.

<You see,> sent Tesh as persuasively as she could, elaborating their plan, <they're all dying to meet you. It's just that humans are really scared of anything new. Whoever wants to get over that fear has to be quite brave. It's not about you, personally. It would be the same with anyone at all. So we worked out a plan.>

<No way,> sent back Thumpus, amiably. <Not going into village for… for all honey in woods.> The thought of so much honey was most delicious. He lay back to be stroked. He particularly liked the way Tash fondled his neck.

<But they'll like you so much,> Tesh went on. <Problem is, we've got lots of work to do in the day time. This way you'll be able to come and visit us at home in the evening. Other people will want to cuddle you, too. You can't deny others all that pleasure. It's your duty to come Thumpus.>

<Don't have duty. Do as I please.> The indolent brute relaxed even more. A great belch burst from him. He had overeaten. But the thought of being liked by all those people was enticing. He wondered what the 'houses' were like inside.

Tesh winked at Tash. She had picked up the thought.

<Fascinating,> she sent. <Some even have bees' nests in eaves.>Part of Thumpus knew he was being manipulated. But he was well fed, lazy and careless.

<Be honey, then?>

Tesh thought quickly. One of the villagers, Suresh, kept hives. Honey was a precious and strictly rationed commodity in the village. But Tesh would get some somehow.

<Of course, plenty!>

<Come, Sunday?> Tash was practising thought sending. Being around Thumpus seemed to stimulate something in his brain. He had picked up Thumpus' receptive mood, and even something of his thoughts. Thumpus turned his great, warm, affectionate, brown eyes on the boy.

<You, now?> he sent, pleased. Tesh pounced on the thought.

<Everyone'll learn if you come.> She pictured the villagers all gathering around Thumpus, showing him their admiration.

<Never lonely inside me?>

'Poor Thumpus, how you must have suffered,' thought Tesh.

<Never lonely!> sent both of the children. Thumpus was finally convinced.

<Alright,> he sent. <Sunday. Now scratch tummy, please.> Tash and Tesh willingly obliged.

After an early shower, Sunday cleared up well. The plan was for Tesh and Tash to meet Thumpus and bring him to the edge of the forest, where they would meet Prush, Lelesh and Indalesh. All of them would stroll in a leisurely way to the village centre and the children's house, where Thumpus would lie down and be stroked. After Sunday lunch everyone would be well fed and relaxed. The little hamlet was alive with rumours, especially among the other children. Tash and Tesh had been unable to resist spreading the news that something special would happen that Sunday.

<You ready, Thumpus,> sent Tesh as they entered the woods. Everyone was nervous. Would the people be too scared to see that Thumpus was harmless and loveable.

<Uneasy,> returned Thumpus. <Not good idea. Give up.>

<Thumpus, you agreed. No going back now.>

<How about tomorrow?>

<Tomorrow'll be just the same,> sent both the children, approaching the spot where he was lying, tail twitching slightly, enough to make little booming wumps on the ground. <Today's the day.> Tash and Tesh reached the nervous animal, tickling his neck to soothe him.

<Up you get, now! Prush, Lelesh and Indalesh waiting.> Thumpus sighed and slowly, raising himself to his full height, stretched. He would not be hurried.The others were standing just inside the trees. Their nervousness was greater than the childrens' and worried Thumpus a lot.

<If everything all right, why nerves?> he sent urgently to Tesh.

<Oh, just humans, always nervous at any new thing.> She tried to seem confident. Indalesh stepped forward, sensing the problem and, reaching up, put her arm round Thumpus' neck. At her gesture of affection, he was somewhat reassured.

<Now remember,> sent Tesh, <there'll be lots of fear at first, but stick it out. When they see we love you and aren't afraid of you, they'll start getting curious.> Thumpus wuffled. Why had he got himself into this?

They left the trees and began to walk across the cleared land towards the houses. Almost immediately a shout went up. One of the other children had sneaked behind them.

'Help, Oh, Help! A Beast! A terrible beast from the forest! It's coming!' the child shrieked in a high pitched voice, running off towards the village. Tash saw that it was Cush, a boy a year or two younger than them.

'Lord save us,' said Lelesh, half under her breath, 'now they'll all know, before we reach the house.'

Men and women began appearing from houses, grabbing at staves leaning outside the doors. The other children peered from behind them. Before Thumpus and the others reached the village they were faced by almost everyone else, giving forth such a strong aura of fear that Thumpus was terrified.

<Run, run!> he sent, loudly, adding to the fear all around. He half turned. It was Tash, Tesh and Indalesh who saved the situation.

