Shadows of the Redwood (18 page)

“People in L.A. are so rude.” Keelie drove on. “Maybe we can find some planters at the school,

“What are we going to do? Repot the bush?” Risa didn’t seem concerned.

Sean didn’t say anything. He had his hand across his face now. He was pale and had dark circles under his eyes. He needed to get out of the city.

Laurie turned around and glared at Risa. “I can’t believe we stole a tree out of the mall. I’ll never be able to show my face there again. And they’re having a really great sale at American Eagle.”

I’m not a bush, I’m a tree. And I’m going to die if I have to live outside.

You will not. You’ll survive and thrive in the earth. Lots of sunshine.

You’d think the brat mall tree would be grateful at being saved from a lifetime of being inside the mall.

The tree started making weeping noises in her head, and Keelie felt a surge of sympathy for the little guy.
It’ll be okay.

As she merged onto the expressway, she hoped she was right.

Keelie stroked the pear tree’s smooth trunk. She’d propped him against a friendly willow so that he could soak his roots in the creek that flowed through the rear of the school property. The tree was finally calming down.

Sean sat on the bank next to it and watched the kids playing on the school’s fields. “Soccer seems to be a fun game.”

“Only if you’re not forced to play it.”

Laurie and Risa had gone to the local Orchard Supply Hardware store to buy a shovel, leaving Keelie and Sean to babysit the tree.

Knot chased a butterfly over some rocks in the creek. “Don’t get wet, kitty,” Keelie warned him. “Laurie doesn’t want to drive around with a soggy cat.” There was a splash and an angry yowl. Knot never listened.

Philia, the willow, was crooning to the little tree in a sweet motherly tone.
He’s barely older than an acorn
.

Keelie patted the pear tree’s trunk
. I think he’ll be happy here.

The little tree showed Keelie his face, snub-nose and little eyes pushing through its bark
. Thank you, tree shepherdess.

You’re welcome.
A dark blur whizzed by, followed by two others. Knot froze, intent on their movement.
Feithid daoine
. Keelie grinned at the bug fairies.

“Well, well, isn’t this a lovely little scene,” a voice said nearby.

Startled, Keelie looked up. It was the coyote, facing her from the opposite bank. His gold and brown fur almost blended with the woods.

Sean jumped up. “Is that a wolf?”

“No, just a coyote. They’re like rats, shaped like dogs.” Keelie glared at the coyote.

“I’ve never seen a talking rat. Or a talking wolf.” Sean stared at the coyote. “But that’s not a natural being. I smell fae.”

“You catch on quickly.” A breeze blew and the coyote turned to face it, laughing as the wind ruffled his fur.

“I saw you at the park,” Keelie said. “You didn’t talk then.”

“Nice park. Nice old tree. He’s been filling me in on you.” The coyote yawned, showing sharp canine teeth.

Knot bolted up beside Keelie and shook his fur off. Water droplets sprinkled her. He glared at the coyote.

“Yeah, well, that’s one reason why I’m here. I’ve been sent to keep an eye on you, too,” the coyote told Keelie.

Knot hissed.

The coyote’s ears moved forward. “He’s not happy. Competition for your affections, plus he thinks he should be your only guardian.”

Sean laughed.

Keelie looked from Knot to the coyote. “I don’t think you’re my type.”

“You’ll grow to like me. Chicks dig boys on the wild side.” The coyote wiggled his ears like he thought he was being sexy or something.

“Who sent you?”

The coyote scratched an ear with his hind foot. “Let’s just say you have friends in high places.”

“You’re a fairy, right?”

“You got it, Einstein.”

Knot hissed. “Yeow poser.”

Keelie stared down at Knot. “Wow, you must really hate him. I like him better already.”

Knot ignored her and washed his butt.

“I don’t know what you need to plant a tree,” Laurie said, as she arrived carrying a shovel, a watering can, and a bag of plant food. Her hair was disheveled and she had a smudge of dirt on her nose. “I’ve never been in a hardware store before, but since I’ll be banned from the mall for stealing a bush, I might as well get used to roughing it.”

Risa was dragging a huge bag of potting soil, and Sean hurried to help her. Risa glared at Laurie. “I told her we needed manure, but she said not in her BMW.”

Laurie stared at Keelie, at the tree, at a wet Knot, and then across the creek at the coyote. She froze.

“Hello, there,” the coyote said in a deeper voice. He stood up and paced back and forth.

“A coyote! Holy cow, they carry rabies. Get behind me.” Laurie dropped the watering can and the bag and held the shovel like a baseball bat. “Just let him come over here. I’ll bean him all the way to Wilshire Boulevard.”

Keelie couldn’t help but smile as it dawned on Laurie that she’d heard the coyote talk.

“Did he just speak to me?”

Keelie nodded. “He’s a fairy.”

“Being your friend keeps getting weirder and weirder.” Laurie lowered the shovel. Risa came to stand next to her.

“The coyote spoke?” Risa stared at him. “Do all coyotes speak here?”

Keelie ignored them and stood up. “What about me? My life keeps getting weirder and weirder.”

Knot grinned up at Keelie, then began washing his tail.

“Forget the coyote. Let’s plant this tree.” Keelie reached for the shovel.

“What are you doing with a coyote?” Laurie couldn’t seem to take here eyes off of him.

“I’m Keelie’s new guardian.”

Knot stopped washing his tail and hissed.

“No you’re not,” Keelie said. Risa took the shovel from Keelie and started to dig, laughing and ignoring all of them.

