Chapter 3
Madrina felt herself drooping in the saddle. It had been a long first day and muscles she never thought could ache were causing her great agony. She felt as if she had swallowed the entire desert. Each swallow in search of saliva dried out by the salt intake, felt gritty with sand. Stretching as best she could, she searched the sky for the sun, relieved to see it setting behind the dunes. The stallion's skin was foaming with sweat and Kahpeh's tail was dragging, creating a strange pattern in the sand.
"I hope Quintar calls a rest soon, and hopefully at a refreshing oasis! I could use a good soak in some cooling water," Madrina said to her companions. "I'm sure we all could do with the rest." She looked down at the nest in front of her. She had taken a small linen hankerchief and created a miniature tent over the faery who seemed to have slept quietly beneath the shade the entire day. Atleast, she thought the faery was still there!
Madrina patted her bags, checking them to remind her what food they might contain for the evening meal. She didn't see the cat or rat peep out from their hiding places, not even once, and she wondered if they were doing alright. Probably better than she was since they remained in shade the whole time. Turning 180 degrees in her saddle, Madrina shaded her eyes with one dusty hand to look towards the rear of the caravan, searching for the man in black and the Scottish creature, but they were too far back for her eyes to find. Turning back around to the front of the caravan, she searched for signs that perhaps the caravan master might be preparing to stop. It would be good to sit and talk with the members of this trip. It would be good to bathe, eat, and sleep in the cool of the night under the cloudless and starry skies.
kit10ish
As the sun begins to set behind the western dunes, the caravan approaches a small oasis. Date and fig trees stretch out around a large, cool spring. Little streams issue from the spring and create small pools in the surrounding rocks, which have been exposed by years of erosion. Generations of trees living and dying have created a thin layer of soft, springy soil.
The caravan comes to a halt, and people begin setting up their tens around the oasis. The king and his servants set up camp on the eastern edge of the oasis to face the rising sun in the morning. A member of the prince's entourage announces to the caravan, "We will be staying here for the next two days. Do not wander too far from the camp, if you wish to live."
Oreja
Quintar the wagonmaster headed the caravan toward the few trees standing in the distance."I hope this is for real this time."
The heat of the desert had gotten the best of Quintar and this was now the fifth oasis he was headed for, if indeed it was there and not just another mirage.
Leading the caravan was all well and good, but Quintar now also realized he had no idea to where they were traveling. It was a high position for an owl to have, but on hindsight Quintar thought it best that he continue on in some other capacity when the opportunity availed itself.
There was a definite sound of splashing water.
Quintar looked ahead to see some members of the caravan had sped ahead to cool themselves at the sparkling oasis, a real oasis finally!
Quintar spread his right wing high, bringing the caravan to a stop at the oasis edge. "Here's where we will spend the night," called Quintar out loudly to all and to no one in paticular.
Quintar the guardsman planted his feet firmly into the sand. Keeping watch over this group throughout the night would be his duty, and something an owl could well do. In his right hand was held a spear, the hilt of it into the sand, the tip pointed up toward the heavens. In his left was held a large shield, large enough to cover his torso, should the need arise.
He had bathed and eaten already, and now readied himself for this most important of duties, guarding the prince and the caravan.
"Not bad for an owl," thought Quintar. "Not bad for an owl at all!"
Thundercat711
True to his name, Wind, smelling the nearby oasis, raced to the waters. Kahpeh, gathering renewed energy, ran as well, not only to get to the water, but to also avoid being covered in Wind's desert dust raising. A big smile shone on Madrina's face as she urged Wind to gain speed while holding onto the faerie nest securely.
As soon as Wind lowered his head to drink, Madrina, without a thought to anything or anybody else, leaped off the stallion and plunged into the waters. Clouds of desert dust swirled about her before sinking to the bottom. She swam into the middle of the waters, away from her own filth, and drank deeply. She then turned on her back and lazily floated towards a huge boulder which she climbed up on, letting her clothes drip dry while she undid the beads and ties in her many braids. She put the beads and ties into one of the small pockets in her belt before diving back into the water. Swimming to the waters' edge, she located some soap plants and crushed them before rubbing her body and hair with the cleanser. Diving once more, she rinsed herself clean.
Madrina's stomach was growling, so she decided she best gather firewood while allowing her clothes to dry in the desert night wind. She gathered figs and dates as she passed them, thinking they would make a nice dessert to go with any meal. After building the campfire and setting a pot of water to boil, she set up her own tent and changed into a long flowing kaftan of azure. Then she grabbed her shell comb and the sacks of food and returned to sit by the fire. As she combed the tangles out of her long, thick and unruly hair, she mentally took inventory of the food supply, debating what foods she should make. Tangle-free, she grabbed her thick tresses into one hand and twisted it into a bun, and used the shell comb to hold it in place. Then she proceeded to make damper, a bread baked in a hole in the ground atop burning coals. She boiled up the dates and figs and kneaded them into balls, wrapped palm leaves around each ball and set them near the fire. Next she tossed dried meats and a variety of dried beans and peas into a large pot she had pilfered off one of the wagons. She pulled out a round of cheese and set it aside, took out some java beans and boiled them in a small pot. "I hope someone will try and catch some fish to add to this evening's meal," she said to Kahpeh who was lolling beside her. He responded with a yawn, then shook his still damp black mane. "Hey! Watch it! I was dry, you know!" She playfully swatted his ear, then dodged the expected return paw swat.
