oh geez, i sure hope you are all enjoying your early christmas presents!!! ok, up next we have a long one, Camilles Map!!!! Camilles Map In Cat Land there are many, many stories. Midnight and his friends tell a few of the stories, and others are probably lost forever. A story is a living thing, just like you and I are living things. It gets its food and life from being told, and will wither and fade away with hunger if it isnt told often or in some cases at all. Some stories are just not possible to tell, for example there lives in Cat Land many small rodents, each of which has buried itself into the soft soil around all of Cat Land. These rodents are called Sleepers when they are found, as they are curled up into tight little balls of fur. They hibernate, each of them somehow aware of the greater events taking place in Cat Land above them. Each of them patiently waiting for a time when they can come above ground and enjoy their brief summer. They wait for the cats to leave, and they have now been sleeping for over four hundred years. Each one just as cold as a stone, yet alive somehow, preserved by their special connection to Cat Land. The Sleepers dream, as they lay curled up. Their dreams are vivid, exciting, and full of action and adventure. Just one Sleepers dream could fill volumes of novels, and be as rich as anything ever written. Yet the Sleepers have no writing. They have no real language, except the long slow thoughts of their cold, patient minds. Their dreams, those stories, cannot be told. Camille has found a Sleeper, as she dug in the back yard of her school. She digs to find things. Camille is Cat Lands very first Archealocat. She has a deep yearning to understand the past, and she knows that most things which were used in the past end up buried in the soil. She digs and she finds wonderful things, which she then collects and stores in a small shed Dusty Rose has loaned her. Dusty Rose is the head mistress of the school, among many other things she does. The Sleepers puzzle Camille greatly, and she watches this one. It is small, no bigger then her head perhaps. It is brown, the color of the soil it sleeps in, and it has a pink nose and its eyes are shut very tightly. Camille pokes at the Sleeper but gets no response. Dusty Rose has told her it is imperative that she lets them be if she finds them. Beside the Sleeper is an artifact. Camille bends down to investigate it further. Hooking the edge of the small metal object she pulls it free, being very careful. A few grains of soil fall on the Sleeper, but it isnt bothered by this at all. It sleeps and dreams. Camille is a small tortoiseshell kitten, five months old now, and growing into her large ears. She has a striking peach colored flame down her dark nose and in the very center of her chest is a tiny white patch of fur. Her sister, Amelia, calls this Camilles Star. As she remembers this, Camille smiles. She loves her little sister greatly, and her other sister Rosie as well. Rosie has just recently been reunited with them, and Camille has tried to get her interested in being an Archealocat as well. However Rosie is much more interested in becoming a detective, like her now officially adopted big brother Midnight. Camille brushed dirt off the artifact and looks very closely at it. She knows that studying things very closely is very important to being a proper Archealocat. She knows this because she is inventing the profession as she goes. She can tell that the artifact isnt iron, and she is relieved. Anything she finds made of iron she is to immediately turn over to Dusty Rose. She has handed over some of her best finds, that iron spear, those odd iron bracelets, and that strange iron bar that attracted other iron bars. All these things Dusty Rose took and hid. Camille never knew where or why, and since Dusty Rose is the Head Mistress, she never asked. The artifact was not iron though, although it was made of metal. A strange metal, one which was the color of a yellow flower, like the sun on a clear day. It was heavy also, heavier than iron. She studied it and ran her paw around the edge. It was round, thin, and had an animal engraved on it. “Jeepers!” Camille whispered. “Thats a hawk!” She grinned at the snoozing Sleeper. “Its a hawk!” She told the brown dreamer. The Sleeper of course wasnt disturbed at all. Camille stood on her paws and carefully sat the object to the side. She then proceeded to kick soil back into the hole she had made, covering the Sleeper and letting it get back to whatever it was they did. She was soon finished with this task and completed it the same way she always did, with a few quiet words for Father Cat. “You take