The Great Cat Rebellion (Free Trader Series Book 8) The Great Cat Rebellion
Free Trader Series
Book 8
By Craig Martelle
Copyright © 2018 Craig Martelle
All rights reserved.
ISBN 10:
ISBN 13:
ASIN:
Cover Illustration © Tom Edwards
www.Tom EdwardsDesign.com
Typography & formatting by James Baldwin - www.jamesosiris.com
Editing services provided by LKJ Bookmakers – www.lkjbooks.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
The Free Trader series is inspired by the work of the magnificent James M. Ward, the mastermind behind Gamma World, Metamorphosis Alpha, and with Gary Gygax, many Dungeons and Dragons products.
Table of Contents
Land Ho!
Trent on the Eastern Ocean
Save Them from Themselves
Where did the ‘cats go?
A Mass Exodus
Reconciliation
Conquering the Beast
Desert Dust
A Welcome Unwelcome Surprise
Focus on the Objective
But First, Bring the Pain
The Plan, the ‘Cats, and Chaos
Who is in charge?
Ankhmar
The Great ‘Cat Rebellion
Bonus Content!
Cygnus Rising Bonus Content (First Chapter)
Postscript
Author Notes
Humans and the Intelligent Creatures
The Hillcats (‘cats)
The Golden Warrior – also called G, G-War, and Prince Axial De’atesh, can share his mindlink with others
Shauna & Klytus – G-War’s children, bonded with Braden & Micah’s twins
Fealona – from G-War’s home village and his mate
Treetis – A young ‘cat, very much like G-War
The Humans
Braden – The Free Trader
Micah – The Warrior, Partnered with Braden
Axial & De’atesh – Braden and Micah’s twin children
Bronwyn – Gifted child, able to speak with all creatures
Dr. Johns – a clone, leader of the survivors from Cygnus VI
Zeller – a Free Trader, from Trent, the same village as Micah
Young Tom – a blacksmith from Whitehorse, Zeller’s partner
Mattie & Caleb – Micah’s parents
The Wolfoids
Bounder & Gray Strider – the alpha and his mate, leaders of the pack
Cygnus Standing – the first Wolfoid born on Cygnus VII
The Hawkoids
Skirill – also called Ess
Zyena – Skirill’s mate, born on the RV Traveler, also called Zee
Zeeka – Skirill and Zyena’s daughter, first Hawkoid born in the south
The Tortoids
Aadi – First Master of the Tortoise Consortium
Daksha – Aadi’s first born
The Aurochs
Brandt Earthshaker – King of the Aurochs
Arnie – Zeller’s partner in trade, pulls her wagon
The Queen – Brandt’s queen that he rescued from Toromont’s Run
Cragmore – the Aurochs that Bronwyn rides
The Lizard Men (Amazonians)
Pik Ha’ar – Lizard Man from the ship RV Traveler and friend
The Rabbits
Heloysius and Luciana – a Rabbit couple living at New Sanctuary
The Dolphins
Chlora & Rhodi – genetically engineered creatures of the sea
The Whale
Rexalita – engineered from a Sperm Whale, the largest creature on Vii
Land Ho!
‘When is the next crisis? And the one after that? When will the humans join humanity in being decent?’ G-War glowered at the sea. The Dolphins, Chlora and Rhodi, played in the waves as they always did. The fertile sea provided for all their wants and needs. Rexalita, the great sperm Whale, meandered in the distance, casually scooping vast schools of fish into the bottomless pit of her stomach.
The sun’s rays glinted off gentle waves as the Warden cut a line north. Fealona and Prince Axial De’atesh sat on the deck, bodies touching as they listened to the thoughts of the others on board.
‘They are excited, my scruffy-looking love monster,’ Fea purred. He didn’t seem to hear.
‘And you think ‘cats are the answer?’ Fea turned to face the Golden Warrior, G-War. She licked his head to straighten the hair. The Bat-Raven had taken half of his ear before the others had rescued him. He owed Braden his life. ‘Did you forget how the new ‘cats treated you? A prince! But an outsider who couldn’t see that their way was the best way. Doesn’t that sound familiar?’
G-War closed his eyes. He needed to clear his thoughts. The humans from Dunk’s Hollow gave him pause. If ‘cats were in charge, none of that would have happened. The ‘cats would have known of the evil in their minds before they acted. Hillcats would have stopped it before he was dragged across the southern continent without a decent meal.
Which reminded him. He was hungry. I know how to fix that… he thought.
Braden sat in the captain’s chair with Micah draped across his lap. “Don’t we have children around here somewhere? I feel like I should worry more about them.”
“What for?” Micah replied. “They are with the Rabbits working in the garden. Shauna and Klytus are watching over them.”
“Klytus!” Braden blurted. “That ‘cat can get into more trouble. No wonder G-War has been so uptight lately.”
“He has fallen into the ocean more than all of us combined.”
Aadi bounced through the doorway. The ship’s motion was minimal, but the fifth deck of the sail was high enough that small movements were exaggerated.
‘Excuse me, pardon me, excuse me,’ the Tortoid mentally intoned as he swam through the air using his inherent ability to float. ‘As we approach Trent, we’ll go ashore, spend quality time with Micah’s wonderful parents, and then what?’
“I don’t know.” Braden shrugged.
‘Master President?’
“Aren’t we all about trade? We’ll spend what time we need to spend to expand the routes, expand the quantity of trade goods by expanding the number of free traders. That means we need to encourage Holly to build more old-tech wagons.”
‘Hover vehicles?’ Aadi suggested.
“Will the people ever be ready for those?” Micah shook her head. They’d been struggling with the question for years and were no closer to an answer.
“They’ll figure it out, because they have to. Imagine the trip across the Great Desert in a hover vehicle? It would take less than one day. A course can be mapped, and the vehicles driven on auto-pilot. Like the Warden. We climb aboard and Holly makes it go where we want to go. People could load supplies at one end and send them through. Have a trusted agent on each side, and there you are—trade at the speed of thought.”
Micah puffed her cheeks and noisily blew out a breath. “It’s time to tell them. We’ll need to take a trip in the hovercar, as we had planned before. We need it to succeed.”
“We’ll carry blasters, but that’s the last thing I want. If we have to shoot someone, the civil war starts anew.”
‘I shall provide all the help I can,’ the Tortoid offered.
“We’re going to need it, Aadi. From Trent, we go overland to New Sanctuary, then take the hovercar out. Is there an Aurochs we can trade with to take us?”
“The herd is there, grazing the foothills, providing the fertilizer for the Rabbits to produce incredible crops. With the addition of fish, Trent is becoming a trading powerhouse. Cornwall stands in their shadow.” Micah beamed with pride. Cornwall had dominated Trent for her entire life, until she ran away. Rather, until she returned and put Cornwall in its place.
Klytus and Shauna’s mother was from Cornwall.
‘Hey, G. You want to stop in Cornwall so the kids can see their mom?’ Braden asked using the mindlink.
‘Of all the things in our lives, this provides you with the most amusement. My answer is the same as it always is. I most assuredly do not want to stop in Cornwall.’
‘We’ll be going right by it on our way back to New Sanctuary,’ Braden explained, laughing.
‘About that… I think Fealona and I are going to take a couple Aurochs and head inland for a bit. You can catch up later in your spaceship car, but I’m not getting into it. You drive horribly, and I refuse to ride with you.’
‘There it is. You don’t like my driving. The only time I’ve driven was on the Traveler.’
‘Yes, it was terrifying, and I was slammed around the inside of that mobile coffin.’ G-War shared a couple images of himself flying through the air as Braden tried to figure out the brake and accelerator pedals.
Braden winced. “I’m a better driver now!” he pleaded with Micah. “I just needed some practice. That’s all. A guy has one bad day driving, and he’s condemned for life!”
G-War didn’t argue with Braden’s conclusion. Micah refused to answer.
“That cuts me deep. My two loves in this world and you’ve ganged up on me. It’s a crushing blow from which I may never recover.” Braden held one hand over his heart in a dramatic swoon.
‘If he falls on the floor, I’d leave him there,’ G-War suggested.
“I think I will. The truth should never hurt you, lover mine.” Micah smiled at her partner. “We could simply ask Holly to send the car here. Why inconvenience the Aurochs? Isn’t technology supposed to help us?”
“We don’t talk enough,” Braden admitted. “There’s the answer right there. Master President, if you would be so kind as to let Holly know, I’ll clean up the twins. We’ll be in Trent this afternoon. Skirill and Zyena have already gone inland. They said with the increase in crops, the wild rabbits are out of control. Still going on a walkabout, G?”
‘I think we are,’ the Hillcat replied.
“Free will is a great thing. Enjoy yourself. Cornwall is only a short run from Trent, if you reconsider.”
G-War slammed the mindlink closed while Braden laughed at his old but incessant taunt.
“Do you know what Hope and Chester want to do?” Braden asked.
“I do not,” Micah admitted. “Aadi?”
‘No, Master President.’
“I guess we better ask.” Braden and Micah headed down the stairwell like seasoned sailors, easily walking with the ship’s motion. Aadi bounced through the doorway on his way after them.
They found the Southport newcomers in the galley, enjoying a hot, fabricator-made breakfast.
“We’ll be landing soon and getting off. We’ll be going overland from here. What do you guys want to do?” Braden asked without preamble. Micah nudged him from behind. They moved aside to allow Aadi past.
“We hadn’t thought about it. We’re happiest on the ocean, and this ship is incredible.”
“You can tend the garden deck, fish, and generally help maintain the ship. Holly, are you there?”
“Yes, Master Braden. I am here,” the artificial intelligence said through the galley’s speakers.
“Can you bring Hope and Chester up to speed regarding the ship?”
“I can train them in all aspects of ship operation.”
“And help them with fishing gear in order to have something to trade when they pull into ports?”
“Of course.”
“We are pretty good fisherman,” Hope replied. Chester nodded.
“Then it’s settled. Enjoy yourselves, and don’t get into fights with Chrysalis and Patti May. They’ll keep to themselves. The fresh vegetables and greens will be a nice alternative to fabricated food,” Micah said before hugging the newcomers and heading to the waterline deck. Braden said his good-byes and followed his partner out. Aadi waved a leg and swam out the door to the balcony and over the rail.
A fishing boat sailed to the rear of the technological marvel known as the Warden, entered the well deck, and bumped against the side to allow the Warden’s passengers to climb aboard. The twins were first over the rail, tossed by their parents into their grandfather’s arms. Micah and Braden stood, arms around each other as they watched the reunion.
“I’m nobody now,” Micah told Braden.
“We’ve been nobody for a long time.”
The long-haired calico rubbed against Braden’s leg while the smaller version of G-War tried to gauge his jump. Micah scooped him up and threw him onto the boat before he could fall into the ocean.
Again.
Braden picked up Shauna and held her for a moment, listening to her purr before handing her across. Aadi floated by and clasped his beak-like mouth onto a rope hanging from the single mast. The Golden Warrior and Fea trotted up and with grace, vaulted high, kicked off the rail, and landed on the deck of the ship. They zeroed in on a fish flopping nearby.
“Figured the hungry furballs would enjoy something fresh,” Caleb said as he held out a hand to steady his daughter to help her climb across. Braden almost jumped, but realized there were more going ashore. The Rabbits, Heloysius and Luciana, hopped across the deck.
Braden looked at Micah. She flexed the muscles of her back and neck before attempting the lift. Rabbits were dense and weighed much more than they looked. With her elbows close to her body, she picked up Luciana and leaned across to set the Rabbit on the rail. Caleb helped her down.
Braden lifted Heloysius. “What have you been eating?” Braden complained as he pushed the Rabbit toward the boat. His big foot caught on the rail and the boat started moving. Braden leaned. The Rabbit was too heavy. Hands grabbed Heloysius and pulled him across. No one grabbed Braden.
He went face-first into the water, getting Rabbit-kicked on his way down as Heloysius struggled for balance. He rotated once under the water and swam away from the boat to avoid getting pinned between the hull and the side of the well deck. He surfaced and shook his head. His signature braid flopped back and forth. Micah walked to him and with a well-practiced move, hauled him from the salt water.
“To think I was worried about Klytus going in the drink,” Braden said, frowning.
“You saved Heloysius from a dunking, and you did it without flailing. Bravo!” Micah said.
“I can’t tell if you’re kidding,” Braden said slowly. Micah windmilled her arms and made a screaming face. “I suppose you think that’s funny.”
“Well, yeah,” she replied. “Come on, Mom will have dinner ready by the time we get there.”
“What about the Warden?”
“I already told Chrysalis the ship is theirs and to continue their research.”
“Did he grunt and say something like, it’s about time?”
“Close.” Micah chuckled before turning serious. “Holly has the Warden’s course plotted. They’ll leave soon, and for us, Holly is preparing the hovercar for its trip. It should arrive tomorrow morning, but we’re not leaving for a few days. It’s been a while since I’ve been home.”
Braden tossed their bags over and made a last pass over the deck and in the sail of the ship before declaring themselves ready to leave. Hope and Chester waved good-bye. Braden ran across the non-slip surface and jumped, easily clearing the rail.
His triumphant grin was short-lived as he grimaced right before slamming into the mast.
G-War turned to Fea as if to say, ‘these are the humans to whom we entrust our lives.’ Fea wouldn’t look at him because she was afraid she would start laughing, and everyone would hear her over the mindlink.
Trent on the Eastern Ocean
‘Are you leaving us?’ Shauna asked in her small voice.
G-War looked from Klytus to Shauna. ‘Yes. We leave on a grand adventure to save humanity. And they don’t even know the sacrifices that we expect to make. You will hear from us and be ready to do whatever we tell you.’
‘You’ve said repeatedly that we are responsible for our own actions, that we’re adults now. What will you ask us to do?’ Klytus wondered.
‘We may ask you to subdue the adults, our people. Will you be ready to do that?’
‘What do you mean, ‘subdue?’’ Shauna asked.
‘If we lead the Hillcats against humanity, which side will you be on?’ Fealona replied.
‘Neither!’ Klytus stated, arching his back and fluffing the hair on his skinny body. G-War swiped a paw at him, but the younger ‘cat easily dodged the blow.
‘Well done, my son. Choose wisely, for the day is coming when you will have to pick a side.’
‘But I don’t want to pick a side,’ Shauna whined.
“Wait!” Braden called out. He ran across the town square, sliding to a stop near the four ‘cats. “You’re really leaving? I thought you were being your usual sensational self.”
‘Is that what you think of me? My usual sensational self? I’ve had it with humanity trying to tear itself apart and you waiting until it happens. That’s garbage, and people are getting hurt because of it. My people are at risk because of your incompetent naivete.’
“Incompetent naivete? I believe that most humans may think bad things, but when it comes down to it, they don’t act on those thoughts. They do the right thing. We’ve seen the worst of the people and the best. From the evil of Bat-Ravens to our friends the Aurochs, selfless in their stalwart support.” Braden crossed his arms and clenched his teeth.
‘You can do what you want without me. I’m not going to wait for you to tear yourselves apart.’
“What’s that supposed to mean? Go ahead and leave. I don’t give a crap.” Braden stormed away.
Fea tilted her head and watched. ‘Why are you both so angry?’
‘Because he’s wrong and won’t listen,’
G-War and Fea turned and walked toward a waiting Aurochs. They climbed aboard and the great creature trotted away, breaking into a run once it was in the open. They watched until the Aurochs was long gone, and still they sat and stared, each lost in their own thoughts.
“What happened to your face?” Mattie asked.
Caleb started to chuckle, but his wife shushed him.
“Caleb hit me,” Braden said. Simultaneously, Micah and Mattie each smacked their man’s arm.
“I did not. He jumped into the mast.” Caleb rubbed his bicep as he leaned away from Mattie.
“He did,” Micah confirmed.
“I still blame you,” Mattie told her children’s father before bringing a kettle of fish stew from the stove, a new addition to the home, to the table. She bustled around to make sure everyone was comfortable. The twins were unusually quiet.
“Why the sad faces?” Micah wondered.
“G-War and Fea left. Shauna and Klytus are sad.”
“I’m sad, too. I already miss my friend. We have been together for our whole lives,” Braden explained.
“As long as you and Mom?” ‘Tesh asked.
“Longer.” Braden reached across the table and tussled their hair. “They’ll be back. Maybe it’s their way of saying that they think Vii is back on track, that the world is ready to come into its own.”
“I don’t think so.” ‘Tesh looked adamant. “We should follow them, and talk with them.”
‘Skirill, Zyena, can you keep an eye on the ‘cats? We’re worried about them,’ Micah said over the mindlink.
‘We are already going with them,’ Ess replied.
‘Where?’
The Hawkoids didn’t answer.
“Holly won’t be able to track them because they carry no Old Tech. Where do you think they’re going?” Micah stroked her chin in thought.
“They don’t like the sweetened smoked pork that they have in Coldstream, but that’s where I’d go not them. I don’t know where they’d go. They’ve never gone before.” Braden held out a bowl for Mattie to fill. She dropped two ladles of stew into it, and Braden placed it in front of Micah. Two more in front of the twins and finally his. He put his face over the steaming bowl and breathed deeply, letting the aroma fill him with joy.
“I have some!” Caleb declared triumphantly. He pushed away from the table, opened a cupboard next to their stove, and removed a heavy wax packet. When he opened it, Braden started to salivate. He swallowed twice to keep from drooling.
Caleb offered a healthy-sized piece, and Braden took it reverently. He closed his eyes as he ran it beneath his nose. He took a small bite and chewed slowly.
“Your children are upset,” Micah informed him.
Braden tried to look appropriately attentive, but the sweetness grasped between his fingers called to him. He opened his mouth to say something comforting, but another piece found its way in. He didn’t know how it happened, but he didn’t fight it. He chewed the second bite as slowly as the first.
Micah rolled her eyes and looked to her mother for support. Mattie shook her head.
A tapping on the door gave them a distraction. Micah got up and let Aadi in. ‘Good evening, all,’ he said happily over the mindlink.
“Would you like some fish stew?” Mattie offered.
‘Just the fish, please. Water does funny things to me.’
Micah had heard G-War tell the story about the time Braden gave Aadi water. That was before they met, so she’d never seen the effect firsthand.
“Yes. Do not give Aadi any water,” Braden confirmed as if hearing her thoughts.
She surrendered the fight, but the battle was not yet decided. “Eat your stew,” she told the children. “And make sure to thank your grandparents for the meal.” She looked pointedly at Braden.
He didn’t see. His eyes were still closed as he savored his treat. Micah put her lips against his ear. “You’re being rude. Eat Mom’s stew,” she whispered.
Braden reluctantly put his sweetened smoked pork on the table and had a spoonful of fish stew. “Of all the things in life that we can have, sometimes it’s the moment that matters,” Braden said, looking around the table at the faces watching. him. “Not long ago, I was fighting for my life trying to cross the Great Desert in the company of two horses, a Hillcat, and a Hawkoid. A journey from which legends are made. I met Aadi, and then Micah.”
Braden caressed Micah’s cheek and smiled at her.
“We did what we set out to do. Find Old Tech, start trade, expand the trade, and stuff like that. It still matters, but pales in comparison to what Holly calls the big picture. We’ve been in space!” He pointed at the ceiling. “We’ve done things that humans haven’t done for hundreds of years. What we do now will take us to a better future for our children and their children’s children. The decisions we make and the things we do have that kind of impact, yet right here, right now, something as simple as this—” He held up the remaining portion of pork. “—makes me happy. For a moment, I get to forget that G-War has gone, that the Hawkoids have gone, and that our Wolfoid and Aurochs friends are doing their own thing. It’s just us, again, and that is okay. It is in our hands to be happy with less, until we get more again.”
Braden put the pork down and dug into his stew. Micah kissed him on the cheek, lips lingering and promising more. She reached for the delicacy sitting on the table beside his bowl. His hand flashed out, grabbing her wrist before she closed her fingers.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“Seeing if it’s as good as I remember.”
“Your dad has more. Ask him for a taste.”
Caleb stuffed the final piece in and chewed with his mouth open, smiling.
“Dad!” ‘Tesh called.
“Listen to your daughter.”
Braden’s mouth worked. He looked to Ax and found his son studying something in his bowl. Klytus jumped onto the table, startling everyone. He grabbed the pork as he ran past and jumped down.
“You don’t even like that. Here’s some fish!” Braden called as he pulled something from his bowl and waved it in the air, spraying Micah with stew juice.
Klytus laid down under a chair and munched away.
“See what you get?” Micah said, turning her attention back to her mother’s cooking. She snickered while she cleaned her bowl.
“We’re going to hit the schools early. Are you going with?” Caleb asked. Micah and Braden were outside, practicing with their swords. Even though they had Old Tech weapons, the blasters, they stayed in shape with their swords and the recurve bow. They worked out every day, because they were not only the planet’s government, they were the military, too.
They accepted it as part of the job. The perks were good, like riding the Warden.
Or having a hovercar dropped off for their use.
Caleb spotted the vehicle parked on the edge of town and his eyes shot wide. “More of your Old Tech?”
Micah sheathed her sword, and Braden handed her a small towel. They held hands as they walked with the big fisherman.
“Is that a wagon of some sort?” he asked.
“We ride inside. It floats above the ground so it doesn’t need a road of the ancients.”
“If they had these, why did they build roads?” Caleb asked.
Micah and Braden looked at each other and shrugged.
“I think I remember Holly saying something about moving raw materials in big vehicles called trucks, but then the war started and they turned their trucks into weapons, which were eventually destroyed. I don’t like getting into the history because it’s too depressing. Look what they had, and then look at what they lost.” Braden grimaced as if in physical pain.
Micah hugged him. “We can’t do anything about the past, but the future is ours.”
“Hear, hear! My daughter is not only the President of Vii, she is wise beyond her years. Nice and shiny. Do you want to go fishing or not? Every heartbeat we waste talking is one less we can spend fishing. Invest your time, don’t waste it.”
