and the last of the cat land short tails as my special early christmas present to my pals!!! The Scroll of Piper!!!! The Scroll Of Piper. In a gloomy room, lit by the gentle glow of a single candle, a large black cat searched carefully through a pile of ancient scrolls. His huge paws shifted scrolls, as his bright green eyes scanned each one for a hint of the information he was searching for. His name was Tux, and in time he would be known by a different name, a legendary name, but at this point Father Cat was still just Tux. Tux was an extraordinary cat, and he had a plan. The cats all lived in a place called The Mainland. The Mainland was filled with dangers, and cats were always being injured or worse by large dangerous animals, wild storms, and battles between different kingdoms of cats. Wild dogs roamed in the forests, and giant rats walked in the shadows at night. No cat was truly safe alone, all cats lived in fear of what could happen just around the corner. Tux had heard a legend, a tale of a tale that had once been told, long ago, in the murky depths of the past. He had researched and talked to many other cats, and finally after months of hard travels he found himself here. The tale he had heard told of a place, not too far from The Mainland, but far enough away it would be secure. Tux had traveled very far and had faced many perils and hardships along his journey, he did not want to leave this place without finding what he came here for. He searched through the pile of ancient scrolls, dust falling off them and staining his glossy black fur gray. He looked at the scroll in his paws, and carefully placed it aside. It wasnt the right one, but a scroll written by the great King Tiger was worth reading at a later date. There was very few scrolls left to look at, and Tux felt the beginnings of disappointment enter into his mind. He pushed the last of the scrolls off the desk as he saw the right one was not among them. He hung his huge furry head in sadness, and pounded his mighty paw against the old desk. Dust flew up, and settled around him as the desktop crumbled under his paw. He brushed his eyes clear and looked into the hole that had been opened on the desk. There inside was a single scroll, yellowed with age, sealed with a ribbon. He reached inside and carefully pulled it free. Blowing the dust away from it, he held it in the light cast from the wavering candle. Upon it was the name he had been searching for, and his heart raced as he finally held in his paw the tale the legends had spoke of. Here finally was an answer! As Piper ran off towards the river her mother yelled behind her. “Piper! You silly kitten, you stay away from that river!” Piper laughed as she ran, and waved a paw back to her mother. She ran over the hill that rose above her small village, where her and her family lived. At the top of the hill, Piper turned and looked back down. Her black and white fur glistened in the warm sun, and her small ears flicked back and forth. The village was tiny from up here on the hill and Piper always loved to look down at it. The small huts, with the lazy haze of smoke from the camps fire always made her feel good. At just over six months old, Piper was still a kitten at heart, but was almost fully grown. She loved playing, and now that this recent storm had passed, she was finally able to get away from her siblings for a while. Piper loved her brothers and sisters, but it was always a great time to get out on her own. She ran down the other side of the hill, looking for her favorite chasers, the tiny flutters that would fly around in the tall grass. She might be almost fully grown, but she was still small. Pipers black tail waved around in the air as she searched for a flutter. Spying one with her green eyes, she darted after it, leaping and jumping. The flutter always stayed just out of reach, diving down and soaring back up again. Piper had never actually caught a flutter before, and thats why she loved the game so much. Jumping and laughing, she followed the flutter into the large group of trees that grew down here in this sheltered valley. Piper and her family lived on the coastline of a place called The Mainland. She wasnt sure why it was called that, and the farthest she had ever traveled was a half a days jog from her village. She had only done that on a dare from her brother, and when she did get home late that night, her mother had yowled and cried at her for hours. It had been worth it though, she loved adventures. The flutter vanished into the upper branches of the trees, and Piper searched around in the loose soil below the trees, looking for something else to play with. Her ears perked up as she heard the roar coming from the river that ran close by. She loved the river, she often sat on the riverbank for hours just watching the water splash around. There were so many fishes! They would jump and leap and Piper would purr at them and chirp like the birds