<Don't be afraid yourself,> sent Tesh. <Remember, only like this at first. Then good.> Tash clung to the huge beast's shoulder.

<Love you,> he sent simply. Indalesh stepped forward and addressed the little crowd in front of them.

'This is Thumpus Wumpus,' she said, loudly and decisively. 'We have tamed him. He is friendly and wants to meet you. Don't be afraid!'

It was Suresh, the beekeeper, who shouted back.

'How do we know? Maybe it's just a trick so it can get in amongst us? Don't trust it! Come away, quick.' Others nodded and gripped their staves more tightly.

Thumpus was sweating. His shaggy fur was all clammy.

<Lie down,> sent Tesh. <Quickly — on your back. As we planned at the house. We'll cuddle you.> All Thumpus' instincts howled, 'Run away! Run away!' But he looked for a moment into the eyes of the girl he had befriended and slowly, with a wump of his tail that boomed over the clearing and sent the watching people reeling back, he lay down and put his legs in the air. 'Maybe I'll die now,' he thought, defenceless, open to jabs of staves.

The little crowd gasped. Deliberately Tash clambered onto the massive chest and, clutching Thumpus' fur with one hand, waved the other.

'Look, he's wonderful! Jashe, Potish, Rinesh — come and see! You can stroke him!'

The scene was extraordinary — a huge wild animal, on his back, exposing his vulnerable belly, with a small boy sitting on top of him. Tesh, fondling his neck, tears in her eyes for love of Thumpus and his bravery. Prush and Lelesh, like a guard of honour, one on each side, each gently holding an upraised leg and Indalesh at the beast's head, beckoning with all the authority of her age and experience.

It was dark-haired Jashe, a good friend of Tash and Tesh, who broke the deadlock. She had been wondering for some days why her friends were so evasive, wanting to be by themselves all the time. This was the surprise they had hinted at. She dodged round her parents and ran forward.

'He's amazing,' she shouted. 'Can I touch him, too?'

'Of course you can,' said Tash. 'That's why he's here.' Jashe stroked Thumpus' fur, which was damp.

'He's all wet.'

'He's very frightened,' explained Tesh. 'He's sweating.'

'Come!' shouted Jashe to the crowd. 'He's marvellous.' But the other children were already on their way. The grown ups, not quite releasing their hold on the staves, followed slowly. The fear in the air ebbed.

<Worst moment of whole life!> sent Thumpus to Tesh and Tash. But he knew it was already past. New things were going to happen. Life would change. It was going to be worth it!

As Thumpus made his way towards the little collection of log houses, surrounded by still-cautious villagers, his fear abated. The enormous anxiety to which he had responded had ebbed; now an intense curiosity replaced it. It was difficult not to feel proud to be the object of so much attention after the years of isolation he had endured. But the sight of a couple of children holding their noses deflated him somewhat. Finicky little beasts!

<Good smell,> he sent, a little aggressively. All around people picked up the thought, without knowing its origin.

'Awful smell,' they thought to themselves, shaking their heads. Thumpus was taken aback. Was human company going to be as pleasurable as he anticipated? There seemed to be such a lot of ready judgement around. Only Tesh and Tash, who were used to the odour, responded differently.

'Bearable smell,' they thought. 'Other qualities make up for it.' Poor Thumpus almost felt worse. His trusted friends had to put up with him. Where was the unconditional love he expected? Anyway, he didn't smell at all. It was they who smelled. And it was dreadful — all carbolic and turpentine. Not natural at all. Thumpus began to sulk, but the mood didn't last more than a moment because now they were entering the village itself. 'Wooden caves,' he thought. 'Not bad with snow coming. Keep a Thumpus warm and dry. Lots of different smells — food!'

They arrived at Tash and Tesh's house, much like the others, made of rough logs with a good turf roof.

'Welcome,' cried Tash and Tesh together excitedly. 'This is our house.'

A more diffident welcome came from Prush and Lelesh.

'What on earth are we going to do with him?' they whispered to each other. Thumpus picked up the thought, but he was by now surrounded by delighted children, petting him, scrambling over him and overcoming their resistance to the strange odour that was going to pervade the village from now on. Thumpus decided that young humans were the nicest of all. It was through them he was here. He felt like giving a really loud wump, but realised that a good swing of his thumpus might hit the children swarming around him, so held back with an effort. Even some of the adults were plucking up courage to approach and gingerly stroke his scruffy fur. Smell or no, he really was irresistible.

Tesh spoke with Suresh.

'All my saved-up pocket money for a big jar of honey?'

'And two days' work in my garden for you and your brother,' returned Suresh.

