Captain of the Guards-Chapter Forty-Four-Consumed by Hatred

Fleck had been captain of the guards for several weeks. It was great; but not much had changed from when she had been a guard. Sure, she had a new title and was officially in charge, but she supposed that she had pretty much been captain of the guards before.

When she thought about it, she was the one who had chosen Tiger, Sparrow, Cinder and Ash as new recruits earlier on. She had always been the one to come up with battle plans to the very end of the war. In fact, Jade awaited her orders on whether or not to kill Slate. After that, Fleck had acted like the one in charge--telling Ginger and Jade which prisoners were to disloyal to risk keeping and picking out who would be a Commoner and who would be a guard. Even just a little while ago, after she had decided that she wouldn’t be queen anymore, she was the one who had decided on who would be queen, with the help of Ginger, Jade and Sparrow.

Although, it was nice for it to be official. Plus, Azalea had basically made Fleck her personal adviser. Even though it wasn’t her official position, she was treated as though it was. She had always dreamed of being in a spot like this and had thought that if she was ever fortunate enough to get in one, she would cling to it for dear life. But she felt relaxed and comfortable in her new position. She had plenty of control, but allowed Azalea to do a few things that Fleck herself wouldn’t have done. Some of which, Fleck had to admit, were better off for the queendom then a decision that Fleck would have made.

So, all in all, Fleck was enjoying her life as a captain of the guards/adviser. The fact that the war was over and she didn’t have her double life or all of the stupid missions that  the late king Ember had tirelessly given her.

______________________________________________________________________

“Any news with your apprentices, guys?” Fleck asked her friends Ginger, Jade and Sparrow at their whispered meeting in the cave. It was very dark due to the thickly clouded night sky and the muffled snores of the other guards, who were all in a deep and content slumber.

“Nothing much,” Ginger replied with a shrug. “Cherry’s as distant as ever. Although, I’m pretty sure that Lark smiled at Jade during today’s training session. So that’s progress, right?” Ginger looked a little uncertain. Fleck got the feeling that the ginger she-cat didn’t understand just how aggressive Lark could be to the other guards. This wasn’t just progression; this was more like a miracle.

“Yeah she did,” Jade said, a slight smile playing on her lips. “we even talked a little while hunting. Nice, huh?”

Fleck nodded in enthusiastic agreement. “Anything new with you two?” she asked again, turning to Jade and Sparrow.

“Well, not really,” Sparrow shrugged. “Coal has been learning a lot, but you know about that.”

“Well, what kind of news are you looking for?” Jade inquired.

“I don’t really know,” Fleck muttered defeatedly. “I just wanted to know if your apprentices were progressing socially, like with Lark.” Fleck shot an apologetic glance at Ginger, who just shrugged the remark off.

“Well, Blizzard hasn’t changed one bit,” Jade sighed, shaking her head. Despite her slightly defeated-looking appearance, Fleck could see a fiery rage blazing fiercely behind her friend’s bright green eyes. “I just wish that he would make my job a little easier, you know?”

Fleck nodded understandingly, and she could see Ginger giving Jade an empathetic glance. She had dealt with GoldenSunn and knew what it was like to have an impossible apprentice. “What about FireClaw?” Fleck asked her friend in a gentle and understanding tone, not wanting to upset the gray tabby she-cat.

“Well, he is just plain weird,” Jade answered bluntly after a moment’s hesitation. “I mean, he’s polite and all, but the way he goes around it is just freaky. It’s like he’s putting on some freakish kind of charade. I wouldn’t trust him with a rotten week-old mouse. You guys?”

“Me neither,” Fleck said. “I noticed that about him when I was judging the cats, but I figured that it was just me.”

“I never saw that about him,” Ginger admitted, looking a little startled. “Do you think that he’s too suspicious to continue being a guard?”

Fleck shrugged. “Maybe we should keep him. He seems to do pretty good job with hunting and fighting... What harm could he make? Plus, he does a better job then Blizzard with loyalties.”

“Coal’s doing good, too,” Sparrow piped up, evidently feeling left out of the conversation.

Fleck laughed. “Sorry, Sparrow,” she apologized, feeling a bit a genuine guilt. “I know that you’re doing good with training Coal, and I’m proud of you for that.”

Sparrow almost glowed with happiness and pride, puffing out his modeled brown chest. “Thank you so much, Fleck!” Sparrow squeaked shrilly, almost falling over himself with joy.