Laurie looked confused. “You have two guardians. Why do you need two guardians?”

“See, she has accepted the fact that I’m a talking coyote and that I’m your guardian,” the coyote said, peering at Keelie with disapproval.

“What’s your name?”

“Just call me Coyote. It’ll make life easier.”

“Like some cartoon character?” Keelie asked.

“I like it. It’s basic.” Coyote smiled, his shiny sharp teeth bright in the sun.

I’m ready to go into the earth. You’re right, I like it here.
The pear tree rustled its branches.

“Grab that sack of dirt and rip it open,” Risa told Laurie.

“But he’ll die. Oh, you mean the potting soil, not the coyote!” Laurie laughed.

Keelie rolled her eyes, forgetting her promise to Grandmother, and helped them pull the tree out of the creek. Risa carefully arranged its roots around the deep hole and then they poured dirt into it, patting the soil, tucking him in. Laurie filled the watering can three times to make sure he had enough water, and then they were done.

The little tree sighed with relief. He reached out to Keelie with his branches and she accepted his prickly hug. He hugged Risa and Laurie, too.

You two take care of each other.

We will
. Philia sent waves of green to Keelie.

Coyote hopped over the rocks, avoiding getting his feet wet.

“You did a good thing, kid, rescuing that tree. He’ll have a good life here. Before, the odds were stacked against him, being in that mall and with the …” He seemed hesitant to continue.

“And with the—what?”

“Just that the mall attracts unsavory types.”

Sean sauntered across the lawn. “Finished here? I cleaned out the car.”

“You made Sean clean your car?” Keelie couldn’t believe it.

“Duh,” Laurie said. “You should see all the dirt that your pet tree left in the trunk. It was disgusting. We could have planted crops back there.”

“Actually, no,” Risa said. “Crops require sunlight, although you might have planted mushrooms under certain conditions.”

Laurie stared at Risa as if she’d just landed her spaceship. “I’ll keep that in mind for the next time we kidnap a tree.”

The minute the BMW’s doors opened, Knot jumped into the back seat, followed by Coyote.

“Oh no,” Laurie said. “I draw the line. He smells like a dumpster.”

Coyote grinned. “The best meals are those that are tossed out. People have no appreciation for aged meat.” Sean made a face and Risa looked queasy.

Keelie sighed. “I’ll sit next to him.”

“Hope you have your shots,” Laurie said.

Risa was torn between grabbing the front seat and sitting in the back, but finally the lure of Knot’s company won out. She sat next to Keelie. Sean took the front passenger seat.

“You really are, um, fragrant,” Keelie told Coyote. “You’re also bigger than I thought you were. Can you scooch over?”

“I don’t want to muss my tail. I have it just right,” he said. He looked out the window. “Are we going to the forest now?”

“I certainly hope so,” Sean answered fervently.

Keelie understood. She, too, couldn’t wait to return to the redwoods. She’d never thought she would want to leave Los Angeles, but this wasn’t her home anymore.

Sean closed his eyes and was soon fast asleep. Knot crawled up onto the rear deck and curled up. Laurie turned onto the L.A. freeway.

“I think it’s faster going up the coast road.” Coyote pointed his ears forward.

“The day I take driving directions from a coyote is the day I see a unicorn,” Laurie declared.

“Well, we know that ain’t going to happen,” Keelie muttered.

“I heard that.” Laurie drove on, but then took the next exit and they made their way to the coast road.

Keelie smiled. It was funny seeing Laurie arguing with a coyote.

“How about we stop at In-N-Out Burger?” Keelie hadn’t had one of their burgers in a year.

“They have great dumpsters.” Coyote licked his black, doglike lips.

“Eww!” Laurie and Keelie said in unison.

The coyote turned his golden eyes to Keelie. “Listen, it’s not like I can drive through and ask for a burger. A coyote has got to do what a coyote has to do to get a bite in this town.”

Keelie had never thought about how hard it was for a coyote, or any animal, to exist in an urban environment. She didn’t want to ask him about what else he did for survival in L.A.

“I like In-N-Out dumpsters,” Coyote was saying. “It’s a part of life. But if you really want to show a lady a good time, you’ll take her to Beverly Hills—Wolfgang Puck’s garbage cans. Delicious.”

“How about we drive through and buy you a real burger?” Keelie suggested. “Let’s skip the dumpster diving.”

“You’re kidding me? Right?”

Laurie nodded. “I think it’s a great idea.”

Coyote laid his paw on her shoulder. “Can we get fries?”

“Sure.” Laurie glanced dubiously at the paw.

Knot snorted, as if disgusted.

At the drive-through window, Keelie got another surprise. Coyote knew how to read. And now she wondered if Knot could, too, because the two animals stared intently out the window at the menu board. Knot would meow, and Coyote would say, “Large or small?”

Risa was the only one baffled by the menu. They ended up with many white bags full of food, and stopped at a sandy-beach overlook to eat. The wind was blowing steadily from the Pacific and the waves sparkled in the sun.

The elves looked healthier here, and more alert the farther they got from the city. Keelie felt better too. There was something about the concrete and steel that had sapped her energy.

After they resumed their trip north, the elves slept deeply. Keelie didn’t mind letting Sean ride with Risa in back, because they were both out of it. Coyote had curled up on the floorboard, too, and Knot was in his spot on the rear deck.

The miles went by as Keelie and Laurie talked about school and plans for the future. When Coyote woke up, Keelie listened to Laurie and Coyote talk about all the cool places to hang out in Los Angeles. Coyote and Laurie had even attended some of the same concerts.