Tesh groaned. 'All right,' she conceded. It was so important that Thumpus got off to a good start. They left the crowd around Thumpus and crossed to Suresh's house. Suresh had no partner and was considered a little mean, but he had a monopoly on honey production in the village, the only one who knew the secrets of how to manage bees. In a moment they returned to the centre of attention, carrying a large jar.

'I want that back,' said Suresh pointedly. 'It's not part of the deal.' Big glass jars were precious. They had to be imported to the village and it took a great deal of honey to pay for one. Tesh nodded and marched proudly to Thumpus, who was engaging the crowd around him with his big, doleful brown eyes.

<Here's what I promised,> she sent proudly. And, aside, to Tash, 'Two days' work. You've got to help.' Tash groaned in his turn.

<Bit like honey,> sent Thumpus, as he regarded the jar. <Smells like honey. Very like honey,> he added, as Tesh wrestled to undo the jar.

<Is honey!> he communicated in a sort of soft moan as the lid came off and the penetrating smell overwhelmed him.

<Just for you,> sent Tesh simply, as she placed the jar in front of the drooling animal.

'Grrwoogle …' — the sound was cut off as Thumpus' snout entered the jar. Big as it was, it was too small for him to get his head into as he would have liked. Honey was a rare delicacy for Thumpus, in spite of his recently found nest, and this honey seemed to be without the retribution of bee stings. The jar was a nuisance, though. As he pushed eagerly in at it, the honey seemed to swell up, pouring all over his face. It was so sticky, he could hardly open his jaws to let his tongue get at it. But he managed!

In no time at all, the only honey left was all over Thumpus' muzzle. An overwhelming urge came upon him.

<Back!> he sent demandingly. The children who were on his back picked up the thought and fell off, rushing to their parents, who also retreated hastily. Thumpus' tail swung in an enormous circle, almost touching the cowering crowd and crashed into the ground with a hollow boom that echoed over the village and into the forest beyond. Gasps came from the onlookers.

'That's what we've been afraid of all these years!' It was Indalesh who spoke first. 'But it's because he's happy that he does it.' Thumpus looked slowly round the little group, who were beginning to recover from the shock. If he could have grinned, he would certainly have done so. As it was, he managed a sort of lopsided leer, and a glint entered those big brown eyes.

<Not bad one!> he sent, at peace with the world.

After a while, the moment Lelesh had been fearing arrived.

<Come into our house,> invited Tash and Tesh. <It's a good house. You'll like it. But no thumps inside, please. You'd break everything.> Thumpus eyed the doorway.

<Small,> he sent. <Too small. Why such little hole?>

<You'll make it,> sent Tesh. <Bigger inside.>

'Wait!' cried Lelesh urgently. She thought of all the little things she had put up to make the place homely and comfortable. Of the bunches of gurgli hanging to dry above the stove. Of clean washing drying from the rack before it. But she knew that she couldn't forbid Thumpus' entry. It had all been building up to this.

'Wait,' she said again, more calmly. 'Give me five minutes, while I arrange things.' She pushed the door open and ran inside. Hastily, breakable things were pushed through the inner door. 'Whatever they want, he's not going into the bedrooms,' she thought determinedly. Still, it was exciting that Thumpus would come in. Such a strange and attractive animal.

'All right,' she called out, the most fragile objects more or less out of the way, 'he can come in now — if he can get in.'

Thumpus' head and shoulders emerged through the opening. If he stood straight, his shoulders nearly touched the top of the door and brushed the sides. Tesh was right. He could make out the darker room, lit by a hole at the side; the door was the smallest bit. He pushed through and took a step or two across the rough stone floor. His tail was not yet inside. He took another step and began to turn to look around. It was a good den, warm and comfortable. A bit too warm! As he turned his tail knocked over a chair and made for the hot stove.

'Stop!' yelled Tash, Tesh and Prush, who had followed him in. 'Stop!' yelled Lelesh from the other side of the room. Thumpus froze.

<Hot. Burn tail!> Tesh sent a horrible image of a smoking, blackened tail. Thumpus shivered. He felt an anguished, pain-releasing wump coming on, but controlled it with an effort. Tesh and Tash were at his neck, consoling him. Disentangling himself very carefully, keeping his tail from the mysterious and deadly stove, he moved forward to the far corner of the room, near Lelesh, lifted his tail gingerly and began to turn. A large earthenware pot that Lelesh had thought well out of the way up on a shelf, crashed to the floor and broke.

'My best stew pot!' she cried out despairingly. This was worse than she had feared. She should have known that Thumpus was just too large to come in. Besides, the smell was overpowering.