Ginger laughed heartily. “I think that it’s time for bed, guys. Sparrow’s gonna faint soon, anyway.” Jade and Fleck joined in the laughter, trying their best not to wake the other guards.

______________________________________________________________________

As silent as a shadow, the sildlahotte of a cat rose from the ground like an undead spirit.  The cat looked around, eyes gleaming almost blindingly in the thick darkness that had descended over the cats at nightfall. The flashing eyes surveyed the cats around it, all of which were blissfully unaware of the events to come due to their slumber.

A sly smile crept across the cat’s lips. Finally, those bothersome cats were asleep. The cat had spent what had seemed like eternities waiting for the fools to finish their late night chat, all four of which unaware that every word that they spoke was being heard by an unwanted eavesdropper. Oh, but their drawling, dragged-out chitchat was of no importance.

The cat paused, replaying its plan within its head, as the cat had done so countless times that night. It would kill every cat in the tree hollow while they slept, ensuring that they would never wake up. Then the cat would slip into the queen’s night chamber and murder her. After that she would rally the Commoners and kill everyone who would cooperate. Then it would be the new ruler of the empires and rule over all of the cats of the two kingdoms.

Again, as the cat had countless times since it had come to this dreaded place, it felt a boiling hatred at pit of its stomach. Ever since the evil Jade had viciously murdered King Ember, the cat had been bidding its time for revenge. The cat had tried to hide its rage as best it could, but wasn’t sure if the other guards believed it. It didn’t matter. Soon it would all be over. Soon, they would all be dead, no longer able to spread their blood-thirst and evil. They would be snuffed out in one swift move. In one blood-spattered night.

The cat noiselessly removed a long dagger from the loose earth, shaking most of the soil off of the deadly weapon. It had buried the weapon there earlier that day, hiding it from the other guards to enable the cat to make its move. The cat lightly brushed the remaining bits of dirt off of it. Then, the cat lightly ran the razor-sharp blade along the tender skin of its pad. This made blood flow, falling soundlessly to the earth in scarlet droplets. The cat smiled once again.

Without making a sound, the cat crept over to one of the nearest guards, who was deep in slumber. The sleeping cat was a modeled brown tom. This one was the one called Sparrow. The cat felt a slight pang of regret. Sparrow had always been kind to it, in his timid way. But the assassin shrugged off this unexpected pity. His death would be a quick and painless one. He would just continue sleeping for all eternity. Besides, he would have to die along with the other guards, anyway.

The assassin’s eyes shifted about the room once more, ensuring that no one was awake. Then, it looked back down at Sparrow. Taking the super-sharp blade in both front paws, the cat closed its eyes tightly shut and plunged the weapon downward, towards Sparrow’s exposed throat.

And although the assassin had been sure that none of the guards was wake, one had stirred from her slumber.

______________________________________________________________________

Fleck awoke, vision slightly blurred from sleep. She saw a shadow poised above Sparrow, about to strike to kill. Fleck ignored her exhaustion and launched herself foreword at the cat.

But it was to late. The assassin’s weapon, a recently sharpened dagger that was already smeared with blood, plunged deep into Sparrow’s exposed neck. Fleck froze in her tracks, mortified. Crimson blood soaked the dead tom’s fur and pooled around him, seeping into the earth.

Fleck just stared, motionless, for a few breathless moments. Then the killer, Cherry, pulled the dagger out of Sparrow’s neck, causing more blood to flow. Fleck felt a boiling, blazing hatred for the once-trusted cat and flung herself at her. Cherry hadn’t entirely expected this, despite Fleck’s earlier shout, and was easy for the enraged she-cat to pin down.

Fleck used her paws to hold the murderer down and her jaws to grip the dagger, which was poised above the she-cat’s throat. Drops of blood ran dow the tip of it and fell upon the soft fur of Cherry’s neck. Tears of rage and grief burned in Fleck’s eyes as she glared down at the startled she-cat. She then thrusted the bloodstained dagger into Cherry’s throat, sending blood everywhere.

Quickly, she dashed to her apprentice’s side, muttering all the while, “Please don’t be dead, oh please don’t be dead.”