she saw. Today her mother had told her to stay away from the river, but of course to Piper that was also a great reason to go there. She raced along the valley, scaring up a few flutters who were sunning in the slices of light that poked through the canopy of trees. Piper ran with the fearlessness of the young, convinced she was going to always be so young, and convinced that nothing bad can ever happen in such a beautiful place. Pipers mother and father had worked very hard to keep this valley clear of the wilder and more dangerous animals they shared their home with. Bears had once roamed this forest, but had been pushed back into the deep woods. There was rumors of wolves, big scary animals that Piper had never seen but had certainly endured many nightmares of. The river rushed along this valley, big, powerful, never stopping, along its course towards the Unknown Ocean, which was very close. Piper had often caught the scent of salt in the air and gulls were a constant distraction for her. She wanted to someday go down to the shores of the Unknown Ocean, a two day hike through the forest she was told. As of yet, Piper was still too young for such a journey, but her father had promised on her one year birthday they would go together. She crested the small hill that marked the river bank and stood on top. The river was very angry, its water was brown and swollen. The recent storm had brought a lot of rain to the hills, and now the river was working hard to wash all that extra water into the ocean. Piper has never seen the water like this, and it was very exciting. She wasnt scared, although a part of her warned herself to use caution. Rocks and broken logs littered the river bank as she carefully made her way along, trying to see how close she could get to the river. The water sprayed her fur, and Piper laughed and jumped back. She playfully swatted in the air a few times at the water spray, and ran back to the river bank. Glancing up she noticed a huge tree was dangling its old branches out over the river, and a fish jumped into the air, just below the branch. His silver scales flashed in the air, before he vanished into his cold home. Piper chirped and jumped into the air. Oh this was too much! Fishes leaping right at her! Piper ran towards the tree, and using her claws the young kitten had soon climbed up into the branches of this Nut Nut tree. She grabbed one of the many Nut Nut’s that hung from the branch and cracked it open on the tough bark. Inside was two small nuts, a green one and a red one. She happily crunched on both of them, letting their warm woody flavors wash over her mouth. Balanced with her long black tail, Piper slowly walked along the branch that hung down low over the raging river. Her ears flattened back, and she gripped tighter as a fish flew up just below her. Her plan had been to simply reach down a snag a fantastic lunch for herself. Looking now at those dark, cold, boiling waters, she realized her plan had not been too well thought out. Piper turned around slowly and began to inch her way back toward the main trunk of the Nut Nut tree. Suddenly she felt the branch shift under her paws. Her eyes widened as she grabbed tighter with her claws and moved faster to the trees sturdy trunk. She reached the trunk and breathed a slow sigh of relief. Then the trunk moved! It shook under her paws. She held on to it tightly and cried out in alarm. Slowly, the angry river had been eating the riverbank away underneath the old Nut Nut tree. Burdened by its heavy load of branches, and weakened by the hungry river below, the Nut Nut tree lost its grip on the river bank and slowly toppled into the raging river. Piper held on as tightly as she could, and was plunged into the cold wet world of the fishes. Piper came up out of the frigid water, sputtering and coughing. She was completely soaked and cried her anger out as she scrambled onto the Nut Nut tree. Murky water surrounded her and she hissed and spat at it as it splashed up around her. Looking up Piper saw a large branch from a tree on the river bank sticking out over the river. She raced along the slippery surface of the Nut Nut tree, and climbed up the broken limbs. The river was flowing fast, and as she climbed she watched as the branch came closer to her. The Nut Nut tree was slowly spinning as it was pushed along by the current, and Piper had to time her grab perfectly. She reached the highest spot on the fallen tree and reached out just as the branch rushed towards her. Beneath her paws, the Nut Nut tree slipped over a large boulder that was sitting on the river bed, and Piper lost her grip on the broken limb. She jumped, but she saw it was too late, and the branch went flying past her, and again she fell toward the dark cold water. Again the Nut Nut tree slipped against a rock and rolled over, catching the soaked and increasingly angry kitten in midair. This time Piper grabbed onto the large trunk of the fallen