The Healer Page 8

  Snapper paused and scanned his classmates. Not many people were paying attention. Swifter looked neutral. Snapper felt his anger at Caper building for putting him in this position.

  Then he saw something—someone—that completely and utterly distracted him from his negative emotions. One girl was giving his talk her undivided attention.

  A sheep from the quarry, by the looks of it. She sat at the end of a row behind his, so he hadn’t noticed her before. The skin of her face and ears was brown, darker than his own light grey. At least, the parts of her face that weren’t marked by angry red scars. Someone had attacked her, not very long ago.

  Her demeanor changed when she noticed he was making eye contact with her. He caught himself and shifted his gaze elsewhere. But he felt emboldened to continue the spiel with a little more gusto. At least he was holding someone’s interest.

  “It was a stalemate,” he said. “Neither birds nor dogs could really fight effectively on the other’s turf, so it turned into a supply war. Lots of people were weak from starvation. And then, bam! Pigs appeared out of nowhere, packing explosives and armor and war machines. No one had ever seen this level of technology before and they had no way to oppose it. Just like that, the pigs were in charge.”

  “And how have the pigs treated everyone since then?” Caper asked him.

  Snapper gritted his teeth, pushing out the words everyone wanted to hear. “Wonderfully. They brought civilization. They introduced currency, the calendar, measurements of time and distance, combustion, electricity, clothes, and everything else that brought us out of the primitive age. They’ve set up everything so that no one has to worry about their financial future. They gave us Fleece City, the bank, and this school. They keep dogs in line and give birds productive work to occupy their wandering minds. Everyone’s been better off.”

  “Incorrect,” Caper deadpanned. “Try again.”

  Startled, Snapper looked at the owl. The professor gave him a flat look in return. For a long minute, neither of them blinked. Something like understanding crept into Snapper’s thoughts. He found his internal anger at Caper funneling into words.

  “What I meant to say,” he began, “is that the pigs went right to work exploiting everyone.”

  Chapter 27

  The collective gasp was so sharp that Snapper would have thought all his classmates had been stung by bees. Their heads whirled around, frantic eyes looking at the walls and ceiling.

  Swifter rolled his eyes and slouched further in his chair. The scar-faced girl’s expression changed to intrigue. She leaned forward to hear Snapper over the classroom chatter.

  “What did he say?”

  “You can’t say things like that!”

  “Someone’s going to hear him!”

  “Professor, shut him up before we get in trouble!”

  “Settle down, everyone,” Caper ordered. “I assure you, we’re free to speak our minds within these walls. There are absolutely no monitoring devices in this building.”

  That seemed to calm them.

  Snapper waited patiently for his classmates to work through their reaction to his heresy. When they went quiet, Caper nodded for Snapper to continue.

  “The pigs took control of the sheep labor everyone else had wanted. They invented money and set up a system where sheep would mine raw materials at the quarry for a small income, barely enough to live on. The pigs used their technology to refine these materials into products and sold those back to sheep. They became wildly rich off their own system and the sheep just ate it up. They thought they were better off.”

  “We are,” someone said from the middle of the audience.

  “Hold on,” Caper replied with a raised talon. “Let’s hear this out first, and then we will discuss. Please finish, Snapper. Tell your classmates what’s happened.”

  “The pigs got richer, their system got bigger, and they started to need more skilled labor than their small population could provide. They were faced with the dilemma of training some sheep to help out without giving too much education to sheep as a whole. So they cut us apart. They built Fleece City and drew some sheep into settling there. Then they put that huge wall right through sheep territory, dividing the land into the plains and the coastal quarry. Just like that, we had two classes of sheep. The quarry workers and the city sheep.”

  “And the pigs control each class using separate methods, don’t they?” Caper prodded.

  “Yes. Quarry sheep are controlled through force. Their work conditions are intentionally kept worse than they need to be. Anyone who even suggested that they organize to improve their own prospects—”

  Caper silenced him with a gesture. “And what about the city sheep?”