But he had been killed instantly, as had Cherry. The noise and the thick stench of blood had awakened the other guards. The were all muttering sleepily, none of them knowing what tragedy had struck. It was all white noise to the grievous she-cat, who was still huddled beside Sparrow’s lifeless form. Blood soaked her paws and the stench of it was heavy in her air. But Fleck ignored it, finding herself overwhelmed by her loving apprentice’s sudden and disturbing death. A lump grew in her throat and she got a sour taste in her mouth. She found herself vainly biting back tears, which poured down her cheeks nonetheless.

“What happened?” Fleck heard Ginger mutter loudly, stifling a yawn.

Fleck turned, ignoring her tears, to her fellow guards. Her eyes were shut tight and she could barely choke out the words that she so dreaded to speak. “Cherry turned traitor,” she managed. “And Sparrow is dead.”

______________________________________________________________________

-KittyLover8

© 2013

Jesse Owens

Jesse Owens was the grandson of a slave and was born the seventh child of Henry and Emma Owens and was named James Cleveland Owens, but everyone called him J.C. for short. He was born in Alabama on September 12, 1913. When he was nine when he and his family moved to Cleveland, Ohio. It was there that his schoolteacher unknowingly gave him the name that he would be known by for the rest of his life. When she was calling role call, Owens referred to himself as J.C., and she thought that he had said Jesse. The name ended up sticking.

When Jesse Owens was in Junior High, he set school records by leaping a whopping six feet in the high jump and just under twenty-three feet in the board jump. While he was in high school, he won all major track events. During his senior year, Jesse set a new high school record and tied with the world record by running a 100-yard dash in just 9.4 seconds. He broke yet another high school record in the 220 yard dash, completing it in only 20.7 seconds.

Despite his talent as a runner, Jesse had to struggle to support himself and his wife. He had multiple jobs, including being a night elevator operator, pumping gas, working in a library and being a waiter. These aren’t even all of his jobs, and yet he still remained poor.

Since he was struggling to support him and Ruth, his wife, he didn’t have any time to meet his coach and practice with all of his jobs during the coarse of the day--and night. So instead, he woke up at five o’clock pm every morning just so that he could train.

During this time, the devastating war World War II was going on. Despite this, the nations still wanted to compete in the Olympics. At that time, Germans, due to Adolf Hitler believed that German “Aryan” people were the dominant race and that all other races were inferior to them and should be wiped out completely. Jesse Owens won four track and field gold medals during those Olympics. Not only was he the first American to ever accomplish this feat, but he proved Hitler wrong. He was a black man, one of a supposedly “inferior” race, beating the best German runners.

Jesse Owens died due to lung cancer on March 31, 1980. President Carter along with many others, held him in the highest regard and the day of his death was a bitter one. But his legacy will remain remembered for many years to come, the man who proved that your race doesn’t effect who you are in any way. It is you as in individual, not anything else, that is what gives you your excellence and spirit.

______________________________________________________________________

-KittyLover8

© 2013

Captain of the Guards- Chapter Forty-Three- Captain of the Guards

After a superb lunch, Fleck met up with the other guards once again. This time, as usual, they were going to go into the woods to hunt. All of the cats had, of course, already mastered the art of hunting, but there was no harm in practicing. Besides, the pray store was in need of supply if the kingdom was to last the coming winter.

“Alright, then,” Fleck said, doing a mental head count of the guards that stood before her. It appeared as though they were all present, but just for good measure she called out, “Are we all here?”

“Yeah!” all thirteen of the guards called back to her.

“Then what are we waiting for?” Fleck asked them. “Let’s hunt!”

All of the cats rushed foreword, lead by Fleck, into the woods. Soon, they had spread out all over the woods in search of prey. It was getting harder and harder to fill the food stores, even though they still had a lot of salted prey still in there. Still, with the newly expanded kingdom, it was taking more to fill everyone’s bellies. Then again, they were lucky to have all of the new land at their disposal.

The hunt was fairly successful, as in the end, the guards had each caught at least one article of prey. Fleck called off the hunt a little earlier then usual so that they would have a bit more time for training. Fleck was almost as exited to teach as her apprentices were to learn.

They went to the training grounds, where Fleck taught her two eager pupils how to anticipate it when their opponent was about to strike.

“You see, when they shift their body weight even a little, it most likely means that they are about to attack,” Fleck began to explain. “Depending on how they arrange themselves, you can roughly figure out what their about to do. If they are putting more weight into their hind legs, they’re probably going to rear up or leap. If they do this, then it is best for you to wait until the right moment comes and strike them in the stomach or pounce on them from above.

