by Taki Drake
Dascha chewed holes in the corners of the napkin. She urged the iguana to force his head through the hole in two of the corners, Dascha snagged a small group of grapes and dropped it into the center of the napkin. Without any prompting, the iguana then wiggled his head into the other two holes, creating a temporary bag to carry his booty.
Glancing over to check on Kevin, Dascha was horrified when she saw that the older cat had fallen into a sprawled heap beside his food and was lying motionless on the ground.
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He was still breathing, his chest rising and falling in rapid, short breaths. The small black cat shoved him with her nose several times, but he did not respond. Her concern went into overdrive when she noticed that there was a bubbly blue froth that had dripped from his mouth and puddled underneath his head.
<> she cried.
<
Dascha did a rapid reconnoiter around the rightmost table that Kevin had been closest to. There were four other animals scattered on the ground by that table. All of them unconscious, and all of them exhibiting the same blue froth. By the time she had satisfied herself that all of the unconscious familiars were still breathing, the bird and lizard had come back with their own reports. All of the other 14 familiars in the room were still breathing. Only the ones by the rightmost table exhibited the symptoms of blue froth and rapid breathing.
The victims close to the center table had very slow breathing and limbs that twitched even in their unconscious state. All six of the animals that had eaten the food from the leftmost table appeared to have been frozen in place. They were paralyzed in mid-motion and were becoming encased in a slowly growing clear gel.
The situation was dire, and the three could not figure out how to solve the problem. All Dascha could think of was for the three of them to get out of the area, complete the challenge, and then possibly come back in to rescue the others. She didn’t think that the purpose of the trial was to make them die, but she wasn’t willing to leave Kevin’s unconscious body here while she finished the challenge.
Fighting down her panic, Dascha said to the other two, <>
Without waiting for promises for additional input from them, Dascha went over to Kevin’s body. Grabbing the harness that encased his upper chest, Dascha started to drag him toward the exit way. She was quickly joined by the small bird who stuck his little fish under one of the straps of Kevin’s battle harness. Taking time to secure the fish’s tail securely, the bird then joined his tiny strength to Dascha’s pulling ability.
Grateful for any help at all, Dascha concentrated on dragging Kevin toward the exit as quickly as she could. Unlike the previous trial, the ground inside this area was fairly level. There were no hedges or significant obstacles, so the path was clear. At least there was no uphill effort that would be needed. It was hard enough dragging his unconscious body across 20 feet of flat land.
They had not gotten very many steps before the iguana joined them. Dascha and the little bird stopped to catch their breath. Dascha noticed that the iguana’s sack was fuller, almost to the point of bursting. Instead of more food sticking out of it, she noticed a feather and a couple of tails that telegraphed additional passengers.
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With that somber thought, Dascha grabbed hold of Kevin’s harness and began to pull again. Both the iguana and the small bird added their power to the effort. With the iguana helping, progress was a little bit faster. Much faster, in fact, than it had been without him, even with the weight of three additional passengers. They were making good progress, and Dascha was encouraged.
Unfortunately, the cravings chose that moment to return with a vengeance. Dascha’s mouth was in a constant state of salivation, and her stomach was so hungry it was tying her into knots. Staying focused and aware was becoming increasingly difficult. She could run from the room and get away from the temptation and the danger, but to do that would be to abandon her friend, no, her friends. And she wasn’t willing to do that.
She WOULD conquer this effect. Feeling hungry was one thing, giving into that craving was another. Focus! She needed to focus!
Foot by foot, inch by inch, the stubborn party of three small animals dragged their burdens closer to the exit door. The distance was shrinking, but their stamina and energy were evaporating. Unsure of what would run out first, Dascha focused instead on simply getting her friend out of the testing area to where he could get assistance.
The small black feline was so focused on the next step and suppressing the cravings of her stomach that she was surprised when they broke the plane of the doorway. The disorientation was immense, and she felt unsteady on her feet.