As she kept an eye on the meal that was cooking, she looked about the campsite. Tents were going up all around her. She noticed someone was kind enough to give Wind a bucket of oats or hay or something. "I wonder how soon the smell of this meal will bring others over to join me? I am curious to ask everyone where they came from and why they have joined this caravan. Maybe even the Prince might make an appearance, and maybe tell us more about this journey." She looked about the campsite and noticed Quintar standing guard, and she laughed out loud. "Look at Quintar standing there in all his bravado! What is out here in the middle of nowhere to guard against? I have you, Kahpeh. You would sense danger long before Quintar would be aware of any." Madrina leaned against Kahpeh, keeping an eye on the cooking meal, and waited, hoping the others would join her soon.
Kit
The rat captain had spent the day under the canvas back of the wagon. Safe, away from the hot desert sun, sitting upon his throne with 2 dozen rats in armor to guard him. Quite a few more had appeared but he had to imagine them away or their noise might attract unwanted attention. He could sense the cat hiding away in the shadows but neither he nor the others paid her any mind. As long as the knights were about she posed no threat. One of the knights he had to fan him a cool breeze with a feathered fan he had imagined up at the hottest part of the day.
The scent of food wafted its way into the wagon back and made the rat captain�s stomach start to howl and growl. His cheese and bread were long gone and he needed to share with the brave knights at his command. He stuck his head out from under the canvas, and saw all the tents that had been pitched around the oasis. He could smell even the fresh water that he was now determined to partake of, ordering the others to stay. He slid out of the wagon with two of his knights, making plans with them to head first to the water then to the food and to gather up as much as they could of both by whatever means necessary for storage and for sharing with the others. They made their way quickly and quietly toward the waters, but the rat captain stopped when he came to where the woman, who had certainly slipped him the cheese and bread, was preparing her evening meal. The odor was heavenly! The stallion�s hoof came down upon his tail.
Rat-atat
Og had spent a tedious day in the dust and the heat. Horses would have nothing to do with him so he was forced to walk. He may have been offered a lift in one of the wagons, but his reticence to speak with any other members of the caravan meant he had kept his distance and the others had kept theirs.
Still, that state of affairs had given Og the opportunity to watch the others. The owl was an animal he knew from his mountain home, though this one was somewhat different to those at home. Like him, the owl was a hunter and he felt an affinity there.
The fairy was an unknown quantity. So very small, looked so fragile, yet seemed to withstand the journey so far without any obvious affect.
The rat amused Og. Hardly a mouthful, yet surrounded by pomp and ceremony. Some inner voice warned him though, that the rat would be quite formidable. Perhaps not at the moment with his tail caught under a horses hoof. That scene amused Og greatly.
The cat known as Simone seemed harmless, but, Og knew better than to trust appearances. He had no time for domesticated animals, but, this one emanated a power that warned Og to tread lightly .
The woman with the lion was an enigma as well. The lion he understood well. Wild, hunter like himself and big enough not to be worried about other animals. Why he would willingly serve the woman was a question Og was determined to have answered.
As they had stopped for the evening meal, Og decided now was the time to �get to know� his fellow travellers on a closer level.
Pipedreams
Simone's ears pulled back automatically at the sound of that terrible high-pitched squealing. Surely something had happened to that rat king or whatever he was. The rest of his armored rats had poured out of the wagon upon hearing the cry, to rush to give aid to their king she supposed.
And now she was alone, she hesitated at the thought of exiting the wagon, which is something she had been wanting to do, because there must be some danger about judging from the squeal of the rat that was now hushed. Maybe someone else has had him for dinner she thought.
She slipped out of the wagon and into a campsite, things surely had changed about since she had gone under the canvass. The desert was alive with sounds and smells this evening, talking, singing, a splash of water, rats squeaking, food being prepared and eaten, and that horrible, horrible smell that she could not associate to any she had experienced before. It was coming from the rear of things.
She stared into the darkness at the rear of the caravan, and saw the form of something unknown from which that awful odor was emanating. She quickly and silently headed the other direction towards the water. She needed to wet her tongue then locate some dinner.
She hunched down at the waters� edge and delicately but quickly began to drink, careful not to get even a drop upon her fur. The night grew a little darker as a shadow loomed over her. She had heard, sensed or smelled no ones approach yet something now was standing right beside her.