“If your enemy is putting more weight into her front legs, then she’s is going to kick out with her hind legs. You should back up and close your eyes, perhaps even turn around, to avoid the attack. A shift to the left may mean that the cat’s going to strike with one of their right paws, probably the front one. And vice versa. You can evade their blows by dodging to the opposite side or backing up. As you can see, anticipating your adversary’s attacks can be a life saver. I would like you two to practice this for today. You can do regular battle practice, but try to use the hind leg attacks and defenses that we did today and to try to anticipate the other’s attacks before the occur.”

“Okay!” the pair chirped back to her.

After battle training, Fleck decided not to go down into the tunnels and see what the scientists were up to just yet. First, she wanted to have a talk about training with her friends Ginger, Jade and Sparrow.

“So how’s Coal working out for you?” Fleck asked addressing Sparrow first.

Sparrow shrugged. “I think that he’s doing pretty good.” The young tom sounded unsure. “But I can’t really tell. I’m only a little more then an apprentice myself. Although, I know for certain that he’s at least making progress.”

Fleck nodded in agreement. “In my opinion, he’s to shy and modest to show off his full potential.”

“Unlike a certain braggart that I just so happen to know,” Jade snorted. “Seriously, Fleck. Why did you have to dump Blizzard on me? He’s not learning a thing. Just today he argued with me about how to do at least three things correctly. And honestly, I must say so myself, I’m pretty sure that I was the one doing it the right way. But no. He just has to be right about everything.”

“I know how you feel,” Ginger sighed with a shake of her head. “Except instead, Cherry decides that I’m the enemy and she won’t listen to a word that I say. Seriously, I might not be sane after her and GoldenSunn if it weren’t for Lark. She’s the perfect opposite of my other apprentices, at least as far as brains go. She’s a good listener and friend. I find it difficult to believe that she wasn’t one of us her whole life and was living in the same kingdom with brainless scum like Cherry and Blizzard.”

“I don’t,” Sparrow chimed.

“What was that, insect?” Ginger snarled, rounding on him with her ears flattened and her teeth bared.

Sparrow fearfully shrank away, trembling. “N-nothing,” he stuttered as he tried to get as far away from ferocious Ginger.

Fleck stepped in. “What he’s saying is that she’s still a little hostile to the rest of us, even if she isn’t the same way to you. But I’m sure that Lark will warm up to the rest of us as she has with you with time. Isn’t that right Sparrow?” Fleck’s tone was light enough, but the look that she gave Sparrow was as hard as stone.

Sparrow was looking at Fleck as if she were some kind of angelic fairy godmother or something. He shook himself out of his daze and then said, “Yes, of cause she will. Er, with time, that is.”

Fleck tried not to laugh. There was a moment of silence before she said to them abruptly, “I’m just not cut out to be a queen.”

“What?” Ginger and Jade gasped simultaneously. Sparrow was to stunned to speak at all.

“But you’ve done a fine job running the kingdom so far,” Ginger argued.

“Maybe,” Fleck said with a defeated-sounding sigh. “But I don’t really want to be a queen. I would much rather be captain of the guards. We haven’t had one of those since Stinger!”

Jade sighed and shook her head. “Yeah. But how would we get another queen? Or I suppose maybe a king. Anyway, where would we get a new ruler? None of the other Commoners were worthy enough to even become guards. There’s no way any of them could ever amount to being a king or queen. And seriously, I don’t think that any of us guards would ever make good rulers, either.”

“I suppose not,” Fleck shrugged. “And I do have the right to queenship seeing as I was the one that killed Slate, but I can’t go on as a queen. Sure, there are more then enough perks, but I’d much rather be a guard.” Fleck shook her head sadly, feeling trapped.

“Well, maybe we could try to look for a queen,” Ginger suggested hopelessly. “I know that it seems a little unpractical, but what else could we do?”

“Wait a second!” Fleck cried. “Just because someone doesn't qualify to be a guard doesn’t mean that they can’t be a ruler. Those are to completely different positions. Someone has to be brave, bighearted, selfless and authoritative to become the ruler of an empire. A guard, meanwhile must be strong, athletic, and fearless. Why don’t we at least try to find one?”

