The guards had contended with difficulties without a ruler for several days, but it had become clear that they were in desperate need of one. They did just fine governing themselves, but they needed the judgment and guidance of a good leader.
The guards, even the newer ones, appointed Fleck to be their new queen, but it didn’t really work for her. No matter how much she argued, the guards continuously insisted, and so she finally accepted. But having so much command wasn’t really her thing. She would have much rather been captain of the guards instead of queen.
She preferred to have control over the current king or queen and be a recognized leader figure, but not to be the one to worry about protecting the queendom and making the announcements and to have heartache over the dwindling food stores and all of that leaderly jazz.
Fleck was starting to enjoy the perks, though. She was allowed to sleep in Slate’s old bedroom and now had her own personal sunna right next to one of the several showers. There were numerous hot salt baths that she could take and her new bedroom was lit with vanilla-scented candles every night. The bed was softer then anything that she had slept on (which was often a rooftop or a shallow hole dug in the ground beneath the hollow ash tree).
Servants tended to Fleck’s very want and wish, and the overdressed gourmet food was always just the right temperature and seasoned to perfection. She didn’t really need the rich cuisine, but she could, of course, bare it. She’d settle for aged champagne over mint tea any day. But she did miss her old life, a bit. She had a few regrets about allowing Jade to kill Ember, but they were no match for how happy Fleck was that the war was over.
Every day after a long night’s rest, Fleck was awoken by one of her cats just after dawn. Then, after a divine breakfast, Fleck went down to the training grounds to train the two rookies that she had assigned herself to. After that was a hot bath full of fragrant salts or an enjoyable trip to the steamy sunna followed by a lunch that never failed to make her mouth water. After that she wen out with the other guards and maybe some Commoners to hunt for a while.
Followed by that was the possibility of a training session and/or a long hour of overseeing the construction work on the new housing units that were being built to provide shelter for all of the new Commoners. Then she would go down through the wide, hidden entrance into the underground hideaway to check up on the scientists and find out if they had made any new inventions. Afterwards she would have a light dinner and enjoy to comfort of Slate’s sofas and then she would go to bed , which was always a delightfully calming experience. This had been going on for a while now, and Fleck was becoming used to her new schedule.
One morning, Fleck felt a gentle nudge on her shoulder. A kind and soft voice whispered, “Mine Queenship. Lady Fleck, it is time for you to awaken.”
“Huh?” Fleck muttered groggily, raising her head. Then she saw that the cat standing before her was a smokey white she-cat with adoring silvery-blue eyes full of gentle passion and said, “Oh, hello, Pearl.”
Pearl dipped her head to her queen, a slight hint of a smile playing on her lips. “The sun has just risen, mine ladyship. Your breakfast is almost finished being prepared, m’lady. Do you wish to get out of bed this morning?”
Pearl always asked Fleck this same question ever morning, even though she knew the answer. “No, not today,” Fleck replied with a small smile. Then, as the other part of the pair’s morning ritual, Fleck added with a slight laugh, “Why do you ask me that every day? Did Slate always sleep in?”
“Always, m’lady, always,” Pearl said while holding back a laugh. Then she turned away and snapped her fingers and called, “Terry!”
Immediately to lanky tortoiseshell poked her head out from behind the rim of the door, green eyes flashing with good humor. “You called, Cloudy Day?”
Pearl gave a laugh as she soundlessly exited the room on light paws. Fleck slid out of bed and sat down in the bathroom, where her oddball hairdresser could clean her up for the morning.
As she brushed and combed, Terry talked, as always, “So what are you planning on doing today, Cupcake?” Terry had a habit of calling cats names to which they didn’t belong.
Fleck shrugged. “The usual. You?”
“Ha,” Terry laughed. Fleck couldn’t tell if it was genuine or sarcastic. That was just how Terry was--both upbeat and sarcastic, along with being a tad mysterious. Fleck almost never knew how her hairdresser truly felt about things, despite the fact that she was always very open and chummy around her queen. “Why do you think that I am doing, taking a day off at the beach? I have to come to work every day, and it’s the same thing every day.”
Fleck frowned. “Well, I’m sorry that you feel that way. Why don’t you take a little vacation? Starting for the rest of the day. I’ll miss you, but I’m sure that you’ll enjoy yourself. It can be as long as you like, as long as it’s within a week, okay? My royal heart would break if you were gone any longer.”
