“Gratch? Is that you, Gratch?”
The gar vigorously nodded his huge, grotesque head. “Grrratch!” He called out in a deep growl that resonated in her breastbone. He thumped his chest with both claws. “Grrratch!”
“Gratch, did Richard send you?”
The gar’s wings flapped more energetically at the mention of Richard’s name.
She came closer. “Did Richard send you?”
“Grrratch luuug Raaaach aaarg.”
Kahlan blinked. Richard had told her that Gratch tried to talk. She suddenly giggled. “Kahlan loves Richard, too.” She tapped her chest. “I’m Kahlan, Gratch. I’m so happy to meet you.”
She gasped as the gar lunged forward and scooped her up in his furry arms, lifting her feet clear of the ground. Her first thought was that he was surely going to crush her, but he was surprisingly gentle as he held her to his smooth chest. Kahlan reached around the great body and hugged the gar’s sides. She couldn’t get her arms even halfway around him.
Kahlan could never have imagined doing such a thing, but now she was brought nearly to tears, because Gratch was Richard’s friend, and Richard had sent the gar to her. It was almost as if it were a hug sent from Richard himself.
The gar carefully set her on the ground. He studied her with his glowing green eyes. She stroked a hand along the fur at the side of his chest as the hulking creature reached down and tenderly stroked her hair with a huge, deadly claw.
Kahlan grinned up at the wrinkled face full of fangs. Gratch let out a purling gurgle. His wings moved in slow, contented sweeps as she stroke his fur, and he stroked her hair.
“You’re safe here with us, Gratch. Richard told me all about you. I don’t know how much you can understand, but you’re among friends.”
When his lips drew back, again exposing the full length of his fangs, she suddenly realized it was a smile. It was the ugliest smile she had ever seen, but it had an innocent quality to it that made her grin, too. She had never in her life thought that gars could smile. It truly was a marvel.
“Gratch, did Richard send you?”
“Raaaach aaarg.” Gratch thumped his chest. He flapped his wings hard enough that it briefly lifted his feet from the ground. Then he reached out and tapped Kahlan’s shoulder.
Kahlan’s mouth fell opened. The gar was telling her something, and she understood. “Richard sent you to find me?”
Gratch went wild with glee that she understood. He scooped her up in his arms again. She laughed at the whole marvelous nature of it all.
When he set her down again, she asked, “Was it hard to find me?”
He let out a whine and shrugged.
“It was a little bit hard?”
Gratch nodded. Kahlan knew a wide variety of languages, but she couldn’t help laughing again at the very idea of communicating with a gar. She shook her head in wonder. Who but Richard would think to befriend a gar?
Kahlan took a claw up in her hand. “Come on in the house. There is someone I want you to meet.”
Gratch gurgled his assent.
Kahlan paused in the doorway. Zedd and Adie looked up from their chairs beside the fire.
“I’d like to introduce a friend,” she said as she pulled Gratch in behind her by a claw. He ducked under the doorframe, folding his wings to fit through, and then once inside, straightened to nearly his full height behind her, still stooping a bit to fit under the ceiling.
Zedd toppled backward in his chair, his skinny arms and legs flailing at the air.
“Zedd, stop it. You’re going to frighten him,” she scolded.
“Frighten him!” Zedd croaked. “You told me that Richard said it was a baby gar! That thing is nearly full-grown!”
Gratch’s massive eyebrows drew together in a frown as he watched the wizard scramble to his feet and tug at his tangled robes.
Kahlan held a hand out. “Gratch, this is Richard’s grandfather, Zedd.”
The leathery lips drew back, showing the fangs again. Gratch held his claws out and started across the room. Zedd flinched and stumbled back.
“Why’s he doing that? Has he had dinner?”
Kahlan laughed so hard she could hardly get the words out. “He’s smiling. He likes you. He wants a hug.”
“A hug! Most certainly not!”
It was too late. With only three strides, the gar had closed the distance in the small room and was already scooping up the bony wizard in his huge, furry arms. Zedd let out a muffled cry. Gratch gurgled a giggle as he lifted Zedd from his feet.
“Bags!” Zedd tried unsuccessfully to back away from the gar’s breath. “This flying rug has eaten! And you don’t want to know what!”
Gratch finally set Zedd down. The wizard scrambled back a few steps and shook his finger at the beast. “Now, look here, we’ll have no more of that! You just keep your arms to yourself.”
Gratch wilted, again letting out a purling whine.
“Zedd!” Kahlan admonished. “You’ve hurt his feelings. He’s Richard’s friend, and ours, too, and he’s had a difficult time finding us. The least you can do is be nice to him.”
Zedd harrumphed. “Well… perhaps you’re right.” He peered up at the hopeful beast. “I’m sorry, Gratch. On occasion, I suppose it would be all right for you to hug me.”
Before the wizard could lift his arms to try to hold the gar back, Gratch had again scooped him up and was hugging him like a rag doll, Zedd’s feet swinging to and frow. Gratch at last set the gasping wizard to the floor.
Adie held out a hand, to shake. “I be Adie, Gratch. I be pleased to meet you.”
Gratch ignored the hand and threw his furry arms around her, too. Kahlan had often seen Adie smile, but she rarely let out her raspy laugh. She was laughing now. Gratch laughed with her, in his own, rumbling way.
When order was restored to the room, and everyone had caught their breath, Kahlan saw Jebra’s wide eyes peeking out from a slit in the bedroom door. “It’s all right, Jebra. It’s Gratch, a friend of ours.” Kahlan clamped a restraining grip to the fur of Gratch’s arm. “You can hug her later.”
Gratch shrugged with a nod. Kahlan turned him toward her and took up one of his claws in both of her hands. She looked up into his glowing green eyes.
“Gratch, did Richard send you on ahead to tell us he will be here soon?” Gratch shook his head. Kahlan swallowed. “But he’s on is way? He’s left Aydindril, and he’s on his way to catch up with us?”
Gratch studied her face. His claw came up and stroked her hair. Kahlan saw that he had a lock of her hair on a leather thong at his throat, along with the dragon’s tooth. He slowly shook his head again.
Kahlan’s heart sank like a rock in a well. “He’s not on his way? But he sent you to me?”
Gratch nodded, adding a small flap of his wings.
“Why? Do you know why?”
Gratch nodded. He reached over his shoulder and caught hold of something hanging on his back by another thong. He pulled a long red object over his shoulder and held it out to her at the end of the thong.
“What is it?” Zedd asked.
Kahlan started working the knot free. “It’s a document case. Maybe it’s a letter from Richard.”
Gratch nodded at the guess. When she had freed the knot, she asked Gratch to sit down. He squatted contentedly to the side as Kahlan drew the rolled and flattened letter from the pouch.
Zedd sat beside Adie next to the fire. “Let’s hear the boy’s excuses, and they had better be good ones, or he is in a lot of trouble.”