The desperate feeling of hunger was gone immediately. The exit doorway had neutralized the spell that been cast on them on their way in. She no longer felt the horrendous craving for food although the knowledge that she had missed lunch was very much prevalent. Helpful hands and paws were all around them now, taking the passengers from the iguana’s carry sack and gently removing Kevin from her grip.
Unsteady on her feet, Dascha headed back for the testing area without conscious thought. She was so tired she couldn’t see, still hungry, and faint and shaking from effort. However, she was still ready to go back in there. She managed three or four steps before she was brought up by the powerful voice of the tiger, <
<> she answered.
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With her friend receiving medical assistance, and the rest of the unconscious familiars being rescued, Dascha relaxed enough that her iron control over her body failed and she fell into the deep pit of unconsciousness.
Chapter 17 – Thinking Outside the Box
Dascha had slept for an hour and a half after the wisdom trial. The effort expended and the spell resistance had cost her a lot of energy. She had been depleted well beyond the point of exhaustion. The nap did her a lot of good, and she awoke feeling both ravenous and rested. She also woke up tucked between the comforting warmth of TT and Kevin. Once again, TT was not talking. Instead, the bedraggled-looking white cat was offering what comfort she could by her quiet presence.
Kevin was a different story. Dascha had never seen the tough looking alley cat look so embarrassed. She would’ve laughed but knew that he already felt enough shame.
<> he said. <>
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Trey came zooming over to where Dascha was eating, trilling, <
Gulping the rest of her food, Dascha took off at a trot for the trial arena. Thank goodness this is the last trial of the day. I am not sure I could manage anything more.
The three cats arrived at the trial arena barely moments before the three-toned chime sounded. There was no one atop the rocky outcropping, and Dascha looked around in confusion. Before she could ask anything, a powerful voice broadcast to everyone’s mind, <
A huge crocodile, at least 12 feet in length raised his head from the ground right below the rock pile. His large golden eyes panned around the arena seeming to catch everybody’s attention. He continued with the rule definitions.
<
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The crocodile had stopped talking, and Dascha was frozen in place, waiting for any further information. When none was forthcoming, she stood up and took a deep breath. <>
Jack also stood up, saying, <>
The others around them made encouraging sounds but watched without further speech as Jack and Dascha made their way to the challenge start.
George, the Raven, and Whett, the owl, had joined the gravelly-voice crocodile as the panel of judges for this trial. They stood silently, waiting. Dascha and Jack both grew increasingly nervous. Dascha wondered if Jack also felt like he had hot coals under his paws. She had put out so much energy today that right now she felt a little numb. Nervous, but numb. Not the best combination, but it was all she had right now.
The familiar single chime sounded to the air, marking the beginning of the trial. Apparently, Jack and Dascha were going to be the only two that attempted this trial. Jack turned to stare at Dascha his ears up and his tail in a question mark. Motioning her head to tell him to go forward, Dascha walked to the side allowing him free access to the entryway.
Jack’s deep breath as he prepared to start to the archway was audible to Dascha. From the crowd’s murmur, it had been loud enough to be heard even by the spectators. The hybrid wolf set off at a trot through the doorway. The instant that he cleared the plane of the door, the flat ground became covered by dense hedges, and the doorway turned opaque. Dascha swore under her breath at the brief sight of the complex maze. Just what you didn’t need when you were tired. Too bad there was no way to see from the top, Dascha thought.
Wait! They said that the candidates couldn’t help each other, but they never said anything about people outside of the candidates. And… They did say there were no other rules! How can I help Jack without directly helping him?
Thinking rapidly, Dascha turned and waved to get Trey’s attention. Some of the spectators waved back at her, but eventually, Trey looked over and saw that she was trying to tell him something.
Pantomiming for the firebird, Dascha pretended to grow in height by jumping up on top of a field rock that was lying next to her. She peered down and slapped her paws to look like she was flying.
Some of the spectators laughed, amused by her antics. Trey looked confused for a moment, but TT rushed over to him and seemed to be talking to him. Kevin and Stinky also rushed over to add their voice to the conversation.