Terry snorted. “It would take a whole week? I though that we were friends.”
“So you want a break or what?” Fleck asked, feigning exasperation.
“Yeah, Sure. Whatever,” Terry said with a shrug, as if she couldn’t chose between the two phrases. “Thanks. I’ll just take the rest of the day off, then be back by tomorrow morning. That okay?”
“Of course,” Fleck said, raising her front paws a little.
“Stop moving around,” Terry snapped, although Fleck knew that she didn’t really mean the scorn in her voice. “I can’t brush you if you’re wriggling around like an upset worm, you’re queenship.” The last part was heavily laden with sarcasm.
“Why don’t you take a longer vacation?” Fleck suggested with a laugh.
“Huh,” Terry snorted. “Maybe I will. I need a break from all of this.”
The two friends shared a smile for a moment before Terry suddenly picked up a purple ribbon and tied it to Fleck’s tail in a neat little bow. Then she stood back and smiled to herself as if admiring her work.
“What did you do that for?” Fleck exclaimed, half frustrated and half afraid that her hairdresser was losing her mind.
“I thought that it would compliment your eyes,” Terry said, smoothing Fleck’s fur a little bit more.
For a moment Fleck thought to herself, This is it. She’s gone mad. But then Terry gave Fleck a grin that betrayed her teasing. “Nice touch,” Fleck said to her, returning the smile.
“I thought it would be,” Terry nodded as she tore off the bow with a small laugh.
Fleck joined her with mirth before heading down to the dinning area. By now, her breakfast was sure to be complete, although she knew that she wasn’t going to be a hypocrite and be in a foul mood if her meal was late.
When she went down the condor and entered the huge room between the condor and dining area. There, she found that the twins, Cinder and Ash, were guarding the door this morning. She kept the stupid custom of the guards mainly so that she could talk to them and so that they could assist the maids and butlers in bringing the meals to the other guards.
“Hello, you two,” Fleck said with a warm smile. “How are you guys this morning?”
“Fine,” Ash said casually but with a certain brightness to his tone. Cinder smiled broadly at her and nodded as a reply. Then he added, as if he were an adult, “You?”
“I’m good,” Fleck replied cheerfully. “You two seem to be in really good moods this morning.”
“Yeah,” Cinder intoned in agreement, nodding. She still had that sunny smile on her face. “You do, too.”
“You’re happiness is infectious,” Fleck said with a grin. “Anyway, has breakfast arrived yet?”
“No, not yet,” Cinder replied.
“But they said that it would be arriving soon,” Ash added. “They said that it’s taking longer then they thought that it would. They burned the first batch of... whatever it is that their making.”
“Well, you can’t blame them,” Cinder reasoned. “They now have to make the same meal that they used to make for Slate but for her and all of the guards.”
Fleck shrugged hopelessly. “Well, I couldn’t just let my friends live off of rations why I was eating gourmet. Plus, I hired new chiefs and workers to make it easier for them... What more could I do?”
“Well, I just wish that they were on time more often,” Ash snorted as he rolled his golden eyes in exasperation.
“Yeah,” Cinder agreed, but with less gruffness. “I love that gourmet stuff.” She rubbed her smokey-gray tummy and licked her lips at even the thought of the mouth-watering food.
“Ooh,” Fleck exclaimed, smiling broadly. “Speaking of which, here it comes.”
Breakfast was composed of a steaming stack of three huge mixed berry pancakes slathered in so much hot maple syrup that they were almost swimming. They were topped with plump blueberries, halved strawberries, juicy blackberries and sweet raspberries, complete with a light sprinkling of powdered sugar. Beside that stood a tall glass of freashly-squeezed orange juice with a slice of juicy orange on it’s rim and a bowl of fruit. In it was an assortment of berries, apple slices of varied kinds, along with slices of kiwis, peaches, pears and oranges. The whole thing made Fleck’s empty stomach grumble, even though she knew that she wouldn’t be able to eat the whole thing.
The food was on a dressy, gilded silver tray with a creamy-colored silk napkin placed on it so that it made a diamond shape. This tray was held by a disdainful waitress who wore a disgusted look on her face. It was none other then Lyla, who had previously been Slate’s waitress before his death. She was also carrying two more trays, for both Cinder and Ash.