Micah smiled at her father and nodded. “Where do you come up with all these expressions?”
“That’s my secret. Now, come on. The fish won’t catch themselves. I think a caravan will be coming through and we need to be ready with both fresh and smoked options. You never know what they’re going to want.”
The next day came and went, and then the one after that, too.
“Where are the traders?” Caleb asked as he shielded his eyes from the sun and looked north.
“We should take the car and look,” Braden suggested after Holly confirmed that he couldn’t track wagons that weren’t Old Tech, and none of those were anywhere close. “Load the herd!”
Micah didn’t call her children part of the herd, but that didn’t stop Braden from referring to them and their ‘cats that way.
“Are they still moping about Prince Axial De’atesh?” Micah asked the twins.
“They miss their dad,” Ax replied.
“Maybe we’ll run across them.” Micah offered a hand, but at nearly six years old, they were more independent and declared that they needed no help.
The children climbed into the back seat. Shauna and Klytus hesitated. They didn’t like the smell of the newly-produced vehicle.
“How is it going to change if we don’t ride in it? After a few days, it’ll smell like us.”
“A few days?” ‘Tesh wondered, ticking off her fingers as she tried to wrap her head around what that meant.
Micah ran out of patience, picked up the ‘cats, and handed them in. Aadi swam by to wedge himself into the middle between all four seats.
Mattie delivered a lunch, the type that fishermen would take with them if they didn’t know how long they’d be gone.
“We should be back soon,” Micah said.
Caleb and Mattie nodded knowingly.
The doors closed and Braden demonstrated his driving acumen by slowly pulling away. The ‘cats yowled and pawed at the windows.
“What are you crying for? Don’t make me come back there!” Braden said from the driver’s seat as he slowly accelerated, lifting the hovercar higher off the ground.
“Don’t be so mean.” Micah turned and smiled toward the full back seat. The ‘cats were distraught, which meant the children were distraught, which didn’t bode well for the adults. “You’ll get used to it. Relax and enjoy the scenery.”
‘All will be well in due time,’ Aadi intoned.
Micah tapped Braden on the shoulder. He risked a glance to see Micah twirling her finger. Go faster.
Save Them from Themselves
The young cow called Bandria took short naps in between the long runs. In less than two days, she reached the outskirts of Dwyer. A substantial herd of Aurochs were in residence and helped with the raw ore.
‘Bring the herd together, I’d like to talk with them,’ G-War told an aged cow over the mindlink. He was capable of talking with them all whether they were together or not, but he had grown fond of Braden’s method of looking at the crowd to best gauge their reaction.
Sometimes the humans were geniuses, but then there was the rest of the time.
The Aurochs stopped grazing, stopped working, and joined together as a herd. G-War and Fealona stood on the young cow. He turned around to take in the immense creatures, nearly one hundred of them. The herd had grown while they’d been away.
‘The Aurochs,’ G-War began. ‘The largest of the land’s fine creatures, with great strength, speed, and stamina. Are you happy with your lot in life? Is there more that you could be doing? You are treated as livestock. It’s time to take your rightful place as an equal of humanity. No, you are superior to men!
‘They need our help to stay on a course of peace. Let me tell you a story about the Wolfoids and those who would steal from them…’
G-War recounted the theft of the Wolfoid lightning spears and the chase deep into the south. Most importantly, the ‘cat shared what had been in the man’s mind. The leader of the raiding party wasn’t alone in how he felt about the other sentient species.
‘We, the Hillcats of Vii, call on you to join us in saving the humans from themselves.’ G-War stood tall, looking as regal as he could.
Some of the Aurochs drifted away, returning to the grazing. Fea nuzzled her mate. ‘They’ll warm up to the idea,’ she told him.
The old cow moved close. ‘How?’ she asked. ‘How do we save them from themselves?’
‘We leave them on their own, and right before they come completely unhinged, we return, and lead them back to the light.’
‘Will it work?’ she pressed.
‘Yes,’ G-War replied, convinced that he was correct.
‘How are we not trading one leader for another?” she asked.
‘Hillcats have always been in charge,’ G-War replied matter-of-factly.
‘Then no. We’ll have nothing to do with starting a war between the species.’
Fea stood up. ‘The humans believe they are in charge and as such, they make decisions that are not in their best interest. Hillcats have no interest in being in charge, but we cannot tolerate a war, something we nearly had with the attack on the Wolfoids. The ‘cats will have to take a more active role in human affairs, as much as this pains us. Your participation is important for the humans to take note that we, all of the sentient species, are firm in our resolve to keep humanity from going to war,’ Fea patiently explained.
‘That makes sense. We’ll come with you, but we will reserve judgment.’
‘All of you?’ G-War asked.
‘All of us.’
‘Prepare yourselves. When we return, we will travel across the Great Desert. All of us.’
The old cow bowed and returned to the herd to give them their guidance.
‘Time to go west,’ G-War told the young cow, and she started to run, through the herd and into the open. Less than a day later, she ran into the fields outside McCullough.
G-War repeated his call to action with the smaller herd and was met with more skepticism.
‘I know I’m right,’ he told Fea, angry at the tepid response.
‘They aren’t ready for the hard truth. They’ve grown comfortable with their lives, but they aren’t willing to submit further to the humans. That is where you’ll be able to find leverage. Braden made sure that the Aurochs always had freedom of choice, but some of these other humans don’t give them equal consideration.’
‘Braden,’ G-War scoffed.
‘He’s one of the good ones. Why didn’t you want to talk with him about this? It affects them as much as anyone.’
‘Braden is my human. He is naive in understanding the nature of others. He gives them the benefit of the doubt when he should do the opposite. He won’t listen to me when I tell him that.’
‘I’ve heard how you tell him. ‘This guy’s a jerk.’ I’m not sure that’s the kind of advice that he can act on.’ Fea licked G-War’s head. He turned away.
‘There’s a power struggle coming. I can feel it,’ he finally said. Fea licked her paw and groomed the white and black fur of her face. It gleamed like silk in the morning sun.
‘And then what, my big dynamo?’ she purred.
‘We stop it, cold, and refuse to let it continue. The bloodshed never starts, and the humans return to the stars.’
‘Why is it important for them to go back to space? You’ve been there and didn’t think much of it.’
‘On that, my lovely mate, I don’t know the answer. It is something I feel must happen for the humans to realize their nature. They are explorers. People like Braden, Micah, and my namesakes, they won’t be held back. Maybe we need to get things under control so they can be free to do what they do best.’
G-War returned the grooming favor by licking Fea’s ear. ‘We need to gather the ‘cats and go back to Ankhmar, talk with our people once again, but from a position of strength. They need to embrace their expanded role in a new Vii.’
‘There will be a power struggle, all right,’ Fea conceded. ‘But it’s going to be among the ‘cats.’
After the herd listened to Fea’s explanation, the Aurochs sent runners to the west to collect the others and to pick up ‘cats along the way. The thunder of hooves filled G-War with pride. His plan was taking shape. Soon, the humans would have to listen.
Braden turned the hovercar inland and headed toward the easternmost edge of the Amazon, the great rainforest. They parked in the shade and after getting out, the ‘cats disappeared beyond the bushes and into the interior.
“I was hoping they’d show us where we could find game,” Braden complained. He looked after them, but gave up after a few moments. “I guess we’ll do it the old-fashioned way.”
He returned to the hovercar and removed his bow. He strung it, twanged the string, and nocked an arrow. He crouched slightly and walking on the balls of his feet, silently entered the edge of the rainforest.
Micah set the children to gathering firewood. She had the utmost confidence in Braden’s ability to bring down dinner, whether a rabbit or something more substantial. She expected that they would need to make a fire. Micah gathered an armload of green wood in case they needed to make a smoker.
Aadi swam into the rainforest, not saying where he was going or how long he’d be gone. He moved with a purpose, as much as a Tortoid ever seemed to have. The twins stopped to watch him.
‘Where are you going?’ ‘Tesh asked. Aadi slowed until he stopped.
‘I was going in search of an Amazonian, to learn the latest news. If something is afoot, they will be aware.’
‘I’m not sure how much time we have. I thought we stopped for lunch, and that’s it. Braden won’t be gone long,’ Micah added, knowing that visits with the Lizard Men always took a while. Aadi had a unique gift in being able to communicate with the Amazonians. ‘Maybe you can give it a pass.’
‘I too often feel like I’m not contributing enough, Master President. This is something I can do for you.’
“You saved our lives, Master Aadi. We are forever in your debt.” Micah switched to talking out loud.
‘And you saved mine.’ Aadi started to swim ahead, stopped, and turned around. ‘As you wish. We shall remain together so we can leave when we’re ready. And since we’re here together, let us talk about the value of sharing.’ Aadi floated eye level with the twins, pulling them into an impromptu class. With the Tortoid as one of their teachers, the twins were getting the best education on the planet.
Micah banked the fire within a shallow pit circled by stones. She wasn’t certain what they would have to cook, so she used her knife to whittle a couple different options.
When Braden returned, he was emptyhanded.
“Losing your edge?” Micah wondered aloud.
“Never had a shot. Game’s a little jumpy today. I was in too much of a hurry, I guess, plus, I knew your mom had packed a lunch for us.”
Braden looked for the bag, but didn’t see it. He went to the hovercar and dug it out. Micah appeared at his side and they opened it together. They stuck their faces in the opening and breathed deeply of the aroma. It reminded Micah of home. It reminded Braden that he was hungry.
Braden felt a tug on his shirt. Ax and ‘Tesh stood there, looking at the bag. Micah smiled at them both. The children always ate first and as they got bigger, they were eating more and more.
“Where are the ‘cats?” Micah asked the twins. They both unfocused their eyes for a moment as they talked to Shauna and Klytus.
“They’ll be back in a few moments. They are bringing lunch,” Ax said proudly.
Braden had fallen for that before. “Lunch for them or for us?”
Ax’s smile faded. “Them,” he admitted.
Where did the ‘cats go?
The Hillcats from Dwyer and McCullough gathered in the fields. All had come. G-War met with them, getting angry when a mouse ran by and two of the ‘cats took off after it. Others wandered off for no reason. One climbed a nearby tree and went to sleep.
‘Would you pay attention?’ G-War demanded, projecting his thought voice as loud as he was able. A nearby Aurochs winced and moved away.
‘If we go with you, we live on the road and are forced to hunt for our food. If we stay here, the humans provide it. Doesn’t that put us at the top of the food chain?’ The ‘cat was solid black and lounging in the tree with his eyes closed.
‘What happens when there isn’t enough food because the humans are fighting? I just went through this and it wasn’t pretty. The ‘cats don’t eat. That’s what happens.’ G-War stood and stretched, unsure of why the ‘cats questioned his every word. He brought them to the south. They should trust him.
‘We’ll figure it out, after a nap. And dinner. I always think better after dinner.’
‘I think you probably sleep after dinner. You’re a ‘cat.’
‘I ‘cat better than any other ‘cat, I’ll have you know.’ The black, silky creature’s legs dangled from the branch as he lounged most ingloriously.
‘You must not know very many ‘cats.’ G-War shook his head as if brushing off a mosquito.
After a brief tussle, one of the two ‘cats that ran after the mouse sat, licked his paws, and cleaned his face. He was clearly the victor, having caught and devoured the rodent. He was where the killing took place, so the smell of blood would fill the air around him.
The other rooted around in the grass as if chasing more prey. He finally hung his head and walked slowly away.
‘We leave first thing in the morning. When the Aurochs arrive from the west, they can catch up. You!’ G-War selected a ‘cat who had sat in front of him, attentive to his every word. ‘Will you wait for them and let them know which way we went?’
‘I’m sorry, what? Where did you get your scars?’ the young female asked. ‘They’re sexy.’
‘Put your claws away, dumpling, because you’re not sinking them into him,’ Fea said, stepping forward. ‘Stay here, point the Aurochs in that direction, and then follow. Can you do that?’
‘I guess so.’ The ‘cat looked angry. Fea started to turn away, before lashing out with a paw and knocking the young ‘cat over.
‘We can’t afford to guess. Will you do it?’
‘Yes,’ the ‘cat replied before skulking away. Fea rubbed her head on G-War and purred.
‘They’re not inspiring me with a great deal of confidence. They’ve grown soft,’ G-War told her.
‘And they’ll harden up when they need to.’ The Golden Warrior watched her stroll away, admiring the way she fought another ‘cat for him. It wasn’t much of a fight, but still…
Shauna and Klytus were each carrying a dead rabbit when they appeared at the fire. They laid down with their prizes and tore into them. The twins turned away. They couldn’t watch the ‘cats eat fresh game. Braden couldn’t blame them. He couldn’t watch G-War eat, either.
“I wonder where he is,” Braden said.
“With Fea, somewhere with Aurochs watching over them,” Micah replied.
“I miss him, a lot. Was it something I did?”
“Did you not listen to him when you should have?” Micah asked.
“He’s always giving me advice. I don’t listen to most of it. He told me to avoid you, just until he accused me of falling in love with you. All of that happened over the course of twenty heartbeats. And then he told me to run away.”
“I’m glad you didn’t, but you should still acknowledge his efforts to keep you on the straight and narrow.”
“Straight and narrow? He wants me to be his minion!”
“Of course. He’s a ‘cat, and that’s what ‘cats do, but he’s also your friend.”
“And I miss him. He doesn’t like to be carried, you know.” Braden laughed softly before showing his arms. Faded lines showed where he’d been scratched when he was younger. “He used to tear me up.”
“Fea doesn’t. She is delightful,” Micah replied. “I miss her, too. What about you two?”
“I can’t imagine being without Shauna and Klytus,” ‘Tesh said with her mouth full of her grandmother’s bread.
Micah stopped Ax from speaking while he chewed. After swallowing, he answered. “I hear them both all the time. They are really smart, so we listen to them.”
“How come they don’t talk with us?” Braden wondered aloud.
“Because the Golden Warrior told them not to.”
Braden and Micah looked at each other and shook their heads.
“Can they tell me where G and Fea went?”
The twins talked with their ‘cats and then conferred with each other before Ax replied. “They went to see the other ‘cats.”
“The ones of Dwyer, McCullough, and so on?” Braden was confused. They could have all gone on that trip in an Old Tech wagon.
“Ankhmar.”
“G and Fea are going to cross the Great Desert?” Braden jumped to his feet and started to kick dirt over the fire. “We’ve been wasting time. We have to stop them. We can’t let them cross the Great Desert alone.”
Micah didn’t move. She slowly chewed her sandwich. Braden stopped his flurry of activity.
“We can’t let them?” Micah asked.
“We have to help them. I don’t want to see him die.”
“That’s different. Pack up children. We’re going to see if we can find the ‘cats.”
It took longer for Shauna and Klytus to finish their meals than it did to pack the hovercar. Braden tossed the carcasses into the woods, confirmed that the fire was out, and joined the others. The hovercar came to life, lifting off the ground, and Braden slowly accelerated.
“Holly? Can you plot a course for Oasis Zero One, please?”
“Of course,” the AI replied using the hovercar’s communication system. The screen in the middle of the dashboard showed a moving map. Braden could have brought up the same image through his neural implant, but wanted the twins to see where they were and where they were going.
The vehicle moved quietly, making no more sound than a light breeze.
“The oasis,” Micah said softly. “They could be anywhere in between here and there, but they will have to stop there and Holly will know if they reached it.”
“Exactly.” Braden nodded as he drove more slowly than he wanted because of the terrain. Crashing the hovercar would leave them stranded. Bronwyn was still in Southport. They could call her, but she wouldn’t be able to reach them for a week or longer. Better to drive slowly.
“No one has been to Oasis Zero One since you were last there,” Holly replied.
“What’s the status of Oasis Zero Four?” Braden asked.
“Still under construction. The well for Zero Four has been finished, but it is extremely deep and the water is flowing slowly as there is an insufficient number of solar panels to drive the pump to a greater degree. Additional panels are under construction. It will be another two years before there anything is growing at Oasis Zero Four.”
“Another two years, then, before we can establish consistent trade between the north and the south.” Braden chewed his lip and sighed heavily. “But first, let’s see if there’s anything we can do to help the Golden Warrior.”
‘Are you sure we’re going in the right direction?’ Fea asked.
‘Yes.’ They sat together on Bandria’s head. The young cow Aurochs was strong. She’d fed well outside Trent and built her stamina as the herd traveled along the coastal plains.
‘I don’t think you’re sure.’
G-War turned his head to look at his mate. He blinked slowly until he yawned. He faced forward without replying.
‘Now I know you’re not sure.’
‘My lovely little pumpkin delight, do you have such little faith in my abilities? I have been this way a number of times.’
‘Little pumpkin delight?’ Fea replied dangerously. She leaned to the side and her back leg shot out, kicking G-War off the Auroch’s head. He jammed a claw into the side of her neck on the way down and she jerked away, bugling her discontent. She bolted toward the open desert.
G-War twisted and landed on four paws. He dodged out of the way of the thundering hooves. The rest of the herd was behind them, forty more Aurochs carrying a menagerie of ‘cats. They saw the lead and obediently followed. ‘No! Stop,’ G-War pleaded, but their minds were made up.
The ‘cat raced in front of the stampeding herd. He accelerated toward the panicked cow. His chest heaved with his efforts. You’re telling others they’ve gone soft. Look at you! he told himself. The cow started to turn, and he angled to cut her off.
Through an extraordinary burst of speed, he surged in front of her. The ‘cat turned and stood on his back legs. The Aurochs took no notice, staying the course. Fea was screaming from the cow’s head as G-War disappeared beneath. Fea stayed low and hung on, digging her claws deeper and deeper as she encouraged the cow to stop running.
G-War dodged the cow’s front hooves, then deftly slid between the back hooves, letting the great beast run past. He watched her go, then turned to find the rest of the herd bearing down on him. He embraced discretion and ran to the side, choosing to get out of their way.
In the distance, a white form flew from the cow and ran away.
The herd continued to run until they were only a dust cloud in the distance, their Hillcat riders hanging on for their lives.
‘My furry little love muffin, are you there?’ Fea asked cautiously.
‘Looks like we’re walking,’ G-War replied with a scowl. He walked toward his mate, limping slightly, not from the Aurochs but from running. ‘I’m getting too old for this. Where’s my ride? That’s right! She’s stampeding away.’
‘Sorry about that. You probably shouldn’t have stabbed her in the neck, though.’
‘So this is my fault?’
‘I don’t see how it’s mine. Everything that happens on this journey is your fault. ‘Cats don’t like getting blamed, and that’s why they’re never in charge. The fact that we’re out here is your fault, so everything that happens out here is your fault, my little love monster.’
‘That’s not how I think,’ G-War said. He couldn’t remember a single instance where he blamed Braden just because the human had taken him somewhere. Then again, he wasn’t trying very hard to come up with anything. ‘‘Cats are always in charge. That’s never changed.’
‘In charge of important stuff like meal times, nap times, sure, but not things like, let’s cross the Great Desert and take over the ‘cat nation or take over the world.’
‘It needs to be done,’ G-War said dismissively as he walked toward Fealona, glowering. The dust cloud was dissipating. Either the herd stopped running or they’d run too far to follow. ‘Someone has to do it, because the humans are screwing it up.’
‘That’s the way humans think. What you’re doing is very un-‘catlike.’ Fea sniffed the air. Game was nearby. G-War smelled it, too.
‘Ess, can you see what’s going on?’
‘The Aurochs have found a patch of grass. They have stopped to eat, but they are going in the wrong direction. They need to return to where you are, and then I will guide you.’
Fea angled her head as G-War strolled by. The Hawkoids were leading the way.
‘After our friends have eaten and are more susceptible to suggestion, get them turned around and heading this way,’ G-War told the ‘cats riding the Aurochs. ‘Come along, my dear. They will catch up to us when the time is right. I smell a ground squirrel or three.’
A Mass Exodus
Braden went as fast as he dared through the grasslands, where there were many obstacles hidden beneath the swaying green. When it became scrub, he accelerated until it faded to a desert tan, and then he turned the hovercar loose. The twins and their ‘cats had grown accustomed to riding and cheered as the ground raced by. They cracked open a window and the droning of the wind filled the vehicle.
The ‘cats didn’t like the change in pressure. The twins acceded to their demands and closed the window. Aadi hadn’t said anything, but he was relieved when the silence returned.
“Time to the oasis, Holly?” Braden asked.
“At this rate of speed, just under an hour, Master Braden.”
“I like this oasis. Can you check us in and make sure that the rooms are ready? Is there any sign of G-War?”
“Your rooms are ready, and there is no sign of Prince Axial De’atesh.”
“Sweet!” Micah smiled and nodded. “We are on vacation until they show up.”
“We’ll probably scour the desert looking for them a couple times a day until we find them,” Braden suggested.
“Are you that worried?” Micah asked, although she could hear most of his thoughts.
“I freely admit that I am. I don’t want to be without G-War. I don’t want to be without you, or you guys back there.” Braden waved at the passengers in the back seat. “I’m talking about all five of you.”
‘I am honored, as always,’ Aadi replied graciously.
‘Okay, I’ll talk with you. We need more regular feeding times, just for reference,’ a small female thought voice replied.
“Shauna? We will do our best, but I have to warn you, at the oasis, unless you hunt for yourself, none of the food is meat.”
‘That doesn’t work, but we are magnificent hunters, and you can owe us.’
“We can what?” Braden asked over his shoulder.
‘Owe us. You can owe us,’ a rough voice chimed in.
Micah rested her hand on Braden’s arm, hoping to calm him before his thoughts surged out of control. The ‘cats were adults, but they were partnered with children.
“How long did it take for G-War to fully develop his adult personality?” Micah asked.
“A long time. I found him when I was ten, and he was a kitten. He wouldn’t tell me his real name until after we were together, so I guess that’s when it was. Ten cycles of the seasons, ten years.”