good care of this Sleeper, Father Cat. Let it sleep and dream and when its time is right, let it wake and be happy.” She thought for a few moments. “And make sure it has lots of food also.” Happy with this, she took the artifact and softly padded up to the room she shared with her two sisters. Rosie was laying on her pillow when Camille walked in. She had just finished grooming and her short black fur was shining in the glow from the candles. “Camille! I was zonking starting to worry!” Camille laughed at Rosie. “You worry too much sister, if I am out of your sight for an hour you pace.” Rosie pulled a silly face. “Im not pacing, Im exercising you silly kitten.” The two sisters giggled and Camille head bonked Rosie. “I love you Rosie, I am so glad you are here with us!” Rosie smiled. “I am too, although I miss the zonk out of Mason and the others. But they promised to be back, and I know my Mason Dozer wont let me down.” Camille rolled her green eyes. “You are so in love with this Mason, he is all you talk about. Mason this, Mason that. Blech!” Camille stuck out her tongue. “I found something very cool! Want to help me clean it off?” Rosie sat down next to her sister. “What did you find?” Camille slowly pulled the artifact out of her small pouch and showed it to Rosie. It caught the candle light and glinted through the dirt that was caked to its surface. “Zonkers!” Rosie cried out. “I dont know what it is, but its beautiful!” Camille rubbed it with her paw and dipped it in their water bowl. Using the pillow as a scrubber she soon had the object gleaming in the candle light. It was very beautiful, and was yellow all over. The carving of the hawk was on one side, a large bird with a giant beak and sharp claws. On the other side was a line through a series of triangles, with dots on each side. Studying this Camille was very confused. “What is this supposed to be?” she asked Rosie, showing her the markings. Rosie, who had traveled a bit more then Camille recognized it from something very similar she had seen in old Specks place. “I think I know what it is!” She whispered. “Its a map!” Camille felt her tail hairs foof out as she traced the lines with her claw. “A map! Jeepers!” Rosie sat back on her paws and washed her face. “How old is this?” She asked her sister. Camille thought for a few moments. “Well, its been a long time since any cat saw a hawk in Cat Land.” She explained. “Hawks are very rare, Dusty Rose says they are all gone now, although Amelia thinks there are some still.” Rosie laughed. “Yeah, Amelia thinks they hide under her bunk.” Camille giggled. “Anyways, I think this is pretty old, maybe as old as Father Cat! It goes way back, thats for sure. And this strange metal, I have no clue what it is.” Rosie shrugged. “Ask Dusty, she will know.” Camille shook her head. “Jeepers no! She will just take it and I will never see it again. No, I want to know where this map leads.” That night as she lay in her bunk, Camille kept the object very close to her. She studied the map in the moonlight and traced its lines again with her claw. She knew it went somewhere exciting, and was determined to find out where. She drifted off to sleep eventually and dreamed she was on a ship, sailing on the Unknown Ocean, with the sound of birds flying high over head. There was a huge storm, and just as a giant wave crashed onto the ship, she woke up with a start. It was morning, she had slept deeper and longer then she had anticipated. “The artifact!” She exclaimed as she groped around on her cot. Finally she found it, under her tail. “Whew.” Camille said, “I really dont want to lose this!” She carefully placed the object in her small pouch, and secured that to her waist. Then she stretched and lapped up some cool water. She only knew of one other cat who could possibly help her with the map and that was the schools history teacher, Captain Cat. “Captain Cat will help, he is very smart!” Camille walked out of the room and down the stairs of her tree house. Her school was of course built in one of the giant trees that grew all over this area of Cat Land, called Mouse Land. The History Room was located about half way down the tree, and over on an obscure branch. She walked there quickly and found the room empty. Captain Cat was nowhere to be found, but on his desk was a large book, with wooden covers. Camille knew that books were very important, and ones that had strong wooden covers were the most important of all. She carefully opened the book and found it full of maps! Excited, she pawed past map after map. “No, this one is too big, no thats too small. No, thats not it at all!” she mewed to herself as she looked at the