The two kittens forced the heavy, intricately carved door that lead to the dining area open to allow Lyla entrance. She gave the pair a dirty look as she did so, and they returned the gesture by rudely sticking out their tongues. Fleck had to suppress an oncoming laugh at this.
Then she entered the room after Lyla, waving farewell to the twins. As she sat down at the tiny silver table (which had a cream silk tablecloth, to match the cloth on the tray, and scarlet-colored napkins), she called to them in temporary farewell, “Good-bye, guys. I’ll see you at training in a little bit. Enjoy your breakfast!”
Lyla snorted disgustedly and set the table for her queen in a disgruntled manner. Once she had left, Fleck could hear her snarling to the kittens, “I’ll have the other guards’ food in a while, you little worms.”
“Whatever, grub,” Cinder spat back in retort.
“I really should fire that waitress,” Fleck muttered to herself. Yet she couldn’t help but glow with pride at Cinder and Ash’s indigence.
Then she dug into her superb meal with gusto.
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After breakfast she headed down to the training grounds. There, the cats were just finishing their breakfasts, as their’s had arrived a little later then Fleck’s. Fleck waited a little while for them to finish up and then strode over when the last droplet of syrup was licked clean from the plate.
“Hello, everyone,” Fleck called out cheerfully, bringing all of the guards’ attention to her. “Time to start training, no?”
The guards separated and into the training groups. Fleck tried to figure out how the new guards were feeling about their positions, as she did every day before training. Thistle, one of her own apprentices, looked fairly confident but not terribly so. His only aim seemed to be to please his mentor and fellow guards. Storm, meanwhile, was spunky dark-gray she-cat who seemed to enjoy being a guard and seemed to like Fleck enough to be mutual friends. She was doing very well with shooting, but wasn’t quite as good with hand-to-hand (or would it be paw-to-paw?) fighting as she had been on the first day, which Fleck found odd.
Fleck looked around and saw that the ones nearest to her were Ginger, Lark and Cherry. Lark was another tomboy she-cat but she seemed far more dark then Storm. She was at least a little aggressive towards everyone here, but seemed to be warming up to Ginger. Cherry, meanwhile, always masked her emotions. Although, occasionally she would unleash everything she had on some unlucky cat though harsh words. She hated all of the guards, especially as Fleck, and didn’t care to hide this. In fact, she seemed to almost enjoy showing them how much she despised of them. She hadn’t even made an effort to be more friendly, and Fleck was starting to question her decision of making Cherry a member of the guards. But whenever she thought like this she would always come to conclusion that Cherry’s hatred wouldn’t be a lasting one and that she would forgive them with time--like Lark. But perhaps it would take a little more time with her.
A little ways off was Sparrow and his apprentice, Coal. Sparrow seemed to be a bit nervous with the newfound responsibility, but was otherwise taking it well. He and Coal had progressed a lot since the end of the battle. Coal was a mellow and timid cat, but he was coming out of his shell a bit. He was eager to receive praise and to please his fellow guards. He wasn’t very good with a gun, as most of the new guards were, but Fleck was certain that he hadn’t yet reached his full potential.
Meanwhile, snobby Blizzard wasn’t getting any better. He didn’t seem to take any particular liking to any of the guards, and in fact seemed to dislike them. He was extremely pompous and seemed to think that he could do everything perfectly. This reminded Fleck somewhat of Tiger, but on a greater level. He didn’t appear to be learning much from Jade, either. FireClaw was the same as he was when she bumped into him on the street: a perfect gentleman. Yet somehow, every word he said, whether it was a polite comment or kind compliment, seemed somehow empty and hallow. Fleck got a feeling that there was more to this cat then he was letting on and that she wouldn’t be finding out just what it was any time soon.
GoldenSunn, meanwhile was his same old drooling self. Although, Fleck was seeing less and less of him lately. Not that she was complaining or anything.