Braden relaxed and took Micah’s hand as he drove with one hand.
‘Well?’ Klytus asked.
“Well what?” Braden wondered.
‘We’re ready to eat.’
“You just ate before we left, and there’s nothing to eat out here. You’ll have to wait until we get to the oasis.”
‘This is what we’re talking about. Senseless delays. My stomach is growling.’ Shauna rolled onto her back while ‘Tesh held her. ‘See? Empty.’
“Soon. We are racing ahead at maximum speed. How much longer, Holly?”
“A half-hour, but the terrain gets rougher up ahead. You will have to slow down.”
“Just let me know.”
“I could take over the driving duties to maximize the hovercar’s speed while reducing the risks.”
“Fine,” Braden declared. He took his hands off the wheel and crossed his arms. The hovercar sped up. Braden had thought he was already going as fast as the vehicle would move, but Holly had been holding back. The vehicle angled away from the oasis on what appeared on the screen as a more optimal, less terrain-intense route. A countdown clock showed thirty-five minutes.
The desert raced by.
‘I feel like I’m a stranger in my own home,’ Aadi began. ‘In a Tortoid’s lifespan, I haven’t been gone long, but I’ve lived an entire life in that short time. So much has happened, and here we are again, on another adventure.’
“I’m not sure about the adventure part. We’re only out here to make peace with G and hopefully find a mutually beneficial way ahead.”
‘I suspect there’s more to it than that. A lot more,’ Aadi replied mysteriously, blinking slowly as he turned his head to watch the desertscape stream by.
G-War lounged on a branch, his legs dangling. Fea remained on the ground in the shade. The remains of three ground squirrels were nearby. She sat and blinked slowly, as if fighting off a nap.
‘Turn to your right a little. We’re at the tree,’ Fea said, guiding the Aurochs herd toward her.
They kicked up little dust as they were walking. Bandria looked contrite when she ambled up to the tree.
‘I’m sorry…’ she started, but stopped before trying to explain.
‘Let’s be on our way, shall we? Good eats and plenty of water at the oasis, but it’ll take two days to get there. The last pond is up ahead. Drink your fill, and then when evening comes, we will power through the desert to the first oasis. Running fast, we might be able to make it in one night,’ G-War explained.
He jumped from the branch, landing softly on Bandria’s head, taking care to keep his claws in. As much as he considered the Aurochs’ panic to be her fault, he had a nagging feeling that somehow he contributed to it. The cow ducked her head and Fea launched herself into the air, landing between the great creature’s eyes and walking as only a ‘cat could walk effortlessly up an uneven surface.
She also took care not to expose her claws, having learned the hard way how sensitive Bandria was. The King of the Aurochs, on the other paw, wasn’t bothered by a little thing like pain. But he was unique among all the creatures of Vii. ‘It’s okay, Bandria. Onward, friend, follow the Hawkoids’ lead.’
Bandria trotted to the front of the herd, head held high. She looked to the sky where the Hawkoids circled over the last watering hole, and she started to run.
Braden engaged the manual drive in order to ease the hovercar between the trees. Oasis Zero One had always been welcoming. It was where Braden met a part of the AI that he later learned was Holly, and that Old Tech was alive and well.
He parked the hovercar in front of the small building where they had to check in. They opened the doors and everyone hopped out. The ‘cats sniffed, crouched, and raced in different directions. The twins headed for the lake, where they found the water perfectly suited for swimming. Micah waded in after them, but only to her knees.
Braden entered the building, was warmly greeted by the hologram, and was told which two rooms would be theirs. He asked the young woman to have towels delivered to the beach, thanked her, and she disappeared. He took a deep breath of the air conditioning before going back outside. It wasn’t as hot in the oasis as it was in the desert, owing to the water and trees, but it was hot enough.
A bot rolled past him carrying four towels. It was waiting on the sand when he arrived. “I thank you, good sir!” he told the mechanical creation. It disappeared back the way it had come, and Braden took a seat in the shade and leaned against a palm tree.
“I think you do too much lounging,” Micah said over her shoulder. Braden wanted to disagree, but couldn’t. He stripped to his shorts and ran for the lake, diving in a massive belly flop next to his partner. The twins squealed and went under.
A ‘cat’s scream signaled a kill. Klytus with first blood. Shauna answered mere heartbeats later.
“All is right with the world,” Braden said while wiping his eyes dry. Micah glared at him, fists on her hips and water dripping from her clothes. “Almost right.”
“Watch them,” she told him and worked her way ashore, where she stripped and wrapped in a towel. She laid her clothes across the tops of nearby bushes. Before she could turn around, a bot whipped by and swiped them.
‘I can watch them,’ Aadi offered as he slowly hovered from the trees, across the sand, and over the lake.
“Your clothes will be back before you know it. There’s a swimsuit in the bag.” Braden pointed to the hovercar.
“G and Fea are out there, in the desert, and we’re in here playing.” Micah’s expression turned dark. “All is not right with the world.”
The Aurochs herd ran through the night following the wagon tracks from Braden and Micah’s last trip from the north. The cattle and wagon had left an unmistakable guide that would lead any traveler directly to the oasis. G-War didn’t need to open any of the rooms, which was good because he couldn’t enter them. That privilege was reserved for human hands.
The ancients weren’t accommodating to their sentient creations. Another burr in the ‘cat’s paw.
Come dawn, the Hawkoids leapt from the Aurochs where they’d gotten little sleep and winged their way to the northeast. They circled near the horizon before lazily returning.
‘You are close, my friend,’ Skirill said. ‘The oasis is not empty. Braden and his family are already there.’
‘You didn’t expect them to take your leaving lightly, did you, my big scruffy man?’ Fea purred.
‘What do they want?’
‘To know what you’re doing, or maybe help in your quest, or something as simple as showing you that they believe in you.’
‘Rubbish,’ G-War snorted. ‘They want me to be a sedate house cat lying in a box.’
‘I’m sure that’s not what they want. You’ll get the chance to find out, my furry little love monster. I expect your kids are there, too. You’ll get to see them again.’
‘Those two,’ G-War started, but didn’t finish his thought. He was happy they didn’t turn out like their mother, a domestic cat. He had no complaints, but felt like complaining, so he stayed quiet, sulking from the top of the Aurochs’ head.
‘It’s getting hot out, maybe we can finish tonight,’ Bandria suggested.
‘Skirill, is it much longer, or should we seek shelter?’ G-War asked.
The Hawkoids flapped their wings and sped toward the herd. The swooped low before climbing high into the air. They flew to the sides and then turned back toward the oasis. After they were specks in the sky, Skirill answered.
‘There is no shelter. Your only choice is the oasis. There is water and great fields. You will want for nothing once there.’
‘Did you hear, Bandria? Did they all hear?’ G-War asked, even though he knew the answer. He had made sure that they heard. ‘It is time to shorten the time that we are under this brutal heat. Run, you great creatures, but not fast. We need to reach the oasis before the sun climbs too much higher into the sky.’
Bandria set the pace, her breathing ragged from the strain, but her efforts paid off. The oasis soon appeared on the horizon, looking like a mirage, but unerringly, they cut a line toward it.
‘Hey, Ess and Zee,’ ‘Tesh said, happily munching on a brownie. Braden and Micah swiveled their heads as they searched the sky. Two great figures descended quickly, backwinging to land softly in the sand. They waded into the water and drank deeply before throwing water on themselves and ruffling their feathers.
“My friends. Tell me that G-War is right behind you.” Braden waded into the water to be close to the Hawkoids.
‘The herd is on its way, but they are only the first.’
“The herd?” Braden wondered.
‘The Aurochs and the Hillcats have partnered to travel north to Ankhmar.’
“The Aurochs and all the Hillcats?”
‘Almost all. The Golden Warrior was compelling in his plea for unity. He delivered it valiantly. You should be proud. He sounded like you.’
Braden furled his brow as he cupped his hands and splashed water on the Hawkoids’ backs to help cool them down.
“He sounded like you,” Micah repeated. “That doesn’t sound like a mutinous ‘cat. That sounds like someone who is trying to help.”
“Maybe. We’ll see when they get here. We better clear the space. The herd will need easy access to the water. They’ll be thirsty running in the daytime. It’s probably been a while since they had a drink.”
Braden hurried to the hovercar and moved it behind the maintenance building. They gathered their towels and waited. The Hawkoids flew into the trees, landing on top of a shorter one to remain in the shade.
They ruffled their feathers one more time, leaned against each other, and were soon fast asleep. They hadn’t even bothered to hunt. Once the ‘cats arrived, there might be nothing left to hunt.
Reconciliation
The Aurochs slowed to a walk. They could smell the humidity in the air. They filed into the oasis and without bothering to look around, they headed straight for the lake. Braden, Micah, and the twins stayed out of their way. Shauna and Klytus had climbed a tree and were watching from overhead. Only forty head, a mix of bulls and cows. Braden only counted a dozen ‘cats.
G-War and Fea moved to the cow’s back as she waded in and stuffed half her face into the water.
“Don’t drink too much to start with. Just enough, let it settle, and then drink your fill,” Braden advised.
Bandria bobbed her head, but kept drinking. She finally lifted her head and slowly moved out of the way of the others. Once clear, G-War and Fea jumped down. Micah bent down and Fea rubbed past her face and body, getting a good ear scratch for her efforts.
G-War looked at Braden. ‘What’s up?’ the ‘cat asked.
“I’m just trying to figure this all out.”
‘There’s nothing to figure out. That last jaunt into the south has proven that you have failed all mankind. Someone needs to save humanity from itself, and that someone is not you.’
G-War blinked slowly. Braden hung his head. “Damn, G. You might as well just slash my arm. That’ll hurt less.”
A black and orange paw lashed out.
Braden yowled in pain as he jumped to his feet.
‘Well?’ the ‘cat asked.
“Well what?”
‘Does it hurt less?’
“No! It hurts like hell.” Braden gripped his arm. It was one of the deepest slashes the Golden Warrior had ever given him. He pressed on the wound as blood dripped between his fingers. Micah produced a handful of numbweed. “You must be angry.”
‘I pity your misguided confusion, your faith that humankind will do the right thing even though they have evil in their minds. You don’t see what I see. It’s time that it stopped.’ G-War sat up straight, eyes fixed on Braden.
“It’s time for the bleeding to stop,” Braden complained, wincing while Micah applied the numbweed, pressing it into the wound to remove the pain and speed the healing. “What would you have us do?”
‘More ‘cats to watch over the people. And that is where we are going, recruit ‘cats to place strategically, wherever there are human settlements. ‘Cats with all the Free Traders, to check in when they pass through. I want ‘cats to take their rightful place in keeping the peace.’
“It’s like the pure heart test, G. I don’t think there’s any better service we can perform for humanity. I’m with you all the way, but crossing the Great Desert is nothing to be taken lightly. We’re coming along.” Braden sighed as the pain started to go away. “And don’t scratch me anymore!”
‘You know I can’t guarantee that. Sometimes—’ G-War held one paw in the air and a single claw extended fully. ‘—you need a good scratching to bring you back to reality.’
“And sometimes you knock stuff off tables for no reason whatsoever.”
‘It’s my way,’ the ‘cat admitted. ‘Shall we?’ G-War looked at Fea.
‘Yes, my delectable piece of man candy.’ Fea’s tail stood straight in the air as the pair trotted toward the fields. The other ‘cats were nowhere to be seen, probably already on their way in search of rabbits or unwary birds. Bandria followed the ‘cats, her big brown eyes sparkling at the sight of the greenery.
Aadi floated into the middle of the crowd, politely greeting each of the Aurochs by their name before moving on.
Braden accessed his neural implant. ‘Holly, don’t let the bots go after the Aurochs as they tear up the fields.’
‘Yes, Master Braden, that is a standing order throughout the land, as much as it pains me to see the destruction left in their wake.’
‘But the fertilizer, Holly. Their bodies make it better than anything else. You should be able to regrow the crops bigger and better than before.’
‘That is what you keep telling me,’ Holly replied.
Braden wasn’t sure how to take that. “Is everyone against me?” he asked. Micah shook her head and laughed.
“What makes you ask that?”
“Holly is giving me grief.”
“That means he likes you. We probably need the manufacturing facility to produce a bunch of barrels that we can fill with water. They need to be shaped to ride comfortably on the side of an Aurochs.” Micah could see a shape in her mind. She formed a mental image and shared that with Holly.
‘I’ll get on that right away, Master President. When do you think you’ll be leaving?’
‘Thanks, Holly. I have no idea, but we should probably wait until the others arrive, however many the others consists of.’
‘I shall plan for double the number we have now. That means twenty-four barrels for eighty Aurochs, which is an absolute minimum.’
‘With forty-eight barrels, they won’t have to be so loaded down and then they wouldn’t have to run so fast.’
‘I’ll work as quickly as I can, but the production will take some time. The oases are not configured for mass production.’
‘I understand, Holly. Do your best, which will be good enough as it always is. We can ask for no more.’
Braden closed the window before his eye and blinked until he could see into the sunlight. His thoughts troubled him. He knew G-War was right, but he didn’t know why.
Young Tom looked up from his forge to watch Neeson walk away. The ‘cat had mysteriously told him ‘good-bye,’ and nothing more.
“Wait!” he called and dropped what he was working on. Sweat poured from him as it always did. He grabbed his mug on the way and slopped water into his mouth as he ran. “Where are you going?”
A herd of Aurochs had run to the outskirts of town moments before. Many Hillcats were with the great creatures of the plains.
‘I have to go with the others. They need me.’
“Why?” Tom asked as he caught up to the ‘cat. Since his croc injuries had been healed on board the Traveler, the ‘cat had become leaner, but heavily muscled. He was bigger than most other ‘cats. Reminded Tom of himself.
‘It’s a reckoning. I must go, but I’ll be back. The Aurochs will see to that,’ Neeson replied.
“What do you mean by a reckoning?” Tom felt like he was pleading with the ‘cat, but he wanted to understand. Neeson was a critical part of his life, especially when Zeller was gone. She was on a quick trip to White Beach and would be back within a couple days.
‘If I don’t go then I won’t be able to influence the events that could determine our future. I will return. You have my word.’
Tom couldn’t reply. He clenched his jaw as the ‘cat started to run and launched himself high, landing cleanly on an older bull’s back. The Aurochs immediately moved out, walking at first before breaking into a run. They disappeared beyond the stand of trees outside River Crook. He could still hear the pounding of their hooves.
He stayed and listened until they were gone. He could still feel Neeson’s mind tickling his. ‘I miss you already, big guy.’
‘Me, too,’ the ‘cat replied.
Aurochs and ‘cats lounged around the lake and on the edge of the fields. Two haggard bots worked within the rows, diligently trying to repair the damage done by the Aurochs.
“It’s been four days,” Braden said conversationally. Ax and ‘Tesh were playing with one of the bulls, hanging from his horns as he swung them over the lake.
“It gives Holly that much more time to manufacture the barrels. No one knows better than you that water is the key to crossing the Great Desert. Water and traveling at night.”
“Are we going to have any problems, Master Aadi? And do we need to drop you off somewhere to meet with your fellow Tortoids?” Braden asked.
‘Not on either account. I consider a journey through the desert to be a pleasant affair. I don’t know where my fellow Tortoids are at the moment, so searching for them would be mostly fruitless. I prefer to accompany you, if I may.’ Aadi swam past the Aurochs and stopped to hover in front of Braden.
“Have you talked with G? Can you help me understand him better? I’ve always considered you to be the wisest individual I’ve ever met. Help me, Aadi. It’s tearing me up inside thinking how much I’ve hurt him.”
‘I don’t think it was you, Master Braden. You are the anchor in a raging sea, but it doesn’t change the storm. The Golden Warrior wishes to calm the storm so the anchor isn’t yanked and strained. I think he is looking out for you, not challenging you.’
Braden stood, wearing a big smile on his face. He grasped Aadi’s shell and pulled him close, until they were nose to nose. “I knew I asked the right person. You are the ‘cat’s meow, Master Aadi.” Braden kissed the top of Aadi’s head, despite the Tortoid’s efforts to avoid it.
Braden started to spit. “You taste like dirt.”
‘How do you expect me to wash the top of my head?’ Aadi asked, turning to swim away, his thick legs cycling through the air, the locomotion driving him and his shell.
“Leave it to Aadi.” Micah chuckled softly and realized that she hadn’t seen the children. The Aurochs were blocking everything. ‘Where are you two?’
‘We’re in the field trying to flush game for our friends,’ Ax replied. The children were as comfortable using their thought voices as they were exercising their vocal cords.
‘Are there any rabbits left?’ Micah asked.
‘Oh, yes, but they are in hiding because of the ‘cats and Hawkoids.’
‘Understandable. This is a very dangerous time to be an unsuspecting rabbit. Are Klytus and Shauna with you?’
‘They are. They’re helping us find them and they’re small enough, they can go into the holes and flush them out for the larger ‘cats. Shauna is the best at it because she’s the smallest and wiliest,’ ‘Tesh replied.
Braden turned to Micah. “I’m not sure I’ve ever used the term ‘wiliest.’ They are smarter at five than I ever was.”
‘You got that right,’ G-War snarked from somewhere out of sight.
“You still love me!” Braden called, while Micah shook her head.
“You just proved his point. Your thought voice. Does that ring a bell?”
“Damn ‘cat! But he still loves me.” Braden tried to look smug.
“We all love you, dear.” Micah wrapped Braden in a hug. “We’ll have to use the shower in the room. The lake is a mess.”
On the fifth morning after the reunion, a single set of hooves pounded into the oasis and headed straight for the lake, plowing past the other Aurochs. Once they saw who it was, they fell over themselves to get out of the way.
Two Wolfoids had slipped from the King’s back and staggered toward the lake. Braden and Micah rushed to help their friends.
‘Why would you think you would do this without us?’ Bounder asked, judgment tinging his thought voice.
“I didn’t know about all of this,” Braden said defensively. “I only wanted to find G-War and make amends.”
The scarred, orange and black ‘cat appeared with the white and black Fealona beside him. Bounder and Gray Strider stuffed their muzzles into the lake and drank heavily. The fountain wasn’t as powerful as it had been because of the sand blocking the solar panels. The water level had dropped, too, but bots were hard at work removing the debris.
Every time they cleared an area, an Aurochs waded in and drank.
“Attention, everyone!” Braden called. “Please give the bots a chance to clear the lake bottom so the pump can operate more efficiently to refill the water. Thank you!”
‘Stay out of the lake until those things leave,’ G-War interpreted. He looked at Braden out the side of his eye. ‘You’re welcome.’
Braden rubbed his arm where pink skin was establishing a foothold across the deep gouge.
“What would I ever do without you?”
‘I don’t know. It looks like I can’t get rid of you no matter how hard I try.’
“You weren’t trying very hard,” Braden suggested.
After drinking their fill, they both dove into the water, splashed about, and returned to the shore. Braden, Micah, G-War, and Fea started to run before the Wolfoids shook themselves out.
The Aurochs didn’t bother to move before or after getting doused.
After the shakes were complete, the four returned, selected a spot at the edge of the small beach, and sat down. G-War and Fea sprawled between Braden and Micah. Braden stroked the ‘cat’s fur, but not mindlessly. He watched himself do it, tracing the scars with one finger, feeling the rough hair beneath.
Micah petted Fealona. The female ‘cat had thick, soft hair and was unscarred, standing in stark contrast to her mate. Micah looked from G-War’s scars to Braden’s, stark reminders that torn flesh did not equal a torn soul. They remained undeterred in their personal missions to keep the peace on Vii.
“Which of you will decide what we do next?” Micah asked.
Braden pointed to the Golden Warrior.
‘We go north to the next oasis and then the next, keep going until we escape the Great Desert. Then we will go to Ankhmar and we will talk with the ‘cats about what they must do.’
Braden accessed his neural implant. ‘Holly, what is the status of the oases in the Great Desert, I’m sorry, I mean Devaney’s Barren?’
‘There is little food at the next oasis, and no animals. The carnivores will have to go without until they reach Oasis Zero Three. Zero Four has a lake and growth has begun. There is no food at Zero Four. The carnivores will have to go approximately one week without food while the vegetarians will have long stretches with only water available. I’ve completed the construction of the shaped barrels and harnesses.’
“Gonna be a tough one, G. Holly says there is no meat until the land beyond the Great Desert. But there is water at three more points between here and there.”
‘How fast does your thing go?’ Fea asked.
“The hovercar? Really fast, especially across the open desert. It’s powered by the sun, so it seems to do well in the desert.”
‘Holly,’ Micah started, ‘at maximum speed, how long will it take to get to an area where we can take down a deer or two?’
‘If you left at first light, you would arrive by nightfall, as long as you take a direct course, which I do not advise. In case there is a problem with the hovercar, you would have to walk to the nearest oasis.’
‘Then plot a course where we loop closer to the oases without going too far out of our way. It’s okay if we arrive after dusk,’ Micah replied.
Micah told Braden and the others what she learned.
“We can be back in two turns, two days.” Braden waited for G-War.
‘You can meet us at each oasis with food.’
Braden understood the implication. They’d be running back and forth, but the trips would get shorter each time as they stayed in front of the herd. “We can do that, but we won’t be able to carry anything for the Aurochs.”
‘They will have water. It will suffice, they assure me. With Brandt, they will have the leadership they need to persevere.’
“A philosophical ‘cat. Klytus was right. You sound like me.”
‘Don’t make me claw you,’ G-War cautioned.
Micah started to laugh and stopped herself when G-War stared at her without blinking. Aadi floated overhead. The Wolfoids squeezed into the area.
Braden wouldn’t say that the smell of wet Wolfoid rivaled the worst of wet dog. He fought his way through it.
