Catfantastic II

'Look, Prosh! I can move this big rock.'

The dozing cat meowed a protest before opening green eyes to stare as the boy teetered the precarious boulder to and fro. Be careful, it may roll off the edge, Prosh warned, then curled himself in the other direction and closed his eyes again.

'On my way up I passed a cave, not far from you,' Rasson yelled down at the cat. 'Can we sleep there tonight?'

Prosh snoozed under the bush, ignoring Rasson. The boy began tossing pebbles off the cliff to land in front of the cave, several yards from the cat.

Stop that racket and come down, Prosh commanded.

The boy shinnied down the mountain side, but just as he reached the bottom, a ferocious growl thundered from the cave. Rasson glanced over to see a huge gray beast standing at the entrance. He blinked disbelieving eyes at the giant wolf-dog, blood dripping from its fangs and a half-eaten zincod clenched in its teeth.

'Yeowl-hiss!' Prosh stood with back arched and fur on end and for a second Rasson froze in horror. Would the beast attack Cat Prosh? He couldn't bear to lose anyone else.

He scrambled back up to the cliff top. 'Stand clear!' he hollered at Prosh. Then with a great shove, he pushed the boulder over the edge. Plop! Crash! Crunch.

Heart pounding, Rasson peeked over the edge. 'Did it squash him?'

Cat Prosh relaxed. Probably not, but it blocked the entrance. Let's get out of here in case there's another way out of the cave.

'Wait for me,' Rasson said, scurrying down with a final glance at the stone blocked cave, happy he finally did something to help the cat.

After they put distance between themselves and the cave, Rasson began to laugh. 'This time I saved you,' he said.

I was in no danger. Prosh padded forward through a sloping meadow toward the forest.

'What? That wolf-dog could have gobbled you in three bites,' Rasson protested, hurt that Prosh did not appreciate his efforts.

I only needed to climb a tree to be safe. You saved yourself, not me.

Rasson charged into an angry run to dash past the cat into the forest. The trees blotted out the lowering sun as if it turned to night. A chilly breeze swept by, making the boy shiver. He paused to wait for Prosh.

'I can't see,' Rasson complained, as the cat brushed by his ankles.

Then take the glowfly lantern from your knapsack. Cat Prosh sat and fluffed his fur as the boy obeyed, soon a twinkling glow radiated from the old lantern.

The boy held it up to illuminate the path, spilling light across sprawling roots and green fleshy vines strung from the trees. The canopy of leaves, branches, and vines completely obliterated the sky, making Rasson shiver again. 'I don't like this place. Can we go another way?'

We're only cutting across a narrow strip of the forest here. Be patient and we will be through it soon.

True to the cat's prediction, they soon emerged into the slanted rays of a sinking sun. Once beyond the forest, Rasson carefully replaced his glowfly lantern into his knapsack and strapped the pack over his shoulders. He felt he had been walking forever and his back was stiff from the weight of his pack. So when they reached low marshy ground, he slipped his pack off again and carried it in his hand, slinging it to the ground the first opportunity he found.

'What's that horrid smell?' Rasson asked, as they stopped by a fallen log to rest.

The swamp is not far from here. You sit for a spell while I hunt for a tasty morsel. Prosh disappeared into the willows, leaving a rustling trail in his wake.

'I'm so tired,' Rasson said to himself, then he stretched out on the flattened log. It felt good to be off his feet; he hadn't slept much last night and they had been traveling all day. His eyes drifted shut. He listened to the soft hum of a flitterwing, letting the sound lull him to sleep.

Sensing something staring at him, Rasson awoke to see the red slit eyes and twitching nose of a giant rodent, a creature as big as Cat Prosh. The boy couldn't move. Sweat beaded across his forehead and all he could think about was the swamp rat drooling inches from his face. Swamp rats carried a disease fatal to humans and Rasson knew one bite from this creature would kill him-a painful, slow death. He had heard stories and they'd given him nightmares. Should he scream? Or would a scream spur the rodent to attack? What could he do?

'Meoow!'

The rat turned from boy to cat. Rasson rolled behind the log and peeked over the top to watch as Prosh threateningly approached a rat as large as the cat himself. What could a cat do against a rodent his own size? The cat sprang forward. The boy saw a tangle of fur, claws, and teeth accompanied by hisses and growls.

Rasson felt terrible-now Cat Prosh would die because of him. Tears pricked his eyes, blurring his sight as the fur and teeth rolled to a stop and gray separated from brown. He swiped the tears away with his sleeve to clear his vision.

For you. Prosh released the rat's throat from his teeth and the rodent lay limp and bloody.

'How did you kill it? It's as big as you are,' Rasson gasped in astonishment.

Size isn't important. To a cat, a rat is a rat.

'Did he bite you? Will you die?' the boy asked, afraid to hear the cat's reply.

Prosh sniffed. Of course not, human. I am a cat. With that he pranced away down the trail, obviously expecting the boy to follow.

Rasson hurried along behind, too wound up to feel tired any longer. Soon they left the willows, reeds, and swamp stench behind to enter what appeared another section of the thick, pungent forest, but trees here grew thinner and allowed in more light.

'How much longer before we reach the Dark Fortress? What do soul robbers look like?' Rasson asked. 'Can we stop and eat yet?' He hopped on one foot trying to get the cat's attention. 'Do you really know where we're going?'

Humans talk too much. Prosh curled up in a downy patch of wild grass. You eat and I'll doze awhile. Maybe food will keep your mouth quiet, boy.

Rasson found a comfortable rock and sat down. First he sipped from his flask, the water cooling his parched throat. Then the boy wiped off his knife before cutting a chunk of cheese and a slice of bread. He gazed around him as he munched on the strong goat cheese and wondered again if they were lost. He no longer had any sense of direction and the forest closed around them like a maze.

'Wake up,' Rasson coaxed, stroking Prosh's silky fur and tickling the cat's ears.

One green eye opened. Rest, boy, you'll need all your strength in a short while.

Rasson tried, but couldn't rest. He thought about the swamp rat, the snake, and the wolf-dog, and how he wanted to reach the fortress and save Master, Mistress, and Cook. Then he could rest. Only then. He played with the pouch of herbs hanging from his belt. Opening it, he looked inside to see the dahi blossoms, wild fluta, and bloka leaves that he had picked in the woods that morning. It seemed so long ago. He drew the pouch closed just as Cat Prosh yawned and stretched.

When we reach the edge of the forest, leave your knapsack behind a tree. When we arrive at the fortress, you can move faster if you only carry your knife-and the herbs, of course. Prosh trotted away.

Rasson trudged along behind, wondering what would happen at the fortress. How did Prosh plan to battle the soul robbers? Could they save the imprisoned souls? Or would they lose their own? The boy's pulse quickened with his stride. Whatever would happen, he wanted it over.

They paused between trees before leaving the forest. Ahead, silhouetted against a violet-smudged evening sky loomed a stone fortress, dark and forbidding, rimmed by a high wall that looked impossible to scale. Cat Prosh streaked through the meadow grass. The boy began running after Prosh, not daring to call out 'Wait for me!' Instead, he followed in silence, his gaze drawn by the fortress appearing larger as he drew closer.

The cat stopped so abruptly that Rasson nearly tripped over him. 'Why stop now? We've finally reached the fortress,' the boy said, regaining his balance.