'It's no use,' said Prush, firmly, voicing all their thoughts, even those of Thumpus, 'he's too big.' He did not want to hurt their new friend's feelings, and bottled up the 'and too clumsy' that wanted to follow, but Thumpus picked up the feeling all the same. He wuffled softly and everything shook. People outside craned their heads into the room. Fear was rising again. Was the beast not to be trusted after all? Prush had an inspiration.

'I'll build him a house outside,' he said triumphantly. 'You two can help,' he said to Tash and Tesh. 'He's your beast, really.'

<Me my own beast,> thought Thumpus. But he understood. The place was just too small with all the clutter of things in it. He carefully turned to the door, knocking over another chair, and pushed his way back out, as the group looking in made way.

<Own house,> he thought, pleased. Everyone had the same idea and nodded. A solution had been found.

Thumpus triumphantly toured the little village — outside the houses — led by Tash and the other children. Everyone was warming to him, even surly old Suresh, whose heart was melted somewhat by Thumpus' relish of his honey. Anyone who liked honey that much must be OK really. But Indalesh, Lelesh and half a dozen of the other women were meeting together. Tesh, now expert and chief communicator with their new-found friend was also present.

'He'll have to be washed. There's no alternative. I'm not having my children bringing home that stink day after day.' Alesh, mother of Jashe and Potish, was firm and clear. Heads nodded agreement on all sides. Only Tesh was hesitant. While she basically agreed with the others, she was afraid of Thumpus' response.

'He thinks he's fine as he is,' she protested. He might run away if we try to clean him up.'

'He won't,' said Indalesh. 'He's much too happy to be here. I'm sure he'll grumble, but if we all take part and comb and groom him afterwards, he'll accept it.' Tesh was not so sure, but had to accept that it was very unlikely that Thumpus would run away. His happy feelings were all around her, even here. And every now and again, joyful wumps resounded through the village. The children egged him on to do them again and again.

Lelesh formulated the plan. 'We'll each bring a bucket of warm soapy water and scrubbing brushes. He'll probably like to be brushed dry with them. When the time is right, we'll dip them in the water and then you'll have to keep him calm, Tesh. Get all the other children to help. Finally, we'll see if he can be persuaded to rinse off in the stream. He'll probably be happy to do it, to get rid of the soap.'

It seemed simple enough. They would wait till the early evening, give Thumpus a good meal of cooked meat and vegetables so he was replete and semi-comatose, then carry out the plan.

'He'll be cold after that,' objected Tesh lamely. 'He'll shiver all night, and his house isn't built yet. It'll take at least a week.'

Nashe, Rinesh's mother, sniffed.

'Poor thing,' she said sarcastically, 'all these years he's lived out in the rain and snow, and now you're worried about a little water. Don't turn him into a softie.' She was always very concerned that Rinesh, whom she adored, would be tough and independent. Rinesh, sensing this, tended to be insecure and clinging — to make sure she really did love him — in turn irritating Nashe. It was a difficult relationship.

The plan, was finally agreed upon and everyone else informed. Thumpus was still gambolling around the village with the delighted children. Normally, his acute inner sense would have picked up the scheming. It was the only real defensive system Thumpus Wumpii had, and they rarely let it down. Otherwise, they perished. But all the new feelings and excitements overwhelmed Thumpus. He was vulnerable.

In addition to the family meal, Prush and Lelesh cooked a couple of rabbits in the second-largest stew pot. Others cooked potatoes and carrots. The whole was flavoured with salt, rosemary and marjoram. Before anyone else ate, the treat was presented to the village's pet, who had returned to the house of Tesh and Tash, his favourites. He lay outside, lolling around, enjoying the smells wafting from the cottage door. Tesh had told him that some would be for him!

The others arrived with steaming pots of tatties and carrots. The succulent rabbits, perfectly stewed, were brought out.

'Bliss,' he thought, as he began to tuck in to the pile of food tipped before him on the biggest earthenware dish the village possessed. 'This is how a Thumpus Wumpus should live.' He was hungry after the experiences of the day and ignored other, less pleasant thoughts that seemed to be lurking around. The meal tasted delicious. Absolutely exquisite. Just enough for a starving animal. The last crumbs consumed, Thumpus lay back and relaxed, watching the sun dipping away to the west.

'Oh pleasant, pleasant afternoon. Oh happy, happy Thumpus,' he thought. His tummy rumbled. He belched contentedly.

The cleaning party assembled quietly. Sleepily, Thumpus acknowledged them. All the children, who had been informed of the plan, gathered at his head.