tree and flattened her ears. She closed her eyes and held on as tightly as she could, feeling the water spray around her and hissing as she was splashed. She was very angry, scared, and soaked. This is not how her play day was supposed to go. Exhausted from her ordeal so far, Piper clung to a tall branch on the downed Nut Nut tree and watched the far river banks gets farther away. The tree bounced and rocked a few more times, but soon it calmed down and the river itself was wide and flat. Although pipers family lived a 2 days hike from the oceans shore, the great river moved much faster and took a much more direct route. It was widening out now, flowing steadily towards the Unknown Ocean and all that lay beyond. Piper flattened her ears out against her head and foofed out her tail, but this did not seem to affect the river. Piper was very tired, and soon she fell asleep, worn out and warmed up by the sun. The tree drifted downstream, lazily and peacefully now. She slept for many hours, and when she woke up her fur was dry, she was warmed up, and found herself hungry. Carefully walking along the branch, she found some nut nuts, cracked them open and happily crunched away. Her long whiskers moved as she chewed. After her small meal Piper felt a bit better and she stretched herself out, letting her fur bristle up. She gave her body a good shake and groomed for a moment. When she finally had the nerve, she looked around her. Her tail drooped as she took in what she saw. Nothing. As she had slept the tree had drifted down the final lengths of the river and was now floating in the vast expanse of the Unknown Ocean. Looking behind her she could see the dark smear of land on the horizon. The tree was being steadily pushed further away from that dark smear. The water, which had been angry brown, now was a deep dark blue all around her. Piper felt so sad when she saw all this, her heart seemed to fall to pieces, and she let a small tear drip down her cheek. It fell into the blue water and was lost among the oceans many tears. Beside her, on a small branch, a tiny yellow flutter lander. Piper looked at her favorite playmate, but her heart wasnt in it, and besides there was no room to run or jump on the tree. The flutter seemed to understand this, and it flew into the air and circled her head a few times, then very softly landed on her paw. Piper had never had a flutter so close to her before, and the tiny animal seemed to sense her sadness. It flexed its little yellow wings a few times, and stayed on her paw. Piper smiled, and put her small nose up to the flutter, and was rewarded with a wing tickle. She laughed and the flutter did happy little circles over her furry black head. Lost in the great Unknown Ocean, Piper had made a new friend. That night Piper huddled, alone and scared, under some branches. She was very cold and shivered. To try and stay warm, she occupied her mind with simple thoughts of happy times. She thought of her brother and sister, when they were kittens and running free across the grass in their small village. In time she drifted into a troubled rest. The small flutter had landed on her head and it too fell asleep eventually. Around the tree, as it drifted further into the great Unknown Ocean, stars were reflected in the clean sea water. Leaving a trail of leaves behind it, the tree was caught in a vast current, invisible, but unstoppable, it was carried towards destinies shores. Following this trail, its cold brain clicking over patiently, was something Piper had never seen before, a white shark swimming gracefully through the ocean. Piper woke up as the sun beat down upon her. She had slept through the night, and remembered vague dreams about heros and villain’s. She sipped some fresh water that was trapped in a leaf of the Nut Nut tree, and sat down to groom and think about her situation. The flutter landed beside her and twitched its small wings. Piper laughed and offered a drop of water to the small creature. It carefully extended a tiny tongue and the drop vanished. Her stomach growled, and Piper munched on a few nuts she pulled from branches. The nuts were good, and she enjoyed their woodsy taste, but she wanted more. Something more substantial. She eyed the sea water around her, and saw a small fish swim past. She chattered with excitement, and ran down the length of the tree as the small fish swam along. Dangling her paw into the water, Piper tried to grab the fish, but it was too fast for her and vanished in a silver flash. She yelled out in frustration and ran back up the length of the tree. Again a small fish was visible just below the surface. This time she ran ahead of it as it swam along, and stuck her paw in the water in front of the fish. Of course, fishes are much faster than her paws, and it easily swam around her searching claws. Piper had never before been forced to gather her own food, her father and mother provided plenty of food for the small