Once upon a time

[Satira Capriccio]

The kit who once was a dog briefly thought whether to accompany this crazy rat. But as the rat seemed the best chance Kit would have of finding her human, she leapt onto the rat's shoulder. Lead on oh Rat Fiend, Kit said. And with that, the rat ...

 

[McGyver]

Leapt up over the rails and down onto the soft sand below... It sparkled like diamond dust under the brilliant cosmos above. The rat trotted along, the kit bouncing up and down on his shoulder. "I'm quite sorry for the rush, and for being so rude, for I have just realized I never introduced myself... My name is Artimus... Artimus T Rat, but you may call me Artie." Said the rat. "Okay... Artie " replied the kit. They hurried along at quite a pace, yet they hardly seemed close... The giant pyramid towering before them, but with lack of other objects nearby and such an infinite horizon it was nearly impossible to tell if they were getting any closer. The rat began to sing softly to himself and between the rhythmic bouncing and the soft singing the kit began to feel sleepy... She drifted off into a dream... She felt a gentle breeze blowing on her face... It was late at night and she was on the bow of a small boat on a moonlit lake. The water was still as glass and she looked down at her reflection, but she did not see the kit or herself as a dog... It was a young human girl. She drew back in shock and a hand came to rest on her shoulder. "What is it my dear?" Said a kind and familiar voice, she turned to see a woman, with long dark hair, not that different from the one in the reflection, but older... And familiar... "My dear, we are not safe yet... We can rest when we reach the other side..." She said, but just as the kits memories seemed at the verge of recognition she faded into the rat... "Wake up my little freind... We are here!" Confused and still reeling from the dream, she stared up at the inside of the Akartheon. From inside it looked as though it were made of mirrors that were miles high, shimmering with glimpses of other worlds... Great mountains, peaceful skies, frozen wastelands, raging seas or molten lava landscapes faded in and out, melding into one another like a giant twisting kaleidoscope... But it was more than that... She could smell the sea, and the sulfur of the volcanoes, and here and there an icy wind would whip by. "This is magnificent Artie..." She gasped. "Yes my little one, but we must get to the center quickly or we will miss our path." Said Artimus, bounding quicker than before across the multicolored marble floor. "There it is" he shouted, pointing up to a massive globe of lights and twisting bands of energy. Huge helical ribbons of light cascading down from above and dancing about the floor, yet they headed right toward them, finally arriving on a huge bronze disk in the center. The very air there seemed alive, crackling a buzzing with increasing strength. The rat set her down on the floor, it was warm and calming to her tiny paw pads. "Now little one... Close your eyes and imagine where you want to go... Where you need to be..." He said over the growing storm of static... She closed her eyes and it all faded out "keep them closed until we get there" said the rats voice... She reached out her hand and grasped onto the rat's fur... "Hands?" "Why do I have hands ?"she thought as she opened her eyes, but no she was a cat again and they were falling through a tunnel of stars and color... the rat and her tumbling down... "I wish you hadn't done that"... "We were not quite there yet" he said, and for a moment as he rotated though space, he looked as an old man... A familiar old face, but then in an instant he was the rat again... And then with a terrific crunch they crashed through what felt like at wall of thatch and onto a soft bed. Well she, the rat came to rest upon a table and soup. Before she could unhook her claws from the mattress a booming voice shouted "who has crashed though my roof?!".....

 

[Lorraine]

"Tis I, Artimus T Rat, and my young friend, Kit. Please pardon our untimely intrusion into your soup but we had a slight contretemps with a pyramid. Please excuse us, we must be going", said the slightly damp and vegetable enveloped rat. Kit said nothing. She was wet, she was covered in vegetables and she cowered behind Artimus as she looked up into the furious face of...

 

[McGyver]

