Unconquered Sun (41 page)

- Aha - and - and-and! Pop and - and - alsya! - the happy Kitten cried, and Ushastik so screeched from delight that both swept with laughter. But while the Kitten laughed, cunning Ushastik already ran in other party, and a zigzag - to bring down the Kitten from a trace. But the Kitten was already ready to such turn of events. A trained eye he quickly estimated where the little mouse will appear this time and jumped. Crack! - and the soft pad of the Kitten already caught Ushastik for a tail.

How many to laughter was at both! As to them it was cheerful as it is healthy! At Ushastik took the breath away from delight when it was caught by the Kitten, and the Kitten exulted that is beaten by Ushastika …

But here, when once again promptly running away Ushastik at once crashed the black wet nose directly into a soft fluffy tummy of the Kitten which already got in the way, Ushastik, winding by running, told:

- Well … all … … is time for me …

- - and - and - and - to it is time, m-ya-u-u!? - the Kitten was upset. - You told that only in an hour, and we play no more half an hour more … So unfair, Ushastik, it not by rules!

- Well, what governed, a dear Kitten, - having puzzly sparkled black - beads eyes, Ushastik waved a pad, - we with you each other dream, unless not so?

- Sni-i-i-imsya?! - the Kitten exclaimed and rubbed eye pads and when reopened them - neither Ushastika, nor a meadow, nor the sun was any more. Instead of a black mokrenky nose of a little mouse near it the big wet nose of the Puppy snuffled …

The puppy in a dream squealed a little, pulled pads as though somewhere ran, and even tried to bark.

"Probably, - the Kitten with regret thought, - too dreams him that it plays with someone … Poor creature! What expects it disappointment when he wakes up, as well as I …" - And the Kitten sadly sighed.

It was sad to it to look at this dead desert, to listen to this dead silence - even there is no breeze here! To it it became so lonely, so bad at heart that though cry! The kitten approached the Fairy - to look whether he with her as it should be - and saw all that she sleeps peacefully and blissfully smiles in a dream and even slightly smacks the lips sponges.

"Probably, - the Kitten thought again, - it dreams Prinze. Such happy face at it happens only when she sees it … Well and let will have a rest, I will not disturb it", - the Kitten solved and wanted was again to lie down and try to fall asleep.

But here a sharp-sighted eye of the Kitten caught hardly noticeable movement of some shadow. She ran from left to right, from right to left, and it fought off it at all desire to sleep. It, as well as any cat, painfully reacted to any movement.

Having blinked the eyes, the Kitten saw that it is not a shadow, and … the most real mouse which runs there and here.

- Ushastik! You here! - nearly the delighted Kitten cried and began to peer attentively sharp-sighted, as at any cat, green eyes into darkness.

Really, it was the little mouse, exactly same what just dreamed on a meadow near a feiny lodge - small, greyish, with big round ears and a long tail.

The kitten could not keep, he was so captured by game with Ushastik, he so to it managed to become attached and then - Ushastik remained owes it half an hour more of game!

Its big green eyes lit up, the plush hair on a back bristled, a tail - a pipe. It fell by all fours (that did only during "hunting") and … was rushed forth!

What surprise of the Kitten when "Ushastik" suddenly with an enormous speed jerked directly in darkness was - never before from the Kitten so quickly mice ran! Especially as "that" Ushastik that was in a dream, the Kitten without any work overtook …

But this circumstance did not guard it at all, and, on the contrary, only pleased - so it was much more interesting to hunt! The kitten skipping ran for Ushastik, but when it managed to approach him on distance of couple of tens of human steps, Ushastik suddenly stopped as driven and turned back a muzzle to the Kitten.

The kitten with scope nearly flew on it, however in its plush head the alarm signal distinctly rang out: "So does not happen! It is not similar to Ushastik at all!" - and it instinctively slowed down … And in time!

Because "Ushastik" suddenly began to grow promptly, as if it as a rag ball, inflated with the pump. For some to steam of moments the Kitten was already faced by a disgusting rat, black with gray strips, of the size of a decent tiger. Her furious predatory eyes were poured by blood. From a huge mouth also sabers canines seemed sharp teeth daggers. Long claws did not concede it the size to canines, and on a tail the snake head furiously hissed.