family. She felt a little trickle of sadness along her tail as she wished she was home with them now. It wasnt going to be the last time she would wish this. Her paw was soaked and she tried to wash it off, but the salty water tasted very bad. She spat and made a face. The flutter did loops around her head, and she laughed at its silliness. She didn’t even see the shark as it broke the surface of the water, only felt the huge splash of water as she was knocked against the wood of the tree. Piper ran to the middle of the fallen tree and clung to the branches, water dripping from her fur. This time she did see the shark, as again it bashed into the tree, glassy dark eyes staring at her, and huge teeth grabbing at leaves. Terrified she scrambled across the tree, tossing branches and sticks at the gray intruders nose. The shark slipped beneath the waves and vanished. Huddling against a branch, Piper saw a triangular fin break the surface, and trail a white foam behind it. She watched as the shark circled her accidental raft. The flutter sat on her head, between her ears, and she felt tiny toes grasping her fur. She did her best to steady her nerves, and watched as the shark vanished beneath the waves. As the hot sun rose further into the mid day sky, Piper struggled with the heat. She huddled under the stray branches of the Nut Nut tree, but this gave very little relief. Among the tree limbs she found a huge branch that had snapped off a neighboring tree, and it was covered in big fat leaves. She pulled one of these free and used a bit of vine as a small string. Soon she had made a simple sun hat, and positioned this over her ears. The relief was instant, and she sighed as her body began to cool down. She cautiously splashed some sea water onto her fur and her sun hat, and this cooled her down even more. Drinking fresh water she found cupped in leaves and in the crevasses of the Nut Nut tree, she felt pretty refreshed as she stood and gathered her wits. The flutter flew around the branches of the tree, happily chasing its own shadow. Piper laughed and called out to the small animal, naming it Chaser. The flutter landed on a twig and beamed with pride at its new friend, as it had never had an actual name before. Sitting down on the bark of the trees trunk, Piper began to try and figure out a solution to her problems. Food wasn’t too hard to find, for now. The Nut Nut tree was still covered in fresh fruit and nuts, and there was plenty of water. Squirmy worms were on the branches, and although they didnt taste very good, Piper knew she had to have something other than nuts. What she really wanted was a fish! However after her experience that morning with the shark she knew she must plan her next fishing attempt better. The Great Current was deep within the heart of the Unknown Ocean, and as it grabbed different objects from the main land, it would pull them with it in a semi-circular path around the ocean. Sometimes the items would be lost forever, constantly circling in an endless circuit. Other times they would end up back where they had started. It all depended on the winds and the many different courses of luck that can play unexpected parts in even the smallest of stories. Pipers old Nut Nut tree was stuck in this current and she had no way of controlling its path. As she huddled into the branches of the tree for her second night on her journey, her belly grumbled softly. She drifted off to sleep in the moonlight, her friend the flutter snoozing happily on her nose. Her dreams were of fish, great huge monsters that swam beneath her in the dark cold depths below. She saw fish as big as her tree, and those were swallowed hole by even bigger giants. Her dreams drifted, and she was on the surface of the water, and here was a cat she had never seen before, on a floating house. It was built from large wooden planks and had big white billowing sheets on tall straight poles. Now the strange cat, gray in color, held a stick in his paw. One end of the stick was pointy, and he pointed that towards the water. Now he jabbed, as fast as lightening, water fell around him, and he pulled the stick back onto his floating house. Stuck on the end was a fish, flapping against the sharp end. Piper watched now as the gray cat pulled the fish free and tossed it into a basket that was next to him. Many silvery fishes flopped in the basket. She woke up with a start, and brushed the branches away from her face. Piper understood now how to catch a fish, and all she needed was nice stick that was like the one the gray cat had used. Concentrating she could barely call up his image in her mind, and soon that also vanished, lost like mists from a ghost. It was a cool and cloudy morning, but Pipers mind was racing. She had found a broken branch near the end of the Nut Nut tree, and had stripped it of all its twigs and leaves. Now she had a long stick, and the end was sharp from where it had snapped loose. She tested