“We leave first thing in the morning and will meet you at Oasis Zero Two after two nights. We’ll be there, waiting for you. If something happens to us, go to Zero Three and then Zero Four. You were going to cross without us anyway, which meant you were going to be hungry. If everything goes right, at least the ‘cats won’t lose any weight on this journey.”
“We could stay in touch if I go with the Aurochs and the ‘cats,” Micah offered.
Braden furled his brow. He knew what was coming next.
‘And us, too. We want to stay with the ‘cats,’ ‘Tesh interjected.
‘It’s best if you go with your father. It’ll be safer.’
‘All of our friends will be out there watching over us.’
Micah turned to Braden. “It’s hard to argue with that. If the hovercar breaks down, I shudder to think what your chances will be.”
“You want me to travel alone?”
‘We’ll come with you. Wolfoids were never meant to ride an Aurochs,’ Bounder replied.
‘Or to run with one,’ Strider added.
‘I too shall ride with you, if you’ll have me,’ Aadi suggested.
“I guess you’ve decided,” Braden said, hanging his head. His family was going to ride an Aurochs through the Great Desert. “You’ll be able to keep them on track. Maybe Skirill and Zyena want a ride, too. We have air conditioning.”
‘That sounds like a wonderful idea,’ Zyena replied before Skirill could suggest something different. ‘We will remain in the north and wait for the herd. Maybe we can meet others of our race.’
“That’s it then. I better get some rest. I’m off tomorrow morning and you guys are out tomorrow evening. How are we going to get the barrels on the Aurochs?”
“Bots,” Micah said with a dismissive wave.
Conquering the Beast
As Braden was packing food that he’d stockpiled from the fabricator, the rumble of hooves shook the clearing. Braden hopped in the hovercar and quickly moved it out of the way. Together, he, Micah, the twins, and their ‘cat companions ran to the edge of the oasis to watch the Aurochs coming toward them. On the head of the lead bull sat an orange cat with a large scar on its side.
‘Treetis, welcome,’ G-War said so all could hear. ‘I am glad you made it and with so many more than I thought.’
Micah tried to count, but gave up because of the dust obscuring those behind the leaders. Neeson stood on the Aurochs next to the one Treetis rode.
“It’s good to see you see whole again, Neeson. And always a pleasure to see you, Treetis,” Braden yelled.
G-War repeated what he said using the mindlink. Micah laughed at Braden’s preference for yelling. The children giggled.
They cleared the way for the Aurochs to go to the lake and drink their fill. The bots had been successful in clearing the solar panels, which helped to clean and refill the lake. The new herd of roughly forty waded in together. ‘Cats jumped to the sand and crouched beside and between the great creatures of the plains.
Treetis was first to finish. ‘Go with him. He needs your help,’ G-War told the younger ‘cat.
‘Why aren’t you going with him?’ Treetis asked, bowing his head respectfully to the prince.
‘Thank you for bringing the others, but it is my responsibility to get them to the north and then Ankhmar. Fea and I will stay with the other ‘cats. Your task will be equally challenging. Drink your fill and go.’
Treetis blinked twice and returned to the lake.
“Equally challenging?” Braden asked. “He’ll be riding in air conditioning.”
“With two Wolfoids, two Hawkoids, and a Tortoid. I don’t envy any of you.” Micah emphasized her point with raised eyebrows.
“I don’t even have something funny to say about that. You’re making me rethink my decision. Are you sure…”
Micah cut him off. “I’m not doing it.”
Braden kissed her gently on the cheek, meeting her smiling eyes as he moved away. They pointed to each other and said at the same time, “I’m glad I’m not you.”
“Hey!” Braden said. He knew she could hear his thoughts. He couldn’t argue with her. They were both right. Neither was in an enviable position. “You leave tonight. Get some rest and stay sharp.”
The twins nodded and hugged their father. The ‘cats milled about, rubbing their bodies against their humans, except for the Golden Warrior. He sat back and watched the others until Braden refused to let him be. He held his scarred arm before the ‘cat’s face. “I won’t soon forget this!”
G-War yawned and looked away. Braden laughed and kissed the top of the ‘cat’s head. G-War immediately licked a paw and started grooming from his ear to his nose.
‘I love you, G,’ Braden said in his thought voice and turned away as he started to tear up. His family was standing there. “I love you, too.”
“Uh huh,” Micah mumbled.
“Everybody in!” Braden had to chase Treetis from the driver’s seat. The ‘cat yowled and moved out of the way. Bounder was in the front seat. When he turned to look out the window, his nose left a long smear. Somebody pecked him in the back of the head. Aadi’s face was close. The Tortoid blinked slowly as he took in everything around him. Braden closed his door, started the vehicle, and slowly maneuvered past Aurochs, palm trees, and into the desert. Once clear, he told Holly to take over.
The hovercar accelerated due north. Treetis was already asleep, curled up between Strider and Zyena, who was crouched to keep Aadi’s stubby tail out of her face with her tail feathers wrapped to the side. Skirill was facing backward, leaning against the door.
Braden took stock of his surroundings. Someone had stepped on the bag of food on the floor before the front seat.
Aadi leaned close to Braden. ‘Are we there yet?’
When the sun hung low on the western horizon, the herd of Aurochs, eighty strong, forty Hillcats, three humans, and ninety-six barrels of water headed into the desert. The cows and bulls started to run, taking it easy until the sun set.
‘The moon will cast good light through most of the night, and that is when the herd needs to run their fastest,’ Holly advised. Micah acknowledged him and closed the window before her eye.
The twins were on Bandria with their ‘cats, and Micah rode Brandt with G-War and Fea. The rest of the Hillcats were spread out, resting on heads or in between barrels. No one was comfortable, but it didn’t matter.
G-War had declared that all the ‘cats were going. As much as they wanted to do their own thing, he was still Prince Axial De’atesh, so they rode the Aurochs in unhappy silence, their eyes wide to see through the darkness.
‘What do you hope to accomplish?’ Micah asked.
G-War crouched low, riding atop the great king’s head as he usually did, with Fea at his side. They were little more than shadows between the Aurochs’ ears.
‘I want people to be decent to each other, to assume the best and not the worst. I want a world where you don’t have to carry weapons. ‘Cats can help us get there.’
‘You know how much I want that, too,’ Micah replied. Her mind drifted to the times she bared her sword. Too often, it had bathed in blood. ‘Freedom of choice and the free will of man will always lead to disputes. Maybe we need to find a way for amicable resolution. Braden talked about the trader’s guild back in the day and the power they had to enforce the trade. It kept the world calmer.’
‘But it didn’t solve the problem of the few with the power over many.’
Micah shook her head. G-War didn’t have to watch to know her reply. They continued in silence as the Aurochs ran on, following the tracks that the wagon and the herd of water buffalo had made a few years earlier.
The hovercar slowed, turning hard to one side and then back in the original direction. Braden blinked himself awake. Before him was the green grasses of the Bittner Mountain foothills, the light forest where he hoped they’d find game, and the creek and small pond where he’d spent many days.
The vehicle stopped and the doors popped open. Bounder tumbled onto the grass, bouncing up with a snarl.
‘Hey! We’re here already,’ Treetis said happily.
Aadi’s eyes were closed, and Braden thought he might have been dead. He rubbed the Tortoid’s neck, feeling for a sign of life. Aadi opened his mouth and took a long breath.
‘I’m up,’ he said, not sounding like he was happy about it.
Gray Strider jumped out and stretched. Treetis squeezed under Aadi to claw his way across Braden’s lap and get outside. Braden pointed to the empty space where Strider had been—the way was open. He could have simply walked out.
A thump signaled Skirill’s departure from the hovercar, followed by a second thump as Zyena joined him outside. They both stretched their wings and shook out their feathers. ‘I may never fly again,’ Skirill declared while twisting his head as far as it would go.
Zyena hopped twice and jumped into the air. With a down stroke that brushed the ground, she started to rise. She continued to beat her wings as she soared skyward. ‘Speak for yourself! I feel like I’m home!’
“You’re up, little man. Find us some deer,” Braden said as he took his recurve bow from the small storage compartment of the hovercar.
Bounder and Strider loped into the nearby woods. Treetis watched them go.
“Well?” Braden asked.
Treetis casually lapped water from the pond.
“Treetis?”
‘Yes?’ The ‘cat finished and looked up at him.
“Can you tell me where the deer are? I have to get enough meat to feed your people. Two should do it, so chop, chop.”
‘The Wolfoids are on it. They’ll bring you what you need. Maybe you should relax a bit. Dip your feet in the water,’ Aadi said as he swam serenely above the lake.
“Dip my feet in the water?” Braden walked to the pond and looked into the crystal clear water. He took a knee and scooped a handful of water. He closed his eyes as he drank. “That’s good, but we have work to do.”
‘We are doing the work. Look.’ Treetis tipped his chin skyward where the Hawkoids were gliding over the forest. A throaty Wolfoid growl signaled the strike.
‘‘We’ doesn’t mean just you. You got us here in that Old Tech of yours. Now, it’s our turn to work.’
“I feel like I should be doing something. Maybe I’ll build a smoker.” Braden sat on a jumble of rocks where he removed his Old Tech boots and dangled his feet in the water. He accessed his neural implant and opened the window before his eye
‘Holly, can you drive the hovercar through the night to get to Oasis Zero Two?’
‘Of course,’ Holly replied.
‘If I strap two carcasses on the outside of the hovercar, would that be okay?’
‘Although the night is cooler, it is not cool. There will be some degeneration of the meat in the eight-hour transit, but the ‘cats have strong stomachs. It won’t affect them, and you know how they detest smoked meat.’
‘Better rotten than smoked, eh, Holly? That’s our friends. I’ll try to smoke some for Micah and the kids, but then we’ll get back on the road.’
“Looks like we have a plan, boys,” Braden said. “As soon as the Wolfoids get back, we’re going to smoke a little of the venison and then get going.”
‘We?’ Treetis asked.
“I’ll take care of preparing the meat, but we will travel back into the desert.”
‘We?’ Treetis repeated.
“You don’t want to go?”
‘I have to admit that it wouldn’t bother me not to be inside that box of yours for a while. I think I would like to stay here. You’ll be back within a turn, and the herd and ‘cats will eventually show up as well.’
“Yes. All of that. I’ll ask Bounder and Strider when they return.” Braden rubbed his chin as he contemplated what the next few days would bring.
‘You guys want to stay here while the human carries your kills to the overlords?’ Treetis asked.
‘Yes, I think we’ll stay here in the good company of yourself and my fine Wolfoid friends,’ Aadi replied.
‘We will go see our people and ask them if they will support the Golden Warrior’s noble mission,’ Skirill added.
‘I wish you the best. Maybe stay here for a while? I don’t want to see you fly away, if I don’t have to. You two mean a lot to me.’
‘We will wait,’ was Skirill’s reply while he circled and watched Braden collect firewood.
Desert Dust
‘Please run a little closer to Bandria,’ Micah urged. Brandt, King of the Aurochs, casually closed in. Ax waved when the two were nearly touching. The ‘cats seemed to be sleeping, which demonstrated a superior feat of dexterity while on the running cow.
Micah was getting tired. Her body ached with the effort to stay balanced. She tried riding between the barrels, but the King’s spine jarred every inch of her being. While closer to his head, she was able to absorb more of the impact by keeping her knees tightly against his neck. G-War and Fea constantly swiveled their heads. Micah believed that they were carrying on a constant conversation with the others, trying to allay fears and make sure the rest understood.
G-War had undertaken the task of herding ‘cats. He found the thought distasteful, insulting, and exactly correct. All of the ‘cats were there for a different reason, although some were there for no reason whatsoever besides sheer curiosity.
‘Why are you here, Karisinmore?’ G-War asked, while Fea listened.
‘I’ve never been to the desert before,’ she replied.
‘You came with us from the north. This would be your second time through the Great Desert,’ Fea replied as G-War sighed and rolled his eyes.
‘That’s right. But this is fun!’
‘What’s fun about this?’
‘When do we eat?’ she asked.
‘In five turns,’ G-War replied, his patience spent.
‘But I’m hungry now,’ the ‘cat answered.
Fea’s shoulders vibrated as the ‘cat chuckled. G-War didn’t bother to answer Karisinmore.
‘I will give Braden a matching scar if he isn’t waiting with fresh meat when we arrive at the next oasis,’ G-War declared.
“Now, now. Everyone relax and take a deep breath. If he’s not, I have dibs on any beat-downs,” Micah said.
‘Fair enough,’ G-War agreed before returning to the silence of before.
And the Aurochs ran on, as only Vii’s greatest land creatures could. Determined and proud, they let nothing hold them back as they carved a path around the wagon’s ruts. Come daybreak, they were close.
‘How far, Holly?’
‘Not far at all, Master President. At this pace, you should arrive while it’s still the cool of night.’
“Press on, Brandt. We’re almost there.”
‘I can make it out in the distance. Time to finish up strong,’ Brandt replied. He increased his stride and was soon in front of the herd. The pounding of hooves behind them increased as the herd hurried to catch up. Before the sun was completely above the horizon, the herd slowed and walked into Oasis Zero Two.
“Remember what this place looked like the first time, G?” Braden asked as he leaned against the grounded hovercar. Two deer were strung from young trees nearby.
‘I thought you were going to die here,’ G-War said.
“I thought we all were going to die,” Braden said. “But we didn’t give up!”
‘You would have died before me and then I would have eaten you.’ G-War jumped from the King’s head, landing softly in the sandy dirt. Fea landed next to him and together, they strolled to the deer and sliced off a hunk with a claw as sharp as a fillet knife.
Micah jumped down and the twins joined her as Bandria took her place next to Brandt in drinking from the lake, identical in shape and size to the other oases’ lakes.
Shauna and Klytus bounced off G-War and Fea on their way to their meal. The twins joined their parents for hugs. Braden produced a small amount of cooked venison for them.
“Where’s everyone else?” ‘Tesh asked.
“No one wanted to ride with me on the trip back. I have to admit that there was a certain serenity in traveling alone.”
“But you were incredibly lonely and missed the twins horribly.”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I meant to say,” Braden corrected with a smile. He produced three flasks from the hovercar. “From the pond in the foothills north of the desert.”
The three drank, ate venison, and then drank some more. Once the flasks were drained, Braden threw them into the passenger seat.
“I guess I better take advantage of the sun and head back. I expect that Bounder, Strider, and Treetis will already have your next meal ready.”
‘Better get to it, then,’ G-War suggested as he cleaned his face from eating. The yowling and growling around the two carcasses was getting louder and louder.
“Why do they have to eat like that?” Braden blurted.
G-War paused briefly in his grooming. He didn’t dignify Braden’s question with an answer before he went back to work.
“How long have you been with G-War?”
Braden thought for a moment before leaning down. “Who’s a good kitty?” he cooed into the ‘cat’s face.
G-War turned to Fea. ‘See what I have to put up with? It’s exhausting.’ He stood and disappeared into the underbrush. Fea shrugged and followed her mate.
Braden looked at his family. They were trying not to laugh, but he wasn’t sure if it was with him or at him.
“Dad! He already knows who the good kitty is, and it’s Klytus!” Ax declared.
“Shauna!” ‘Tesh shot back.
“Time to go,” Braden interjected before the fight started. Micah put her fists on her hips and glowered. Braden was sure he’d done something wrong. What he wasn’t sure of was what.
“You’re going to leave me with this mess.”
It wasn’t a question. “I’m going to leave, but there’s no mess,” Braden tried. Micah didn’t look away. “I’m going to leave because of hungry ‘cats and if you make the next oasis and I’m not waiting, there will be a great deal of pain waiting for me.”
Micah frowned. “We’re not done with this conversation.”
“I am,” Braden mumbled as he lifted one leg to climb in. Micah tackled him from behind and dragged him to the ground. He pushed at her, but weakly.
“We don’t play enough,” Micah said, knees astride his chest so she could lean close to him. “When is a vacation not a vacation?”
“When we’re traveling to save the world?”
“Again and again.” Micah smiled and kissed Braden. “I think G is right. The answer is someone who can see into our minds and will keep us honest. Humans can’t be trusted.”
Neeson appeared from behind an Aurochs impatiently waiting her turn to drink. He looked at the humans lying on the ground.
‘You made it possible for me to walk again,’ he told them. ‘Thank you. It’s our turn to help, and that is the vision my friend the prince has.’
“You’re offering an awful lot. What do you get out of it?”
‘We get only what we deserve—to be worshipped.’ Neeson strolled away.
“I don’t know what to say to that,” Braden muttered. Micah helped him to his feet.
“Me, either.” Micah chuckled. “It appears to be the gang that we’ve joined, though, so we might as well enjoy it.”
“And play more,” Braden added. He climbed into the hovercar and with Micah walking in front to clear Vii’s creature’s from his path, Braden accelerated into the desert before turning the vehicle over to Holly.
“Why are you doing this?” Holly asked.
“To feed the ‘cats,” Braden answered, even though he didn’t understand why the question needed to be asked, the disembodied voice within the hovercar having caught him by surprise.
“I mean the whole thing, the trip through the desert. I’m evolved, but still learning. Can you help me understand what this is all about?”
“Of course,” Braden said. “To keep the world from tearing itself apart again. As more and more Old Tech gets introduced, the risk for conflict increases. The Golden Warrior has taken it upon himself to ensure that we don’t have another civil war.”
“Not so civil, those wars,” Holly replied. “But how can the ‘cats keep mankind from being what it is?”
“An interesting question, Holly.” Braden leaned sideways in the driver’s seat, throwing his legs across to the passenger’s seat. He laced his fingers behind his head. “I believe mankind is peaceful by nature, but through envy, greed, ego, whatever, a small percentage see violence as a way to achieve what they want. The ‘cats will help us identify those people before they can act.”
“Who watches the watchers?” Holly asked.
“All of us have to watch each other so no one abuses power.” Braden chewed on his cheek before continuing. “You have made this world possible. For you and all you’ve accomplished for humanity, it is on us to make sure we show our appreciation by creating a sanctuary for all sentient species. I hope that helps to realize the ancients’ vision of a better world. So we watch each other to make sure that we stay true to ourselves and to each other.”
“Thank you for explaining. Even though there are no schools that teach the ancients’ curriculum, the art of rhetoric is not lost. I will get you to the north and back. You have my word.”
Braden closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but found it hard as his thoughts were not at peace.
When dawn arrived, Skirill and Zyena launched themselves into the air. The rhythmic strokes of their wings took them higher and higher. They hit an updraft and glided upward, circling within it to rise skyward with little effort. When they stopped climbing, they flew from the draft and continued higher, turning northward. Skirill knew exactly where he was going—the nest of Awkar and Teeleech.
His Hawkoid eyes searched the skies for others of his species, but he saw nothing.
‘They chased you away the last time you were here,’ Zyena told him.
‘Because I was with a human and a ‘cat. Much has changed since then.’
‘Your only companion is a magnificent creature,’ Zyena replied.
‘Exactly. They will listen to me now. We have a role to play in this new world because you and I have carved our niche within it. We have a say in what happens. We’ve earned that right for all Hawkoids, regardless of whether they accept it or not.’
‘They can close their ears to the truth, but they cannot deny it.’
Skirill bobbed his head in agreement as they flew north. The nest came into view. Two Hawkoids stood tall on the tops of nearby spires. Skirill rocked his wings in greetings.
Awkar and Teelech took to the sky and flew between the intruders and their nest.
“Why would you think we’re here to threaten your nest?” Skirill screeched in the Hawkoid tongue in a commanding thought voice, a voice far different from the last one he’d used when talking with his fellows.
“Things are not well between the Hawkoids. Not everyone comes in peace.”
“I do. I am Skirill from the north, the south, and the sky above. This is my mate Zyena. I know no boundaries to the Hawkoid Nation. I recognize no disputes between our own kind.” Skirill backwinged to land on the spire where one of the others had stood. Zyena landed next to him. She was bigger than both Awkar and Teelech.
“Bold words,” Awkar replied.
“Tell me where the others are. I will go and set things straight.”
“You are the human lover. You will not set things straight. Humans have captured Hawkoids and keep them as pets.”
“Then we will free them, to demonstrate our commitment to a single world. One who knows humans will be able to deal with humans. That is the difference that I make. Tell me where they are, and I will start the healing process. Nothing else is acceptable. There are major changes coming to Vii. You can either be a part of it, or you can get out of our way.”
Skirill jumped from the pillar and flew straight at the Hawkoid pair. “Tell me where they are,” he ordered, screaming his rage as only a Hawkoid could.
When the hovercar arrived at the pond, Bounder and Strider were on their backs, feet in the air and tongues hanging sideways out of their mouths. Treetis looked like a statue on the highest rock with his head up and his eyes closed. Aadi floated over the pond, but when he saw the hovercar, he turned and started swimming toward it.
The Hawkoids were gone.
A single deer had been killed and was on the downstream side of the pond.
Braden climbed out of the hovercar, expecting his friends to wake up. They didn’t.
‘It’s a tough life learning to relax,’ Aadi said.
“It looks like they have it down cold.” Braden tossed a clump of dirt next to Treetis. “Come on, little man, we’re going hunting. I don’t think I can serve your people a bloated doe.”
The ‘cat slowly opened its eyes. ‘I see why you have so many claw marks on your body. They were all well-deserved and only through the prince’s infinite patience, you do not have more.’
Braden replied by tossing a second clump of dirt that broke apart when it hit, showering Treetis with dried mud.
Braden prepared his bow and nocked an arrow. He looked into the sky to confirm that his Hawkoid friends were not there, and he stalked into the woods. Treetis stretched, bounced from the rocks, and with tail held high, he ran after the human.
‘Go left,’ he directed. Braden instantly shifted and walked, toe to heel, along the side of the hill, watching for the movement that would signal his prey. ‘Keep going.’
Braden stayed on course, moving silently. He was a long way from the pond when he caught the sounds of antlers scraping against a tree. He followed the noise until he spotted an old buck, a massive beast. Braden didn’t wait. He drew and fired.