<We'd like to brush you,> sent Tesh. <It's even nicer than being stroked.>

<Try,> returned the replete beast, totally off-guard. The ensuing rubbing of the brushes along his fur felt good, very good.

<Harder,> urged the hapless animal, sending images of firm hands pushing brushes deep into his coat. The children pulled out twigs, releasing tangles.

'What Thumpus ever experienced such bliss before?' wondered Thumpus in a self-satisfied way, rolling onto his back.

When the worst of the tangles were out, Lelesh gave the signal. Calmly turning, as if nothing was happening at all, six pairs of hands reached for six large buckets, full of warm, soapy water. The buckets were tipped, and dear, smelly Thumpus was flooded from head to tail with sticky wetness. The scrubbing instantly began anew, bringing the wetness from outside to inside the fur, warm soap dissolving the oils brought out by the grooming.

<Lovely warm water, cleaning, good smell,> sent Tesh as convincingly as she could (she was not over-fond of washing herself). Tash, not so skilled, did his best to send the same thoughts.

Thumpus was so relaxed, so off-guard, that it took several moments for the horrible reality to penetrate.

<Traitors! Betrayed!> he sent in a wail, and, with a convulsive shudder, scattering washers and children to all sides, leapt up and raced for the forest, shaking himself and soaking everyone in the vicinity as he did so.

<Oh misery! Oh horror! Oh cruelty! Oh betrayal!> Thumpus' anguished emotions hit the village like a tidal wave. People sat and held their heads. Tesh and Tash, closest of all physically and mentally, were devastated. Crying, they began to run after the stricken animal.

Thumpus ran for the river. He had to get the ghastly stinking stickiness off. He leapt the 2-metre fence of the goat pen, sending the startled beasts in all directions, and threw himself in their drinking pool, where the river ran through the pen.

<Death! Horrors! Betrayal!> The thoughts still surrounded him as he wallowed, rolling on his back in the muddy water. Shivering — from nerves rather than cold — he twisted and turned in the dirty mud at the edge of the pool, and then, leaping the fence again, was away, into the woods, running as if he would never stop through the trees towards the westering sun.

Tash and Tesh, tears streaming from their faces, followed closely by the other children, ran up to the goat pen, just in time to see a huge, muddy, dripping form disappearing into the forest. In a second, he was gone.

'No, no, no!' they cried as their new-found happiness dissolved in the fading sunlight.

<Come back, come back! We love you,> sent Tesh despairingly, with all her might at the place where Thumpus had dissolved into the trees. There was no reply.

The whole village was devastated. Their special new friend had run away. The event was discussed endlessly and all agreed it had been a mistake to try to trick Thumpus. No-one had expected such an intense reaction. After all, they were only trying to clean him up, to get rid of a fraction of the pong he carried around him.

Two days passed with no sign of the animal. Perhaps occasional wumps could be heard, but so faint and far away that no-one could be sure. Tash and Tesh, who had first found and befriended Thumpus, became depressed and withdrawn. They wouldn't eat properly. They wouldn't work. They wouldn't learn. When Suresh came around seeking work as repayment for his honey, Lelesh had to send him away fuming.

'You'll have to go and try to find him,' said Indalesh eventually. She was angry with herself for not being sensitive enough to foresee Thumpus' reaction and veto the plan. 'The children are pining away.'

Reluctantly, Lelesh and Prush agreed. The rest of the villagers did not dispute the idea. The two best hunters, Minesh and Tansh, said they would accompany the others.

Next morning, a little group, consisting of Lelesh, Prush, Minesh, Tansh, Tash and Tesh, knapsacks slung on their shoulders, adults carrying sharpened staves for protection, set out from the village to cross the forest to the west, the direction Thumpus had disappeared.

It had been very difficult for Prush and Lelesh to agree to bring Tesh and Tash. They were going into unknown territory, with the possibility of getting lost. Although reassured that Thumps were not dangerous and knowing from Thumpus that there were not many of them anyway, they feared there might be other, unknown terrors. Sharpened sticks were their only means of defence. Nobody paid much attention to weapons in the village. If you don't fight, who needs weapons?

On the other hand, Tesh and Tash had been adamant that they must go. They had discovered Thumpus and were his primary friends. They had shared in the plan — now acknowledged as a total disaster — to wash the smelly beast, and were devastated at his abrupt departure. Travelling would get them out of their depression. Above all, it was Tesh who could communicate with Thumpus across considerable distances. If they were to have any chance of finding him and making up, she was the key. It was this argument that finally convinced Prush and Lelesh. And of course, if you took Tesh, Tash had to come, too.