“There’s no harm in trying,” Ginger agreed with a shrug.

“I guess that if that doesn’t work, we can always use Ginger’s idea as a Plan B,” Jade added.

“Then it’s decided!” Fleck announced happily.

They then combed through the Commoners in the township. They found only two cats that could possibly ever become a queen. There was a large modeled silver she-cat with huge blue eyes that always gave the impression that she was startled. The there was a brown, gray and white calico she-cat with warm brown eyes.

“Okay,” Fleck said, pacing in front of the two of them, Ginger, Sparrow and Jade standing nearby, all unarmed to paint a more friendly picture. “When we’re done, one of the two of you will become queen. I am fed up with the throne and would rather not be the ruler of this queendom. So I will judge you both to see how would make the better queen of the two of you. In the end, one will be crowned the royal queen and the other will remain a bottom-rung Commoner.”

The two she-cats shifted from paw to paw, their eyes darting around nervously like they were expecting the guards to tackle them. Fleck stalked over to them and examined their expressions. The calico she-cat was the one that she examined first. She seemed timid, selfless, kind and caring. Fleck knew that she was a good cat, but it was the timid part that worried her. Queens had to be, as she had said before, authoritative, and that was the only thing that the calico was missing.

Then Fleck turned to the silvery she-cat next. She had a bigger build and could possibly be a guard. She seemed to be passionate and tender, yet a tad too fancy and self-absorbed. These were unexpected traits for a Commoner and ones that would be hard to accept for the cat to make the crown.

“Names?” Fleck asked the two cats as she mauled everything over, trying desperately to come to a good decision.

“Tilla,” relied the calico in a slightly trembly voice. That wouldn’t do at all. If Fleck decided that Tilla was going to be a queen, she’d have to get her to lose that pathetic, quaking whisper.

“Azalea,” the modeled silver she-cat said graciously and importantly, raising a paw with a flourish. Now that was more like it! Even if Azalea didn’t end up making queen, she could teach Tilla a thing or two.

Fleck darted swiftly over to Ginger and Jade, telling them all she knew about the pair of she-cats’ temperament.

After she had finished, she added in a whisper, “I was thinking that Azalea may be the one that we’re looking for, even if she is a tad bigheaded. What about you guys?”

“I’m with you,” Jade agreed with a shrug. “I mean, how could we even let someone like Tilla lead us? I would die of shame!” Jade laughed dryly at this, joined by Ginger. Once they had finished their merriment, Ginger and Sparrow nodded, making the decision final.

Fleck broke away and turned to Tilla and Azalea. “Okay, we’ve made a decision. Azalea, you are now crowned queen of this empire!”

“To bad we don’t have a crown,” Ginger muttered to Jade.

______________________________________________________________________

With much unnecessary hustle (that is, in Fleck’s opinion), they got Queen Azalea into the part of the ash tree that served as a palace. Then they stuffed her into the royal bedroom, which was neat as a pin as always, and sat her down onto the beautifully made bed. After that, the four guards talked with her.

“Okay, so now that you’re the queen, you might want to make some necessary changes,” Fleck explained to Azalea. “While I was queen, I was trying to focus my efforts on keeping to food stores full and building homes for the new Commoners. I also gave all of the guards gourmet meals so that they got a feeling of fairness. I supervised training to see how everyone was progressing and came into the series of tunnels and caves and talk to the scientists about new things that their going to make or the they want to make or made. Also, my guards need a more organized way of being sorted. We used to have captains of the guard, but all of them died.”

“Well, then, I’ll have to make a few changes, won’t I?” Queen Azalea announced pompously.

“What do you mean?” Ginger challenged in a snarl.

“Ginger,” Fleck warned. “Azalea is our queen now. If I were you, I would show her a bit more respect.”

Ginger snorted. “Why should I?” she sneered. “I didn’t show Slate any respect.”

Queen Azalea intervened in the two cats’ conversation. “Well, um, as I was saying...Changes. Yes.” There was an awkward pause. Then Azalea continued, “Well, I’m not going to give the guards gourmet food. If the prey stores are thinning, then it would be best to conserve the food as best as we can by giving everyone rations.”

“Everyone, that is, except for you, I’m sure,” Jade hissed.