He replaced the arrow before the first one struck home. The deer jumped into the air and darted. As soon as it had chosen its direction, Braden instantly gauged the stride, leap, and speed before sending the second arrow to the spot where he hoped the two would arrive at the same time.
The buck’s legs failed him, and he collapsed before going two strides. The arrow flew harmlessly through the empty space. The deer huffed once and was finished.
Treetis strolled onto a branch immediately above the kill. “How did you get there so fast? I thought you were still in the camp.”
‘I don’t know if I’ll ever understand the human proclivity for wasting time thinking about what is not, rather than what is, or for stating the obvious.’ Treetis jumped from the branch and landed on top of the carcass. He hopped to the ground and waited. ‘Well?’
“Well what?” Braden asked aloud.
‘The choice bits aren’t getting any more choice,’ the ‘cat replied, exasperation clear in his thought voice.
“What I hear you saying is that you need me.” Braden chuckled to himself as he spread out his gear, bow and arrows to the side, knife in hand. He took a drink before his hands would be covered in blood, then got to work. “I think this one will be enough for the ‘cats. Maybe I can salvage some of the other one down by the lake.”
Braden gutted the creature and scooped the entrails to the side, moving them out of his peripheral vision to avoid watching Treetis enjoy the choice bits, as he called them.
‘Do you think Prince Axial De’atesh is right?’ Treetis asked.
“I’ve had a lot of time to think about it.” Braden talked while he worked. “I think he is. People are free to do as they individually want and that doesn’t threaten the planet as a whole. When they start trying to take over, the ‘cats can stop them cold. What will make it work is that humans can’t know that the ‘cats are in charge.”
‘Humans don’t know too much.’
Braden turned to reply, but Treetis was face down in gore. Braden winced and looked away. “We know what we know, but I fear that we are less concerned with what we don’t know than we should be.”
Braden adjusted his position so he wouldn’t accidentally see the ‘cat again. He continued working, wondering how he was going to get the beast to the hovercar. He remembered that he wasn’t alone. Thanks to the Golden Warrior, he was never alone. He concentrated his thoughts.
‘Bounder? I could use your and Strider’s help, please.’
A Welcome Unwelcome Surprise
Skirill and Zyena soared high over a farmer’s homestead. A few buildings were set within a vast pasture where water buffalo grazed. Skirill had his eyes on the barn while Zyena watched for people. Skirill dove toward the barn when he received the all-clear from his mate.
“Can anyone hear me?” he called.
Two men came running from one of the buildings. One carried something that looked like a rifle.
‘Watch out!’ Zyena cried out.
Skirill increased his speed and started to dip and turn. The man fired and missed. He cocked his weapon, but it jammed. Skirill turned and glided low over the barn’s roof. He screeched again and was rewarded by screams from within. The Hawkoids were there.
Skirill flew away from the men, keeping the building between him and them. He dropped one wing to make a tight turn and flew back toward the barn.
‘They are coming around to your left,’ Zyena said. Skirill flew the other way, increasing speed as he banked around the barn, flying in from behind the men. He dove over the man’s shoulder, shredding the man’s hands with his long claws and ripping the rifle from the man’s numb grip. Skirill dodged the second person and flew away, holding the rifle firmly.
He beat his wings hard to fly toward a pond where the water buffalo were drinking. The Hawkoid dropped the rifle into it and headed back. Even at that distance, Skirill could see the whites of the man’s eyes, the terror he felt.
Skirill screeched anew to give his people hope as he raced in. The man turned just as Skirill hit him from behind. Hawkoid claws tore at the man while his partner looked for a weapon. The man went down. The other was ready to pounce on Skirill’s unprotected back when he was hit by the full weight of a Hawkoid in a high-speed dive.
He tumbled and rolled. Zyena hit the ground, hopped twice, and flew back into the air. She hovered over the cowering man. Skirill’s target was out of the fight, unconscious at least. Skirill didn’t care if he was dead.
With G-War’s gift of thought speech, Skirill spoke directly to the man. ‘Open the barn and release my people.’
Their captive looked around, eyes wild as he tried to find who was speaking.
Zyena thrust her beak at him and screamed. ‘He said open the barn!’
The man scrambled to his feet and ran toward the door. He undid the latch and opened it, jumping aside. Zyena stayed behind him in case it was a trap. Skirill took to the air to watch from a safe distance.
‘Go inside and let them out.’ Skirill assumed they were caged since none had flown free when the door was opened. The man’s eyes darted toward the body on the ground. ‘DO IT NOW!’
He bolted inside and one by one, Hawkoids started to fly out.
“Tell me when the last is free, and we will leave this cursed place,” Skirill told them.
The Hawkoids didn’t answer. They waited for the man to reappear. They never gave him a chance to run.
“I’m glad you agreed to join me, Master Aadi. These trips are wearing me down. All I’m doing is sitting and it is exhausting. I try to read using my neural implant, but who can sit and read for ten hours straight?”
‘I wouldn’t know,’ the Tortoid replied from where he rested in the passenger seat. Braden had laid it back to create an open space where he fit. ‘Treetis preferred not getting back in the hovercar, and you seemed like you needed the company.’
“Treetis preferred. I like that interpretation. His words were more along the line of ‘I’ll scratch your eyes out if you try to stuff me in that box.’ I took him at his word.”
‘Probably safest that you did. The Wolfoids appear to prefer the great outdoors as well.’
“They looked comfortable sitting in the seats, air conditioning blowing in their faces. That reminds me—I need to clean the windows.”
‘I didn’t want to mention it,’ Aadi said slowly as he watched out the front window.
“Can you see anything out there?” Braden wondered aloud.
‘Not much. Too many clouds. Is it cooler outside?’
“No. Still plenty hot out there. At least the deer is cleaned and ready to be dinner.”
‘Did you bring something for Tiskanay?’
“The creature at Oasis Zero Three,” Braden clarified as he chewed on his lip. “We better throw her a bit of the carcass before the ‘cats get to it.”
‘It is best to stay on her good side.’
“Do you think any Seeders came back to life?” Braden asked. “That would be bad with a herd of Aurochs coming through.”
‘I don’t know. We will have to assess things when we arrive. If the herd arrives first, then the Golden Warrior will ensure everyone’s safety.’
“Holly, will we arrive before the herd?”
“By many hours,” the AI replied.
“I think that settles it, Aadi. I’m going to get some shuteye. Wake me if you see anything interesting.” Braden wedged himself sideways, crossed his arms, and closed his eyes.
I think everything is interesting, which creates quite a dichotomy, Aadi thought.
Dawn found the hovercar outside the oasis. At Braden’s command, Holly did not drive it in. They waited until they could see because of their previous encounters in the place known as Oasis Zero Three.
With the sun’s light came awareness that much had changed. A building stood to one side of the lake clearing. A green field lay beyond the original oasis and into the desert. Trees looked full and healthy. It was starting to look like Oasis Zero One.
Braden waved at Aadi to follow. Together, they moved toward the line of trees that created a physical barrier between the green of the oasis and the desert sand. Braden pulled his blaster and set it to the wide flame setting before passing the trees. He kicked at bushes, looked under heavy leaves, and walked agonizingly slowly.
A Sand Crawler would ruin his day, and he wasn’t about to let that happen. Braden stopped and listened. Aadi swam past him and took the lead. Braden didn’t know why he was having such a hard time moving forward. Maybe it was being alone. If he was injured, Aadi couldn’t help. Braden would have to survive until Micah arrived.
He didn’t want her to find him that way.
‘Braden, the way is clear. Please hurry.’
A Tortoid encouraging a human to move faster. Braden missed the irony as he bolted down the path to where Aadi floated. Before him was an emaciated Gila Monster. Tiskanay, alive but only barely.
“I’ll bring some venison. When’s the last time she ate?”
Aadi remained and tried to talk with the creature.
Braden ran back to the hovercar, unstrapped the buck from the outside, and let it slide onto his shoulder. He struggled with his footing until he reached the firmer dirt of the oasis. He hurried as much as he could. When he reached Tiskanay, he started to hack off chunks of meat and feed them to her.
He started with small pieces at first. She chewed mechanically a few times before swallowing and holding her mouth open for the next morsel.
And the next and more until a quarter of the buck had disappeared into her ravenous maw.
“You’ve eaten your own body weight,” Braden exclaimed, holding his hands up to show her that they were empty. “That’s enough for now. What happened?”
‘Nothing to eat. An oasis for everyone but me,’ she said softly.
Aadi swam close. ‘When is the last time you ate?’
‘One, maybe two cycles ago? Even the beetles have abandoned me.’
“But we have not. You will come with us to a place where there will always be something for you to eat.”
‘I think I’ll stay here. This is my home. If you bring me something to eat, once a cycle should do it, and then I can stay in my home.’
“I can arrange that with the Free Traders when regular traffic begins between the north and south. I will have them bring a haunch for you. I hope that you would see something once a season at least. I hope you don’t have to go a full cycle without eating again.”
‘It is how we are.’
“We? How many of you are there?”
‘There used to be more, my brothers and sisters, but where they have gone, I don’t know. Maybe it is just me now.’
‘That would be a tragedy. You are a fixture in this place and a welcome sight for these old eyes. You have been here for as long as I’ve been alive,’ Aadi replied.
‘That and longer. If you’ll excuse me, I need to sleep.’ Her eyes closed and to Braden, it looked like she was dead.
“Seeders?” Braden asked. He left the deer where it was as he searched the oasis from one end to the other. His last battle with the seed-shooting plants had wiped them out. They had not been able to recover from the flames. The greenery of the oasis had filled in where they’d been.
It looked entirely different from the last time they’d come through. In the fields, the bot worked diligently. Braden accessed his neural implant. ‘Holly, can you let the bot know that the Aurochs are going to arrive shortly and that it is best if he stay out of the way?’
‘I have updated his programming with that information. The construction bot will cause no trouble for the Aurochs.’
The bot’s shield shimmered as it moved from the field and started working on something behind the building.
‘Are you there, lover mine?’ Braden asked.
‘I am, moon-pie, man-burger,’ G-War replied.
“I’m not talking to you!” Braden yelled toward the desert. He could hear the ‘cat laughing in the back of his mind.
‘We’re not far. The oasis is on the horizon,’ Micah answered. ‘We’re pretty tired.’
‘Maybe I’ll take the kids with me back to the north? There are only two legs remaining.’
‘Maybe that’ll be best. We’ll talk about it when we get there.’
‘Tiskanay says hi,’ Braden added after a brief pause. He didn’t know what else to say. Micah’s thought voice sounded beyond tired.
Braden moved the rest of the carcass away from Tiskanay and strung it up. There wasn’t much left. Not enough for all the ‘cats. Some would go hungry. Braden didn’t want to hear the inevitable complaining.
‘Cats.
There were times when he wished he couldn’t talk with them. He expected this would be one of them.
The dust cloud in the distance signaled the herd was closing, running the last leg to Oasis Zero Three.
Braden moved the hovercar to the edge of the trees, angling it to make sure it absorbed as much of the morning sun as possible. He took a moment to appreciate what the ancients had accomplished. All the technology, but they ended up using it to kill each other. G-War didn’t care about the technology. He cared about humanity, about the peace. The ‘cat was right. Humanity’s maturity needed to catch up to the technology.
‘It’s what I’ve been saying all along. I believe you’ve stiffed us on breakfast.’ G-War didn’t sound happy. Braden stayed on the desert side as the Aurochs worked their way toward the lake.
The Golden Warrior and Fealona appeared from the brush and stood next to him. ‘Tiskanay is pleased with you, so I guess we’ll let it go. This time.’
“Only one more, G, and then you’ll be on the home stretch. The north is close.”
“We’re thinking of skipping Oasis Zero Four and going all the way to the north. Brandt thinks if we rest here for two days, they’ll be able to make the run in less than a full turn, less than a full day. We have yet to drink any of the water they’re carrying.” Micah hugged her partner and kissed him on the cheek.
‘I agree with this plan,’ Brandt said in his booming thought voice. ‘All this sand is wearing down my hooves. I’m ready to be somewhere else.’
Braden was lost in thought.
Aadi swam from the oasis to join the humans.
“I can make one more run, see if I can find more game to feed all the ‘cats one last time. This is a short leg and only took the hovercar six hours to get here. If I go now, I might be back before nightfall.”
He shuffled his feet as he looked at the sand.
“You want the twins to come along?”
Braden nodded.
‘If I may stay, it has been a while since Tiskanay has had any company. I shall talk with her about events from the past cycle or so. It will be time well spent.’
“You are a good friend, Aadi, a friend to all,” Braden replied. “Are you two ready to go for a ride? I have air conditioning!”
The twins worked their way through the brush, their shoulders were slumped and their eyes bloodshot. “As long as you don’t mind us sleeping,” Ax replied through a yawn.
“As soon as Klytus and Shauna are finished getting a drink, we’ll be on our way.” Braden and Micah put the children into the hovercar, keeping the doors open for the ‘cats.
‘Hungry,’ Klytus said when he arrived.
“I’m sure you are. The sooner we get going, the sooner we’ll get to where there’s food.”
‘Hungry now,’ Klytus said louder. Braden offered a piece of smoked meat. Klytus sniffed at it before putting his nose in the air. He jumped into the front seat with Ax. Shauna took the meat from Braden’s hand and chewed it. She continued to chew, contorting her face as she struggled with the oversized bite. She was finally able to swallow. She looked at Braden through narrowed eyes before kicking the sand on her way into the hovercar. She climbed in the back with ‘Tesh.
Braden held up his hands in surrender. Micah waved good-bye as she headed for the lake to clean up before a long day’s sleep. Aadi turned and swam away.
“Later, G, Fea” Braden said, but the two ‘cats were under a bush, already curled up together and sound asleep.
Braden looked at his children as he climbed in and shut the doors. The hovercar started, the only sound the fan blowing cool air within the vehicle. He slowly moved into the desert before turning over control to Holly.
“I’ve had about enough of riding in this thing. It’s too much like work!” he complained, but no one was listening.
Focus on the Objective
“We want to go home,” a Hawkoid named Kacherin stated.
“Home. As Hawkoids, the entirety of Vii is our home. We are free to go anywhere we want, live free. The humans need our help, and I aim to give it to them,” Skirill replied.
“We have no love for the humans.” Kacherin hovered using an updraft. Skirill had earned the right to say his piece, so the other Hawkoids waited respectfully.
“Those humans, yes, but they were punished for what they did. The rest of humanity needs us. The Hillcats are leading the way.”
“The Hillcats are food,” Kacherin declared dismissively.
“How many of you have eaten a Hillcat?” Skirill shot back angrily. None. That was what he thought. “Hillcats are equals, like the Aurochs, like the Lizard Men, the Tortoids, the Rabbits, and the humans.”
“Rabbits?” one of the others asked.
“Not those rabbits. They are food. The Rabbits that walk upright and are sentient are our partners.”
“Where do you get such strange ideas?” Kacherin asked.
“From having been with a group of these creatures for the past six cycles. We could learn a great deal from them, and I challenge you to join us, join us in taking our rightful place on a council of elders.”
“We have our own council.”
“Not like this, you don’t. Imagine having an equal say with the other species.”
“Would it be equal as long as man carries thundersticks and kills us on sight?”
“It would be equal when man and creatures band together to remove the blight before it happens. Only then can we truly live in peace. Go now, back to your mountain homes, but you will stand by for the day I call in the favor for saving your lives.”
“We soar free because of you. We will not forget what we owe. May your hunts always find game, fellow Hawkoid,” Kacherin said before beating his wings and flying east, toward the foothills of the Bittner Mountains. A place of refuge for the Hawkoids, but not where they would always call home.
Skirill had a different idea of where Hawkoids would need to go in order to thrive.
‘You’ve captured tiny humans,’ Strider said when ‘Tesh and Ax fell out of the hovercar and ran toward them. Klytus and Shauna trotted to the rock where Treetis seemed to be a permanent fixture.
The twins nearly bowled the Wolfoid over with their exuberance.
“Easy now,” Braden said, joining the others by the small lake. He kneeled, cupped his hand, and drank. “Get some water, tiny humans.”
The children laughed as they extricated themselves from Strider’s embrace and plowed their faces into the water.
“Where’s Bounder?”
‘On the hillside. The game knows we’re here and they have run. He has had to search farther and farther, but he’ll soon make a kill, and then we’ll join him.’
“I have to go back quickly. Tiskanay ate most of the deer that I took and the ‘cats are hungry.”
As if to emphasize Braden’s point, Shauna and Klytus ran into the woods, looking for trees with heavy branches where plump squirrels could be found.
“They are taking a two-day break and then they’re going to run the rest of the way here.”
‘As only the Aurochs could. A Wolfoid would die trying to run through that desert.’
“Just like I thought I would the first time I went across. But now with the oases established, almost anyone can make it as long as they adhere to the basics—travel at night, carry as much water as you can, and stay on course.”
‘When they arrive, we go to Ankhmar without delay,’ Treetis said.
“They’ll need to rest, but as soon as possible, we’ll go west, between Cameron and Whitehorse, directly to the Hillcats’ home. And then what, little man?”
‘And then we tell them what they’re going to do.’
“And they’ll listen just as much as they did last time, which is why you left,” Braden countered.
‘This time, they have to listen. All we’ve seen and heard. They will be able to take their place as the leaders of Vii. They will stop the fighting. They will prevent it from happening again.’
“If they would only care to. They’ve had the power all along, but what I’ve learned of ‘cats? They don’t care.” Braden crossed his arms as he locked eyes with Treetis. The two stared unblinkingly. Braden’s eyes started to burn, until he thought he couldn’t continue. Treetis blinked and looked away.
‘Maybe so. We’ll convince them to care, because if the ‘cats do it right, human minions will bring us food for all eternity.’
“That’s crazy talk,” Braden replied, shaking his head.
Treetis smiled as he looked into the distance. Not so much, he thought.
Braden looked at his empty hovercar. No one wanted to undertake the journey again, least of all Braden. With Bounder and Strider’s assurance that they would watch the twins, he headed out alone with a doe and small buck strapped on the outside. The afternoon sun was already blazing.
He hoped that he’d arrive before nightfall. He didn’t want to stumble around in the dark trying to figure out where everyone was.
His mood improved as he engaged with the AI.
“Holly, back on Earth, what was the relationship between Hillcats and humans?”
“There were no Hillcats on Earth. They had a much smaller domestic cat and then some very large wild cats. There were a few in between, but only the domestic cats held sway. They were of the same breed as the small, non-sentient cats on Vii,” Holly explained. Braden chewed the inside of his cheek as he listened. The ‘cats had been giving hints for as long as he could hear them that they intended to take over.
He had always thought that was just talk, because ‘cats could never organize themselves or agree on anything. And then there were the times when they were so lazy, they couldn’t be bothered to get out of the way of a stampeding Aurochs.
“Humans fawned over their cats. There are records of competitions where the cats would be put on display and those with the finest traits would win great acclaim.”
“So humans always did what their cats told them, even when the cats weren’t sentient, or maybe we only thought they weren’t. I’m going to have to think on this, Holly.”
Braden tried to recall the fragments of conversation he’d gotten from G-War so he could piece it all together. Where had they been? More importantly, where were they going? He leaned back and disappeared into his own thoughts until he fell asleep.
‘Master Braden has returned,’ Aadi declared. The hovercar approached in the twilight, slowed, and stopped. The doors remained closed. No one got out as the ‘cats started to yowl at the smell of mostly fresh meat, partially cooked from the run through the desert in the daylight.
Micah hurried to the vehicle. Braden was slumped over in the driver’s seat. She activated the door and it popped open. He jumped, then pressed his hand against his chest. “Don’t scare me like that!”
“My looks scare you?” Micah said in a low voice.
“No.” He didn’t have anything better. He had just woken up.
“We better get dinner to the furries or they will get out of control.” Micah started undoing the bindings. Braden jumped out on unsteady feet, blinked to clear his eyes, and joined her. They each carried one carcass as ‘cats yowled and darted around their legs. One tripped Braden and he went down.
They pounced on the deer and he left them to it. Micah was able to get hers strung up, but barely, before getting mobbed.
“Treetis said something about mankind serving ‘cat-dom. And then Holly said that domestic cats have been doing that to humans since Earth.”
“I can’t imagine ever being a slave to ‘cats,” Micah said, looking quickly away from the meal they’d put out for the Hillcats.
“Me either!” Braden stated. “This is the last one, G. Make sure everyone knows that the next time they eat, it’ll be what they catch in the hills north of the Great Desert.”
‘They look forward to it. We were made to hunt,’ G-War growled in his thought voice. ‘And we were made to be pampered. It’s a balance that only ‘cats can maintain.’
“We used to have two children. Did you lose them?” Micah said, arms crossed as she wondered why Braden didn’t tell her that he’d left the kids behind.
“Bounder and Strider are watching them, along with a few ‘cats and a Tortoid. I think they’re safer where they are than traipsing around the desert.”
‘Tomorrow evening, we leave. The mountains themselves will bow to the pounding of our hooves as we cover more ground faster than ever before,’ Brandt claimed.
“Make sure you leave something in that field for next time. We’re going to come back through here, hopefully fairly soon, but we won’t be racing like this time. It’d be nice to take it easy, but then again, the Great Desert isn’t a place where taking it easy leads to a long life, unless you’re a Tortoid, that is, and then taking it easy is the only way to go.”
‘We will be ready when the time comes,’ Brandt replied.
“You are the greatest of all, Brandt Earthshaker, King of the Aurochs.” Braden bowed deeply and swept his hand in a wide arc until he smacked a furry body. “Oops. Sorry about that.”
An all-black ‘cat snarled at him and ran off when G-War hissed his dismay. ‘I can give him a hard time, but not you.’
“Thanks for coming to my rescue, G.”