Training went on as it usually did; seemingly very little progress in everyone, even Fleck’s pupils. Even the most friendly of all of the cats, like Storm, FireClaw and Thistle, were always on edge. They didn’t seem to be able to trust Fleck completely... or any of the other guards, for that matter. Maybe they couldn’t accept the fact that they could be welcomed into their enemy’s home like this. Fleck had to admit, gourmet meals three or more times a day and training every day would make her suspicious, too. Most of the time, Cherry wouldn’t even eat the food served to her. It either had to be ‘tested’ by one of the older guards or she wouldn’t come near it. And even then sometimes she would just catch something as a substitute.
Today, Fleck taught Thistle and Storm how it was best to use all of their claw-armed limbs in battle, as well as their hind legs.
“You see, you can use them to rake your opponent’s belly,” Fleck began to explain, in a patient tone, “kick dust into their eyes, or just plain kick them down. Your hind legs are very powerful and often an overlooked weapon option in hand-to-hand combat. As are your teeth and strong jaws. But I think that we’ll mostly focus on our hind legs in this training session, okay?”
Her two pupils nodded with serious looks on their faces. Although Fleck, who was a very good judge of character, could see that they were trying to hide their excitement at the possibility of learning countless new battle moves.
Fleck allowed herself a small, amused smile but didn’t say anything. The pair reminded her of Sparrow in some ways. “You can also use your hind legs for leaping and acrobatics, but again, I don’t think that we’ll be learning that today. Although, as it is a very important subject to me, perhaps tomorrow or the next day. As of now, I think that we will just focus on battle tactics using our hind legs. You two ready?”
She was answered by their vigorous nods. Fleck had to bite back a chuckle. Were all apprentices so eager to learn? Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Blizzard arguing with Jade about what was the best way to knock your opponent down. Well, perhaps not. But Fleck had been fortunate enough to have had three wonderful and nauseatingly positive apprentices so far.
Fleck took a deep breath and regathered all of her thoughts. “Okay then,” she rubbed her paws together in a go-getter fashion. “Which of those three things that I mentioned would you guys like to learn how to do and how to defend yourself?”
Storm was the first to answer. “Well, all of them, really. I know how to do them, of course, but how do you defend against something like getting your belly raked?” Storm noticeably shuddered, and Fleck got the feeling that she had had bad experiences with that battle tactic during the war.
“I’m with her,” Thistle agreed with a shrug.
“Okay, then,” Fleck said. “Often times in hand-to-hand combat you will find yourself trapped beneath your adversary and pinned down. More times then not, they will take this as a chance to use this painful battle tactic on your exposed stomach. It is very hard to anticipate it when your enemy attempts to leap on you and pin you down quick enough for you to be able to dodge out of the way, although sometimes you may be able to do this.
“It is unfortunately more likely that you opponent will succeed in pinning you down. Once it has you in this position, it will most likely go for one or possibly both of these extremely vulnerable parts: your neck or belly. Don’t let it get the chance! Use your hind legs to kick your adversary off of you. If it is possible, the second before it pins you down, arrange yourself so that this is easier to do. This move is one of the many that I used to defeat King Slate in his last battle.”
Storm and Thistle were obviously awestruck at the last comment. She heard them both simultaneously inhale a sharp intake of breath and stare at her in wonder. In their eyes, Slate had been much more then what he really had: a conquerer of an entire empire instead of being the lazy slug of a ruler that he had been.
“Anyway,” Fleck broke in after a deafening pause. “Would either of you like to try it?”
“I think that we both would,” Thistle answered for both of them, receiving an all-to-eager nod of agreement from Storm.
“All right, then,” Fleck said happily. “I would like to demonstrate for you first so that you know exactly how it works. Storm, would you like to do the belly rake on me? You keep your claws sheathed and I’ll be sure not to put to much force into my kick.” Fleck gave Storm a playful wink.
“As long as we have a deal then,” Storm said with a nod and a friendly smile at Fleck.
Storm backed up a few paces and paused there, looking uncertain. Fleck prepared herself and gave Storm an eager nod as a sign that she was she was ready. Storm gave a shrug and bounded speedily foreword while Thistle watched a safe distance away. Fleck was knocked down from the gray she-cats power-packed blow and was quickly pinned to the ground. Storm gently began to batter Fleck’s tender stomach, but was thrown off of her by Fleck’s powerful hind legs.
The blow was a little more strong then Fleck had meant it to be, but not to too much of an extent. Storms shook her head to clear it and coughed to cleanse her lungs of the thick dust that had risen into the air.