its weight in her hand, and was pleased with her small implement she had fashioned. She padded softly over towards the water, balancing on the trunk of the fallen tree. As she walked along the first few raindrops landed around her. Quickly, she cupped as many large leaves as she could into bowls, and as the rain fell it collected into these makeshift containers. Piper knew she would need water, and this was the best way she could think of to catch it. Water wouldnt stick to a sharp spear. Now she again turned her attention to the task of trying to get a fish. She remembered from her dream the large gray cat had stood very still. So she copied his stance as best as she could remember, and held her stick high with her paw. Her friend, Chaser the flutter, circled about her furry head excitedly. It was hard to see in the water with the soft rain drizzling around her, so she concentrated at a single spot. Standing perfectly still she swayed with the waves, with her mind completely focused on the job. She placed the grumblings of her belly out of her thoughts, and focused her energy into a tiny point at the end of the spear. Now with a small silver flash in the water she saw a fish. She darted the stick into the ocean, and pulled it back. There was a fish on the end! She was so happy she almost dropped it in her excitement. Piper carefully walked along the trunk of the tree and sat down amongst the leaves and happily ate her prize. She had never tasted anything as delicious as that fish. Piper purred contently as she washed her paws clean. With a full belly she felt a lot better. Chaser the flutter danced around in the sky for her, and she laughed at her small pal. Then her fur stood on end as she saw the sharks cold silvery fin break the surface of the water and head towards her. The shark smelled her fish of course, and wanted his share. Piper huddled against the trunk of the tree, and the flutter clung onto her fur as the shark rocked the Nut Nut tree with a solid blow from his large tail. Water sprayed up, splashing the kitten and soaking her all over again. The flutter flew up into the air and dove and darted, trying to avoid the splashes of sea water the shark was throwing up. In desperation Piper grabbed her fishing stick and cried out, brandishing the stick over her furry head. The shark was not fazed however, and again he smashed into the Nut Nut tree. Piper dug her back claws into the bark and held the fishing stick with her front paws, like she had seen the gray cat do in her dream. Steadying herself with the branches around her, she watched as the shark came close again. Just as it was ready to smash into the Nut Nut tree a third time, Piper jabbed the stick into the water, poking the shark on his gray head. He swished his tail and darted away, and soon his fin vanished below the surface. As the water settled and she caught her breath, Piper cried out in triumph. She had defeated the shark! Shaking her fishing stick in the air, she danced a happy dance around the Nut Nut tree. The flutter followed her at a safe distance, making tiny squeaking noises as it laughed at the strange antics of its furry friend. Piper laughed along with her friend, and they watched as the rain began to fall heavier around them. Her catch leaves were all overflowing already, and her fur was soaked through. She smiled and gathered branches above her head and sheltered the flutter with her body. She listened as the rain dropped all around them, hitting leaves and splashing into the Unknown Ocean. Suddenly a great water storm erupted from the ocean, a little ways from the tree. She braved the rain to see what the commotion was. She gasped and stared into the rain. Far out in the waters, 50 feet or so, a large fish was jumping into the air. Not just a large fish, but the biggest animal Piper had ever seen. It would propel itself into the air with a huge fan shaped tail, spin into the rain causing small rainbows to glisten from its huge body. Then a gigantic splash as it landed and sank back below the waters. Soon another one soared free of the water. Piper was awed by their graceful arcs and massive size. But what were they doing? Surely fish should stay in the water. But these fishes were just plain silly. Then it slowly dawned on Piper. They were silly fishes! They were playing in the rain! Laughing she jumped as another of the great creatures soared high in the air, spinning circles, and crashed into the ocean. For all of her long years Piper never forgot that evening, as her tree drifted further into the Unknown Ocean, the giants crashing and chasing raindrops. That night Piper wove herself a hammock from the branches of the tree and curled up with the flutter cupped safely between her paws. In her dreams the gray cat with the large floating house again showed up. Piper understood that he was trying to help her by teaching her how to survive on the ocean. Tonight he was using his large wind catching