pages. Finally, just as she was about to give up, she stopped at a map. Its markings were the same as the one on the object. She removed the object from her pouch and compared the two. “Yes! This is it exactly!” She studied the map in the book very closely. It wasnt a treasure map she saw, but was instead just a regular old map. What was so special about it? She thought to herself. “Why are you on this object?” She followed the lines on the map with her claw. Here was Old Cat land, and here was the Old Cat Castle. Here was Cat Mountain, the only mountain on the island. Her claw followed the line as it showed on her artifact. It went through the mountain, and past a forest. Up into what looked like a cliff or rocky area, according to the map. And then where it stopped on the artifact, on the big map it also stopped. Next to a small icon of something. Camille squinted at the small drawing. “What is that supposed to be?” She asked herself again. Then it dawned on her as she looked at the other side of the object. “Jeepers!” She cried out. “Its a Hawks Talon!” She scampered down from the desk and walked towards the door. Just as she got there, Captain Cat walked in. “Young Lady!” He shouted. “What are you doing in here by yourself?” She was always a little scared of Captain Cat, a large brown cat with dark yellow eyes. “Nothing Professor!” She answered, and managed to run out, between his large front legs and past his angrily swishing tail. When she got back to her room, she found it empty. This was OK with Camille, as she wanted to follow the map by herself. She gathered a few things she felt she might need into her small pack. Sitting back on her rear paws Camille thought for a few moments. Finally she found a small bit of parchment and using her writing quill she left a short message for her sisters. Dear Sisters, I have found a very important map and I have gone to follow it and see where it leads to! Rosie, you can explain this to Amelia while I am gone. I should be back soon, so Do Not Worry! Stop pacing Rosie! Camille. She signed the short note with a flourish and left it on the small table. Gathering her pack she took a few sips of fresh cool water. “I can do this!” she said to herself. She walked to the door and slipped out. Camille knew from the map she had seen in Captain Cats book that the artifact was leading her to the mountain that rose in the center of Cat Land. It was a days hike to get there, and then from there she would need to follow the details on the artifact to find exactly where it lead. Visions of mounds of treasure raced through her small furry head. As Camille made her way down the tall tree that housed her school, a pair of gray eyes watched her. Dusty Rose kept Camille in sight until she was out of view and well on her way. Turning she faced Captain Cat. “Are you sure she saw the map?” Dusty asked. Captain Cat nodded. “Oh yes, I walked in just as she was scurrying out. I had meant to put the book away, but forgot, my old mind gets to wandering these days.” “I am sure it does.” Dusty replied. She licked her paw thoughtfully. “I wonder what has her so excited? She is acting like a kitten who has found a new toy.” “Well you know she likes to dig and find things.” Captain pointed out. “Perhaps she discovered something special.” “I guess we will have to follow her and make sure she is safe.” Dusty said. “Why not just bring her back and forbid her to leave?” Captain suggested. “I have done nothing but encourage her searching and digging Professor. This is no time to stop that.” “You encouraged her? I have heard that you took all her best finds, and that you warned her very strongly not to get to serious about her historical research.” Captain Cat scoffed. “Precisely Professor. The easiest way to encourage a small kitten to do something is to make it difficult for them to do it.” Dusty sighed deeply. “I suppose we better get ready ourselves. We know pretty much where she is going, it wont be to hard to follow her.” Captain Cat laughed. “What do you mean we?” “Oh but Captain, you are going with me, as our best historian, I think this is right up your alley.” “Into the field? Out there? Outside of the school?” “Of course, now get your pack and your map, she has a good start on us.” Dusty said, laughing. “It will be good for you, stop looking like you have a hairball.” As little Camille made her way down the trails, towards the mountain in the center of the island, her eyes darted from side to side. She was certain at any moment her sisters would pop out of the brush and convince her to turn back or at least take them with her. She was a little disappointed when they did not suddenly jump out, however