If the Kitten did not slow down in time, he straight would hit it paws. Even a moment - and the Kitten pripustit back, absolutely unconsciously, and the huge tigrovidny saber-toothed rat who was "Ushastiky" afterwards pursued it until recently.

What surprise of the Kitten when, having turned back to the right, he saw the Puppy bolting at full speed was!

5.

To puppy that night it was not fallen down too. He was very tired, muscles hurt, even to speak there were no forces and it was somehow ashamed to prevent to sleep another. And too the thought a little bit absolutely unexpectedly came to the Puppy to mind to dream, absolutely slightly, perhaps, and will fall asleep imperceptibly …

Question only - about what?

The Puppy the closest friend had a Kitten. With it it usually played dogonyashka, a hide-and-seek and other interesting games. And still he liked to banter at the conceited person Oslenk. For example, to hide early in the morning its round starushach points or a straw hat, round with the fields which are eaten around by mice. And then cheerfully to observe how he looks for them, clapping the big short-sighted eyes.

But after all not games with other Animals were a subject of dreams of the Puppy. Yes, he liked and to go shooting with Prinze in the wood. To climb with it some bogs, uvyazy in dirt, to oblaivat protein and daws in the wood, to try to discover badgers and beavers. But also it was not a limit of dreams of the Puppy.

And what it was?

Well, of course, above all the Puppy dreamed of other puppy! As well as any dog, it could find equivalent to itself(himself) the friend only in a dog. Yes, he loved Prinze, as well as the Fairy - they are his owners. But the owner is another. Children are children master's. With them it is possible to play, tickle them, but also it is another. And the Kitten and Oslenok - his friends, favourite, good, but … They, of course, will not replace the real dog, a puppy …

Earlier the Puppy did not realize need for other puppy. But once in the wood when it accompanied Prinze on next "hunting", they came so far that crossed border of sector No. 3 and got to the next sector No. 4. And not somewhere, and came across directly a lodge of the local fairy!

The local fairy was not married yet, and therefore she very much was delighted to such Prinze's visit, happy for it, fairies seldom visited to each other. Why it so, the Puppy if it is honest, did not know, but most likely it is connected with the fact that fairies just always very much also are very busy. But when the lodge of the Keeper of the Limit No. 4 had Prinze … all affairs, of course, were postponed.

The fairy right there widely began to smile, invited him to herself home, changed clothes in a new magnificent dress, filled a table with the best dishes and drinks. The refectory was filled by flocks of magic canaries and parrots. Air was filled with aromas of roses. The fairy got a harp to execute to Prinze the favourite melodies and … But what was farther, the Puppy did not remember any more. Because at this moment the room entered … OTHER PUPPY!

Yes, yes, eyes did not deceive him - it was other puppy. It was plush too, but less rostiky and other breed. The Puppy had trailing ears, and at that - ostrenky, the Puppy had a brown hair, and at that - white with red specks, the Puppy had a shaggy hair, and at that - a smooth skin almost without wool. In addition, on a neck it tied some ridiculous pink silk scarf.

Both puppies at first were dumbfounded from surprise, and then, having at the same time given a yelp, began to sniff at each other, waving joyfully tails as the real dogs! And then the pleasure both was not a limit! Using what owners about them absolutely forgot, both Puppies, having conspiratorially winked each other, quietly ran away from the house on a lawn and let's play!

They did not need to speak even, they understood each other without words. And they began to play, well, of course, dogonyashka - the most favourite game of any doggies!

At first the Kid ran away - his hostess so called the new friend Shchenk, probably, for his small growth - it was all on a belt to Shchenk. Then the Puppy ran away. All lawn was filled with ringing joyful bark, footfall of dog pads, a grass rustle, a crash of bushes and hot faltering breath. Both friends were fairly exhausted, dropping foam directly on a grass, but at the same time were such happy!