The little group made their way through the woods in a westerly direction, orienting by the sun, which shone brightly. They avoided thick underbrush, and forded streams. Luckily, it had not rained much recently. The villagers were not great explorers and were inexperienced in the kind of country they traversed.

However, at first the hunters had some idea of the land around them. Although they did not make fast progress, they were hardy and fit and travelled steadily. By nightfall they had gone some 25 kilometres across the hills, the limit of the hunters' knowledge. They camped, building a fire, ate some food and settled down for the night, wriggling into their 'snugs', as everyone called their goat-hair sleeping bags. The hunters and Prush and Lelesh arranged to share a watch between them.

Tesh lay long awake, sending despairing thoughts and apologies to Thumpus, but there was no reply. As the morning sunlight flooded the cool forest, all were asleep.

Thumpus ran and ran. He had never run so fast or so far in one go. He moved towards the west, to the setting sun and, as the dusk gathered, he continued to run, but more carefully, veering a little north and using all his senses to avoid trees and roots. Finally, panting heavily, he stopped. He was dangerously close to the territory of Kamal, the cantankerous old bear, but he didn't care. The world was an awful place now and if he was eaten up, so what! His head ached, he was hungry, and his heart felt as if someone had tried to rip it out of his chest.

Love! He had given love, the first time he had had the chance since his cubhood long ago, and he had been betrayed. So quickly! They just wanted to turn him into their creature, make him a little pet, smelling of pine soap and yuck. He might not be much, but he was a Thumpus and he had a sense of his own identity! Thoughts turned and turned in Thumpus' brain in an endless circling. At least he was free of that ghastly village and those terrible children who had betrayed him. He would never, never see any of them ever again. He would live in another part of the forest, alone, alone. Misery consumed him and he yowled in pain like a starter violinist. Kamal heard, was afraid and miserable too, and kept well away from the area.

In the morning it was worse, if anything. Conflicting thoughts plagued him now … Perhaps they didn't have bad intentions — they just didn't understand Thumpii. If he hadn't run away, perhaps he could have explained to them that Thumpus-smell is just part of a Thumpus, like skin. He didn't mind them brushing his fur, after all. Perhaps Tesh — Tesh's taking part in the washing hurt the most — had been made to do it against her will, though he hadn't picked up any such thoughts from her. If he hadn't been so lazy and distracted, perhaps he could have thought them out of the idea.

He rejected all these 'perhapses', but they wouldn't go away. Now he began to miss Tash and Tesh, Indalesh, Prush and Lelesh and even the new friends he had met. Friends!

So his misery continued, alternating between resentment, loneliness, loss and self-doubt. He absently nibbled at some plants, which gave him tummy ache. He remembered the honey at the village. Tesh had said there would be lots of it! So the miserable day passed and another wretched night.

Next morning he began to feel he shouldn't have run away at all. Perhaps he was just a proud old Thumpus. He had run away from a life richer than any he had ever known, from someone who he could talk with inside and from others who might learn. What a miserable beast he was! Everything mixed in a jumble in his head, till he hardly knew what he was doing. He spent several hours going round and round following his tail, till he was giddy and exhausted. Every living thing had been frightened away by his awful mood. He managed to find a few grubs in a rotting piece of wood, but he was getting dreadfully hungry. Luckily, Kamal, outside the range of the moods Thumpus was broadcasting, had managed to catch a deer, and was enjoying his full stomach. Thumpus passed yet another dreadful night. He was making himself ill.

The morning after that, Thumpus knew he would have to go back if he wasn't to die of misery in the forest. All his pride rebelled, but there was no alternative. As a compromise, he decided to wait till the next day. 'Perhaps they're missing me as much as I miss them,' he thought resentfully. The decision made things a little better. He drank deeply from a nearby stream and found some tasty wild parsnip roots in a clearing… In the morning he would go back!

He slept much better, waking up to enjoy the slip of a hazy moon through the canopy of trees. He even managed a very modest wump.

The search party set out again, into unknown territory. They were themselves now having doubts. It was a wild goose chase, or rather, a wild and wilful Thumpus chase! They could get lost very easily. Hopefully, they would be able to follow a stream downwards and eventually come out of the woods somewhere, but would their food hold out? Tesh, however, felt better.

'I'm sure he's thinking about us,' she confided to Tash, whose mood had also lifted. He was beginning to enjoy the adventure. Still, Tesh could not detect any clear indication that Thumpus was around and, as the morning wore on and they tramped further and further through the woods, she began to feel a vague foreboding, a sense that they were walking into danger. She didn't say anything at first. She knew that the adults were already worried.