she smiled to herself and adjusted her small pack. “I am a strong cat, and I can do this all by myself!” she studied the artifact and got her bearings on the mountain and continued her hike. Cat Mountain was of course the tallest point on the island and was easy for her to see. All cats knew its dark tree covered sides, and its bare rocky tip. Camille came to the foot of the mountain late that evening, and found herself a nice tall tree to climb. She settled between two large branches and pulled leaves over her small body. Curling up, she fought back the fear she felt from spending the night alone all by herself. “Trees are safe, that’s why we have schools in trees!” she declared to herself. “Oh I do wish maybe a little Rosie was here, she is so much better at this than I am.” Looking out over the tree tops, Camille watched the sun sink lower in the sky. She curled up and laid her tail over her small head, pushing more leaves over herself. Soon her tired body began to take over her fears, and small Camille slowly sank into sleep. As Camille fell asleep, yellow eyes watched her from the shadows. They trained onto the yellow glint of the artifact, narrowed and focused. Oh yes. The owner of those eyes thought. That is mine! The furry warm has my mark! While the eyes watched, Camille slept. Her mind drifted, and her dreams took her across Cat Land. Again she saw the ship, buffeted by huge waves, tossed about in a wild storm on the Unknown Ocean. A large black cat stood on the deck, his paws wrapped tightly around ropes. Camille knew this was Father Cat. His gray eyes were mere slits, and his body was solid muscle. Now her mind drifted again, taking her somewhere, some when, else. She saw a large shape in the sky. It was long, not a bird at all! It had ropes, a basket, some huge round ball above it. She had no clue what this was, but in the basket she saw cats! Two cats! Her minds eye took her closer, and now she saw a large gray cat, and a large black cat, both wearing fedoras. The basket spit orange flame, and the ball drifted higher, up above her floating, dreaming mind, and passed her. As it went by she caught a glimpse of careful red lettering on the basket. “Ghost One!” she cried out! It had to be the detectives who had rescued her and Amelia all that long time ago. Again her mind drifted, the colors all swirled together into a dark green, blues, and sounds. She woke up with a start, and pushed leaves off her self. Camille heard noises below her, and carefully looked toward the ground. Below her she saw a terrifying sight. Rats! Large battle rats! She could see the early morning sun glinting from their helmets, and they carried two large bundles, both of which were struggling. Carefully, quietly, Camille slowly climbed down to a lower branch so she could hear what the rats were saying. She settled on top of a large branch, directly above the creatures and listened. One of the rats was pulling a struggling canvas bag. He was a large, nasty looking brute, with a dented iron helmet. “Nar, Gamper! You gotta drag ems, you caint carry ems, they is fightin too hard!” he cried out to his companion. The other rat, an even larger creature who was freshly missing his left ear, was carrying a canvas sack on his broad shoulders. “Took me ear, this kitty did! Im gonna ask Hack is I cain keep it! Ooooo I bets its a tasty kitty!” He let out a small yelp as the bag struggled harder and a claw dragged across his shoulder. Laughing madly he bashed his bleeding head into the bag. “Oh kitty, you quit that! Look Hammer, we are here, this is our good camper spots! Lets let the kitties out, so we can tie em up propers, then we can go hunt some good food.” Hammer grinned a grin that scared Camille right through her tail. “Oh Gamper! Dats a winner idear! Come here kitty!we gots to tie you up, and leaves you!” He pulled his sack open and dumped a large brown cat out onto the forest floor. Camille felt her heart sink as she recognized her professor, Captain Cat! What was he doing here? She thought. Gamper dropped his sack and poor Camille nearly yelled out in anger as Dusty Rose, head mistress of her school, was dumped out onto the ground. Gamper grabbed a dirty rope that hung from Dusty Roses neck, and tied that to the tree, along with Captain Cats rope as well. There paws were bound, and both cats were left, filthy, angry, and helpless. Hammer kicked Dusty Rose. “Now dont you kitties get losted, me and Gamper, we bes back for ye. We gotta go eats some rat food, and then we will take you to Krauser the Kind, Krauser the Gentle! Krauser King of Cat Land! He wants some words with your little girl kitty.” Hammer laughed nastily and