She arched her back and dug claws into the sand for support, her fur stood out to make her appear larger. She took a defensive posture at the arrival of the silent and as yet unseen company, and prepared to strike in any direction.
She heard clanking of armor as rats scurried from the waters in unseen places also.
Surely tagging along with this bunch was the biggest mistake of her life, well, one of them anyway.
Purring_Kitten
Sze flitted about nervously, waiting for a chance to invite herself to someone's dinner. The woman who had cared for her so, making her a nest and cover, and keeping her from bouncing much on the journey was now preparing dinner. Much too large a meal for the woman and her companions Sze thought.
But still, nothing being prepared here was what Sze needed for nourishment. As faeries subsist on wonders and wishes, dreams and dilemas, and a drop of water here and there, of which she had already had her fill at oasis.
She fastened her belt a bit tighter, to make sure the wand was held securely in place. Then let herself down on a nice friendly looking piece of rock near the dinner preparations to wait and see who all this dinner was for.
Maybe some dreamers and story tellers, she hoped, maybe also a chance for this smallest of creatures to perform some great wonders.
"Only five more powers to go," she thought aloud.
And one must be used for the sake of this woman here as I promised myself.
The sound of the rats squeal sent shivers up her spine.
lilTrink
As people set up camp in and around the oasis, the man in black remains some distance from the rest of the caravan, intently watching the goings-on. As the twilight fades into night, he circles the camp silently, making note of the various riches adorning the horses and camels. He chuckles to himself. �So much booty, and so easily plucked.�
Oreja
Jumping up and racing towards the sound of screams, Madrina lead the stallion a few steps back, releasing the rat�s tail from under hoof. Picking up the shivering rat, she rushed him over to the campfire to examine his tail to see how extensive his injury was. The tail was bent at an awkward angle.
�Poor rat! I am so sorry this has happened to you. Your tail will either remain crooked the remainder of your days, or we could cut it off where it bends and leave you with a short tail. If we do it now, it will be less painful than waiting til later. You just sit here and calm down while you make your decision.� Madrina pulled one of her knives from her boot and laid it in the fire in preparation.
Madrina checked the cooking meal and edged the pots a little bit away from the fire so it wouldn�t be scorched. She then found a couple of long sticks, attached twine and hooks to them, then went to the waters edge. She stuck the sticks securely into the ground and cast the hooks into the water, hoping to catch a few fish since no one else seemed to have thought of helping. There was still a lion and cat to feed, and surely they would enjoy eating some fish. She took a couple of bells out of her belt pockets and attached them to the twine so that she would hear when a fish was caught.
Since everyone was behaving a bit timid, Madrina approached Og, Quintar, and the faery and invited them to join her at the campfire for a meal. Then she tried to coax the cat with a bit of cheese, hoping it would follow her to the fire as well.
She eyed the man in black, not liking the suspicious look of him. But if he was up to no good, it was best to have him join them as well so she could keep a closer watch on him. So, she approached the man and extended the invitation to join them for a meal.
After searching the wagons for tin plates and utensils, Madrina returned to the campfire. The rat seemed to be shivering less, so perhaps his pain was easing. She noticed that Kahpeh was no longer lazing near the fire. He was probably out patrolling the area and at the same time hunting for a bit of a snack for himself. Wind couldn�t wander too far off being hobbled near the water. She then sat by the fire to wait for the others to join her.
Kit10ish
Sze sat quietly upon her stone waiting to see who else would come for the evening meal.
Story tellers she was sure, and the thought of it brought excitement to her heart.
The woman who invited her said she had asked some others, and that they could get to know each other some, as all together were on a long journey.
Sze recounted her own events of how she came to be in this place in her head, and thought about her wand, and the queen of faeries, and the powers that were left.
"Not many more powers to use up," she thought aloud. "And I must find opportunity to use one for this woman Madrina�s good, and then this little helpless speck of dust with wings shall possess the greatest grandest most magical power of all, and none shall be able to resist it."
She bit her tongue to silence herself, and looked frantically about. "Madrina was there, but I don�t believe she is close enough to have heard," she now thought to herself. "Only that tiger, thank goodness that all what he is."
"Oh, Madrina!" Sze called over to the woman. "None of your invited guests looked like dreamers or tellers of stories did they?" Sze�s stomach rumbled at the thought of a nice delicious dilema to hear before bedtime.
lilTrink
The kindness of the woman seemed to ease the rat captain�s pain. "My poor tail, I think we will have it off when the woman returns, and the whole of it." For now he sat quiet and twitching from the pains---he heard a small voice cry out to the woman--"Oh Madrina, none of your invited guests looked like dreamers or tellers of stories did they?" What could that faerie creature be talking about invited guests? "Have you invited the world then to see my tail hacked away?" the rat yelled into the nothingness of a darkening sky.