They stopped in a clearing for lunch. It was pleasant enough and the stream water tasted good. But the sky was becoming greyer and there was a cold feel in the air. Minesh glanced at Tansh.

'Snow in the offing.' Tansh just nodded. It was the most dangerous thing. They could hole up all right in a real blizzard — there was plenty of fallen wood to make a rough shelter — but if it lay deep they could neither find their way, nor move any distance.

'Might turn to rain …' Minesh continued doubtfully. He was thinking the same thoughts as Tansh. More likely, a sign of the first real winter storm.

The little party sat disconsolately in the clearing, chewing at cheese sandwiches with pickles. No-one spoke much. Tesh's foreboding mounted.

Kamal, the giant bear, padded through the woods. It was going to snow. Lucky he'd killed that deer. He licked his lips. Soon it would be time to hole up in his cave and let the winter cold pass him by. In spring he'd go hunting a mate, high up in the mountains. He stopped. Bad smells! Something was in his territory. Angrily he curled his lip back from his ferocious teeth and gave a soft growl. He padded off in the direction of the scent.

It was almost a new smell, but not quite. There had been one like it before, from a nasty thing with a sharp pointed stick that pricked before he smashed it with his paw … From the smell, he could tell there was more than one this time. Cautiously, he approached the clearing which he now located as the source of the scent. It was right in the middle of his territory, his bit of the woods. He snarled silently once more.

'There's something coming this way!' Tesh said suddenly. 'It's not Thumpus. It's angry and violent.'

Everyone jumped up, grabbed their sticks and began peering into the woods surrounding the clearing in the direction Tesh indicated. Prush saw it first — a huge, malevolent shadow in the trees, that instantly became an enormous bear which identified itself with a bloodcurdling roar.

'We'll never keep that off!' Tansh's teeth were set. 'Up trees! High! Fast!'

Kamal hesitated, regarding them angrily. He could see four with prickers and two little ones. Luckily for the group, he was not hungry or he wouldn't have paused. He began to move forward, snarling. The little ones ran for the edge of the clearing and jumped into trees. The prickers gave ground more slowly. At a shout, they, too, turned and ran for trees. Kamal was in no hurry. There was snow on the way. It would freeze them out of the tree tops. He could wait. He raised himself up against the nearest occupied tree and dragged his great claws down it, smashing the small branches the humans had used to climb up and leaving deep claw marks in the bark. Kamal would wait. The first, tentative snowflake drifted down from a leaden sky. Both Kamal and the hunters knew that the wait would not be too long.

Huddled with Tash high up in a tree, Tesh shivered. The big old pine hadn't been difficult to climb, though some of the dead branches below had hardly borne their weight. The great beast had smashed many of them with its claws. The atmosphere was full of fear and anger, blind, insentient rage. Controlling her fear, she sent, with all her energy, a thought:

<Help! Trapped! Huge, angry beast! Come quickly!>

A few kilometres away to the north, Thumpus was just setting out on his way back to the village. He had dithered and hesitated, still caught between hurt dignity and his sense of loss, but the knowledge of the impending snowfall decided him. Even if they hadn't built him a hut yet, he could make himself go to Tesh and Tash's house again, if he was very careful. He thought of Tesh and Tash cuddling him and began to move purposefully back through the woods.

Tesh's thought was far away, from nowhere near the village, which was a long way to the south east. It came from direct south. Right from Kamal's territory. How could they be there? The sense came again, just on the edge of awareness:

<Help! Angry beast! Come!>

Thumpus began to run through the trees and underbrush as fast as he could, towards the south.

In an hour, he could sense the thoughts more easily, even though they were sent with less power. He also began to feel the patient anger of the great bear and the general fear. Snowflakes twisted lazily through the trees. He was hot from running, but he knew it was becoming colder.

<Thumpus coming! Climb tree!> he sent urgently. Nothing could resist Kamal's onslaught if he was really furious and, from the atmosphere Thumpus could detect, he seemed to be.

<In trees already. There's a terrible, angry, huge animal. Six of us. We're very cold. Please help!> Tesh's thought was clear now. Another <Help!> came through as well — Tash was sending.

'Good lad — he's learning,' went through Thumpus' mind. Now he must be clever. The wind was from the north, behind him. If he went any closer, Kamal would scent him. Kamal had a very good sense of smell He'd have to go round and approach from the side. He could get much closer that way, but it'd take more time. From the east, away from Kamal's lair.

<Wait! Coming!> sent Thumpus and moved off through the woods.