The moment that Trey understood the logic, Dascha could see his agile little mind putting it all together. Springing up from the ground and launching himself into the air, the firebird flew over the maze. Dascha heard his voice, yelling in her head, <
The firebird flew in slow circles over the maze, calling out directions to their wolf friend as he ran through it. <
A short time later, Dascha heard Trey again. <
The cheer of the spectators told her that Jack had made it safely out of the challenge. The doorway had cleared again, leading Dascha to think that her turn had started. Hopefully, Trey would be allowed to help her too.
The black cat began her run. Keeping up a rapid lope, she cut through the doorway. She could feel the closing of the doorway behind her when the light breeze abruptly stopped. Once again, the maze flashed up from the ground. This one was noticeably different than the brief glimpse that she had of the previous obstacle. It was narrower, shorter, and grown from a different kind of bush.
Maintaining the steady pace, Dascha entered the maze. Moving forward along the single pathway for about 5 feet, she had a choice of left to right. Just before she got to the intersection, she heard Trey’s voice from above calling out directions.
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Trusting her firebird friend, Dascha kept her rapid pace and followed his directions. She still kept an eye out for unusual things and situations, because getting guidance didn’t mean not thinking. Right before the next possible turn, Trey yelled, <
Coughing slightly, Dascha immediately stopped and waited. In the silence, she could hear a soft whooshing and crackling that was coming closer and closer. The smell of some sort of chemical made her sneeze, but she held her body rigidly in place.
Suddenly, a sheet of flame shot through the hedge across the maze gaps. Cutting from hedge to hedge, one line was in front of her and the other flashed behind her. The heat was intense but short-lived. Still frozen in place, she watched as the moving danger continued to burn his way through the maze on her right, traveling at a steady speed away from her.
Glancing back to her left, she could see where the maze had been burned all the way through line after line, moving in a totally straight plane. It was eerie and frightening.
<> Trey yelled. <>
Dascha agreed but didn’t know if the rules would allow her to yelled back up at Trey, so she just kept running. Immediately, Trey was back on the job as her air support. <
The small black cat knew when advice sounded good and proceeded to follow his directions as fast she could. The sight of the exit doorway from the maze drew her like a magnet. Speeding up, she managed to break the plane of the door just as a flame wall shot the entire side of the maze right behind her. She could feel the singeing of her tail hairs and threw her body on the ground, gasping in relief.
Dimly, she heard the excited whirring the spectators. More prevalent was Trey’s voice, singing a song of cele
bration and joy.
Her exhaustion and the efforts of the day all combined to reach up and punch her consciousness into the abyss once more.
Dascha fainted.
Chapter 18 – Truths and Consequences
Once the final trial was over, Dascha had been swarmed by her friends. Each of them had checked her out to make sure she was all right. Jack was thrilled that he had managed to pass one of his trials. Apparently, his half-brother had made a big thing about passing his first trial on his third gather, and the competitive nature of their relationship gave Jack a lot of satisfaction in besting him.
There was no objection from the judges concerning the strategy that they had employed. Kevin had leaned over and quietly told the group, << A whole bunch of people went over to complain to the judges after the trial. They were trying to say that you guys had cheated. They all left disappointed. Apparently, the old crocodile had told them off. The part I heard was “… What part of, there are no other rules, was unclear?” I think it’s pretty funny. And all of the judges seemed to be both amused and sort of proud. I really think that you’re good.>>
The only thing left before they went home was the final decisions on the trials. Dascha knew that she couldn’t do anything else. She was so tired and exhausted that she could not even move quickly. Looking at the sun, it was only late afternoon. Where had the entire day gone? And how could it not be later? The incongruity of those two questions didn’t occur to her until much later. It had just been a long and tiring day.
As she was sitting there leaning on one friend or another for comfort and warmth, the small black cat overheard conversations that offered the opinion that somehow she had cheated. Dascha ignored them. She didn’t react when the comments were made within her hearing or act ashamed. She had done the best she could, and if that were judged to be good enough, then she would have a ranking. If it weren't good enough, then she would not have a rank this time. But she had tested herself against the metrics for the trials and felt in her heart that she had done well.