him and Gamper scurried off into the forest. Camille was about to leap down onto the forest floor intent on saving her teachers from the peril they were in, when she saw a large shadow form slowly around her. She turned and looked up just as three giant yellow claws wrapped around her small body and she was pulled into the air. She fought madly, kicking and yelling, but the claws only tightened their grip on her and she was lifted higher, massive wings beating at the air. Fear engulfing her small form, Camille went limp and saw no more for a long time. On the ground, Dusty Rose looked up into the sky and watched as Camille was helplessly pulled away. She struggled against her bindings, but it was no use. The ropes pulled tight. “Professor!” she hissed. Captain Cat stirred next to her and looked around. “I do believe this is why I dont leave the class room.” He managed a weak smile. “Although this will make an interesting book.” Dusty nodded. “Did you see that!” she pointed at the sky with her nose. Captain Cat shook his head. “I have not seen much of anything since that bag went over my head dear. What have I missed?” Dusty again struggled against the ropes, “A hawk! It grabbed little Camille and soared off!” Captain Cat chuckled. “Did you get bumped on the head? Maybe your fuzz got fuzzier.” Dusty glared Captain Cat. “I know what I saw.” Dusty of course was many things, far older than Captain Cat could ever suspect. Far more powerful as well, being of the royal blood line, and one of the Elders who had first settled Cat Land. A hawk was something she feared, something she had seen many times in the past. Years ago, when the island was first found, the hawks had been everywhere back then, and had no problems lifting away with a young kitten. Only with determination and strength had the cats finally managed to solve the hawk problem. Promises had been made, and seals had been stamped. What had caused this hawk to grab a kitten? Something pretty powerful must have happened, but what it was Dusty could not even begin to guess. She grunted, summoned her strength, and easily snapped the ropes holding her. Something she could have done at any moment, but also something that exposed her hidden identity to Captain Cat. He was watching her now, his eyes wide with wonder. “You just snapped that rope like it was a fine twine!” Dusty squatted before the professor. “Look, My name is Dusty Rose, you know me as the dean of the school, and assume I am just a few years younger than you, yes?” Captain Cat nodded. “Yes, I thought this was reasonable to assume.” “I am one of the Elders, those spoken of in Father Cats Scrolls. I was there on the Eagle. Now stop staring at me, and lets go track down Camille before she gets fed to an eggling.” She snapped the ropes holding the professor. Captain Cat got to his paws. “Well that certainly changes things.” When Camille finally woke up, she found herself surrounded by large sticks, twigs, and various bits of rubbish. A soft cover of feathers was poked into the nooks and crannies of the nest, for that was obviously what it was. Three large, yet broken and cracked yellowed eggs sat in the center of the nest. Camille could tell they had been there for some time. The large yellow talons that had carried her here were balanced on the edge of the nest. Swallowing her fear, Camille gazed upwards. Above her loomed a large bird, a great hooked beak, and huge yellow eyes with dark black slits. They narrowed as the giant hawk surveyed the small kitten. Camille felt her body shake with fear, but she gathered her small courage about herself. “You must let me go! My teachers need my help!” The hawk preened at a feather briefly, then turned a yellow eye onto the kitten. “You must not demand tiny warm! You make my eggs warm! You save them for Vector! My chicks, they have been cold. You make them warm!” Camille risked a glance into the eggs, this required her to get closer to them. She peered into the cracks, and saw nothing but white and broken eggshell. “You have a name then.” she said to the hawk. “Vector? You have no chicks. We must help my teachers!” Vector squawked and squealed “You have warms for my chicks tiny furry! You must help them! My chicks do not move in eggs.” Camille was scared, terrified to her very small rapidly beating heart, but she also realized this hawk was in great need. She felt sad for the great bird, sitting here for who knows how long, guarding an empty nest, trying to hatch empty eggs. “Vector, you are a mighty hawk, and I am just a tiny kitten. I am so sorry but there are no chicks in these eggs.” Vector flapped her giant wings and beat the air in frustration. “My