“But of course!” Azalea exclaimed, smiling broadly at them all. After a moment’s hesitation she added, “I will also have hunting patrols three times a day; one done by the guards and the other two by the Commoners.” Queen Azalea looked extremely pleased with herself, enormous blue eyes and plump little smile alight as she glanced around the room at the disgusted guards.

“Extra hunting parties!” Fleck exclaimed, horrified. “That’s not how it works! You’ll scare all of the prey away or kill everything off. Plus, you’ll exhaust all of the cats.” Fleck took a deep breath, turned her back on the new queen, shut her eyes and calmed herself for a few long moments. Then she released it and turned back to Azalea. “Would it be okay for me to give you some advise, my queen?”

A little startled and flattered at being called a queen by Fleck, Azalea replied, “Why of course! What is it that you would like to tell me?”

“You should only kill what you need and no more,” Fleck advised. “You should instead have one patrol a day. Perhaps you could even alternate; one day would have the Commoners hunt and the next the guards and so on.”

“Why,” Azalea murmured, dumbfounded and seeming to not be able to say anything else. Then her face lit up and she exclaimed, “What a wonderful idea! I will do that systematic method right away! Thank you very much, Fleck.”

“No problem,” Fleck muttered in reply.

“And what was that that you said about a... Captain of the guards?” Azalea inquired, tilting her silvery head.

“Yeah,” Fleck sighed. “The last one we had died months ago, and we haven’t had one ever since thanks to Slate.”

“Well, then!” Azalea proclaimed, startled. “Really? Well, that’s another thing that I must change. Fleck, you seem much like a leader. Would you like to be captain of the guards?”

“Really?” Fleck gasped. Then she calmed herself and said enthusiastically, “Of course! I’d love to.” Then she turned to her three friends. “What do you guys think?”

Their eager, positive replies made Fleck swell with pride. I suppose that now I’m right where I’ve been wanting to be, aren’t I? she thought, a hint of a sly smile playing on her lips.

______________________________________________________________________

-KittyLover8

© 2013

The Forbidden City

Mei Sūn* was a young girl who lived in the Forbidden City in ancient China. She was a passionate girl who cared about others and had an uncommon selflessness. This is her story.

______________________________________________________________________

Mei** awoke from a good night’s sleep early in the morning. She quickly rose and dressed, slipping into her red silken robes. These were richly deigned and beautifully tailored. Mei Sūn liked wearing red, which was the color of happiness in ancient China. She then did her hair and began to leave her room for breakfast. As she made her way out of her room, her cat intercepted her.

He was a beautiful feline with pure white fur. His fur was long, white and glossy. Mei had named him Bai, which means white in Chinese. Mei adored and cherished her beloved pet and fed him the best fish that she could buy for him. He seemed to love her back just as much as she did him.

Bai turned his head to look at her with his glittering eyes--one yellow and one green. He trotted over to her on his slender white paws and rubbed his side against her legs. Mei laughed joyfully and picked him up in her arms, lovingly cradling him against her chest. He started to purr with ecstasy and delight. It was a rhythmic rumbling sound that nearly lulled her back to sleep. His eyes were shut tight with bliss.

Mei shook herself out of her momentary daze. She smiled lovingly at Bai and gently set him back down onto the ground. As she continued out of the room, Bai followed at a lazy walk, rubbing against everything within reach--including Mei. She almost tripped several times thanks to her excessively affectionate cat.

“Mei!” Yu, dressed in pink*** robes, called to her. “It is time for breakfast!”

“Coming, mother,” Mei said, hurrying over to the table as quickly as her long robe would allow her to go and nearly tripping over Bai again.

When Mai entered the room, she gently pushed Bai out of the doorway so that she could enter. Her mother noticed the large white cat and said with a laugh, “Looks like Bai is asking for his breakfast. We have silver carp for you today, Bai.”

Bai purred as if he understood what Yu was saying. Then he turned to Mei as if he were about to rub against her leg again, hesitated, and then rubbed. This made Mei laugh. She then headed over to the counter, Bai on her heels, and placed a porcelain platter with carp on it onto the floor. Bai ate contentedly, never ceasing to purr loudly to show his thanks.

Then Mei sat down in one of the polished red sandalwood chairs and began to eat the rice porridge, congree, with delicious pickled vegetables. They were served in beautiful white porcelain plates and bowls not unlike the dish that Bai was eating off of. Soon she was done, having not left a single piece of her delectable meal left.