Storm rubbed her head, feigning a wince of pain. “I thought that I could trust you,” she moaned playfully.
“Well, you certainly kept up your end of the bargain,” Fleck said with a complimentary nod to her pupil. Then she directed her attention to the both of them. “Would you two like to practice those moves on each other for a little while?”
She hadn’t needed to ask. Immediately the pair got into their positions as if they had already come to a silent agreement on who would be the attacker and who would act as the defender. Thistle would be practicing the belly rake and Storm was playing the defender.
After many adreniline-filled rounds, one by one getting increasingly violent, Fleck finally decided to end the practice.
“We won’t have any more time to practice another move if you keep this up,” Fleck chuckled after they had stopped. “Now would you like to try the ‘kicking dust into your opponent’s eyes’ one?”
“Yes!” they agreed excitedly.
“Okay,” Fleck said with a smile, feeling the familiar warmth of gratitude towards the pair of apprentices for being so cooperative and eager. “Now this one requires a little less precision. You simply use it when you want to momentarily blind your enemy. You can only use this battle tactic when you are fighting in a dry, grassless area or a place like this that is made up of packed dirt or sand.
“If you are in such a place, then you should always remember to turn around before you execute this move. Yes, it will leave you momentarily exposed, but it delivers the best effects as well as spares you from suffering the burning of the grit in your eyes. Then you merely kick out, trying to get as much dust and dirt airborne as possible. This will often give you more time to do a damaging attack on you opponent while they are in a vulnerable state.”
“Wow!” Storm exclaimed, her voice full of excitement.
“You can only defend against it by closing your eyes and mouth,” Fleck warned. “Preferably you should do this while turning around as you cannot close your nose and ears and may not have the time to fully close your mouth and eyes.”
“But how do you know when your enemy is about to use the battle move on you?” Thistle inquired.
“I was just about to get to that,” Fleck answered politely, not allowing her easily provoked temper to flare as she had done for poor unfortunate Sparrow. “When you see your enemy turn around like that, it is best not to take this as an opportunity to wound your adversary. Instead, immediately defend yourself by turning away from your opponent. Be sure not to open your eyes for a while to allow the dust to settle, as your enemy will if she has half a brain. But if you hear her about to attack, react immediately. You may not even have the time to make a scratch on your opponent, but the price that you will pay will be dire. Remember, your life is always your immediate concern in battle, not necessarily victory. Although, that is a nice perk, isn’t it?”
Thistle nodded. “So can we try it out now?” he questioned, hardly able to contain his excitement.
Fleck looked around, noticing that most of the other mentors were doing less talking and more training. “Yeah, sure,” she replied with a nod. “But, again, I would like to do a demonstration. Would you like to do it with me this time, Thistle?”
“Would I ever!” he exclaimed.
“All right, then,” Fleck muttered with a smile playing on her lips. “Like Storm, you’l be the attacker. And as before, I will be the defender. Do you know what do do or do we have to go over it again?” Fleck gave him a sly wink.
“No, I think that I’m ready,” Thistle said.
Thistle then stepped to the side so that he was facing Fleck. He stepped back once, then hesitated. Fleck prepared herself, knowing that even the best of fighters didn’t always completely escape the effects of this tactic.
With almost inhuman speed, Thistle swerved around and kicked up the dust from the ground. Fleck didn’t waste a second. She quickly snapped her eyes and mouth shut and turned around as fast as she could. The churned-up dust then settled to the ground, only a few harmless grains catching in the fur on Fleck’s back.
“You see?” she said as she turned around to face her pupils. “It is a very useful attack as well as defense. Would you two like to practice it on each other?”
By the end of the training session, the pair of apprentices were completely covered in dust from head to toe. Fleck had to suppress a laugh at them and their comical appearances. But she managed to hold back her guffaw, both of them smiling with good humor.
“Well, I guess that we’ll just have to do that other move tomorrow,” Fleck said as she watched the other cats clear out of the training grounds for a well-earned rest followed by a steaming gourmet meal. “I suppose that I talked a bit too much during training.”
She shared a laugh with her apprentices before heading back to her home for a steamy salt bath.
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-KittyLover8
© 2013
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