A large creature the likes of which she had never seen before. It looked as though it had been hewn from living rock, half sculpted and half leather, or bark, or something in between and as though the sculptor had taken many breaks and forgotten his place quite often. But Artimus was unphased by it and with his best example of a smile as interpreted by a rat, he extended a friendly paw to it.
The creature frowned a bit and looked Artimus up and down. After a moment or two, its glare seemed to soften, if that is at all possible for one made of rock. It took his paw and shook it with two chunky fingers... "I am Meethoc... Welcome to my home"... It looked up at the hole and then down to the mess and up and down its two disheveled guests, sighed and continued... "A pyramid you say... Then you are travelers"... The creature seemed troubled by that thought and moved over and dropped itself onto a heavy stool made from a tree stump... It rubbed it's chin for a bit and looked at Artimus, "You don't look like a seeker, so you are probably a traveler... Not a traveler like any I've seen... We have not had travelers in many ages, not since Sindrag has come... No, now no one comes, no one travels, no one dares to move under his vengeful gaze". The kit moved forward and peered out from behind Artimus "Sindrag? Vengeful gaze?". Meethoc looked down at the kit, "Yes, it has been many, many years... Even for my kind, far too long".
Artimus stepped off to the side a bit, "Oh, please forgive my manners, this is my companion... My, I'm a terrible traveling companion... What is your name little one, I just realized I never asked", he said rather sheepishly.
The kit started to answer, but "Ale..." Was all that came out before she trailed off. Alexa? Was that her name? What was her name? Who names a dog who turns into a kitten "Alexa"? It was a nice name and the thought of it made her feel safe, like some distant voice far away once called it...
"Hmm, Alleh... That is a good solid name... One with strong roots" said Meethoc... "I like that... I am pleased to meet you young lady" and with that he smiled a kindly rocky, barky smile and reached out and gently brushed a soggy carrot off of her head. Artimus smiled too, "Well, Alley, it's a pleasure to meet you once again". The kit didn't correct either of them, for she didn't really know if she should... her name could be spot or mittens for all she knew, and Alley was close enough and good enough for now.
She smiled a tiny catly smile, "We are sorry for the roof, it's probably my fault, but I didn't mean to..." She offered. Meethoc looked up at the hole and back at Alley, "It is no big problem. It will heal... And this is not my real home... Just one that I've found that I fit in...it was long abandoned when I found it." He paused and seemed to slump down a bit... "Many things are abandoned, many things have fallen to ruin here now".
Artimus looked about the room and noticed all the windows were boarded up, "I fear then we have arrived at a bad time? Where are we and what has happened here?" He said to Meethoc.
Meethoc rubbed his chin and seemed to drift off for a moment, "You are in the land Urthanopia, on the high plains beneath the Brandrek mountains... And my friends, you have arrived at the worst time possible... For recently Sindrag a malevolent creature of great power, who subjugated this land many years ago has been told of a prophecy... that a great army will rise against him and defeat him in battle." He bowed his head and continued... "He has unleashed his seekers to find all those who oppose him and destroy them, or worse yet deliver them to his temple so he can reveal their secrets..."
Meethoc look up at the two travelers, "You should go back immediately, you are in extreme danger here." He said with deep concern.
Artimus looked down, "I'm afraid we can not... Our pathway was broken, this is not where we meant to go... My little companion here is looking for her human, and I for a... Well, that is of no matter, but she is the one who was to guide us to our destination and now are stuck here until we find a new path to that place."
Meethoc looked at Alley, "I am sorry then, I do not know of any pathways, nor humans and I fear I have stayed here in fear for far too long to be of much use to you... There is one whom I've met, that if she still survives may be of help to you... It has been very long since I've seen her... But if you would like, I will try my best to get you away from here and back to safety" he said in a voice Alley was not quite sure if it was kindness or resignation.
Artimus rat sat down on the floor and looked up at Meethoc, "That is very generous and noble of you, when can we leave?" He said to him.
"Not now, you have arrived late at night and that is far too deadly a time to travel, you are weary as well and covered in my soup... You should clean up and rest. If it is safe in the morning we can depart. But for now, rest and have some more of my soup, but please do not bathe in it" he said with a slight gravelly chuckle.
He stood up, and even though he was well taller than a grizzly bear, and far wider too, there was no longer anything frightening about him, for all his rocky, barkyness he now seemed softer... Like he was now made of elephant hide, though that is not that soft, it is still not stone. Alley liked him, there was something familiar about him...

 

[McGyver]