The rat captain could hear the clanking of armor close by, but still a distance away, It started him thinking about his ship and crew with whom he hoped to unite. And imagining what it would be like to command his ship again and have every order answered with an 'Aye aye sir!" Then he got a little too far into thinking about it and found he had imagined himself right into his captain�s uniform. Then something appeared in his belt, a cutlass, and in his hand a telescope.
Thank goodness he snapped to when he did less the desert turn to ocean, snapped to because of a familiar sense of danger as he knew that cat had now come near about also, and him there awaiting surgery and his knights somewhere close but not close by. He drew his cutlass in preparation for whatever may happen next.
Rat-atat
It was the woman Madrina who had come upon Simone so quietly at the water�s edge.
Simone relaxed her guard upon realizing this for she perceived no immediate threat. Madrna had come to ask her to dinner with some others, and Simone, not the most social of creatures had accepted as a free meal was always impossible for her to resist.
She had washed herself and now headed to the woman�s campsite.
The rat was there, shaking and whining and lost in some great deep thought oblivous to all others, that little faerie thing was there to "Wonder how faeries taste" Simone thought.
It looked to be a grand dinner indeed, rats for main and faeries for dessert. "That Madrina sure knows how to throw a party!"
Simone took a seat near the Faerie, as it would be polite later to eat the faerie closest to you when offered. She was about to head over to the rat a minute, just to whet her appetite with a nice whiff of rodent. When from the sky landed something between them, a bird? No, an owl!!
"It's that silly Quintar, has he come to be eaten for dinner also?"
Simone headed back to sit again near the faerie as it would be Madrina�s place as hostess of the dinner to slay the owl and offer him to the guests for eating.
Purring_Kitten
Quintar the Guardsman had not liked the look on that little cat's face at all. The glare in her eyes that sent the message that she could swiftly defeat him if challenged.
But then unexpectedly she had backed down. Turned right around and went to sit by a faerie.
Quintar turned round to see where the cat had been heading and there sat a shaking rat with a bent tail, a blade clutched in his paws, and dressed in a quite spiffy looking uniform. 'Some sort of seaman's garb," thought Quintar. "Rat would have made a good dinner for me were he not injured, perhaps when he has recovered then."
Quintar saw the woman who had invited him to dinner at the edge of the campsite.
'Hello good woman!" he called over her way. "I have arrived for the feast as invited."
Quintar the chef tightened the apron strings around his waist as he took over the cooking pot. Simmering and salting and making sure everything was cooked to perfection. And when it was done he took a seat on a flat rock and waited for the dining staff to bring the food out to the guests. His big chef's hat occasionally slipping down over one eye.
"Not bad for an owl!" Quintar the Chef thought. "Not bad for a owl at all."
He heard the clank as an armored rat slipped a note under his wing.
Thundercat711
Og noticed that the others had already settled by the fire and were awaiting the evening meal. As he made his way to a place at the fire, the others of the group stared at him approaching - sizing him up he supposed.
"Good eve to you all", he said as he sat at a vacant space at the fire and surprised himself at the sound of his own voice. It had been a while since he had used the human speech and the sound of it still rang strange in his ears.
Fire was another thing he was slowly getting used to. Like all animals, fire had always been treated by Og as something to avoid and the human habit of constantly using fire, especially to cook, was something that still unsettled him.
Strangely, in his human form, cooked meat was something he relished. In his cat form, all his food was, of course, raw, however, his human form found the thought of raw meat repulsive. This still posed a problem in that he could not overcome his natural instinct regarding fire to the extent where he could light one for himself. He had to rely on others to do so and the cooking.
When required to eat when he was alone, he reverted to his natural form and hunted.
The woman who had instigated the joining of all the travellers for this meal, smiled at him and welcomed him to the group. Now, thought Og, I will get to know a little about these "companions" and maybe, the purpose of the journey.
Pipedreams
Spying the approaching woman from the corner of his eye, the man in black casually backs away from the treasure-laden wagon he's been examining. He does it effortlessly, looking for all the world like just another curious traveler instead of a devious desert thief.
He listens to Madrina's invitation with a raised eyebrow. The incredulous expression on his face reveals his surprise and suspicion. Does this woman really want him to join her for dinner? It could be a trick, a ploy to distract him from stealing all the rich booty in the caravan. Still, a good thief knows that passing on invitations will raise suspicions. Besides, it's a free meal, and it smells very good, at that.
He sits cross-legged on the perimeter of the woman's little campsite, just on the edge of the firelight. His dark eyes, hidden in the shifting shadows thrown by the campfire, intently scans the strange assortment of creatures gathered for this impromptu dinner party. A fae? A cat? A rat in a naval uniform? And a shape shifting owl? Best not to get too close, at least until he knows a little more about these mystical beings.