chicks!” she cried out. Camille held onto the nest with her sharp claws. “I am sorry great mighty hawk.” Vector settled her wings and lowered her large head. Her bright feathers seemed to dim, and a bit of the fight in her yellow eyes left. “Many days now Vector has tried to make chicks move. Many times Vector has sat on her eggs. They are too cold! Vector knows a warm fuzzy makes things warm! And she saw! Oh yes, she saw you with the token, her mark. You fuzzy warm, you have our token!” Camille was confused. “I do not know what you mean, great flight-master All I have is this yellow artifact I found in the dirt.” Vector nodded her mighty head. “My token! Vectors token! It is of our flock, long gone, so few, many many long ages since we have been many. My chicks were the first of many, to be the first of the return, but now, oh Vector, she was so hungry and she hunted. Too long was she gone! The rats, Large Filthy Rats, they were here, Vector can smell. And my chicks are too cold.” Camilles eyes watered up as she realized what had happened. “the battle rats found your nest didnt they? Oh you poor thing, they must have... I am so sorry Vector. I would have helped if I could.” Vectors tail fathers dropped and she hung her mighty head. “You carry the token, you are my friend now little furry warm. Vector did not mean to frighten you, but cats and hawks, long battled have we. Much anger we feel. Now together perhaps we must become, there are rats that have taken my chicks!” Camille stood up and let her tail fluff out a bit. “Help me Vector, I too am in trouble. My teacher and her friend have been captured by the rats. This token, I found it in the soil, and I followed this map on it here. Perhaps I followed this map to you, and not to any great treasure. Maybe you are the treasure! Can you help me save my teacher?” Vector stretched out her mighty wings. “Small furry we can be helping! I can see far and wide, yet up close I cannot see that well. You can be my eyes up close, and I can be your eyes for far away!” The tiny kitten smiled. “You flatter me, flight-master. My name is Camille, and I am an archealocat.” Vector eyed the kitten. “Tell Vector what strange kind of cat this is?” Camille laughed. “I am not even sure, I am making it up as we go along.” She produced the artifact from her pack. “is this the token Vector?” The might bird flapped her wings and squawked loudly. “My token! Yes, yes, this is what Vector has seen. This is the sign of my flock, it is very heavy, once we had many many of them. Now they have been scattered. You Camille furry warm have found one! It is sacred to Vector.” Camille eyed the artifact. “It is yours my feathered friend, you must have it back.” She wrapped a loose string through the small hole in the artifact, so it hung like a pendant. Carefully she tied it to the great hawks leg. “Now, you can carry it with you, and it shall glitter in the air as you fly, and all will know how magnificent Vector is.” The hawk lifted her talons and looked at the token as it dangled on the string. “Camille furry warm, my good friend. Now, tell Vector, your friends, they need our help!” Camille felt her tail fluff up again. “Yes! I saw them tied to a tree, and they were surrounded by rats! Battle rats! Like the ones who took your chicks from you.” Vector squealed angrily. “Vector does not like rats!” After Dusty Rose had removed the last of the ropes holding them, her and Captain Cat and both sat down on their back paws to try and figure out where they were. “I am sure Camille was taken off to the west, but how far? And where to?” Dusty Rose asked herself. “We could set out in that direction I suppose, and I suspect its really our only choice.” Captain Cat eyed the ground, and checked out the trees that were near them. “The battle rats have gone to the west also, I think our best idea is to head south, we can circle around and turn to the west again. I believe this Hawk you speak of more than likely was heading to the giant cliff trees, and they are due west of here, but a long ways by paw.” Dusty shook her head. “We can waste all day arguing about it professor, or we can just get moving.” Captain Cat agreed with her and they finally decided to head off in a southerly direction, away from the path left by the Battle Rats. “We will hike this way for an hour, and then we can turn north west for an hour or so. Then we can head west, and that should put us pretty close to the correct direction.” As they stepped through the trees, the were met by a large company of Battle Rats, who had been waiting for them the whole time. Hammer was there, and laughed at the cats. “Oh my little kitties! Dusty Rose, you have