the quest of catmandu 6 (standard:science fiction, 0 words) [6/6] show all parts
Author: nightshade	Added: Jun 07 2001	Views/Reads: 2406/1835	Part vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
a discovery leads to a reunion and revelations for princess Shae

The Quest of Catmandu chapter 6 by Nightshade and Kris Dahl 

Shae thought her father's stories about past wars were scary, but they
had offered no preparation for the terror and violence she was seeing 
before her as she peered through the foilage of a well-disguised hiding 
place a mere hundred yards away. it was called the war of Catfight 
mountains for it's obvious location, and Shae was vehemently ordered to 
stay at the main camp with the other cubs and the ones assigned to 
protect them from trespassing enemies. she was told that war was bad 
but sometimes unavoidable, and however intelligent she was at six years 
old, Shae didn't fully comprehend the meaning of the word. her simple 
definition was a big fight, and that led her to believe that it was 
little more than what she sometimes had with sister Kaeryn and their 
older brother, Khae. with the remaining members in the camp 
preoccupied, Shae snuck away with her two best friends...Charval, who 
was five and Tynak a very precocius seven. they found and followed the 
trail of king Rhae and his bodyguards, Markus and Soloman. it was a two 
day trek for the cubs, but they kept up with the adults and folowed 
closely while staying out of sight. 

they were nearing the battle site and could hear thumping and roaring in
the echoing distance. "who's fighting? who's fighting?" Charval asked 
excitedly. "everyone is." Tynak replied. "yeah," Shae added "but our 
side will win." "you bet" the two friends cheered as they followed the 
princess. "our mommies and daddies are gonna tan our hides if they find 
out that we're here...especially your daddy, Shae." Tynak shivered. "i 
know that," Shae grumbled. "but who's gonna tell him? we're closer to 
the fight than to the camp and no-one there will be able to reach him 
before we get there." 

before they knew it, they were in view of the battle site. from where
they stood, they saw hundreds of people clawing, punching, gouging and 
biting each other. the young ones were stopped dead by the blood 
curdling screams of pain and death that echoed off of the mountains. 
people of different colors and patterns fighting with or against others 
for different reasons...some justifiable and some not. it was an all 
too familiar theme that time would never be able to escape or erase. 
Shae, Tynak and Charval were now starting to learn this, though they 
now wished that they had listened to their parents. 

suddenly, they were snapped to attention by someone running at them from
the side. it was king Rhae, pounding the ground with every step...and 
he looked furious. "Shae!! i told you to stay at the camp!" "i'm, i'm 
sorry daddy. i just wanted to see you fight." Shae stuttered. "and you 
two..." he glared at Tynak and Charval, "your fathers are going to rip 
the skin off your bodies when they find out that you disobeyed 
them...if they live to make it home." "s,s,sorry, king Rhae." Tynak 
chattered while trying not to crumble. 

the thundering of conflict and screams of pain redirected the king's
attention. he couldn't remember how many times he had heard those 
noises or felt those vibrations while growing but he was positive of 
one thing. he hated it just as much as the first time he experienced 
it. looking back at the battle, Rhae grimaced. the bodies on the ground 
and the ones standing looked far worse in the grand scheme of things 
than he had feared. he had to get back into it...until he thought he 
saw enemy numbers looking his way. "damn! i've got to find you some 
cover...over there, the shrubs and bushes by that tree. go hide until 
this is over." "but daddy..." "NOW!!" the king bellowed at Shae. Shae 
had been in trouble before and had been given stern straightforward 
reprimands, but not so harsh as this. she knew now that he meant what 
he said and wanted her safe. 

the cubs had just made it to cover and were now peeking through the
leaves and branches...unfortunately, they were looking out just in time 
to see the king being attacked by what looked to be four Panthers and 
three Leopards. "where's evryone else?" Shae demanded frantically "why 
isn't anybody helping my daddy?" before that question even had a chance 
of finding an answer, her heart was frozen by the spine-chilling sounds 
of a scream unlike any she had heard before. tears followed 
uncontrollably as Shae somehow knew that the screams had come from her 
father. she tried to break from her cover and run to the king, but 
Charval and Tynak held her in place. it was as much for the sake of 
king Rhae orders. as for the life of the young princess. a thin line of 
hope appeared as the girlcubs saw four of the assailants suddenly drop 


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