Oreja
Chapter 3
Madrina felt herself drooping in the saddle. It had been a long first day and muscles she never thought could ache were causing her great agony. She felt as if she had swallowed the entire desert. Each swallow in search of saliva dried out by the salt intake, felt gritty with sand. Stretching as best she could, she searched the sky for the sun, relieved to see it setting behind the dunes. The stallion's skin was foaming with sweat and Kahpeh's tail was dragging, creating a strange pattern in the sand.
"I hope Quintar calls a rest soon, and hopefully at a refreshing oasis! I could use a good soak in some cooling water," Madrina said to her companions. "I'm sure we all could do with the rest." She looked down at the nest in front of her. She had taken a small linen hankerchief and created a miniature tent over the faery who seemed to have slept quietly beneath the shade the entire day. Atleast, she thought the faery was still there!
Madrina patted her bags, checking them to remind her what food they might contain for the evening meal. She didn't see the cat or rat peep out from their hiding places, not even once, and she wondered if they were doing alright. Probably better than she was since they remained in shade the whole time. Turning 180 degrees in her saddle, Madrina shaded her eyes with one dusty hand to look towards the rear of the caravan, searching for the man in black and the Scottish creature, but they were too far back for her eyes to find. Turning back around to the front of the caravan, she searched for signs that perhaps the caravan master might be preparing to stop. It would be good to sit and talk with the members of this trip. It would be good to bathe, eat, and sleep in the cool of the night under the cloudless and starry skies.
kit10ish
As the sun begins to set behind the western dunes, the caravan approaches a small oasis. Date and fig trees stretch out around a large, cool spring. Little streams issue from the spring and create small pools in the surrounding rocks, which have been exposed by years of erosion. Generations of trees living and dying have created a thin layer of soft, springy soil.
The caravan comes to a halt, and people begin setting up their tens around the oasis. The king and his servants set up camp on the eastern edge of the oasis to face the rising sun in the morning. A member of the prince's entourage announces to the caravan, "We will be staying here for the next two days. Do not wander too far from the camp, if you wish to live."
Oreja
Quintar the wagonmaster headed the caravan toward the few trees standing in the distance."I hope this is for real this time." The heat of the desert had gotten the best of Quintar and this was now the fifth oasis he was headed for, if indeed it was there and not just another mirage.
Leading the caravan was all well and good, but Quintar now also realized he had no idea to where they were traveling. It was a high position for an owl to have, but on hindsight Quintar thought it best that he continue on in some other capacity when the opportunity availed itself. There was a definite sound of splashing water.
Quintar looked ahead to see some members of the caravan had sped ahead to cool themselves at the sparkling oasis, a real oasis finally! Quintar spread his right wing high, bringing the caravan to a stop at the oasis edge. "Here's where we will spend the night," called Quintar out loudly to all and to no one in paticular.
Quintar the guardsman planted his feet firmly into the sand. Keeping watch over this group throughout the night would be his duty, and something an owl could well do. In his right hand was held a spear, the hilt of it into the sand, the tip pointed up toward the heavens. In his left was held a large shield, large enough to cover his torso, should the need arise. He had bathed and eaten already, and now readied himself for this most important of duties, guarding the prince and the caravan. "Not bad for an owl," thought Quintar. "Not bad for an owl at all!"
Thundercat711
True to his name, Wind, smelling the nearby oasis, raced to the waters. Kahpeh, gathering renewed energy, ran as well, not only to get to the water, but to also avoid being covered in Wind's desert dust raising. A big smile shone on Madrina's face as she urged Wind to gain speed while holding onto the faerie nest securely.
As soon as Wind lowered his head to drink, Madrina, without a thought to anything or anybody else, leaped off the stallion and plunged into the waters. Clouds of desert dust swirled about her before sinking to the bottom. She swam into the middle of the waters, away from her own filth, and drank deeply. She then turned on her back and lazily floated towards a huge boulder which she climbed up on, letting her clothes drip dry while she undid the beads and ties in her many braids. She put the beads and ties into one of the small pockets in her belt before diving back into the water. Swimming to the waters' edge, she located some soap plants and crushed them before rubbing her body and hair with the cleanser. Diving once more, she rinsed herself clean.
Madrina's stomach was growling, so she decided she best gather firewood while allowing her clothes to dry in the desert night wind. She gathered figs and dates as she passed them, thinking they would make a nice dessert to go with any meal. After building the campfire and setting a pot of water to boil, she set up her own tent and changed into a long flowing kaftan of azure. Then she grabbed her shell comb and the sacks of food and returned to sit by the fire. As she combed the tangles out of her long, thick and unruly hair, she mentally took inventory of the food supply, debating what foods she should make. Tangle-free, she grabbed her thick tresses into one hand and twisted it into a bun, and used the shell comb to hold it in place. Then she proceeded to make damper, a bread baked in a hole in the ground atop burning coals. She boiled up the dates and figs and kneaded them into balls, wrapped palm leaves around each ball and set them near the fire. Next she tossed dried meats and a variety of dried beans and peas into a large pot she had pilfered off one of the wagons. She pulled out a round of cheese and set it aside, took out some java beans and boiled them in a small pot. "I hope someone will try and catch some fish to add to this evening's meal," she said to Kahpeh who was lolling beside her. He responded with a yawn, then shook his still damp black mane. "Hey! Watch it! I was dry, you know!" She playfully swatted his ear, then dodged the expected return paw swat.