Especially it was pleasant to the Puppy, catching up with the Kid, to be enough it for the fluttering tip of his silk scarf with teeth, and also the fact that the Kid so ozorno squealed a little when it was caught! And still it liked its small thin, as at a little mouse, a tail …

Then the Kid offered another, similar to dogonyashka, game - "zaberishka". Rules it were simple: one puppy was enough in teeth a stick and ran away, and to another, besides that to catch up with him, it was necessary to take away a stick also. This game delighted the Puppy especially as earlier he did not play it.

As it was exciting to catch up to the Puppy with the Kid, and then, on the run, to snap at the end of a stick and to pull out it! The kid so touchingly growled - of course, for fun, - and pulled a stick on himself directly on the run. Once they so were fond of its pulling that they did not notice how they crashed directly into a pink bush! Oh, it was also sick to prick about thorns! And another time friends flew directly to the river and were dripping wet. But most often they head over heels fell on a grass and somersaulted, taking away each other a stick! The puppy was stronger than the Kid, but gave in, acting not at full capacity. The kid was weaker, but is more cunning - sometimes he tickled the Puppy the tail on a paunch, and so far that laughed, snatched out a stick and took to heels …

Generally, it was the happiest day in Puppy life, and he, of course, would like that this day lasted eternally. As the Kid he did not meet other such friend yet. They understood each other without words …

But their happiness suddenly ended - on a lawn the Beautiful Fairy suddenly arrived. The kid right there stopped game, jumped on back pads and respectfully bowed to the Hostess. The fairy ordered to take to it her home, and terrible expression of her face did not foretell anything good … And further the Puppy already vaguely remembered. There was some serious conversation between his Hostess and the hostess Malysha, and then she took Prinze by hand and led it. Prinze on the way something is guilty her explained, without looking at the Puppy. And there were they so quickly that the Puppy had to run nearly behind them, and therefore he did not even manage to say goodbye to the Kid plainly. He only saw how the Kid shy goes after them, quietly wags with the tail and sadly looks in a trace to the Puppy …

And then it disappeared behind turn of a footpath … more Shchenok any more never saw it because Prinze was very strictly forbidden to go to this party. Borders with the next sectors were densely closed by special spells, and without Owner or the Hostess Shchenok, of course, could not visit the Kid …

Since then passed nearly five years, but the Puppy quite often thought of the little friend wistfully. He several times wanted to ask the Fairy to release its one, without Prinze to meet the Kid, but every time was distracted by some affairs, cares - with Prinze it is necessary to go somewhere, with kids to play, on the house to do something, the Kitten … Only sometimes, at night, having got rid of burden of day cares, the Puppy remembered the plush friend and sometimes it dreamed it in a dream …

Here and now the Puppy decided to dream a little bit. What time to lose in vain, really? And it presented that once it went on some business to the wood and suddenly, because of turn of a forest footpath directly on it with joyful bark the Kid rushed … well, of course!

The puppy would not confuse it with anybody on light! The pleasure of the Puppy was not a limit.

- Are small-y-ysh! Buddy! I cannot believe! How you appeared here? A-av!

But the Kid did not answer it but only he was filled in with joyful bark and rushed directly on the Puppy, began to lick his muzzle the long and tender pink uvula. And really, to what words if so everything is clear? They together - and this most important!

Without lingering more, both friends right there started playing the "dogonyashka" which are not finished then and "zabirashka", as if and there were no five years of separation! And again - the Kid runs away, and the Puppy catches up, being enough with teeth ridiculously fluttering tip of a pink silk scarf.

And the Kid so ridiculously delighted squalls! So ridiculously pulls a thin mouse tail! And then the Kid runs after, and the delighted Puppy squalls now. And it was so healthy! And then too most - but already with a stick!

Having in plenty played enough both in dogonyashka, and in zabirashka, they decided to be engaged together in not less interesting dog business - to oblaivat protein and daws, to look for minks of badgers and mice and, of course, in plenty to be run on any marshy puddles, surely having splashed up to the neck in smelly dirt! As a result, the pink silk scarf of the Kid was simple be not to learned - from pink it became dirty-brown …