spilled your beans and now we can collect you and your friend here and ship you both back to the great Krauser the Kind. He suspected who you were, but now of course we have the proof we need.” He motioned to his Battle Rats. “Tie them up, this time put them in irons. We cant let the great Dusty Rose break them free again.” Dusty Rose and Captain Cat both surrendered without a fight this time, as they were completely surrounded and hopelessly outnumbered. Captain Cat hissed and growled, and Dusty Rose clawed at the irons as they were clamped around their paws. Hammer made sure the irons were tight, and pulled cruelly on the chains. “Now my sweet kitties, now we must walk, we have a long way to go, we must get you to the castle by nightfall! To help you walk fast, even in chains, we can sing songs at you and Gamper has his whip ready! No slackers here today my kitty friends! Sing with us!” he shouted as the rats all lined up and began a march out of the trees. Four rats in front beat large wooden drums, and the iron helmeted battle rats soon broke out into a sort of rough song, a chant, that seemed to drive them into a marching fury. Rats with Iron and Wood We March and March. Rats with Iron and Wood. We Battle and Fight With Iron and Might. By tooth and claw, Foot and Paw, We Fight Fight Fight. Dusty Rose and Captain Cat struggled to keep up with the pace the rats had set, but knowing they had no choice they marched as hard as they could. Always behind them sat Gamper on top of a large scarred Rat, with his ugly whip ready. Camille watched from high up in the trees, Vector perched close by. “We have to help them Vector! Those rats are going to take them back to the castle!” Vector shook her large head and fluffed out her feathers. “Do not worry warm fuzzy! I have strong talons, and fast I can be! Come, you are small, like a chick, perhaps Vectors chick! Yes! You are Vectors tiny warm fuzzy chick! I must protect you, help I must.” The tiny kitten blushed with joy at being referred to as a chick by this magnificent hawk. “Oh Vector, you honor me, flight master.” Camille turned her attention down to the forest floor. “I have an idea, but it will be dangerous.” Vector made a high sing song noise through her beak, and Camille decided this was hawk laughter. The large birds eye narrowed. “Afraid Vector is not! Come, tell me your plan my warm fuzzy tiny chick!” Camille laid out her idea to Vector, who made more of the strange laughing sounds, and whooped excitedly a few times. “Works! It works! But Vector has another idea also. Up! You get up! Safer, warmer, easier!” Vector squatted down low and laid out her large wing for Camille. At first Camille didn’t understand, but then it dawned on her. “You want me to sit on you, while you fly down there and scare the battle rats like I suggested? I dont really see how that is a better idea.” Vector laughed. Her feathers shaking as she did so. “silly warm fuzzy chick. You have a scared, I can see! I am a Hawk! I can see a lot of things. Come, up, we go.” Camille smiled. “Well jeepers, this will be something to tell Amelia about when I get back.” She quickly climbed onto the giant hawks broad shoulders, and clung on with her claws, as gently as she could. “I hope I am not hurting you, mighty Vector.” “Oh silly chick, warm and fuzzy, you can not hurt Vector. Come, we help friends!” With that, and much to Camille’s never ending amazement, Vector jumped into the air, her mighty wings beating a gale around her, the tree dropping away below her at a terrifying pace. Her first flight, in the Hawks talons, she had been unconscious. This time however, Camille was awake, and going along voluntarily. Her ears were flat against her head, and her tail was fluffed out as much as she could get it. Vector gained altitude quickly and circled the marching rats from far above them. “Vector will swoop, you must be noisy! Vector will be noisy!” Camille felt the hawk tuck in her wings, and suddenly they were falling, straight at the battle rats! She closed her eyes, but then remember her instructions. Gathering her courage, she popped her head up and yelled as loud as she could as they fell toward the rats. Hammer never knew what kind of creature it was, and never forgot the sight for the rest of his life. He looked up when he heard the loud commotion coming from the air, and saw a giant feathered flying cat beast! He cried out in terror, and dropped his iron shield and sword. The other rats scattered as Vector dived into them, flapping her huge wings, grabbing with her yellow talons. Camille jumped to the ground, and chased after Hammer, as she had seen the glint of keys on his belt. “Jeepers!” She cried out, “You better just give me those now you dirty rat! Or my new friend here will have a fresh meal of you!” Hammer had no idea what was happening, but his brain finally did some quick thinking. Giant bird, birds are mean, much meaner than he was. A battle rat is paid in grain, and right now his pay was not nearly enough for him to handle this. “Arrr, take these you stinking cat! I am quitting, I am goin to Rat Island, I will be a cook!” He yelled at her, tossing the keys. The declaration made, Hammer ran off into the woods, and was never seen again by cats.