sheets to steer his craft, and she watched as he first went to the left and then the craft steered to the right. He pulled on ropes and these moved his sheets, and that caused his craft to change direction. As her dream ended and faded away, the gray cat looked directly at her and she saw a small grin on his face. She smiled and nodded at him. He nodded back to her and she woke up. Her fourth day at sea was the day of the storm. It started clear and warm enough, and she gathered her water leaves, drinking from them as she did. The flutter followed her everywhere she went, squeaking at her happily. Pipers first hint of impending trouble was when the wind began to pick up as she was trying to get another fish with her stick. The tree began to rock and pitch as it was buffeted by the gales. She grabbed the trees trunk and held on as the sea rose up in waves and splashed at her. The flutter struggled to stay air borne, and was tossed around. She cried out in fear as her friend was knocked to the branches by a wave. Scrambling against the now fierce winds, she found the flutter clinging to a branch with its tiny legs. Piper reached out and the flutter gripped onto her paw and she ran for the cover of her sleeping area. The waves crashed against her Nut Nut tree, washing away her water she had collected. Quickly, Piper crawled into her hammock and pulled it tight around her and the flutter. This blocked most of the wind and water from hitting them, and held them securely to the tree. Crouched with the flutter, she swayed and rocked as the tree was tossed about in the now angry ocean. That day was her hardest day in her life. She was sure the tree would flip over at any time, as the winds and waves smashed into it. Each time she thought the tree was going to go over, she gripped the flutter in her paw and closed her eyes. Then slowly the tree would right itself and ride into the next wave as it crashed. She lost track of time and knew only water and wind that day. Piper fell asleep, exhausted, as dark fell around her. She slept and the storm cleared around her tree. The waves and wind had stirred up the ocean, and a large bloom of glowing purple algae now covered the surface. Her tree drifted through this under a cool moon, trailing a sparkling band of purple into the far distance. The flutter woke up, and checked on its furry friend. Satisfied that she was OK, Chaser flew up out of the branches and watched in awe as the ocean flashed and glistened all around them. Flying back down into the small shelter, Chaser the flutter landed on Pipers ear, determined to protect her against all dangers. Chaser had never had a real friend before, flutters live independent lives. Now that it had a good true friend, Chaser was not about to let anything happen to her. Piper woke up to the gentle tickles in her ear as the flutter snored peacefully. She laughed and poked her head out of the branches, blinking in the bright sunlight. The sky was clear, and the ocean was as still as glass. Still the tree moved, the current not needing wind to move along. She looked around and tried to find some fresh water, but the Nut Nut tree had been stripped of its leaves in the storm. She found a few shriveled nut nuts and broke them open. They were stale, but she ate them anyway. Her belly grumbled and she wanted a fish, but her stick was also gone. She collapsed against the tree trunk, feeling despair creep into her happy mood. Her mind turned to her family, her mother and siblings. Oh how she wished she was with them now, having some fresh warm bread her mother had made. Running down the meadows with her siblings, being nuzzled by her father. Piper wept, a small tear slipping down her furry cheek, lost forever in the great Unknown Ocean. The flutter was squeaking at her, and she tried to ignore her friend. She didnt want to play, she just wanted to lay on the tree and be upset. Now Chaser buzzed around her head, and she sat up, annoyed with the small creature. The flutter didnt stop though, it went down the length of the tree and then flew back. It was almost like it wanted her to follow it. She stood and padded along behind the flutter towards the large broken end of the tree. The flutter landed at the tip of the broken tree and she looked out into the ocean in the direction it was facing. There on the far horizon was a smudge of darkness. A dark line. A slim shape. Her heart jumped in her chest and Piper cried out in joy. Land! She must get there, at all costs. She understood that at a very basic instinctive level. Now she remembered what the gray cat in her dreams had been teaching her. She needed sheets! She closed her eyes and concentrated as hard as she could on the image of the gray cat. She saw him now, on his large floating house. The sheets he used to capture the wind were gone, and he had a large flat stick. He looked up at her and motioned with the stick in the water. He seemed top drag his floating