by Kristi Jenkins

The other day, the Tucson office staff got into a discussion of books we loved as children. A lot of the standard classics were mentioned, and we all reminisced fondly over A Cricket in Times Square, but it got me thinking of the books I loved that others might not have experienced. Over the years, I have never met anyone who has read, or even heard of, one of my favorite authors - Clare Bell. Since one of my favorite childhood series has recently been re-issued by Firebird books, I thought it would be nice to take a trip down memory lane and hopefully introduce some new readers to this author.

Ratha's Creature is unique in that the protagonists are wild cats with a human-like intelligence. The cats have developed the ability to herd animals like deer and horses, and keep these animals for food. Chapter one begins with Ratha, a yearling almost grown out of her spots, stalking and herding a "three-horn", a deer-like animal. At the last moment, she is distracted by the flash off light off a dragonfly's wings, and the three-horn attacks. Thakur, her teacher and mentor, intervenes, but has to slay the three-horn because it has learned it can overcome a herder. There is a tension to this chapter, and it is revealed that the intelligent cats, who call themselves the Named, and their herds are under increasing pressure from Un-Named raiders.

Chapter two begins with Ratha and Thakur assigned to guard duty as night falls, and Ratha finds herself following the white tip of Thakur's tail on the way to the herd grounds. "...the night to her was a very large and awesome creature and the flickering spot ahead promised protection." In the few opening lines, the author has established both Ratha's youth and innocence, and her restlessness as she comes to the cusp of maturity. She chafes against the authority figures in her life, but still seeks their nurturing. We are introduced to a third character, the female herder Fessran, and learn that many of the clan cats do not agree with their leader's arrogant, superior attitude towards the Un-Named. While Thakur and Fessran are off fighting raiders, Ratha comes face to face with an Un-Named male. She makes the mistake of thinking he is as stupid as the horses she is guarding, and taunts him. "You eater of mud croakers and chewer of bones." She's shocked when he not only speaks her words back at her, but attacks her and kills a horse. This chapter is rife with character development which the author achieves with tight, descriptive prose, and without burying the reader in detail. She respects the reader's intelligence and leaves readers to draw their own conclusions. This is a trait of the best young adult stories. The fastest way to ruin a tale, or throw a readers out of the action, is to talk down to them.

Chapter three begins with Ratha awaking from unconsciousness and aching all over from her fight. The meadow is covered with mist and no other cats are around. "The strongest smell was fear, and it seemed to spread over the meadow mixed in with the mist, paralyzing everything it touched." Thakur and Fessran check in and the herders realize the attacks are far more serious than Meoran, the clan leader, led them to expect. Ratha is tired and petulant and argues with Thakur as they're headed back to the clan dens. She realizes that she is questioning his authority and wonders when that awareness had come. It's a subtle reminder that she is growing into a young adult. Also subtle, but powerfully descriptive, is the observation that "The clan believed the Un-Named ones were different, yet they all looked alike in death." As with many protagonists in young adult fiction, Ratha has to come to terms with issues of life and death, and with developing her own personality distinct from the clan.

Chapters four and five bring us to the heart of the story - the discovery of Ratha's creature. After a long drought, storm clouds are gathering and the herds are restless. An old pine tree is struck by lightening and ignites the dry brush around itself. The herders spring into action, herding both the animals and clan members into a neighboring stream and striking out for safer land. Ratha nearly drowns on the journey and slips in and out of consciousness while the fire rages, then dies down, around the temporary dens the clan have dug. Meoran gives the order to move the herds back to Clan lands, but Ratha is too weak to travel. Thakur and Fessran hang back to accompany her, and we learn startling revelations about Thakur's past. Finally, the threesome comes to the burned lands where they find that many isolated fires are still smouldering. Ratha first remarks that "the Red Tongue was an animal and its life should end with its death." Soon, though, her curiosity gets the best of her, and she starts playing with the tiny flames she finds dancing on the ends of branches. When Thakur and Fessran get too far ahead of her, Ratha is left to fend for herself during a long, cold night. She has learned how to feed twigs and dry leaves to keep small fires alive, so she builds herself a fire to keep herself warm. Thakur and Fessran are shocked to find Ratha nurturing the creature and demand she kill it. She is obstinate, confident that she can control the fire, and declares that "I will kill it or I will let it live, but it is my creature."

This sets the tone for the coming confrontations with Meoran, the clan, and the Un-Named that comprise the rest of the story. The first 50 pages are a study in concise character development and give the reader many juicy teasers about major plot points without overwhelming readers with detail. The protagonists, while definitely not human, are fully realized and written with a warmth and heart that draws the reader immediately into this strange, distant world. I almost think the use of non-human characters helps to explore the story's themes of identity and coming-of-age more effectively than purely human characters. When Ratha is puzzling over how to carry fire without the benefit of human hands, the reader is puzzling right along with her. She's engaging in both her innocence and her desire to learn and mature. The first 50 pages are packed with action, but barely scratch the surface of all that is to come in Ratha's life, and Ratha's Creature is a wonderful example of young adult fiction done right.