As she kept an eye on the meal that was cooking, she looked about the campsite. Tents were going up all around her. She noticed someone was kind enough to give Wind a bucket of oats or hay or something. "I wonder how soon the smell of this meal will bring others over to join me? I am curious to ask everyone where they came from and why they have joined this caravan. Maybe even the Prince might make an appearance, and maybe tell us more about this journey." She looked about the campsite and noticed Quintar standing guard, and she laughed out loud. "Look at Quintar standing there in all his bravado! What is out here in the middle of nowhere to guard against? I have you, Kahpeh. You would sense danger long before Quintar would be aware of any." Madrina leaned against Kahpeh, keeping an eye on the cooking meal, and waited, hoping the others would join her soon.
Kit
The rat captain had spent the day under the canvas back of the wagon. Safe, away from the hot desert sun, sitting upon his throne with 2 dozen rats in armor to guard him. Quite a few more had appeared but he had to imagine them away or their noise might attract unwanted attention. He could sense the cat hiding away in the shadows but neither he nor the others paid her any mind. As long as the knights were about she posed no threat. One of the knights he had to fan him a cool breeze with a feathered fan he had imagined up at the hottest part of the day.
The scent of food wafted its way into the wagon back and made the rat captain�s stomach start to howl and growl. His cheese and bread were long gone and he needed to share with the brave knights at his command. He stuck his head out from under the canvas, and saw all the tents that had been pitched around the oasis. He could smell even the fresh water that he was now determined to partake of, ordering the others to stay. He slid out of the wagon with two of his knights, making plans with them to head first to the water then to the food and to gather up as much as they could of both by whatever means necessary for storage and for sharing with the others. They made their way quickly and quietly toward the waters, but the rat captain stopped when he came to where the woman, who had certainly slipped him the cheese and bread, was preparing her evening meal. The odor was heavenly! The stallion�s hoof came down upon his tail.
Rat-atat
Og had spent a tedious day in the dust and the heat. Horses would have nothing to do with him so he was forced to walk. He may have been offered a lift in one of the wagons, but his reticence to speak with any other members of the caravan meant he had kept his distance and the others had kept theirs.
Still, that state of affairs had given Og the opportunity to watch the others. The owl was an animal he knew from his mountain home, though this one was somewhat different to those at home. Like him, the owl was a hunter and he felt an affinity there.
The fairy was an unknown quantity. So very small, looked so fragile, yet seemed to withstand the journey so far without any obvious affect.
The rat amused Og. Hardly a mouthful, yet surrounded by pomp and ceremony. Some inner voice warned him though, that the rat would be quite formidable. Perhaps not at the moment with his tail caught under a horses hoof. That scene amused Og greatly.
The cat known as Simone seemed harmless, but, Og knew better than to trust appearances. He had no time for domesticated animals, but, this one emanated a power that warned Og to tread lightly .
The woman with the lion was an enigma as well. The lion he understood well. Wild, hunter like himself and big enough not to be worried about other animals. Why he would willingly serve the woman was a question Og was determined to have answered.
As they had stopped for the evening meal, Og decided now was the time to �get to know� his fellow travellers on a closer level.
Pipedreams
Simone's ears pulled back automatically at the sound of that terrible high-pitched squealing. Surely something had happened to that rat king or whatever he was. The rest of his armored rats had poured out of the wagon upon hearing the cry, to rush to give aid to their king she supposed.
And now she was alone, she hesitated at the thought of exiting the wagon, which is something she had been wanting to do, because there must be some danger about judging from the squeal of the rat that was now hushed. Maybe someone else has had him for dinner she thought.
She slipped out of the wagon and into a campsite, things surely had changed about since she had gone under the canvass. The desert was alive with sounds and smells this evening, talking, singing, a splash of water, rats squeaking, food being prepared and eaten, and that horrible, horrible smell that she could not associate to any she had experienced before. It was coming from the rear of things.
She stared into the darkness at the rear of the caravan, and saw the form of something unknown from which that awful odor was emanating. She quickly and silently headed the other direction towards the water. She needed to wet her tongue then locate some dinner.
She hunched down at the waters� edge and delicately but quickly began to drink, careful not to get even a drop upon her fur. The night grew a little darker as a shadow loomed over her. She had heard, sensed or smelled no ones approach yet something now was standing right beside her.