When she had finished, she excused herself and left her mother and father, whose name was Liwei****, to talk privately together. Bai followed Mei out of the room, purring and prodding her along with affectionate butts or his head.

“Oh, Bai,” Mei laughed, smiling warmly down at her cat.

Bai looked back up at her and winked his left eye, the green one. His purr would have been deafening had it been any louder.

Mei walked outside, into the garden. It was full of a great verity or well-kept plants, stylishly chipped stones and rivers full of olive-green lily pads. Some of these even had gorgeous bridges to use to cross over them. The garden was Mei’s favorite part of the Forbidden City*****.

Bai seemed to love the garden, too. He continued to purr and rubbed against the stonework. He stood there, pigeon-legged, his head turned towards her. His multicolored eyes seemed to sparkle with an unknown inquiry. Mei wished that he could ask her the question. She sat down on one of the low stone walls next to him and pet his silky-soft head. He stood so that his front legs balanced on her thighs while his hind legs were still on the ground.

“I don’t know what I’d do without you, Bai,” Mei murmured softly to him. After a moment of quiet while she stoked his head and ran her fingers down his soft back, the only sound being running water and Bai’s rumbling purr, Mei continued, “Do you ever wonder what it is like outside of the Forbidden City?”

Bai looked at her and stopped purring. He tilted his head like he was asking Mei something. Again, she was unsure of what to say.

Uncertainly, she explained, “You know, what the people are like, what they wear, where they live and what they do.” She stopped, gazing at the slightly foreboding walls that blocked off Mei’s view of the world beyond them. “Father is always talking about how they are ungrateful for what he gives and are dirty. But I can’t imagine that they are much different then us. I wonder why father thinks of them that way and doesn’t let them in the Forbidden City.”

Mei imagined that Yu or Liwei had explained this to her at some point in her life, but she couldn’t remember anything about such things.

Mei sighed, drawing her hand away from Bai’s head. Bai objected to this and raised one of his white paws to bat at her hand. Mei couldn’t ignore her cat’s pleading bicolored eyes and resumed petting him. Then she continued to speak, “I only wish that I had the courage to ask my father about such things.”

“Meow,” Bai said. Somehow, the meow was very comforting.

Mei picked the large white cat up and hugged him her her chest. “You are such a sweet māo******.” Mei scratched his back affectionately. “You’re right. I should ask Father. Or at least I should ask Mother. I am very curious, and nothing will stop me from finding out about what is beyond those walls!”

A little later, Mei and Bai hurried into the dinning area. Yu and Liwei were still sitting on their beautiful red sandalwood chairs. The highly polished wood seemed to almost glow. The dirty porcelain dishes had long since been taken away to be cleaned and her mother and father were talking to each other.

“Oh, hello, Mei,” Yu said kindly to her daughter, smiling. Then she looked down by the girl’s feet. “And hello to you, too, Bai.” Yu then turned back to Mei and intoned, “I thought that you were going out into the gardens? You can’t be back inside already! You usually spend hours doing who-knows-what in that garden or ours.” Yu chuckled with good-humor at this.

Mei nodded, but she wasn’t really listening. She then turned to her father and asked, “What is it like outside of the Forbidden City?”

“Why do you ask?” Liwei questioned, a little taken aback by the sudden inquiry.

“Because I have always wondered,” Mei said simply. “And looking at that wall in the garden reawakens my curiosity every time I go in there. I wonder what it looks like and what the people are like.”

“Well, there’s nothing to see out there,” Liwei snapped, glaring at her with his eyes aflame. “I have told you numberless times this and I haven’t changed my mind at all. And if you are asking to go in out of the Forbidden City and see those peasants and where they live, then I don’t even know what I would say.” Liwei shook his head, as if he were disappointed in his daughter.

Yu looked at Liwei with pleading eyes. “Lewei, please. Mei needs to see the world for herself at some point, and now is as good a time as any. She is our only child, and if she is to become empress one day, she’ll need to see the land that she will help rule some day. Please?”

Lewei hesitated for several long moments. Mei held her breath in suspense, waiting for the answer. Finally, Lewei sighed begrudgingly, “Fine. But you had better act like a proper lady while we are there. Not that those peasant slobs would even care...”

“Thank you, Father!” Mei squeaked, hardly able to contain herself. “When are we going to go?”