'Thumpus is coming!' shouted Tesh to the others in the nearby treetops. Below them, Kamal roared at the noise and barged at the tree, shaking even its sturdy girth. Tash and Tesh grabbed at their branches. For Tansh and Minesh the news seemed no great consolation. They had only just met Thumpus, a pleasant, hairy thing, all cuddles and good nature. The others knew that Thumpus could also be resourceful and cunning and was a master telepath. In spite of the cold, their spirits lifted. The snowflakes drifted down, a little thicker.

Thumpus, now knowing his friends had come for him just as he was on his way to them, ran fast to circle round the clearing where Kamal had treed them. Indeed, he realised, they must have set out while he, Thumpus, was being a misery. They must love him really! He felt a moment of shame, but then resumed his total concentration on moving through the terrain as fast as possible.

To him, it was not long before, panting with heat, he arrived in a position just out of sight of the clearing. To the others, still and shivering in the trees, it seemed hours. Their packs, with extra warm things, were by the now dead fire. Kamal had left them alone. To him, fire was the worst enemy.

<How get him away?> Thumpus' thought was loud in Tesh's head. He was behind them in the trees, close now. <Him obstinate, vicious beast.>

<Pretend you're very big and fierce — make him run away.> Tesh could not help a grin at the thought. Thumpus was big all right, but this thing was twice his size, at least.

<Just make him fight. His territory.> Thumpus' cunning mind was at work. <Him lonely. Pretend female arrived, behind, near den. He go see. Then — run!> Thumpus sent a clear picture to Kamal of another, smaller bear, wandering near a rock pile a kilometre away to the west. He had seen them together once and knew they had mated. After the cub had grown, female and cub had left the area.

Kamal stirred uneasily. There seemed to be a wonderful, miraculous scent coming from his lair. Surely Kemba couldn't have returned. Not after all this time! It had been years. If so, they could spend the cold winter together in the lair.

<Send it, too,> Thumpus urged Tesh, trying to reinforce the image. There was even a smell to it. Tesh mimicked as best she could, though she couldn't manage the smell — she'd have to ask Thumpus about that another time.

'Thumpus is sending a picture of another bear, over there,' said Tash softly, pointing. He could definitely sense an image of a bear, off to the west, but it was blurry.

'Send it, too,' returned Tesh tersely. She was concentrating had on replicating Thumpus' image.

It was impossible, thought Kamal, but it must be true. Kemba had returned. He could picture her clearly, near the lair. Her scent was irresistible. She must have come back for him. How wonderful! Kamal would have to leave these stupid prickers this time. He got up, stretched, gave a final threatening roar at the intruders, and padded away across the clearing at an increasing speed. The snowflakes were dropping quite thickly now.

<Keep sending image,> sent Thumpus in a very fast thought. <Then get down. And away!>

'We must get down and off back to the village,' shouted Tesh, as Thumpus suddenly appeared below them. 'Follow Thumpus!'

'Dear old Thumpus!' Tash's eyes were filled with tears of joy and love. He forgot instantly about sending an image of the female bear to Kamal, but Thumpus and Tesh didn't. If Kamal returned they would have no chance, and Thumpus couldn't climb trees.

They scrambled down, crashing and dropping the last gap where Kamal's claws had torn the branches, grabbed their packs and ran after Thumpus, who set off at a cracking pace through the trees.

'Too fast! Can't keep this up for long.' Minesh was aware of the distance to the village.

But Thumpus maintained his pace. Kamal moved fast and would be at his lair soon. Kemba wouldn't be there! He'd be furious! Would he return after the invaders?

Kamal arrived at his den at a run. And stopped dead. Where was Kemba? She should be here. He was sweating with anticipation and the hard run. Usually he loped, which was comfortable and fast enough. Her scent was here all right — funny, he could almost see her. He let out a great roar. She must hear that and come.

Thumpus' keen ears heard it.

<Him back at den,> he warned. <Keep moving. Fast!>

For Kamal, the scent and sense of Kemba suddenly disappeared as if they had never been. There were only memories, stirred up in the bear's small and misty mind. Maddened by the loss, he howled and howled again, turning furiously around and around. The memory of the prickers in the trees returned and he pawed at the earth in rage. They would be down and gone. He made no connection between the images of Kemba and the prickers. Growling continuously, he went to where he had killed the deer. Foxes had been at the remains of the carcass, but there were still bones. In his anger and frustration, he chewed and crunched till his teeth ached. Then he returned to his lair. The snow was falling thick and fast. Lair was the best place with this weather setting in. He snuggled in a corner of it, alone, but at least comfortable. Time for sleep.

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