house in the water with it. A paddle! She needed a paddle! Her eyes snapped open and she looked around the tree. Not much was left after the storm, most of the big branches had been cleaned of leaves. There was one big branch she saw now and it ended in a clump of roots. It was bigger than she would have liked, but when she grasped it, it wiggled. She pulled and twisted and turned it and it popped free from its spot. She lifted it into the air and shook it. Many loose rocks and a large clump of dirt fell from the bottom, leaving her with a stick that ended in a small ball at the end. This would have to do. Piper sat down at the end of the Nut Nut tree and pulled with her makeshift paddle, sweeping at the ocean and trying to steer the huge fallen trunk towards the smudge. The smudge had gotten larger now, it was clearly a large island she was approaching. Soon she figured that her feeble paddling was actually helping to steer her towards this looming landscape. She paddled harder and tried her best to keep the Nut Nut tree pointed in the general direction she wanted to go. She saw far overhead a flock of birds flying towards the island. She laughed and waved at them with a paw, and pulled harder with the makeshift paddle. She looked over and the flutter had grabbed a small bit of root and was flapping its tiny wings and attempting to pull them along. Her heart was glad to see this, and she smiled. This is when she knew they would reach the island. She just knew it in her heart. The current that was carrying her along meandered towards the island, and as she neared it she could smell the trees and hear the birds. She was very close, she saw a large beach and some broken logs washed up ashore. Her tree was going to go on past! The current was taking her right by the island. She stood and gathered her resolve and her courage. Sometimes, to save yourself from a bad situation, you must make a leap of faith. Sometimes you have to do that which you dread the most to make it to your goal. Closing her eyes, she jumped into the dark cold ocean and kicked with her paws. The flutter released its bit of root and flew after her. Piper ignored the cold, ignored the visions of the shark returning, and swam as hard as she could for the beach. Her ears were flat against her head, and her tail was trailing along behind her. It wasnt that far, but she was not a very good swimmer. Her legs were getting sore already, and she had only closed half the distance. Now in front of her was the flutter, somehow flying backwards, its little eyes telling her she can make it. She kicked with renewed strength and felt energy flow into her limbs. Swimming as hard as she could, Piper crossed the distance to the beach, and was almost ready to sink when her paws hit sand. Tux read the scroll carefully, and his paws were shaking as he read the final few pages, scrawled in dark ink by Piper The Sailor herself. “I pulled myself onto the beach, and collapsed into the sand. I was so tired from the swim, I passed out and knew nothing for a long time. My friend, Chaser the flutter, woke me up with gentle tickles on my nose. I spent 2 long months on the island, learning its geography, tracings its shores, and exploring its many hills and one dominant island in the middle. Food was plentiful, and fresh water flowed from many streams and rivers. The island itself was large, and populated with birds, small animals, mice, and large brown creatures that I found sleeping in burrows. These animals I feel are hibernating and sleep long slow lives. After 2 months of exploration I was ready to find my way home again, and using the knowledge I had learned from the Ghost Cat that had taught me so much, I began building a real boat. I used reeds I gathered and wove together. I collected water in large hollow fruit shells. My journey home is perhaps best suited for the next scroll, as it grows late and my candle has burned low. I say this for now, follow the stars, follow The Queens Road in the sky, and that will lead the brave explorer to my island I found. When we left, Chaser the flutter and I, we placed a small sign on the beach we had landed on. It read: Cat Land. I only ask, if you find this scroll and find my island, you go there in peace and treat it with respect. I am old now, and tired. I will write of my travel home in the morning.” Tux looked all through the desk, but he never found another scroll. But he had all the information he needed now. He would build a large ship, the biggest ship in the history of all ships, and he would sail this great vessel to Cat Land. There he would settle with all the cats, and they would live in peace. He gathered the scroll back into a roll and slipped it into his pack. Leaning forward, he whispered a quiet few words of thanks to Piper The Sailor, and blew the candle out with a soft puff of breath.
Posted on: Fri, 19 Dec 2014 22:30:00 +0000
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