She arched her back and dug claws into the sand for support, her fur stood out to make her appear larger. She took a defensive posture at the arrival of the silent and as yet unseen company, and prepared to strike in any direction. She heard clanking of armor as rats scurried from the waters in unseen places also.
Surely tagging along with this bunch was the biggest mistake of her life, well, one of them anyway.
Purring_Kitten
Sze flitted about nervously, waiting for a chance to invite herself to someone's dinner. The woman who had cared for her so, making her a nest and cover, and keeping her from bouncing much on the journey was now preparing dinner. Much too large a meal for the woman and her companions Sze thought. But still, nothing being prepared here was what Sze needed for nourishment. As faeries subsist on wonders and wishes, dreams and dilemas, and a drop of water here and there, of which she had already had her fill at oasis.
She fastened her belt a bit tighter, to make sure the wand was held securely in place. Then let herself down on a nice friendly looking piece of rock near the dinner preparations to wait and see who all this dinner was for.
Maybe some dreamers and story tellers, she hoped, maybe also a chance for this smallest of creatures to perform some great wonders.
"Only five more powers to go," she thought aloud.
And one must be used for the sake of this woman here as I promised myself. The sound of the rats squeal sent shivers up her spine.
lilTrink
As people set up camp in and around the oasis, the man in black remains some distance from the rest of the caravan, intently watching the goings-on. As the twilight fades into night, he circles the camp silently, making note of the various riches adorning the horses and camels. He chuckles to himself. �So much booty, and so easily plucked.�
Oreja
Jumping up and racing towards the sound of screams, Madrina lead the stallion a few steps back, releasing the rat�s tail from under hoof. Picking up the shivering rat, she rushed him over to the campfire to examine his tail to see how extensive his injury was. The tail was bent at an awkward angle.
�Poor rat! I am so sorry this has happened to you. Your tail will either remain crooked the remainder of your days, or we could cut it off where it bends and leave you with a short tail. If we do it now, it will be less painful than waiting til later. You just sit here and calm down while you make your decision.� Madrina pulled one of her knives from her boot and laid it in the fire in preparation.
Madrina checked the cooking meal and edged the pots a little bit away from the fire so it wouldn�t be scorched. She then found a couple of long sticks, attached twine and hooks to them, then went to the waters edge. She stuck the sticks securely into the ground and cast the hooks into the water, hoping to catch a few fish since no one else seemed to have thought of helping. There was still a lion and cat to feed, and surely they would enjoy eating some fish. She took a couple of bells out of her belt pockets and attached them to the twine so that she would hear when a fish was caught.
Since everyone was behaving a bit timid, Madrina approached Og, Quintar, and the faery and invited them to join her at the campfire for a meal. Then she tried to coax the cat with a bit of cheese, hoping it would follow her to the fire as well.
She eyed the man in black, not liking the suspicious look of him. But if he was up to no good, it was best to have him join them as well so she could keep a closer watch on him. So, she approached the man and extended the invitation to join them for a meal.
After searching the wagons for tin plates and utensils, Madrina returned to the campfire. The rat seemed to be shivering less, so perhaps his pain was easing. She noticed that Kahpeh was no longer lazing near the fire. He was probably out patrolling the area and at the same time hunting for a bit of a snack for himself. Wind couldn�t wander too far off being hobbled near the water. She then sat by the fire to wait for the others to join her.
Kit10ish
Sze sat quietly upon her stone waiting to see who else would come for the evening meal. Story tellers she was sure, and the thought of it brought excitement to her heart.
The woman who invited her said she had asked some others, and that they could get to know each other some, as all together were on a long journey. Sze recounted her own events of how she came to be in this place in her head, and thought about her wand, and the queen of faeries, and the powers that were left.
"Not many more powers to use up," she thought aloud. "And I must find opportunity to use one for this woman Madrina�s good, and then this little helpless speck of dust with wings shall possess the greatest grandest most magical power of all, and none shall be able to resist it."
She bit her tongue to silence herself, and looked frantically about. "Madrina was there, but I don�t believe she is close enough to have heard," she now thought to herself. "Only that tiger, thank goodness that all what he is."
"Oh, Madrina!" Sze called over to the woman. "None of your invited guests looked like dreamers or tellers of stories did they?" Sze�s stomach rumbled at the thought of a nice delicious dilema to hear before bedtime.
lilTrink
The kindness of the woman seemed to ease the rat captain�s pain. "My poor tail, I think we will have it off when the woman returns, and the whole of it." For now he sat quiet and twitching from the pains---he heard a small voice cry out to the woman--"Oh Madrina, none of your invited guests looked like dreamers or tellers of stories did they?" What could that faerie creature be talking about invited guests? "Have you invited the world then to see my tail hacked away?" the rat yelled into the nothingness of a darkening sky.