  Out of the corner of his eye, Snapper thought he saw a strange flash in the eyes of the girl with scars. “Entertainment,” he said after a moment. “Advertising. Unrelenting bombardment of propaganda about how great the pigs have been. Promises of a stable life by finishing school and going to work at the bank or one of the other big companies in town. Work hard, do what we tell you, and you too can live like a pig one day. And a non-threatening, kid-friendly pig persona in everyone’s houses, selling products.”

  “Are you talking bad about Charlie Chugg?” someone demanded.

  Swifter leaned back in his seat. “Whatever, Snapper’s always been cracked.”

  “Hey, hey,” Caper warned. “Anything else, Snapper?”

  “Just a bit. After they started to train sheep to work complex jobs for pigs, the corporate machine was really able to get going. The pigs had so much money that they were able to withdraw from sheep altogether. They built their own city, the Megatropolis, and walled it off from the rest of the world. As far as I’m aware, that’s the state of things.”

  “Well said,” Caper concluded. “Any questions? Swifter?”

  “Yes, I want to know why you’re having us listen to Snapper. Don’t you think his viewpoint might be a little unreliable, seeing as his dad was a crazy old hermit?”

  Everyone laughed. Caper flinched, looking at Snapper. The young sheep ground his hooves into the carpet but didn’t say anything.

  “That’s inappropriate,” Caper chastised him. “The purpose of this exercise was for you to realize that there are viewpoints other than the pigs’ official story of how the world works. Take home what was said today and think on it. I am not asking you to believe it, but come back prepared to discuss. In your time at University, you are going to have to realize sooner or later that not everything you were told at the primary school was true. Part of becoming a productive sheep is discovering some ugly truths and learning to live with them. That is all for today. See you all again on Wednesday.”

  Dismissed, the students picked up their bags and filed toward the two exits. Snapper noticed that the scarred girl lingered at her seat for a little longer than the rest, but he was too annoyed to process that fact.

  “Are you alright, Snapper?” Caper inquired once most of the students had gone.

  “Yes. Fine.”

  “I apologize for putting you in that position. It’s not often I get a student with your perspective. I thought your words might ease the process of getting through to your classmates.”

  “It’s alright.”

  “I can tell you’re very upset.”

  “That’s nothing new.”

  “You’ve been stewing for the entire summer.”

  Snapper rounded on the professor. “You’re surprised? You cooped me up in that little room ‘until things cooled off’ and brushed me off whenever I tried to get the answers you promised.”

  Caper thought for a minute. “Come to my office when your classes are finished for the day. Four o’clock?”

  “Sure.”

  “And I will speak with Swifter this afternoon.”

  “Don’t bother. We’re going to have to hash it out sooner or later. He’s my roommate.”

  Chapter 28

  “Sooner or later” turned out to mean right there
in the hall after class. Snapper caught up with Swifter and knocked his hindquarters to one side, causing him to nearly fall over.

  Swifter spun in a fury, as did his two surprised friends. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “Take back what you said,” Snapper growled, his nostrils flaring.

  Swifter used his shoulder to shove Snapper back a step as his two buddies fanned out to either side. Noticing the scene, other classmates stopped to watch until Snapper and Swifter were encircled by onlookers.

  “What are you thinking?” Swifter demanded. “Are you crazy? You want to get your teeth kicked out?”

  Snapper paused. Did he? Was it worth it? Swifter was much larger, quicker, and in better shape. He physically outclassed Snapper in every way. And using his healing power, exposing his secret just to win a fight, was out of the question.

  It occurred to Snapper that it did not matter. He recalled his last words to his father before the attack on their house. The fact that Old-Timer and the rest had lost the Canine-Avian War did not mean that fighting had been a mistake. Winning was not the point. The point was to fight, period.