* Picking up the key ring, Camille padded back to her professor and Dusty Rose. Vector had perched a little ways away and was preening her massive feathers and keeping a very close eye out for any sign of the rats trying to return. Dusty rose was grinning as Camille approached her. “Well, you appear to have things under some sort of control.” Camille laughed. “Well I had some help of course.” She quickly unlocked the bindings that held Dusty Rose and Captain Cat. “We must hurry, it is a long way back to safety from here.” Captain Cat rubbed his sore paws. “I dont know about you young lady, but my old paws are just worn out. I can hardly walk, much less run.” Suddenly Vector sailed off into the air, her huge wings spreading wide, she circled high, beat the air a few times, and vanished behind some trees. Camille watched her go. “I hope she wasnt mad, she really did save you two, she is very brave.” A small lump formed in her throat. “I didnt even get a chance to say thank you.” Dusty Rose shook her head. “Thats the problem with Hawks, young lady, you cant trust them. That why they are banished here to the mountains. One minute they are your friend, and the next, they are gone! Just like that.” Captain Cat sat down dejectedly on the ground. “Well I guess we just wait for the rats to regather their strength and come get us, because I cannot walk all the way back to the school from here.” Dusty stretched her long body. “Oh quit your whining professor, its only a days hike. You can make it.” Camille smiled and turned to her teachers. “You two keep bickering, you remind me of my sisters. Now come on, I am a tiny kitten, I can do it Professor.” Captain Cat grinned. “Yes, but I am old. I guess I must try.” He stood up weakly and padded slowly around. Camille cocked her head to the side. “What is that noise?” she asked. Dusty Rose heard it now also. “A loud wind, a storm is coming! Oh great, that’s all we need!” Camille laughed. “I dont think its a storm! Look!” She pointed at the tree line with her paw. Vector had returned, she flew majestically over the trees, soaring easily on her huge wings. Behind her came three more giant hawks, each of them flapping lazily in the breeze. Vector turned her head and let out a mighty call to her new companions, and like stones they each dropped to the forest floor, pulling up just in time. Their huge wings turning up huge clouds of dust the hawks landed in a circle around the cats. Dusty Rose picked up a spear on the the battle rats had dropped. “get behind me!” She yelled out to Camille. Camille gently pulled the spear towards the ground. “Dont be silly. These are our friends!” She ran up to Vector, who lowered her head. Vector allowed Camille to scratch at her feathers on the side of her face. “Vector hears thing! Your warm fuzzy friends need help! Vector bring help!” Camille smiled. “Thats why you flew away like that! You were going to get your friends to help. I am glad we are friends Vector.” The giant hawk brushed her huge head against Camille. “You are Vectors warm fuzzy chick! Come, we must to fly! Up, you and friends!” Captain Cat shook his head. “Oh by Father Cat no way.” Dusty laughed at him. “You silly cat, follow me!” She ran and climbed onto the shoulders of a large brown hawk. Captain Cat scowled and slowly walked up to the nearest hawk. “What is your name?” The hawk eyed him with a large brown eye. “Cloud Burst!” The hawk cried out. “I am strong, high I go! Come, I take you with care!” Captain Cat groaned and pulled himself onto the back of the hawk. “By my cats, I am gonna regret this in the morning.” Camille laughed and scratched Vectors soft feathers. “Come Vector, let us be gone!” Vector flapped her wings, once, twice, three times, and leaped into the air. Her companions followed, and they climbed gracefully into the warm winds. *Hammer did eventually make it to Rat Island and was true to his word, becoming one of the most renowned chefs in the history of the rodents.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Dec 2014 20:30:00 +0000
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