The rat captain could hear the clanking of armor close by, but still a distance away, It started him thinking about his ship and crew with whom he hoped to unite. And imagining what it would be like to command his ship again and have every order answered with an 'Aye aye sir!" Then he got a little too far into thinking about it and found he had imagined himself right into his captain�s uniform. Then something appeared in his belt, a cutlass, and in his hand a telescope.
Thank goodness he snapped to when he did less the desert turn to ocean, snapped to because of a familiar sense of danger as he knew that cat had now come near about also, and him there awaiting surgery and his knights somewhere close but not close by. He drew his cutlass in preparation for whatever may happen next.
Rat-atat
It was the woman Madrina who had come upon Simone so quietly at the water�s edge.
Simone relaxed her guard upon realizing this for she perceived no immediate threat. Madrna had come to ask her to dinner with some others, and Simone, not the most social of creatures had accepted as a free meal was always impossible for her to resist.
She had washed herself and now headed to the woman�s campsite. The rat was there, shaking and whining and lost in some great deep thought oblivous to all others, that little faerie thing was there to "Wonder how faeries taste" Simone thought.
It looked to be a grand dinner indeed, rats for main and faeries for dessert. "That Madrina sure knows how to throw a party!" Simone took a seat near the Faerie, as it would be polite later to eat the faerie closest to you when offered. She was about to head over to the rat a minute, just to whet her appetite with a nice whiff of rodent. When from the sky landed something between them, a bird? No, an owl!!
"It's that silly Quintar, has he come to be eaten for dinner also?" Simone headed back to sit again near the faerie as it would be Madrina�s place as hostess of the dinner to slay the owl and offer him to the guests for eating.
Purring_Kitten
Quintar the Guardsman had not liked the look on that little cat's face at all. The glare in her eyes that sent the message that she could swiftly defeat him if challenged.
But then unexpectedly she had backed down. Turned right around and went to sit by a faerie.
Quintar turned round to see where the cat had been heading and there sat a shaking rat with a bent tail, a blade clutched in his paws, and dressed in a quite spiffy looking uniform. 'Some sort of seaman's garb," thought Quintar. "Rat would have made a good dinner for me were he not injured, perhaps when he has recovered then."
Quintar saw the woman who had invited him to dinner at the edge of the campsite.
'Hello good woman!" he called over her way. "I have arrived for the feast as invited."
Quintar the chef tightened the apron strings around his waist as he took over the cooking pot. Simmering and salting and making sure everything was cooked to perfection. And when it was done he took a seat on a flat rock and waited for the dining staff to bring the food out to the guests. His big chef's hat occasionally slipping down over one eye.
"Not bad for an owl!" Quintar the Chef thought. "Not bad for a owl at all."
He heard the clank as an armored rat slipped a note under his wing.
Thundercat711
Og noticed that the others had already settled by the fire and were awaiting the evening meal. As he made his way to a place at the fire, the others of the group stared at him approaching - sizing him up he supposed.
"Good eve to you all", he said as he sat at a vacant space at the fire and surprised himself at the sound of his own voice. It had been a while since he had used the human speech and the sound of it still rang strange in his ears. Fire was another thing he was slowly getting used to. Like all animals, fire had always been treated by Og as something to avoid and the human habit of constantly using fire, especially to cook, was something that still unsettled him.
Strangely, in his human form, cooked meat was something he relished. In his cat form, all his food was, of course, raw, however, his human form found the thought of raw meat repulsive. This still posed a problem in that he could not overcome his natural instinct regarding fire to the extent where he could light one for himself. He had to rely on others to do so and the cooking. When required to eat when he was alone, he reverted to his natural form and hunted.
The woman who had instigated the joining of all the travellers for this meal, smiled at him and welcomed him to the group. Now, thought Og, I will get to know a little about these "companions" and maybe, the purpose of the journey.
Pipedreams
Spying the approaching woman from the corner of his eye, the man in black casually backs away from the treasure-laden wagon he's been examining. He does it effortlessly, looking for all the world like just another curious traveler instead of a devious desert thief.
He listens to Madrina's invitation with a raised eyebrow. The incredulous expression on his face reveals his surprise and suspicion. Does this woman really want him to join her for dinner? It could be a trick, a ploy to distract him from stealing all the rich booty in the caravan. Still, a good thief knows that passing on invitations will raise suspicions. Besides, it's a free meal, and it smells very good, at that.
He sits cross-legged on the perimeter of the woman's little campsite, just on the edge of the firelight. His dark eyes, hidden in the shifting shadows thrown by the campfire, intently scans the strange assortment of creatures gathered for this impromptu dinner party. A fae? A cat? A rat in a naval uniform? And a shape shifting owl? Best not to get too close, at least until he knows a little more about these mystical beings.
Oreja
Chapter 4