G-War sneezed and walked away. Fea sat down, regal in her manners, and watched her mate go. ‘Sometimes, he needs you to stand up to him,’ she said softly. ‘I’m coming, my scruffy little love monster.’ She stood, tipped her head to Braden, and trotted after the Golden Warrior.
Braden wasn’t sure where he needed to take a stand. They were in the middle of the desert and focused on the same objective.
Getting to the other side.
Skirill and Zyena twisted around each other as they flew free.
‘It’s nice to play,’ Skirill said, choosing to speak over the mindlink that he and Zyena had solidified over the years.
‘You deserve it. So much has happened to bring you to this moment.’
‘The last time I saw Awkar and Teelech, they looked down on me, treated me like dirt.’
‘And now they fear you.’
‘I’d like to think they respect me,’ Skirill replied. ‘We are going somewhere incredible, all of us, and that means the Hawkoid Nation, too.’
‘Dragging them through the dirt and dust of the land, until they see where you’re taking them. Only then will they fly again.’
‘Where we’re taking them, my beautiful creature who hails from the star in the sky.’
The Hawkoids continued their display of aerobatic prowess.
‘Do you see what I see?’ Zyena asked.
‘Fat rabbits who have spent their lives becoming a proper meal for hungry Hawkoids?’
‘Exactly.’ Skrill turned into the wind and slowed nearly to a stop, before tucking his wings back and diving. Zyena was right beside him as they arrowed toward their unsuspecting prey. The Hawkoids reached a magnificent speed. They crashed into the rabbits simultaneously, killing the creatures by virtue of the impact alone.
Their curved Hawkoid beaks tore into their prey, ripping the flesh, which they threw back and gulped down.
The net flew straight up in the air. Zyena reacted first, jumping and beating her wings one time before the net fouled her, and she fell back to the ground.
“I’m going to be rich because of this pair!” a young woman called, barely old enough to be considered such. She held her arms wide in triumph and smiled at the sky.
But First, Bring the Pain
Brandt shook his mighty head. Braden jumped back to avoid getting clocked by the massive horns.
‘We will cross the Great Desert as no one else can,’ Brandt bellowed.
“Can you cross it by yourselves after this?” Braden wondered.
‘Why do you ask? Are you not coming back?’
“You should be able to go where you want, without restriction. If the Aurochs can cross the Great Desert without any human assistance or interference, what would that mean for your people?”
‘Are you opening up all of Vii to the Aurochs?’ Brandt asked.
“It was always open to you, but you couldn’t get there because you didn’t know. Now you do. I don’t want any of your people to take unnecessary risks, but it is up to you where you go and what you do.”
‘Thank you,’ Brandt said far more softly than usual. ‘I will talk with my people. Maybe some will decide to stay in the north in the area you call Warren Deep.’
“If G-War has his way, then the ‘cats will be in place to help your people talk with mine.”
‘That would be best. I think there are some humans who would eat an Aurochs, if given the chance.’
“That is a bridge I hope we never have to cross. I would hate to see you bring the thunder and the pain.” Braden stroked his friend’s massive nose, seeing the scar where G-War had once embedded a claw to stop the King’s rampage when he was running out of control while the twins were inside the wagon.
Micah sat astride Brandt’s neck. The ‘cats were crouched on Aurochs’ heads throughout the herd.
“I’ll be with you the whole way. When the herd has to stop to drink, I’ll help with the spigots. If there are any problems, don’t hesitate to ask.” Braden looked away. He felt like he was cheating, being in the comfort of the hovercar while the others were outside.
Micah slid from her perch and landed lightly on the ground. “I’ll ride with you,” she told her partner. “Sorry, Brandt, maybe I’m getting too old to ride an Aurochs, but my backside hurts and we haven’t even started yet.”
‘I am not offended,’ Brandt replied in his thunderous voice. ‘My furry little friends will keep me company.’
‘For the time being,’ G-War suggested.
Brandt nodded once and worked his way into the desert. He started to run, slowly at first to let the herd fall in behind him. Twilight was coming. It was still warm, but would cool off with the darkness. Then, Brandt picked up speed, pounding quickly across the hard, dry earth.
Braden and Micah hopped in the hovercar and raced beyond them to get in front of Brandt, to lead him on the shortest path out of the desert.
In the morning, Braden and Micah were both asleep, cradled in the comfort of their hovercar seats. The sun peeked over the mountains to the east, declaring that morning had arrived. Braden opened one eye and realized that they were still traveling. He looked out the back window to find the herd running behind.
“How long to the lake, Holly?” Braden asked.
“I am sorry to say that it will be another three to four hours at this rate. The herd is slowing down.”
“I don’t blame them.” Micah yawned and stretched as much as she could within the confines of their vehicle. “I think they need to take a break and get a long drink.”
‘Brandt, I think you should stop the herd and make sure all of them get water,’ Braden said.
‘That would be welcome. It has been a long night.’
‘But we’re close. A few more hours and you’ll be in the north, a place with wide open land, filled with grasses and bushes.’
Braden stopped the hovercar, letting it settle to the ground before he and Micah climbed out. The herd settled in around them. Each barrel had a spigot from which a neighboring Aurochs could drink. None of them could drink from their own barrels without taking them from their backs. And there was no need. They each carried to support the herd. Crossing the Great Desert wasn’t something an Aurochs, or anyone, could do alone. Even Braden had a team when he crossed the first time.
“Drink what you need. There’s plenty for all,” Braden said. The ‘cats looked crossly at the humans until Micah filled a dish from the hovercar and went from head to head to let the ‘cats drink. They weren’t pleased that the water was warm, but they weren’t too vocal about that because they were hungry and Micah had nothing to feed them.
Which, of course, in ‘cat logic, was one hundred percent her fault.
Kacherin circled lazily in an updraft. “Where have they gone?” he screeched. He had intended to welcome the Hawkoids, Skirill and Zyena, to their nesting area, show them the whole flock.
None of the others knew.
“Then we must look for them.”
The others didn’t want to go. Kacherin flew at them, sharply banking before he ran into each. “What have we become?” he cried.
He made one more pass.
“We need them, to show us what we used to be.” The Hawkoid turned on one wingtip and dove toward the grasslands below. The others followed, but at a distance. They were afraid.
Hawkoids knew the unreasoning, irrational side of fear.
Kacherin was angry and felt the fear fade away as he picked up speed. He looked at the land and in his mind, he sectioned it off for exploration. He screeched as he flew.
There. A movement. He headed that way, rising higher into the air to stay out of the range of a human’s thunderstick. He screamed again and was answered by a muffled cry. A small wagon carrying two bundles being pulled by a young girl.
She didn’t carry a weapon. Kacherin dove at her, nearly knocking her down. She ducked and started to pull the wagon faster, but she couldn’t run. The wagon was too large, and she was too small.
The other Hawkoids flew in after seeing that there was nothing to be afraid of. They relentlessly bombarded the girl until she dropped the wagon and started to run. Kacherin landed on the cart and used his powerful beak to undo the knotted ropes.
The others returned after the girl had been driven off. A couple flew back and forth to keep her from coming back. The cart creaked under the weight as more landed and helped rip the bindings away. Skirill and Zyena blinked at the brightness when the covering was finally removed. They shook themselves free.
“I want to talk with her,” Skirill said ominously.
With the herd watered and the sun rising slowly in the air, it was time to get going. The mountains were clear in the distance. Not too much farther to go, but it wasn’t getting any closer while they stood there.
“Head out, Brandt. We’ll be right behind you.” The Aurochs started trotting. Braden and Micah ran to the hovercar, jumped in, and sat there.
“Holly?” Braden asked. “Why won’t the hovercar start?”
“Working on it,” Holly replied.
‘Could you please come back, Brandt? Not the herd, just you, if you would be so kind. It looks like we may need a ride,’ Micah said.
They waited. A single figure detached itself from the rapidly forming dust cloud and grew larger as it approached. The ‘cats were perched on the top of his head, looking unhappy.
“Catch up if you get it working, Holly. We’re out of here. Button it up so if anyone casually stumbles across it, they won’t be able to get inside.”
“I am despatching the bot from Oasis Zero Four to effect repairs. It will be a few days before the hovercar is operational again. I am afraid that you are on your own until then. Please accept my sincere apologies, Master President.”
“We’ll make do, Holly. See you when we see you,” Micah replied. They closed the doors to the hovercar and stood outside waiting for Brandt, King of the Aurochs.
“I feel like we should say a few words over the loss of our stalwart companion.” Braden twisted his mouth as he looked for the words.
“It’s a machine.”
“But I’ve spent a lot of time in it. It made this crossing less painful. We were able to bring food in, take people and friends out. All kinds of good stuff.”
“And it’s still a machine. If we lost Holly? That would call for words. The hovercar? Not so much. And it’s not lost. Holly will get it fixed. Don’t worry about it. You’ll get to ride in air-conditioned comfort once again. Come on. It’s time to go.”
Brandt slowed to a stop and dropped to a knee to allow Micah to climb aboard. Braden followed and off they went.
Brandt breathed heavily as he plowed through the rising desert heat. Micah looked worried when she made eye contact with Braden. Sweat was already streaming down her legs because of being in contact with the Aurochs.
‘I’m worried about all of them. Maybe we should wait until tonight?’ Micah said using her thought voice.
Braden nodded slowly. “How are you holding up, Brandt? What about your people? We can stop if we need to.”
‘There is no shade and we are almost out of water. Waiting will not be best. Next time, we need to go from oasis to oasis and run at night. I’m afraid that we are committed.’
“I’m sorry, Brandt. It looks like we’ve asked too much of your people once again.”
‘Not you, my friend. We knew what we were doing. The prince explained and asked if we would join his crusade. We believe in what he’s doing. Here we are, side by side with you all to make Vii a better place.’
“I thought it was shaping up.” Micah sounded apologetic. “The bigger the world becomes, the less we can control.”
“Maybe it’s the smaller that we make the world, the more we see. Looking at the vast distances and all the people, I think the world is a safer place. Still, what will it take to lift humanity onto that plateau called peace and prosperity?” Braden stopped to look at the two ‘cats. They were out of reach, but he wanted to touch the rough hair of his friend. “G-War has a plan. We’re with you all the way, buddy. You gave us a long time to try it our way. Now we’re trying it your way. The pure heart test was the catalyst to show us that it is possible to weed out evil before it becomes a cancer.”
‘It sees the light,’ G-War said, referring to Braden as he had for their first ten cycles together.
“Stay loose, Brandt, and hold the pace. We’ll be out of the desert pretty soon, and then you can graze and drink.”
The King of the Aurochs ran past the herd and took the lead. He could see their goal, but with each step, it didn’t seem to get closer. He clenched his jaws and encouraged his people to keep up.
The ‘cats started to yowl their misery at being exposed to the heat. The bulls and cows huffed and snorted. Foam flew from their mouths with their labored breathing. Their tongues stood out, dry and cracked, as they pressed on.
Braden closed his eyes, unable to watch the monumental efforts of the herd. Each step jolted through his body. Micah held her knees tightly against Brandt’s neck to absorb some of the impact. He squinted against the sun.
And the pain continued. No one was free of its grasp.
Zyena held the young girl down. Her terrified eyes looked through the female Hawkoid’s shadow. Skirill leaned close.
‘Why would you trap a Hawkoid?’
She looked back and forth to see where the voice was coming from.
‘Answer me!’
“Hawkoid feathers make the best decorations and the softest pillows. They are only good from a fresh kill.”
Skirill felt sick to his stomach. ‘Hawkoids are intelligent, just like humans. Would you kill your brother and use his hide for decoration?’
“Who’s talking to me?”
‘Me, a hand’s breadth from your face. I need you to take this word to every buyer or user of Hawkoid feathers. If we find you, we will finish you and take what is ours.’
Zyena let the girl up. She looked ready to run. Zyena took to the air and beat her wings to hover above the girl.
“But who knew you were intelligent?”
‘You do, and all of us. Stop this practice now.’ Skirill’s eyes bored deep into her.
The Hawkoid Nation took to the sky in an impressive display. The girl cowered beneath the shadows.
‘Go and tell the others. This stops or we will bring the fury of the skies down on their heads! GO!’
She turned and ran.
‘Fury of the skies?’ Zyena asked.
‘It was the best I could do. Braden is so much better at bluffing than I am.’
‘You mean Micah.’
‘Of course, my sweet,’ Skirill replied.
Skirill and Zyena led the Hawkoid Nation toward the lake. The great birds darkened the sky as they soared with their wings wide.
‘Ess! Zee!’ the twins called in their thought voices while they vigorously waved at the sky.
‘Axial and De’atesh. It is good to see you. We’d like to introduce you to our people,’ Skirill replied.
The twins continued to wave as the Hawkoids descended.
‘The others are not here yet?’ Skirill asked before flapping hard to regain altitude. It didn’t take long before he saw the herd. ‘I shall guide them in.’
Skirill turned toward the Great Desert, Zyena close on his tail. The rest of the Hawkoid Nation landed around the lake. Treetis moved from his perch before he got knocked off by the beating of so many wings.
Zyena overtook her mate and raced ahead, soaring high over the herd before turning and flying low. Skirill caught up and they flew wing to wing, turning slightly to the right of the direction that Brandt had been going. He altered course to follow.
‘This way will get you out of the desert sooner,’ Zyena told them.
With their old friends, the misery of the last leg within the desert wasn’t so bad.
The Plan, the ‘Cats, and Chaos
After three days of casual grazing and relaxing, the herd wasn’t yet ready to go, but the Hillcats were. They had disappeared into the woods, which would probably take years to recover. Braden wasn’t sure how far away the squirrels and rabbits had run to escape, if any had.
The ‘cats were happy to be free.
And that was when G-War realized he hadn’t told them when to come back. It had taken another full day before the ‘cats were recovered and waiting by the lake.
Ax and ‘Tesh were in continual motion. They could readily talk with any of the ‘cats, a gift from G-War, and that meant they were playing constantly. The prince had declared that should any harm come to the children, the offender would pay a heavy price.
But they were ‘cats and didn’t internalize threats for longer than a few heartbeats, which suggested they actually liked the twins.
‘We need to keep going. The longer we’re away, the more time there is for power to warp the minds of men,’ G-War said ominously, turning his head from one side to another as he took in the scope of his influence. The Aurochs, Hillcats, Tortoid, humans, and the entire Hawkoid Nation were waiting for Prince Axial De’atesh to give the order.
‘Then we should go,’ Brandt replied simply in his booming thought voice.
‘If I may offer an opinion,’ Aadi started slowly. The others turned to face the floating Tortoid. ‘I believe the Golden Warrior is correct. We are on a mission to bring a lasting peace to this land. Time waits for no one!’
“Says the one who is two hundred years old,” Braden said. “Are your people sufficiently recovered from the run through the desert?”
Brandt’s thought voice disappeared as he talked with his herd. When he returned, the decision had been made. ‘We are ready to go.’
‘We are ready to help you see the way ahead, clear the way ahead. With the help of our friends the Hillcats, we can stop the capture of Hawkoids and start the acceptance of all Vii’s people,’ Skirill added, sounding more like Brandt and Aadi than ever before.
‘We have been with you since we came from space. Nothing will change that now.’ Bounder stood and shook. He looked at the ‘cats and sneezed.
“What are we waiting for? Mount up and let’s get going. We’ll skip past Whitehorse. I’m not sure how they would take the herd passing through.”
“Wouldn’t this be a good opportunity to show them the future of their world?” Micah suggested.
Braden stood and kicked a rock into the small lake. The stone splashed, and the water rippled outward. “We have changed the face of Vii, changed it to something that it used to be, but that it has never been. We are on the verge of once again opening the universe to the people. If G-War isn’t successful, we’ll never be able to take the next step because there will always be someone trying to hold us back. It started when we came ashore in Trent, when I didn’t understand what G-War wanted. Now, look at what he’s accomplished! Hillcats, Aurochs, Hawkoids, Wolfoids, Tortoids, and humans, standing shoulder to shoulder to bring peace!”
Braden threw his hands up. Few of the ‘cats were watching him. Many had curled up and closed their eyes. Brandt tossed his head. Skirill and Zyena jumped into the air to fly the short distance to land on his horns, be closer to their friends. G-War and Fea were already perched on his head.
They were ready to leave.
“If only the Rabbits and Lizard Men were here to bring together all the sentient races. Everyone needs to have a seat at the table and a say in our future. But it starts by keeping those who would ruin our future from doing exactly that. We are treading on fragile ground. When will a person’s thoughts become actions? When will we need to act, and what will that look like? The ‘cats know. I trust them to help us to understand.”
‘You should trust us, and you shouldn’t trust us. Wait until Ankhmar. All will be decided there,’ G-War told them. The group spread out, finding Aurochs willing to carry them. Bounder and Gray Strider moped from one to another, looking for a cow with a flatter back where the Wolfoids might better crouch. Braden felt for them, sorry that the hovercar had not yet arrived, but there was nothing he could do.
He shrugged and climbed onto Brandt’s back. Micah was there already. Braden had no problem wrapping his arms around her waist and holding her close.
The twins and their two ‘cats climbed onto Bandria. Neeson had partnered with a young bull. The ‘cat was too big to ride on the Aurochs’ head, but thanks to the wonders of Old Tech, he was fully recovered and probably more so. He said that he was bigger than before, when he had already been one of the largest ‘cats.
He owed the humans his return to strength and didn’t take that lightly.
Some of the other ‘cats were along because they’d been bored. Halfway through the Great Desert, they regretted their decision but were too lazy to hike back on their own. G-War promised them that the humans would bring food for each stop. And the humans let the Gila Monster eat most of it.
G-War had told them to quit their whining. Neeson had to rough up a couple of the loudest complainers. The roar of discontent had subsided, and a fragile ‘cat truce had been declared.
“If you would be so kind, please, take us to Whitehorse, Brandt.” Braden waved his arm in the air and pointed west.
Skirill and Zyena launched themselves from the great king’s horns and flew in the direction Braden had indicated. Hawkoids filled the sky as they flew in a loose formation, being the eyes and ears of G-War’s army.
Jocelyn, the raven-haired governor of Jefferson City, Warren Deep’s capital and the only major city to survive the civil war, sat astride her horse. A small contingent of advisors were nearby.
Her daughter Leah trotted her stallion in a circle while her mother watched.
“Why aren’t we going?” the young girl asked impatiently.
“I’m thinking through the conversation we just had in Cameron. I don’t know what the people want as they asked for such a variety of things. I suspect they are up to no good. That’s the second time, which means that I have to do something about it.”
“I know what that means—more time trapped inside.” Leah sulked.
“More time to focus on your lessons. We can’t have you unable to read. We can’t have any children who aren’t able to read.” Jocelyn had been firm raising her daughter, even though managing the people’s affairs took the majority of her time.
“What’s that?” Leah pointed south, where a massive flock of birds darkened the sky.
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“I think our friends have returned,” Leah said before spurring her horse onto the road and racing south.
“Wait!” Jocelyn knew that she couldn’t hear. She bolted after her. The advisors were jerked from their reverie and encouraged their mounts to catch up.
Jocelyn couldn’t catch her daughter until the young girl slowed. She turned toward her mother and smiled. Jocelyn was not happy. She had prepared a proper scolding as she rode, but Leah interrupted.
“I hear them, Mother. Our friends are returning.”
“Which friends?”
“Braden and Micah, of course. The great flyers are with them.”
“You mean the Hawkoids?”
The young girl nodded emphatically.
Jocelyn added to her daughter’s smile with one of her own. “What are we waiting for?” She tapped her mare’s ribs with her bootheels and the animal broke into a trot. The group headed south. “Please tell them that we’ll meet them soon.”
The governor didn’t know how her daughter was able to talk with the sentient creatures. She only knew that she could, and that made her special in the best possible way.
‘The governor wants to meet with you,’ G-War said dryly.
“How does she know we’re here?” Braden wondered.
‘Sometimes I wish you would think before you speak,’ G-War replied. ‘Accept that she knows you’re here and prepare yourself to meet her, which takes no preparation at all. I don’t know why I told you. You’re going to meet her on the road before we get to that dirty little town.’
“He means Whitehorse,” Micah clarified.
Braden hesitated to ask questions. “I hope they are doing well, but I have to wonder what they are doing down here.”
Micah wondered that as well. She hoped they hadn’t found themselves in the middle of another power struggle. Maybe they were too late and had already missed the window of opportunity to stave off future wars. Her hand went to the hilt of her ever-present sword.
“I don’t want to get into the middle of a fight. I left my bow in the hovercar along with the recharger for our blasters. Until it can join us, we are limited in what we can do.”
“Don’t think the worst,” Micah said unconvincingly, although neither of them could do anything but.
The Aurochs herd moved slowly across the grasslands. The Hawkoids flew in small groups, but still as one. The ‘cats were hyperaware of their surroundings.
“It feels like we’re heading into battle. G, are you sensing an ambush?”
‘No,’ the ‘cat replied calmly. ‘We are appropriately intimidating. No one will cause us any problems, but into the vacuum we leave, others will rush. This could be good or bad. I will have to think on it and observe how the humans react.’
“You won’t be alone. We’ll be watching, too, and I used to be good at reading people. I’m going to have to resurrect that skill, I think.”
Micah nodded while she watched the shadows for movement, still not sure of what they were getting into.
‘The humans are on the road, five on horses,’ Skirill said, sharing the image in his mind with the others. ‘We see no others.’
The King of the Aurochs ran faster, pounding the ground to make it shake. The rest of the herd followed suit. The Hawkoids flew in an ever-widening circle around the waiting group. Brandt slowed to a walk. Across a broad front, the Aurochs cleared the trees and approached the road.
Leah leapt from her horse and ran toward the greatest of the creatures. G-War ran down Brandt’s face and jumped to the ground. The young girl dropped to a knee so she could be face to face with the ‘cat. Fea joined her mate.