Lewei sighed again. “I suppose that now’s as good a time as any. Me and your mother will go and get ready for our public appearance.” Then he added in a slightly warning tone, “And you’d better do the same, young lady.”

Mei suppressed another squeal of delight and resisted the urge to dash out of the room. But instead, to show her father that she could act properly, Mei left the room in a calm and collected manner, Bai trailing a little ways behind her.

Once she entered he room, she let out that squeal of joy that had been trapped inside of her all of this time. This startled Bai, who widened his eyes and flattened his ears back and took a surprised step backwards. Mei, as she loved to do, picked him up in her arms and squeezed him tightly to her chest.

Then she set him back down onto the floor and kissed the top of his head. “I’m so sorry, Bai,” she murmured to him with a slight sigh, “but you won’t be able to come with me. You could get hurt of lost or something. Well--I’m sure that you wouldn’t ever leave my side. But I don’t ever want to take that risk. Don’t worry, Bai. I’ll tell you about everything that I see there.”

Mei brushed a dark strand of hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear, and smoothed out the few creases that had been made in her robe of course of the morning. Then she turned away from him to head back out of her room. She really had nothing else to straighten up. She had done her hair early in the morning and had dressed in one of the most beautiful robes that she possessed.

She met her mother and father the moment she left her room. Yu had her hair braided and then put in coils by her ears. She wore purple silk robes with small golden designs that, like Mei’s, went all the way down to the floor. Purple robes represented spiritual awareness and the color gold was often worn to show wealth.

Next to Yu, Mei’s father’s long hair was worn in a tight bun on the top of his head*. Liwei was also wearing a robe, like Mei and Yu. But his only went down to his knees, unlike the women’s. This was how all men wore their robes. His were a vibrant yellow, which was a color that only emperors were allowed to wear. He had a stern expression on his face as he looked his daughter up and down.

“You haven’t changed your robes,” Liwei muttered, looking disappointed. “Well, we should go anyway. Come on.”

Liwei then walked stiffly out of the room, scowling. Yu turned to her daughter and touched her hand to the girl’s cheek. “It’s okay, Mei,” she murmured in a kind and gentle tone. “You’re father is just feeling out of sorts today.”

Mei smiled up at her mother’s kind and caring face. Somehow, Yu was always able to make her feel better. Then the empress turned away and followed Liwei. Mei hurried after the two, Bai following not far behind her. Mei felt a pang of regret for not bringing him with her. Maybe she could ask her parents... But then Yu would fret and Liwei would scoff. No, it was better not to bother. Either way she was going to end up being forced to leave her pet at home.

Mei followed her parents outside and into the garden. She whispered a loving “goodbye” to Bai, who gave her a pitiful expression in return, and then dashed out of the Forbidden City for the fist time in her life.

What met her eyes was a horrible sight. People wearing loose and rough hemp clothing were working tirelessly in the fields. There were small, cramped-looking houses a little ways off. These looked nothing like the expensive-looking, beautifully painted home that Mei and her family lived in. The workers all looked sad and tired. When Liwei and Yu took her though the streets, most of the people stopped their work to stare, some of them bowing. Others whispered “The Sūn family” with so much respect and awe that it was heartbreaking. Others simply stared as if they couldn’t believe their eyes.

How could Liwei allow themselves to dress in expensive silk and have a whole city almost completely to themselves while these poor people were all living in filth? Mei thought about saying something about this to her mother and father right then and there, but decided against it. She knew that the fewer people were there to hear her outraged retort, the less trouble she would get herself in.

______________________________________________________________________

No matter how much Mei agued, she couldn’t convince her father that it was wrong to live like this while the people with less wealth were working tirelessly in the fields. But she was a determined girl and decided that she would change this horrible system when she became empress.

______________________________________________________________________

* Mei, Yu, Liwei and the Sūn’s altogether are not a real Chinese family.

** ‘Mei’ is a red gemstone in Chinese.

*** A robe of the color pink was is a symbol of love in Chinese culture.

**** ‘Liwei’ mean poweress in Chinese.

***** The Forbidden City is a real place in what is now Benign.

****** ‘Māo’ means cat is Chinese.

______________________________________________________________________

-KittyLover8

© 2013

Captain of the Guards- Chapter Forty-Two- Queen Fleck

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.

______________________________________________________________________

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.

______________________________________________________________________

-KittyLover8

© 2013