  He was sure to lose against Swifter now, but losing would be better than not standing up at all. He dug in his hooves and lowered his head.

  “Yeah,” he muttered. “I’m crazy.”

  They never reached each other. The girl with scars on her face stepped in between them, halting Swifter in the middle of his charge.

  The big, white sheep looked on with confusion as the girl got close enough to whisper to Snapper.

  “I want to talk to you,” she said. “Can you walk me to my next class?”

  This close, he could see that the irises of her eyes were a deep violet color, which threw him off guard. He followed her out of the circle of disappointed students.

  “Yeah, run!” Swifter called out. “We’ll finish this later.”

  Snapper did not answer; he barely even heard him.

  They walked for a few minutes in the opposite direction of most of the foot traffic. Snapper kept expecting the girl to say something, but she was silent for most of the trip.

  “Is this about something I said in class?” he finally ventured.

  “Yes. I have a question for you, but I’m debating whether to ask it. It’s obviously a sensitive topic.”

  “I wasn’t at my best, just now.”

  “I could tell even before then. In class. Before a word came out of your mouth.”

  Snapper felt a lump forming in his throat. “Oh.” An idea came to him. “Maybe we could talk about it more privately.”

  “That would be better.”

  “How about the courtyard? After dinner? Everyone out there will be minding their own business. It’s pretty quiet.”

  “Yes. That sounds good.” She stopped.

  Snapper noticed they were in front of a literature classroom. “Is this your stop?”

  “It is. Thank you for walking me. See you later.”

  Chapter 29

  Snapper stopped by his dorm room after his final class just long enough to drop off his pack. Swifter wasn’t there. He would be playing ball in the plains outside school grounds. Snapper had other things on his mind anyway.

  He trotted from the males’ dorm building back to the main lecture hall and took the stairs to the second floor. The door to Caper’s waiting room was open and he let himself in.

  The professor’s secretary was busy at her desk, sorting a pile of papers into two neat stacks. The little canary looked up and smiled when Snapper came in.

  “Go on through,” she chirped. “He’s expecting you.”

  Snapper nodded, glancing at the nameplate on her desk on his way past. Mrs. Flaxer.

  He opened another door behind her desk and entered Caper’s main office. There was a wide glass-topped desk, a pair of cushioned wooden chairs, and a tall bookshelf.

  Caper greeted him from behind the desk. “Hello, Snapper. What do you think? My office up on Ptera Peak is just a hole in the wall compared to this. I much prefer it here.”

  Snapper shrugged. “It’s pretty nice. But an office up in the mountains must be good too.”

  Caper walked around the desk and closed the door. “No, it’s a literal hole in a wall. Carved out of the stone. Nothing in there but a desk and a privacy curtain. It’s terrible.” He returned behind his desk and climbed onto his own seat, which was more like a padded perch. The two locked eyes while a long second passed.

  Snapper realized Caper was waiting for him to start talking. He’d been feeling pretty good after meeting the violet-eyed girl. As he reminded himself of the reason for this meeting, his anger returned.

  “You told me I would have answers about what happened. It was easy for you to avoid me when I was hidden away in that room, but now I’m out among the other students and we have to see each other every day. I won’t let it go or forget about it, so we may as well clear the air sooner rather than later.”

  Caper brought his right foot up to rub his tired face. “You’re just like your father.” He sighed, not looking up. “There was never a more hard-headed man on the planet than Old-Timer, except possibly his son.”

  The owl produced two pristine drinking glasses and set them on the desk. “You’re right. I had hoped that if I left things alone for long enough, you would move on. I was afraid that if I told you the truth about that night, you would disregard your promise and seek revenge.” He paused to pick up a pitcher from the shelf behind him and fill both glasses with water. “I see that keeping you in the dark is not helping you to find peace. I’ll tell you what happened. Give me just a minute.”