The horses skittered and pranced at the sight of the herd, but when they stopped, the horses calmed.
Jocelyn was never alarmed. She slowly dismounted, handing the reins to one of the others.
Micah leaned forward until she could grab one of Brandt’s horns. She swung agilely off his wide neck and landed lightly on the ground. Braden mirrored her movements.
“What brings you down this way?” Braden asked without preamble.
“I could ask you the same thing,” Jocelyn countered as she offered her hand. First Braden and then Micah took it.
“You could,” Braden replied. “We’re here because G-War is on a mission to save humanity from itself. We believe in his cause, but it’ll take the resources of all the Hillcats. That’s where we’re headed. Or, in other words, business as usual.”
Jocelyn laughed easily, her voice musical.
The twins had climbed down from Bandria and now ran toward the newcomers.
“I’m Ax and this is my sister ‘Tesh,” Axial told them. They two stood and watched the older child and the adults.
“Hi,” was all Leah said. Jocelyn introduced herself.
“I don’t think it could have been more opportune in having crossed paths. I’m doing some humanity-saving myself. At least that’s what I think I’m doing.”
‘Your concerns are well-founded. We will go with you and resolve them on our way to Ankhmar.’
“What?” Braden said, suddenly alarmed. “How do you know that?”
“I’m sure I can answer that,” Jocelyn replied. “There’s a group that is upsetting free trade by charging fees and strong-arming those who won’t pay.”
Braden frowned. If anything galvanized Braden to action, it was the interruption of trade. “Do you need our help?”
‘It’s like I’m not even here,’ G-War said, looking at Braden. The Hillcat sat and exposed a paw full of long claws.
“Sorry, G. You already said we were going. What do you say we get to it, Jocelyn.”
She nodded before helping her daughter back onto her horse. Jocelyn climbed into the saddle of her own mount and motioned for her advisors to follow.
They hadn’t said a word the entire time, and Jocelyn hadn’t introduced them. Braden wondered about that, but not for long.
‘She does not trust them, but we’re in the process of fixing that right now.’
“I told G-War that I was behind him the whole way. That means I have to have faith that what he’s doing is best for us all. And I do. It feels like a weight is off my shoulders. I’m going to sit back and enjoy the scenery more.”
Micah looked at him. “Of course you are.”
Braden’s thoughts were troubled as he wondered about the curious advisors whom Jocelyn kept near but didn’t trust, and what G-War was doing about it.
Who is in charge?
Five horses with riders led the way as a herd of Aurochs followed.
‘It is killing you not to ask, isn’t it?’ G-War wondered. Braden started to laugh.
“I appreciate that you appreciate that I haven’t asked.”
‘Two of my people are working the minds of the advisors. The good news is that they are not bad people, only self-serving. As ‘cats, we understand that mindset, but humans have to be less so. We have our volunteers who will join Jocelyn’s group. Her advisors will now be Servial and Alcatrix.’
“Does she know?” Braden raised one eyebrow. “Will ‘cats be in all the positions of power throughout the known world?”
‘Was there ever a doubt? And yes, Jocelyn knows. Alcatrix will also serve as her bodyguard, joining her as soon as we stop. The governor has agreed to feed her well and provide cushions for her to lie upon in sunny places throughout the rebuilt governor’s mansion.’
“They rebuilt the mansion?”
“We did leave a bit of a mess last time we were there,” Micah offered.
‘I think I may have had something to do with that…’ Brandt’s booming voice joined the group conversation.
“We appreciate your efforts to come to our rescue.” Braden affectionately slapped the bull’s side.
‘We didn’t do the building any favors, either,’ Bounder added.
“Between lightning spears and rampaging Aurochs, it’s surprising there was anything left at all.”
‘Ergo, the need to rebuild.’ G-War looked sound asleep as he and Fea lay curled up together on Brandt’s head. But their minds were actively engaged as they coordinated their takeover of the known world.
“The price of lasting peace is a soft bed and a good meal.” Braden looked perplexed as he contemplated the ‘cat’s approach. “Is that all it takes? Micah and I have been doing it the hard way, and the wrong way?”
‘Relax, human,’ G-War started. ‘Once power becomes its own goal, then the only way is the hard way. You have created the conditions whereby we can keep the peace, before power for its own sake takes hold again. We couldn’t delay any longer.’
“We were enjoying too much of the peace to keep it,” Micah suggested. “Weren’t ‘cats already in positions where they could influence the direction of humanity?”
‘We need more ‘cats in more places, and they need clear direction. Too many ‘cats can’t be bothered with the affairs of humans. That’s why they need to have their world rocked. They need to answer to me, and then they will do what needs to be done.’
“You are the best friend anyone could ever ask for, G,” Braden said as he hugged Micah tightly.
‘Don’t try to pet me. I will scratch you.’
“When you least expect it,” Braden promised.
Aadi held on to Brandt’s short tail and bounced along too close behind the great king. ‘This is most undignified,’ the Tortoid finally said.
Braden found a length of rope and tied it around his waist. The group waited for a moment while Aadi shifted position.
“Better?”
‘Yes. Thank you,’ Aadi replied.
Whitehorse was winding down from whatever the day held for it. Late afternoon saw the people heading for their homes or standing about making small talk. The sight of the governor leading a herd of Aurochs, a creature that had been previously unknown in the north until Braden and Micah appeared with Brandt pulling their Old Tech wagon, gave them pause.
The herd made everyone stop what they were doing to watch.
‘Maybe you keep the herd outside of town?’ Micah told Brandt.
Brandt relayed the instructions to his people while he closed the gap, joining those on horseback as they entered the town. He made the streets seem narrow, but they could handle carts and wagons of Whitehorse’s expanded trade.
Jocelyn raised a hand to stop, tying her horse at the post near the front of the former government building. Micah climbed down from Brandt, and Braden followed. She looked at him knowingly. Braden grimaced.
“We shed a lot of blood doing it the hard way.”
“Remember the wise words of a certain prince,” Micah replied with a wink. She wasn’t bothered at all. When someone threatened her, she dealt with it. Woe to those who would do violence to the president.
Braden nodded. He felt like he was in the river again, hanging on for the ride as the raft raced down the rapids. Hang on, he told himself. It’s not out of control.
Two multi-colored ‘cats joined Jocelyn, rubbing their bodies against her legs. She saw it as affection. ‘Cats saw it as marking their property. Braden didn’t explain it to the governor because it wouldn’t change anything.
“You’re here to deal with an upstart,” Braden said.
“Yes. Let’s see how they respond to our show of force.” Jocelyn wasn’t a fan of flexing her muscles. She saw the destruction that her now-dead husband wrought by flaunting his physical power over the people. She looked warily at the Wolfoids, who were walking upright and carrying their lightning spears. “Maybe we’ll gauge their response to intelligent creatures who aren’t human first.”
Nearly all of the ‘cats had climbed from their Aurochs mounts and walked into Whitehorse. Jocelyn shook her head, but continued on her mission. Servial reassured her that all would be well.
“I don’t know why, but I find it comforting to have you in my head,” Jocelyn said out of the blue.
The others knew exactly what she was going through and with whom she was talking.
“Are you guys feeling the love?” Braden asked the advisors.
“I don’t know what you mean,” one of the men replied.
“Do you think our mission here will be successful?” Micah clarified.
“I’m sure that our mission was always going to be successful. I’m not sure about now, but we’ll see.” The man looked at the menagerie that accompanied the governor. Alcatrix strolled by, stopping momentarily to drive a long claw into the man’s calf. He yowled in pain and started hopping on one leg. He tried to kick the ‘cat, which only earned him a face full of anger and two long scratches down each arm.
“Stop goofing around and come on!” Jocelyn growled. The man had the wherewithal to stop complaining. He shied away from Alcatrix. The ‘cat darted toward him and he almost fell over before the ‘cat, with tail held high, trotted away.
As the advisors moved together, almost shoulder to shoulder, Braden and Micah forced their way between them. G-War and Fea walked close by.
“A new group of advisors is in town, boys. You’ll support the governor or there will be grave consequences.” Braden slapped the injured man on the back and with a hearty laugh, picked up his pace to catch up with Jocelyn.
G-War tripped a different advisor. He stumbled and fell. G-War jumped out of the way to keep from getting landed on. “Come on, G, that was just mean.”
‘I’m making a point. I’d like them to change their attitudes, but they are taking too long. They need a proper dose of fear.’
“Do they have it?” Braden wondered aloud.
‘Not yet, but almost.’
Jocelyn powered through the town square, trying to smile and wave, but she was singularly focused on the task at hand—reining in an upstart.
Braden suspected the ‘cats were helping her focus. They were probably hungry and wanted to eat, but knew they wouldn’t get anything as long as Jocelyn was distracted.
Micah held Leah’s hand to make sure the young girl stayed out of the mix. Brandt loomed over the group. The advisors cast furtive glances his way and at the Wolfoids who stayed near Micah and Braden.
‘I do not like this place,’ Bounder said.
‘This used to be the last safe place in Warren Deep, but when they stole from me, G-War and I went south,’ Braden replied.
Before Bounder could answer, Jocelyn stormed up to a door where two burly men stood. They blocked her way. ‘Cats swarmed around them.
“Hey!” Braden exclaimed. “I recognize you.”
From a window to the side, an old man stuck his face out. “There’s nothing for you here, little girl.”
Micah bristled, but Braden held her back. “This isn’t your fight, but if it needs to be, we’ll jump in. This guy owes me.”
Micah nodded while baring her steel.
“You owe me eight platinum, old man. I’m here to collect your debt,” Braden called.
“I’m here to stop your interference with my directives.” Jocelyn glared at the old man. The guards continued to block the way.
‘Move,’ Brandt boomed. The humans winced and cleared a path between him and the door. He pawed the ground and started to charge. The men’s courage failed them, and they dove out of the way. Brandt slammed into the door, ripping it from its hinges and sending it flying into the house. The doorframe was twisted from his horns, which didn’t fit through the gap. Brandt backed away.
‘Cats with claws out stood over the men. The two didn’t move. Aadi let go of the rope and hovered peacefully.
Jocelyn strolled through the opening and turned left, heading for the room where she’d last seen the old man. Servial and Alcatrix followed her.
Braden smiled. “I like this new arrangement.” They remained outside, waiting.
Bounder and Strider loped around the side of the house, spears slapping the ground as they ran. A shout suggested the quarry had tried to escape. Braden and Micah walked around the house to find the old man against the wall, Wolfoid spear tips pressed against his chest, and Jocelyn standing with her arms crossed.
“You owe me eight platinum,” Braden reiterated as they approached.
A focused thunderclap sounded from the other side of the house. Braden took one step and stopped. If anyone needed help, they’d call for it.
“Well?” Braden leaned close.
“I don’t owe anyone anything.” The man thrust his chin out in defiance. Bounder pulled his spear away, reversed it, and slammed the butt end into the man’s forehead. The old man’s knees buckled and he slumped to the ground. Jocelyn reached down to help him up.
‘Stop!’ Alcatrix commanded. ‘It’s a trick. He has a knife.’
The ‘cat jumped in and slashed the man’s wrist. When he pulled his hand away, a small knife fell from numb fingers. Alcatrix continued her attack with two quick slashes before walking away.
‘It is done.’
Jocelyn’s mouth hung slack as she looked at the widening pool of blood beneath the old man’s body.
“You don’t kill anyone without my authority!” she declared.
‘This is where we see what you do not. That man would forever be a cancer to everything he touched. It is better this way, and that is why you will have to trust that we have humanity’s best interests in what we do. If you approved what we did, then you would be responsible. The Hillcats have relieved you of that responsibility and in the end, humanity will be better because of it,’ Servial explained while Alcatrix calmly groomed her face.
Bounder and Strider stood with their spears facing the sky. Braden shrugged and the four walked away, leaving Jocelyn and the two ‘cats to work out their issues.
When they reached the front of the building, they found the two men on the ground, blood dripping from their ears.
“They tried something?” Braden asked.
‘To their misfortune, yes,’ Aadi answered.
G-War and Fea were surrounded by Hillcats in poses showing a variety of ‘cat emotions, from complete indifference to mild interest. The two guards started to roll on the ground and grab their heads. G-War stared at them. When he looked away, they stopped moving.
“Did you just kill them with your brain?” Braden stepped back, eyes wide as he tried to understand what he saw.
‘If only…’ G-War lamented. ‘No. They needed to forget a couple things and remember a couple others. I think you’ll find them to be more amenable to being decent human beings now.’
The men struggled to their feet, swaying uneasily.
“They need you to help out in the market square,” Micah suggested. They nodded and staggered away.
Jocelyn appeared in the destroyed doorway, bracketed by two ‘cats. “Well then, I guess that’s that.” She looked at the three men who were her advisors. “I’m putting you three in charge of recovering the property that he took from the people of Whitehorse. Return it to them. Retain ten percent for the government, which I expect you’ll be able to find in property that has no owner.”
She didn’t bother to make any threats. The ‘cats would oversee the recovery. She wouldn’t have them closer than she found comfortable.
Leah and the twins were sitting on the ground and watching. Surrounded by Hillcats, she was talking and gesturing.
The Wolfoids returned from behind the home. Aadi floated near Braden and Micah. Brandt snorted. G-War and Fealona stood, shook themselves, and walked away.
“I guess we’re leaving?” Braden asked.
‘Our work here is done, and we must get to Ankhmar.’
“We’ll be leaving you now,” Braden told Jocelyn. “It was great to see you. Maybe next time, we won’t leave any dead bodies behind.”
“Maybe,” Jocelyn said sadly, before brightening and smiling widely. “Until next time, when we can simply celebrate living in a better world.”
“That is the hope,” Micah replied.
‘That is the plan,’ the Golden Warrior added.
Ankhmar
The carcass from the side of water buffalo sat near the firepit. The small amount they’d carved off for the humans and the Wolfoids cooked quickly over the small fire. The ‘cats had ravaged the rest. Most of them were still sleeping off the food coma.
The Hawkoids had also helped themselves to the water buffalo, and they too were sleeping it off. They filled the trees surrounding the camp.
Jocelyn had been kind enough to purchase the meat for the group, although Braden tried to pay for it himself. As she said, friends buy presents for friends. They had accepted and all had benefitted from her generosity. The Aurochs had cleaned out much of the scrub along the road north out of Whitehorse, the way to Cameron.
“We’ve quite the mob,” Braden said softly when he saw Micah’s eyes were open. They were awake early, but they weren’t the only ones.
G-War’s eyes glinted in the pre-dawn light. The ‘cat’s mind was racing. Today was the day he’d confront the rest of his people. Fea rubbed her body against his. He finally closed his eyes and leaned into her.
“I think he’s learned the burden we carry. It’s hard to be in charge. Everyone looks to you for answers and most of the time, you don’t have them,” Micah said softly.
“All the time. We make it up as we go.”
“Do we?” Micah asked. “You have more of a plan than you let on.”
“Are you in my head again?”
“Always, but you keep your secrets buried.”
Braden kissed her on the cheek before throwing off his blanket. He found a Wolfoid tail too close to his face. He pushed it away before standing and stretching. Bounder rolled over, smacking his lips as if dreaming.
Aadi floated serenely nearby, eyes closed and legs dangling.
Brandt snored loudly. Other Aurochs joined him in snorting and wheezing.
“I’m not sure I like sleeping on the ground,” Braden said.
Micah nodded. “I know that I don’t like it, but it’s part of the deal. Until we can have places throughout the land for travelers to stay, it’s the ground.”
“More construction bots?”
“Maybe that’s the answer. Let Old Tech work for us.”
“Old Tech is already working for us. I know that it’s time for Old Tech to work for everyone else too, especially if the ‘cats can help keep people from subverting it. We can’t have another war. We just can’t.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Micah replied.
Braden turned toward the scruffy orange and black ‘cat. “Come on, G. Let’s get this menagerie on the move. It’s time to face your people.”
‘Yes,’ G-War answered. ‘It is time.’
The rolling hills signaled the entrance to Ankhmar, the home of the Hillcats. Having fed and rested, the Aurochs herd made short work of the trip. Early afternoon found them dismounting. The ‘cats were nervous.
Some yowled while others remained on their Aurochs, hesitant to jump down.
G-War was at the end of his patience. ‘Get down here,’ he commanded. There was no hint of a conversation. Slowly, the ‘cats complied, gathering in a loose semi-circle around their prince and his mate.
Braden, Micah, the twins, the Wolfoids, Brandt, and Aadi remained behind the group. Braden and Micah checked their blasters, dialing them to narrow beams, so that just in case they had to use them, they wouldn’t burn the forest down. The Wolfoids checked their spears. Klytus and Shauna leaned against the twins, as much to give their support as to get it. Aadi watched as he usually did, not wasting his words on small talk.
‘We will go up there, where they have no use for our sort because we have chosen to rejoin the world. But the time of ‘cats keeping to themselves has come to a close. We have a role to play, the biggest role of any of Vii’s creatures, and that is to guarantee the peace. We’ve seen the world destroyed because we didn’t answer our calling. We cannot allow that to happen again. Humanity is destined for great things, as long as we let them.’
A few of the ‘cats stretched, exposing their claws and raking the ground. Klytus’s hackles raised while Shauna puffed her hair, making herself look bigger than she was. She growled low in her throat. Others took up the call. G-War looked from face to face, gauging if any would lose their courage if it came to a fight. He saw some who were afraid, their eyes and pupils wide.
‘Follow me,’ G-War said unnecessarily. He turned away from the group and headed uphill. ‘Where are you all going?’
‘We are in this with you, big man. We’re not staying behind.’
A hundred wings beat the air as the Hawkoid Nation took to the sky. They climbed and ominously circled the hillside.
Even Brandt followed, weaving his way along the widest path between the trees, working his head back and forth so his massive horns didn’t get caught on the trunks.
‘Hear, hear!’ Aadi called over the mindlink.
‘It smells like ‘cats in here,’ Bounder grumbled. Strider chuckled softly.
‘That’s the drawback when one travels with ‘cats. I expect they would say that it smells like Wolfoid. It took me two turns to get dog smell out of the hovercar. Don’t ever go in there again if you’re wet.’
‘Your unrefined human senses do you a disservice. As big as your noses are and you can’t smell the difference between aromatic musk of a Wolfoid, a dog, and ‘cat stench,’ Bounder replied.
‘Don’t make me come back there,’ G-War interjected.
“Is that really a thing?” Braden whispered to Micah. “What would he do if he came back here?”
Micah pointed at the white scar on Braden’s forearm where the Golden Warrior had emphasized the pain Braden had put him through.
“What? He’d physically punish me? Even my parents didn’t spank me.”
‘Maybe they should have,’ G-War replied. ‘Now stop thinking so loudly. You’re distracting me.’
Braden smacked his lips as if getting ready to say something, but he didn’t. Micah touched his shoulder as they walked, while keeping her other hand on her blaster. Braden did the same. G-War was right again. They didn’t need to be distracted.
At the top, they’d find the Hillcats, or as they were known by some humans, Hellcats, for the ferocity of their attacks on prey. Braden had seen G-War kill too many humans. Without remorse, he had ended their lives. Braden had done it too, as had Micah. If the Golden Warrior was successful, they wouldn’t have to do it again. That made it all worthwhile.
They could raise their children in a world without such violence. Braden’s eyes narrowed as he took in his surroundings. Exceptional clarity came to him as his body prepared for battle. He could see the smallest details, classifying them as threat or no threat, safety or danger. He changed the way he moved, staying on the balls of his feet. Micah mirrored his movements as the tension grew.
G-War was first to enter the area where the Hillcats made their homes. Five ‘cats stood shoulder to shoulder. No others were in sight.
‘Watch yourselves,’ G-War called out. ‘There should be hundreds of ‘cats here.’
‘The wayward prince returns once again,’ an older voice broadcast over the mindlink. ‘You have no authority here. Take your mob of vagrants and leave.’
‘You know that I am Prince Axial De’atesh, and you know that I will not leave without that for which I came.’
Fealona stood by G-War’s side. Her muscles rippled and her head swiveled as she watched the trees for movement. She knew what ‘cats were capable of, the duplicity, the self-serving nature.
‘There is no challenge by combat anymore. There is no way for you to take control. We don’t believe what you believe, and that won’t change.’
‘What do I believe?’ G-War asked.
‘That we can live in the world of men. And other unsavory creatures, judging by those with you.’
‘And that is where you are wrong, and where you have led the Hillcats down a path where our true nature is denied. Allow yourselves to feel the freedom and power that ‘cats enjoy. Now is the time to take our position as the leaders of the world of men, as leaders among the sentient races of Vii.’
‘You even talk like them. It is most unbecoming of a ‘cat,’ the old voice spat in disgust.
G-War growled and his hackles raised. He slowly moved forward, turning sideways as he approached.
‘You would dare attack an old man?’ the ‘cat asked, no hint of fear in his voice.
‘I would dare cast you aside to live with your own shame. You have the ‘cats serving you when it is man who should serve us. You hold us back. Your dominance has ended.’
‘Has it?’ the old ‘cat said.
Braden’s arm raised of its own accord and a beam laced into a tree branch where a ‘cat had appeared. The newcomer snarled and jumped away. Micah fired in the opposite direction, denying another ‘cat the opportunity to loom over them.
Brandt bugled his dismay, shaking the trees with the power of his voice. ‘You will listen to my friend,’ the King of the Aurochs boomed over the mindlink.
“I’m not sure that was helpful,’ Braden whispered out the side of his mouth.
The Golden Warrior stopped his posturing and strode directly to the old ‘cat. When he reached him, his paw flashed, slapping the other in the top of his head. The old Hillcat winced, his ears back as he snarled. G-War slapped his head two more times and then ran into him, bowling the old ‘cat over.
‘I’m not going to hurt you, as long as you stay out of my way. Your time here is done.’ G-War stared down the other four members of the ‘cat ruling council. They each looked away.
