the Quest of Catmandu (standard:fantasy, 4479 words) [1/6] show all parts
Author: nightshade	Updated: Jun 07 2001	Views/Reads: 3898/2213	Part vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
long after man has destroyed himself, the princess of the tiger clan begins a quest to bring peace to her world.

The Quest Of Catmandu chapter 1 by nightshade and chris dahl 

She stood again in an unfamilar landscape, looking ahead at a thick
cloud of mist as it swirled and advanced towards her at a slow crawl. 
The faceless one emerged once more. no matter how hard she tried, she 
couldn't put a face on the stranger, who attracted her nonetheless and 
caused deep-rooted intrigue. 

Her only way of indentifying him came when he turned and walked back
into the mist. The pattern on his back was so odd and original for 
their people, that it was impossible to forget. The fat erratic stripe 
down his spine branched halfway, stretching up and out to touch each 
shoulder. The exact pattern was forever tattooed into her 
memory...almost as if it was meant to be, but why? This was only a 
dream. Or was it something else? Maybe... 

Her eyes opened and she was home. It was still dark out, by what she
could see out of the cave mouth, but she doubted that she would have 
slept much longer anyway. She was still keyed up from the previous 
night's festivities and excited about the coming day. 

Tossing back her sleeping roll, she sat up and looked around at the
sleeping bodies which were dimly lit by the glowing coals of last 
nights fire. Her night vision was in sharp focus, allowing her to get 
up and tip-toe through the dozing forms without stepping on anybody or 
making any noise. 

She stifled a yawn as she stepped into the pre-dawn air and her arms
reached towards the sky. As she stretched, her back arched and her 
breasts heaved, motivating her system to wake further. 

Sprinting west from the camping area, she crossed about four hundred
yards of cool grasses, shrubs and wild flowers on flat terrain, before 
navigating her way effortlessly down the gradual slope that led to the 
smooth flowing waters of the river that she had lived near since birth. 


Diving in, she splashed about and gulped the fresh, clear water to slake
her morning thirst before sitting on the shallow waters of the bank to 
clean herself. 

She couldn't help but smile as she reflected on last night's feast and
festivities. The jubilant moods of everyone there made it a most 
memorable night. 

With her bath done, the water on her body was shaken off, giving her
thin body fur a bristled effect. No matter, she thought, it would 
smooth as it dried. 

On the way back to the camp, she caught the familiar scent of an
observer, who was trying to practice stealth...yet again. It was her 
niece, and she smiled at knowing the child tried so hard. The young one 
was getting better, she thought. "Come on out Kaeten." she called. The 
little one emerged from behind a thick patch of bushes with a smile on 
her face. "Good morning, auntie Shae." "You're up early little cub." "I 
know auntie. I don't know why, but i just couldn't get back to sleep, 
so when i saw you sneak out, i decided to follow and practice 
stalking." "Well, you're getting better at it." Shae assured her. 
"Anyway, now that you found me, we'd better head back to camp and wake 
Parnak. Today's the big day." "Auntie Shae," Kaeten said. "Parnak was 
gone when i got up." "I should have noticed that myself." "Lynnar and 
uncle Faelix are up too." "Let's wake everybody else up as well then." 
Shae suggested. "That'll be fun." Kaeten giggled. 

The tiger clan's princess and future queen lost thought of her station
in life, as her niece initiated a game of tag. They laughed and chased 
each other along the way back to camp. They noticed that the sky had 
lightened from black to blue in the east. Sunrise was coming soon and 
Shae could hardly wait. 

A short time later, the land turned to warm colors of red and yellow as
the sun rose above the horizon, to signal the beginning of yet another 
day. A multitude of flowers and vegetation opened up to the light in 
greeting and danced and swayed with the breeze that accompanied it. The 
land of Catmandu was waking again. 


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