  Snapper nodded, picking up one of the glasses and taking an appreciative sip. Caper did the same before reaching for the antique telephone at the other end of his desk. The young sheep watched in silence as Caper picked up the receiver, dialed, waited.

  “Hello? It’s me. He sure is. We’ll be down in a little while. Forty-five minutes is perfect. Meet you there.” Caper’s hushed tone surprised Snapper.

  The old owl hung up and settled back on his perch. “I must warn you. For you to understand exactly what happened to your father that night, I have to explain to you how the pigs took control after the war and how they keep it. I have to tell you things I cannot tell your classmates.”

  Snapper took another slow sip and nodded.

  Caper sighed. “You know that each race has a patron god. Karkus the War Hound for the dogs, Optera the Winged Goddess for the birds, Arghast the Father Orchid for the sheep, and Toxid the Devourer for pigs. How much do you know about Toxid?”

  Snapper scratched his temple. “Nothing besides the rumors we passed around in school. Something about the higher-up pigs being occult whack jobs who use sheep blood in ritual sacrifices.”

  “That’s not far off. The pigs who actually follow Toxid strongly discourage speaking about him to non-pigs. This is because of the unimaginable cruelty committed in his name. The blood sacrifices are real. They began around the time you were born. The pigs in charge of the Megatropolis suddenly ordered a crackdown on dissenting sheep.”

  Caper paused. “When I talk about ‘the pigs’ in the historical or policy sense, I’m talking about the leadership. The pig civilians living their daily lives in the Megatropolis have little idea what the leaders are doing or what happens outside their city. Their leaders have convinced them that the majority of sheep are criminals ready to kick in their doors and steal what they have.

  “Outside the Megatropolis, it’s been more of the same. Relentless pig propaganda has convinced most sheep in Fleece City that everything in the world is a threat except pigs themselves. You’ve seen it—the posters, the television shows, the cartoon characters… Sheep are conditioned to be afraid of dogs, birds, the gods, and each other. They are taught to trust no one but their swine overlords. As I mentioned before, you’ve only seen this life from outside, so you haven’t grown up steeped in it the way your peers have.”

  Snapper shook hi
s head. “Even when they watched sheep get dragged away right in front of them, they’d deny or rationalize it. I never understood. But what about the dogs and birds? How do the pigs control them?”

  “For dogs, it was simple. Their culture is centered on combat. Whoever comes out on top gives the orders.”

  “So, just by winning the war, the pigs earned loyalty from the dogs.”

  Caper nodded. “Right. The pigs have been very lenient with dogs because they haven’t caused any trouble. When the pigs started dividing territory and building walls, the dogs acted as enforcers. In return for their support, the pigs let them keep their oak forest, as well as the caverns they dug long ago around the volcanic hotspot below us.

  “The leader of dogs, General Pincher, believes that only dogs and their masters have a legitimate right to use force. The pigs have rather cleverly played into this. They refuse to endorse the god of the dogs, Karkus.”

  “And that’s why everyone thinks of dogs as pagan savages,” Snapper mused.

  “Yes. Pincher works to maintain this fearful illusion, and the pigs pay him handsomely for it. He was a great leader whose soul has been poisoned by greed.

  “However, there is a small minority of dogs, headed by my friend Boxer, who believe that dogs should not have this monopoly on force. They think the land would be better served if sheep were able to defend themselves.

  “As for the birds, we were much trickier for the pigs to win over. They had to make some concessions. First, we kept Ptera Peak and the pine forest at its base. Second, we were not only allowed to openly worship our goddess Optera but also to encourage sheep to do so. That was the beginning of the Church of the Goddess movement.”

  Snapper thought of the large statue featuring Optera in the middle of the busiest part of Fleece City.

  “Even with the concessions, birds proved hard to control,” Caper continued. “Fear and force were not going to work, so the pigs found a subtler mechanism. They gave donations and political favors to a member of the Church of the Goddess, a charismatic condor named Specter. He now leads the Church, giving him massive influence over bird society.