Hillcats appeared from the bushes and trees where they’d been waiting. They formed a solid circle around the Golden Warrior and his army.
“Looks like we may be outnumbered,” Micah said as she assessed the situation. She removed her sword and held it in one hand with her blaster in the other. Braden pulled his second blaster and tried to pick a target, but his stomach churned at the thought.
“You are not our enemy!” he yelled.
‘My human is correct. We are not enemies. What you must know is that there is only one planet. Long ago, we came here with the humans and through their machines, they helped us realize a new level of intelligence. Then the humans tried to destroy each other. The Hillcats hid and survived. When we ventured out again, we found humanity struggling to survive. We decided to see if they were worth helping. And I was sent. I found this one, and through him, I have helped.’
Braden shuffled his feet as he contemplated G-War’s words.
‘And he has helped me, saving my life on more than one occasion. We were never meant to live apart from the humans. Our place is out there.’ G-War pointed with his head. ‘Our place is keeping the world from tearing itself apart, and no one can do it better than us. What is your purpose here? Herding water buffalo and doing nothing?’
The ‘cats watched G-War silently. Not a leaf rustled or a stray meow. Some of the ‘cats sat while the rest stood, tails twitching.
‘You have a purpose, and it isn’t here,’ Fea added.
‘What do you know?’ the old voice returned.
‘Nice try. I was here recently enough to know that you are destroying what ‘cats are all about. They don’t even know how to hunt,’ Fea sneered.
‘Who are you to tell them what is important in their lives?’
‘I am your prince. There was a time that meant something. But I am also the one who can see clearly. I’ve been to the sky and back. I’ve been to the bottom of the great sea and back. I’ve seen more of this world than anyone else, than most even know exists. It does put me in a position to understand what must happen. The old world is returning and with it, the old ways, which means war. Next time, we won’t be spared. Whether it is one cycle or one thousand cycles, war will come if we don’t stop it.
‘You will join me in returning to humanity. You will challenge those with evil in their minds. And you will prosper, soft beds on which to sleep, human servants bringing you food and water. All you have to do in return is keep the evil from rising to power. Find it, share it, and eliminate it.’
‘What if we don’t want to?’ a new voice asked.
‘You don’t want to make the world safe for your children?’
‘They are safe here.’
‘For the moment. Have you seen the world out there? If not, then you should listen to those who have. Burying your head to the truth does not change the truth.’
‘Go away!’ came an angry shout.
G-War turned to face the gathering. A pack of bold tom ‘cats trotted out, then more joined them, and then it was a flood.
“Oh, crap,” Braden muttered as he laced the ground in front of the runners with blaster fire.
‘NO!’ cried Shauna as she jumped into ‘Tesh’s arms, quivering.
‘You will not!’ Treetis declared and bolted into the middle of the mass. Neeson was close on his heels.
Two Hawkoids dove through the trees, swooping low. Fea and G-War jumped, landing on the feathered backs. The Hawkoids dropped, bounced off the ground, and beat hard to gain altitude. Their wings drove the incoming ‘cat mob away.
A pair of ‘cats jumped from the trees. With a swipe of his horns, Brandt batted them away. When they hit the ground, they ran in the opposite direction, having lost their will to continue the fight with a creature a hundred times their size.
Klytus snarled and pranced, bouncing sideways between the twins and the ‘cats of Ankhmar.
The Wolfoids hesitated, not wanting to start a fire with their lightning spears. Bounder swung his like a club. An incoming ‘cat dodged it and jumped. The Wolfoid caught the ‘cat in his jaws and threw it away, but not before it raked a line across his neck. Strider held the point of her spear downward, drawing a figure eight in front of her to hold the ‘cats at bay.
The great ‘cat melee was underway. Snarls and screams filled the air.
A Tortoid’s focused thunderclap boomed through the trees overhead.
The Great ‘Cat Rebellion
Skirill and Zyena circled, hammering the air with their wings to compensate for the weight of the ‘cats.
‘I feel it. There. Drop us there.’ With his mind, he showed Skirill the ‘cats inciting the fight. The toms next in line to lead the Hillcats wanted the status quo. The rest of the ‘cats didn’t care, but their willingness to fight showed that they could be driven to act. That was all G-War needed.
‘Ready, my love?’ G-War asked.
‘It’s time, my scruffy love monster.’
Skirill dove, and Zyena followed him through a narrow gap in the foliage canopy. He dodged, twisted, and flared. G-War jumped, landing between two ‘cats with similar coloring. Fea launched herself, rolling upside-down, but turning upright in time for her paws to hit the ground hard. She slid sideways before coming to a stop.
‘Hello, brothers,’ G-War said.
They didn’t bother answering. They pounced, but G-War was used to fighting. He dropped and launched himself beneath the two, slashing upwards to open the belly of one. The male hit the ground, shock on his face as the pain took over. He froze where he was. The other brother circled, keeping the injured ‘cat between him and G-War.
Fea squared off against a third tom.
‘I will kill you!’ he declared.
‘No, you won’t,’ Fea replied calmly. ‘You will try and for your efforts, you will die.’
She waited for him, knowing that he wasn’t half the fighter of her mate. Or her. She had learned while she’d been away. The ‘cats of Ankhmar didn’t know what it meant to be deadly. They had forgotten so much.
He reached in, tentatively, claws bared. Fea slapped him on the top of his head, without her claws. He dodged back and hissed.
‘You’re embarrassing yourself,’ she told him.
The Golden Warrior attacked from the side, slamming the ‘cat facing Fea to the ground where he straddled his neck and wrapped claws around his throat. ‘You shouldn’t threaten my mate,’ G-War said.
The prince’s brother attacked, but Fea caught him mid-jump. She pulled him to the ground, her claws embedded in his chest. She threw herself over his back, twisting and throwing him aside. He screeched in pain as his flesh tore.
‘Call them off and the humans will heal your wounds. They have that power. Don’t, and ‘cats will die here today. That will be the legacy you leave behind.’
The first of G-War’s brothers dropped to the ground and moaned long and low. The other brother hunched and cried.
‘End this,’ G-War ordered.
‘Do as Prince Axial De’atesh commands. He is the leader of all Hillcats,’ the brother broadcast.
‘Braden, I need you,’ G-War called.
Braden hesitated. ‘Cats continued to struggle, but one by one, they stopped. Some hissed as they backed away. They jumped from the human’s path as he started to run toward the Golden Warrior.
He slid to a stop and looked over the two ‘cats. The vicious gash across the belly was the worst. He rolled the ‘cat on its side and added copious amounts of numbweed to stop the bleeding and the pain. He broke out his needle and horsehair thread.
Micah looked to the other ‘cat. She placed numbweed into the claw marks. “He’s going to need a few stitches, too.”
Braden waited for the numbweed to work before carefully removing it and stitching slowly, taking care to only penetrate the skin.
‘Relax, my brothers. You are in good hands now, as is the entirety of our people. Together, we will rule Vii. Once you see for yourselves, you’ll understand. Until then, you will have to trust me. I have no stomach for giving orders. Once we reenter the world of humans, I will give one more and then each ‘cat will determine their own way to follow. I have my mate and a lake with a warm tree branch calling me. There are wild rabbits aplenty to fill my belly. That is the life I was meant for, as are all ‘cats.’
‘Not me!’ the old voice declared. He rushed toward G-War, who simply shook his head.
Treetis caught the oldster and dragged him to the ground. ‘Then you can stay here, but the rest of the ‘cats are coming with us.’
Fea rubbed her body on G-War’s.
Shauna jumped from ‘Tesh’s arms and ran to her father. Klytus loped alongside.
The twins tiptoed past ‘cats lounging throughout the area as if nothing had happened. Bounder and Strider held their spears before them. Aadi swam toward the King of the Aurochs.
‘I am happy that no one died today,’ Aadi said.
‘Me too, my friend. Fighting to keep the peace doesn’t seem right. Being willing to fight for it is important, but then the battle should be of wits and not horns and claws.’
‘Nicely stated, King Brandt. And that is the battle that the prince has won today for all of us.’
‘Thank you, Master Aadi. I have a question. Are we going to have to carry all these ‘cats?’
The Aurochs did not have to carry the ‘cats, as G-War later pointed out. They would ride their own herd of water buffalo, adding to the herds of men, which would then be used to help feed the ‘cats. From Breston and Seinhold in the north to Binghamton in the west, the menagerie traveled. ‘Cats were dropped off at each place to be the watchers of mankind. Braden and Micah convinced the humans to take them in, care for them.
Brandt, Aadi, and the Wolfoids were appropriately intimidating to encourage the humans to open their minds to the possibilities. ‘Cats started shaping minds wherever they went, stopping the evil before it took root, preventing the cancerous thoughts from becoming actions.
The Hawkoid Nation remained overhead, wherever the group went. “Are you all coming with us?” Braden asked.
‘No,’ Skirill replied. ‘We, too, concern ourselves with the affairs of men, and like the Golden Warrior’s people, we shall spread across Vii. If a message needs to be shared, we will carry it.’
In Cameron, the Aurochs herd walked through the city, nodding to the people as they went. Jocelyn met them before the governor’s mansion, offering a key to the city to Braden and Micah, who put it before G-War. With one paw, he swiped it aside until it clanked on the ground.
Braden picked it up and dusted it off. “‘Cats,” he muttered.
G-War’s brothers remained with Jocelyn and Leah. He challenged them to live up to their birthright. ‘You have the greatest opportunity to fail,’ he told them. ‘Or to succeed. The choice is in your hands. In all things, keep the peace.’
When they prepared to cross the Great Desert to the south, they found the hovercar waiting for them. The Aurochs herd numbered only twenty. The others had chosen to remain behind to help the ‘cats, and that meant helping the humans, too.
“Do we ride in comfort or with our friends?” Braden asked.
‘It’s hard not to take that personally,’ Brandt replied with a thunderous laugh.
“You were not made to be ridden.” Braden rubbed his behind, wondering if it would stop being sore.
‘We’re riding in air conditioning,’ G-War told them.
‘And us,’ Bounder said.
‘I wouldn’t mind either, but all of us won’t fit,’ Skirill said. Braden had lost count of how many Hawkoids were still with them.
“You are welcome to ride however you can, wherever you can. I think there won’t be any room for us, so we’ll be with the Aurochs.”
“What about those?” Micah asked, pointing to the piles of barrels which made the lake look like a junkyard.
“Maybe we send a bot after them, to reuse them as the bots like to do.”
Micah shrugged. “If we fill them, we can’t lift them. Maybe we carry them to Oasis Zero Three and drop them off with the bot.”
Braden looked at the number of barrels, grimaced, and nodded. “We better get to it. A human minion’s work is never done.”
‘That is correct,’ G-War agreed as he jumped into the hovercar and curled up in the front seat.
This is the end of Free Trader 8 – The Great Cat Rebellion
If you liked it, please leave a review – buyers look at books with a single digit number of reviews with skepticism, so please, drop a few kind words for the Free Trader:). And I’ll start Free Trader 9 as soon as I have at least ten (10) reviews of The Great Cat Rebellion.
The Free Trader will return in the ninth and final installment of the Free Trader!
Blurb:
The ‘cat is fed up with his human minions. Too much discontent. Too many malcontents. Not enough fresh meat. Drastic changes are in order, and the Golden Warrior decided that he was the right Hillcat to make them.
Can a single ‘cat rally his people to come to humanity’s rescue and guarantee the peace for all time? The Planet Cygnus VII will not be the same after this epic journey of the sentient races, a journey of discovery and friendship. Will friends support each other, even if they don’t understand why?
Join the Golden Warrior, Fealona, Braden, and Micah as they travel with friends and family from one end of Vii to the other.
Bonus Content!
My outline for Free Trader 8
Chapter 1 – reunion in Trent with Micah’s family. They take the Warden out to show her parents how the ancients did it. They fish and with Rex and the Dolphins’ help, they have their most successful catch ever (the Dolphins herd a school up the well deck – just like shooting fish in a barrel.
The cats start their planning and when the return ashore, they hijack a couple Aurochs. The word is passed and the Aurochs leave their pastures on a mission to support the ‘cats.
Chapter 2 – a massive ‘cat confab, all the ‘cats who came from the north with Fea. They decide that they need to talk with the others. They plan a dash across the desert. With a complicit contingent of Aurochs and the Hawkoids, the ‘cats head north through the Great Desert.
Braden is devastated without G-War constantly in his mind. The twins are distraught and implore their parents to find the missing ‘cats.
Skirill and Zyena, Aadi, and Brandt side with Braden and Micah. “It’s up to us to fix this.” “I don’t think we’re the ones who broke it. All of humanity is to blame.” “We need them, clearly more than they need us.”
Chapter 3 – Braden and the small gang gets intercepted by two Wolfoids, thin from running. Word had been passed and they weren’t going to let their friends go alone. Bounder and Strider expected that they could talk sense into the ‘cats as a disinterested, non-‘cat bonded species. As they consolidate and prepare for their run through the Great Desert, they find a straggly orange ‘cat waiting for them. Treetis, along with a young Tortoid – Daksha.
Chapter 4 – Holly is distraught because he can’t understand what’s going on with the ‘cats, and he can’t see them with any of his sensors, except when they traveled through the oases. He is able to track the Aurochs, but roughly. He sends a speeder (hovercar) and a security bot after Braden and Micah to protect them. He starts to come across as a little paranoid, because he can’t understand the ‘cats’ motivations.
Chapter 5 – the ‘cats make it to the north, bypass the towns on their way west, to the hills where the ‘cats have their community.
Braden and Micah are racing after them, always three days behind. They can’t close because even with the King of the Aurochs, the group with the ‘cats is maintaining their speed. The trip through the desert is mostly uneventful. The oases are starting to shape up. Three are fully functional and the fourth is under construction with the reservoir already partially active to service the new trade route between the north and south. They run across traders being pulled by water buffalo. Slow but steady wins the race.
Chapter 6 – the ‘cats reach the hills where the other ‘cats are (forget the name – look it up in FT5). G-War and Fea are not welcome. The fur flies as they try to convince the senior Hillcat leaders to join them in providing leadership to Vii’s sentient (so-called) species. The other ‘cats think that makes their argument for them that they should further distance themselves from humanity.
Braden and Micah race through Whitehorse and run across Governor Anderle’s wife. She joins her friends as they head west, going after the ‘cats to talk with them.
Chapter 7 – The ‘cats start setting up anti-human traps. G-War, Fea, and the hunters are less than amused by the low-grade obstacles that the non-violent ‘cats are throwing in the path of the humans.
Braden & Micah see the traps and swing wide around all of it to head up the hill from a different direction. They decide to make camp at the base of the hill and head up alone to meet with G-War, Fea, and the others. The twins beg to come, too so they can talk with Klytus and Shauna.
The ‘cats form a gauntlet so they can glare at the humans and pound them with negative thoughts. Braden and Micah power through it, but the twins, who are more sensitive, are tormented. Klytus and Shauna come to their rescue, abandoning the other ‘cats and the cause to be with their humans.
“One human at a time,” they reason and head down the hill with the twins. No one stops them. Braden and Micah wait, without saying a word, while the great cat squabble begins. So many voices. It’s chaos, but Braden and Micah hear it all, thanks to G-War.
Chapter 8 – The humans retreat, heading back down the hill. After consultations with Holly, and reluctantly, they go after the ‘cats’ food source, the herd of cattle in a valley beyond, stealing the herd and taking it farther to the west.
The ‘cats are outraged and go after them, en masse. A herd of ‘cats.
A race and some blood, but Braden won’t fight the ‘cats. The ‘cats don’t want to fight either when they think about it. They sit down around a big fire and butcher one of the cattle.
Chapter 9 -
Cygnus Rising
Bonus Content (First Chapter)
Cygnus Space Opera – Book 1
A Tale from the Free Trader Universe
takes place over 100 years after Braden & Micah’s adventures
Sample Chapter of Cygnus Rising
Chapter 1 - Fire!
Flames shot through the open hatch. Cain yelled, “Engineering’s on fire!” as the klaxons continued to scream, echoing down the corridor away from him. He sensed, more than heard the anguished cry.
The hatch was open. The automated fire suppression system had failed.
He ripped open the damage control panel and pulled the tank out. He threw it hastily over his shoulder, reached behind him with a well-practiced maneuver to start the flow of air, and wrapped the dangling mask across his face. He draped the fire hood over his head as he ran. He didn’t have time to put on the whole outfit. People he knew were dying.
He hit the flames of the doorway at a dead run. The intense heat scorched his bare forearms as he passed. He yelled into his mask as he slid to a stop in the middle of the space, looking for survivors. A Rabbit lay under a terminal, an ugly scorch mark cut across his white fur, leaving blackened hair around burned pink flesh underneath. The Rabbit moved – Briz was alive.
Cain slid him from under the melting terminal. The Rabbit was dense and blocky, half Cain’s height, but the same weight. Cain pulled an equipment cover off the back of a chair. He took it and wrapped it around the Rabbit’s head and over as much of his body as he could, then hefted him, trying not to touch the injury. Cain lumbered toward the hatch, ducked his head, held his breath, and jumped through the flames. He deposited the Rabbit in the passageway and raced back into Engineering. Ellie was in there somewhere.
He should have been alarmed that the flames didn’t seem to hurt as much this time. The next victim was a Wolfoid, horribly torn apart from the force of an exploded containment vessel. He saw something odd about the way the Wolfoid’s body, bigger than a human’s was laying on the floor.
A pink-fleshed hand snaked out from underneath the heavy gray fur. Without remorse, Cain heaved the Wolfoid’s shattered body to the side. Ellie was dazed, but seemed to be okay. The Wolfoid must have taken the full force of the rupture, protecting her. Cain’s breath caught as he looked at her silken black hair, the ends curled and brittle from the heat that had passed over her.
He pulled her to him as blue lights started to flash within Engineering, signaling the imminent flooding of argon gas into the compartment. He kneeled, rolling her from a sitting position over his shoulder. He stood without much effort. She wasn’t heavy and laid easily over his shoulder as he hurried for the hatch. The flames had died down somewhat, but he still ran through, hoping speed would keep them safe. Once through, he stopped, took off his hood and breathed deeply of the better air in the corridor. The hatch to engineering closed.
The klaxons stopped as someone helped Ellie from his shoulder. He looked at the closed hatch. Anyone still in the space would be denied oxygen, just like the fire. The argon gas was supposed to be flushed in a matter of seconds, but it would be too late. He was surprised that he didn’t know how many people worked in the space. Three? Four?
“Holy Rising Star, Cain! You shouldn’t have gone in there. Why the hell would you do something like that?” the Captain’s words were harsh, but his eyes were grateful. As the older man looked at the two survivors in the corridor, he added, “but I’m glad you did, son. Looks like you saved two lives, irreplaceable lives.”
The two Hillcats waiting for Cain and Ellie in the corridor couldn’t have agreed more. Carnesto yowled in pain as Ellie came back to her senses. The burns on her lower body attacked her with waves of agony. He put a furry paw on her head to help her through the worst of it.
Why had Cain risked knowing what his death would do to his ‘cat, to his family? He had no choice. It’s who he’d always wanted to be. It’s who he was. He’d spent his short life trying to live up to one man, the Space Exploration Service Captain who showed him how a hero acts.
Free Trader 9 – Return to the Traveler
The ‘cats have brought peace to the land, but too much sitting around is making Braden antsy. They decide to go back to the Traveler and see if they can wrest more of its secrets from the ship of the ancients.
Return to the Traveler will be the last of the Free Trader series. Maybe you’ll see some of Cygnus VII show up in the Lost 77 Worlds Universe. Standby for more, fellow gamers:)
Free Trader Book Nine – coming soon, exclusively on Amazon.
Postscript
If you like the Free Trader and would like to see the series continue, please join my mailing list by dropping by my website www.craigmartelle.com or if you have any comments, shoot me a note at craig@craigmartelle.com. I am always happy to hear from people who’ve read my work. I try to answer every email I receive.
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Thank you for reading the Free Trader!
Author Notes
I call the Free Trader my flagship series. It is my science fiction adventure series that I can escape to. I wrote it because I’m a fan of the roleplaying games designed by James M. Ward – Metamorphosis Alpha and Gamma World. That’s why the ship in this one is called the Warden, in honor of my friend Jim Ward.
Thank you to the best fans anyone could ever ask for! When I need anything while writing a story, they are here, ready to help.
In The Great Cat Rebellion, I wanted to capture what every cat owner knows, you don’t own anything. The cat tolerates you and you should be blessed to know why, but you’ll never find out because they can’t be bothered to tell you. So there.
Snarkamundo snarkiness with extra snark on top. I hope I didn’t go overboard with the ‘cats, but sometimes, your cat will look at you and make you shiver. You’ll lock your door to keep him from killing you in your sleep. And then he’ll stick is paw under the door and be annoying until you let him in. Then he’ll stroll in like he owns the place.
Or you. It’s just how cats are.
I know this was supposed to come out in 2017, but with the runaway bestseller success of the Terry Henry Walton Chronicles, I needed to stay with that series until it was finished. You will see Free Trader 9 – Return to the Traveler after I finish Bad Company 5. Free Trader 9 will be the end of the series since the Cygnus Space Opera picks up with the descendants of your favorite characters from the Free Trader.
What about Free Trader 9? That is going to be another action packed romp through the Traveler. High speed action with your favorite characters. Well, not Brandt. I couldn’t figure out how to get the greatest of all Aurochs on board the Traveler, or once there, how he would fit through any of the corridors, so he’ll have to hold the fort on the planet while the others return to space.
What secrets will they find? Holly knows all, but he doesn’t. They’ll be looking for what he doesn’t know, which he’s not sure he doesn’t know, but needs to confirm his lack of information by gathering more information.
Peace, fellow humans – I’ll see you back in Vii when the time is right.