(This scene takes place not long before the opening of Devlin's Team 1: Dancer)
Dancer had expected the summons. Governor Spring was predictable and always called for him a few hours before the show -- at least for the last ten or so dances. She was not a happy woman, and Dancer had no intention of improving her mood.
This wouldn't go on for much longer, though. There would be only one more bear dance after today, and then ... something would change. Once he completed his 50th dance, they had to let him go.
No other bear dancer had ever survived as long as he had in the ring. When he had survived forty dances, Spring and all her Admin followers had started to worry. Dancer had become far more popular with the crowds than they had anticipated, even when they gave him that coveted name, one meant to draw attention. If Dancer survived through the fifty dances, he could legally walk away from the Bear Camp -- and he knew far too many secrets about what happened here.
No, Spring did not want him to go.
As Dancer neared the red door to the admin building, trying not to flinch at the color that looked like blood smeared over the wood. He pushed it open without pause and kept his hand away from the powerblade at his waist, even though this felt far more dangerous than walking into the ring to dance with a bear.
The man who sat behind the desk just inside stood and walked Dancer down the hall as though he would have gotten lost along the way -- or not been polite enough to knock for himself. Sometimes the pettiness of the admin people almost matched that of the Hunters.
Spring did not offer him a chair, so she was not going to try the friendly approach this time. Good. He hated feeling as though he was rude when he turned down her nice, smiling offer to trap him forever in the Bear Camp.
"You have an important dance today," Spring said.
"Not as important as the next one."
"You might not get that chance."
Dancer gave her a bright smile, and that shocked the woman. "Do you think even the Founders would let you keep me from the fiftieth dance? I am drawing larger crowds than ever --"
"You aren't the only Bear Dancer," she said with a snarl. "I could put someone else in there --"
"Who? Sky?" he asked. Even Spring gave a contemptuous snort at that idea. Sky made no friends and would likely end up a Hunter if he got smart enough to move out of bear dancing before it killed him. He was not as good as he thought. "You had a chance with Satin, but he made his own decision to help another."
"Stupid to step between a bear and a dancer," she said with a shake of her head. "And he's paying for it. He won't survive much longer with the poison in him."
There. That was why Dancer would never, never accept anything that Spring and the rest of Admin tried to offer him. Satin was his friend -- the last one, in fact. The others had all died, most of them in the ring, some of them in training -- and to Spring, that was just another number on her ledger and a name that came up for the next round of recruits. There would always be a Satin, Leaf, Rain -- but they would not be the ones who had been Dancer's friends.
Dancer didn't even think she realized what she'd said. Just names and numbers.
"I have one last offer for you, Dancer," Spring said. She even smiled.
She pushed a paper across the table. They'd learned that Dancer could read somewhat, but refused to believe that he'd taught himself. Spring still asked for a name, and Dancer had been tempted more than once to say it had been Rock. He would have liked to see him slither his way out of the accusation -- though no one would really believe Rock would help a bear dancer.
Dancer picked up the paper and scanned it -- he did not read well, but he got a feel for it. This was not something he had expected, and he dropped the paper back down on the desk and shook his head.
"No."
Spring's face colored. "You don't understand. I am offering you --"
"To be your apprentice and become the Bear Camp Governor after you," Dancer replied. "No."
The color left her face. "You cannot mean that. You would be the most powerful person on Forest -- well, except for the Founders, of course."
"Of course. I don't want it. I'd end up like you."
"We have nothing more to say. You better get ready for your show."
He nodded, went back out of the room and down the hall without an escort, and out the door past the desk. Dancer took one deep breath but did not slow as he walked away. He dared not show any sign of concern now He dared not feel it either. Spring was right about one thing -- he had to get ready for the bear dance, and he couldn't go into it with his mind half on something else.
Unless...
No. He'd made up his mind to survive this afternoon's Bear Dance. The next one -- the fiftieth -- that might be another story. There was nothing the Bear Camp could offer him, and he would be the perpetual outsider in town. He would not join the Hunters and go find more bears to be killed -- along with the dancers -- in the ring.
No future --
But he saw a shuttle coming in from some ship in orbit. Not a future for him. However, Dancer felt that slight lift of his heart that he always did when he thought about life outside of Forest.
He went and prepared for the Bear Dance. It was all he had in life, and he did it well. Time for the show....
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