The thing about living in the tunnels was that you could
stay hungry for a long time and barely notice because of 
all the dancing in the dark. Hunger was good discipline for a
prairie dog and you learned from it. Cy learned it a little 
too well and this was well and good, but Cy was not well.

"We could take him to Harry's Bar and American Grill for
good food and drink," Lady Marmot suggested, looking sadly at
Cy's furry body slumped just under the swinging chandelier at
the far end of the Lost tunnel.

"No, Harry's Bar is too far," I told her, checking Cy's slow
pulse. "This is not a moveable beast."

"What shall we do?"

"We'll leave him here and cross the Big Road to the place
with the numbers. A fine plastic dish of nachos with extra onions
and a lemon-lime slurpee will do the trick." The place with the
bold numbers was not exactly Harry's, but then, what was?

"Oh no, not the Big Road. Not again. Couldn't we just go
across the river and into the trees?" she asked.

"No."

"Why not?"

"It's been done."

I held her close and she smelled like hope and fear mixed
with dirt. She had the aroma of a woman who can look at you and
make you believe you can save her and you know you can't but
you try anyway and maybe tomorrow, with any luck, you'll still
be alive to take her to Harry's.

"Must we go?"

"We must."

If that was how it was then that was how it was but there
was no law saying that Lady Marmot had to like it and we both
knew it.

"Hold my paw," I said, and she grabbed on as though it
mattered.

We ran. The traffic never stopped. We ran as though our lives
depended on it. When we hit the yellow lines I felt a glimmer of
hope. The threats were many in the dirt-side world, but none
could make you a man quite like the promise of roadkill.

When we made it to the cheese she kissed me hard. I knew
then that we'd make it back and I knew I would make Cy well
and this was well and good, but I also knew that when this was
done I would have to face writing the hard stories about up in
the dirt.  I kissed her hard anyway. It wasn't exactly love, but
then, what was?