Meethoc was not used to having company, for it had been longer than he could remember that he had even spoken to another living creature, save a small wuthel or rafter jak. He did his best to show his guests to a comfortable place to sleep. Artimus settled on a small cot near the fireplace, which looked as though it hadn't been used in years. Meethoc offered Alley the big bed, at first she refused, but Meethoc explained he did not use it and it was not a custom of his people to sleep in beds. Instead he explained, they sat with their legs crossed upon a mat on the floor, this was far more comfortable and easier for them to breathe. She looked around the room and wondered to whom or what the cottage belonged, but nothing in it made sense. There were all sorts furniture and utensils of different sizes, that at first glance one would think a large creature was the owner, but there were many things in it that were far smaller, that seemed to contradict that. Alley was inspecting a stack of folded blankets when she saw something that explained it all... Neatly placed in the corner with care, there stood a doll, or stuffed animal, of a sort Alley had never seen. It looked like a cartoon hippo with wings and a big tail... Her heart sank, "A family lived here..." She said sadly to herself. "Yes." replied Meethoc, "Most likely a Brithen delvet herder and his family... There is a pen, out back... It has fallen to the elements, for I can not go outside to repair it, but I try my best to keep their home as clean and kept as possible... I am a guest in their home, and that is the least I can do."
"Brithen?... Delvet?" Said Alley to Meethoc, "What are they like?". Meethoc, pointed to the stuffed animal, "That is a delvet, though they are less purple and the wings are smaller and of no use." He rubbed his chin and thought for a moment, "A brithen is a bit harder to describe", he rubbed his chin some more, "they are mostly shorter than I but probably just as heavy... They are covered in soft brown fur and hey have a face not unlike yours, but thicker and with large teeth, they prefer fruits and vegetables despite those teeth... They can have quite a temper..." He looked at Alley and smiled "but they are kind at heart... I believe it would best be said that they are complicated".
Artimus came around from a room off to the side... "Where do you think they went?"
He asked. Meethoc looked troubled, "I like to believe they left in hurry and managed to take refuge in the southern islands or the forests to the east... If they did not, then that I do not wish to think of"...
Almost at once there came a sound that seemed both far away and right within her own head, a whistle or a shriek or both at once, menacing and tormented it rose and fell, like an damaged trumpet. It seemed to echo within the room and then it stopped. Within a moment there came a reply from far away, somehow deeper, as though there was some sound within that sound that passed through her bones and made her heart skip a beat. She was filled with terror and even Artimus seemed to recoil. But Meethoc stood up and raised a hand to his mouth gesturing them to silence. Upon the roof there came a sound like heavy ropes were being dragged across it from one end to the other. It passed over and the sound moved on and was followed by the sound of breaking branches and then of something heavy falling to the ground and breaking. After a few minutes the calls faded and it became silent again and Meethoc sat down. "Seekers", he said... "They are looking for something... And I fear it may be you", He looked up at the ceiling... "The endelwort moss that makes up the roof has turned them away, it hates them and likely stung their foul tendrils".
He picked up a large cupboard and placed it against the door... "They probably won't return tonight, it is too close to dawn and they must return before the sun rises and burns their great bloated carcasses to ash, but if they have seen your pathway's light, then there is no sense taking chances." He said as he went about checking the windows. Artimus placed his paw on Alley's head... "What shall we do if they return?" He asked. "Then we should die, if that were to happen" Meethoc said gravely, "there is nothing in this world that can stop them... They would kill us or worse yet, carry us away to their master, Sindrag... and that is worse than any death one can imagine."
Meethoc pulled out a large tattered mat and placed it on the floor in the middle of the room. He sat down facing the door and folded his legs in a way that seemed almost impossible for one as bulky as he... "We must rest now, there is little time left and at first light we must leave this place". He closed his eyes and rested his thick hands on his knees, "I will take you to the place where you may find help, but please do not ask more of me, Sindrag is a creature of nightmares and I am no brave warrior, I am just a simple wood wright, who has seen too much suffering to bear more". He bowed his head, "please, rest now..." He seemed to drift off.
Artimus placed Ally on a huge soft pillow and placed a fluffy quilt around her, I was much to warm, but it made her feel safe. He patted her head and she curled up in a little ball. She watched as Artimus dimmed the lantern on the table and lay down across the room. She was still terrified, but the events of the previous day and the night finally overtook her and she started to drift off...

 

[McGyver]

Her dreams would not give her much rest, they tormented her with fragmented visions of what she had seen and felt, disjointed words and glimpses of shadow. Back and forth, they went and suddenly she fell into darkness... she was falling and tumbling one moment and the next she was running down a dirt road toward a man clad in muddy armor who stood beneath a giant black eagle... Somewhere a drum was beating, deafening her... Angry hornets flew past her and one struck her hair and she fell to the ground. There was blood on her hands... Her hands... The man called to her and she got up and began to run. There were hornets everywhere, they threw themselves at her, they were everywhere, they were screaming past her, some struck the dirt, some even stuck the eagle, but it didn't notice, it turned and faced the angry insects and flapped is wings raising a cloud of dust. She could not see, but she ran on blindly toward the sound of the drums, she could hear the man calling her, she could not answer for the dust was choking her and she could barely breathe. Suddenly she could make out the silhouette of the man, but before she could reach him a hornet stung her in the back... She could feel it digging into her flesh, gnawing it's way to her bones, burning her... She fell to the ground again, there was blood on the dirt and on her pale blue dress. She looked up as a large purple hippo ran by and the dust cleared away revealing a dry brown field under an orange sky... The hippo galloped back playfully, it's stubby wings bouncing as it ran. She stood up and reached out to touch it's fuzzy hide, but as she did a horrible trumpet sounded and the hippo was snatched away by long snaking tentacles that wound up into a dark cloud above her. She fell backwards dropping into nothingness. When she stopped falling she was on a little row boat bobbing up and down on a black sea, Artimus was there, kneeling at the back... He was crying and holding a sheet of paper out to her. She reached out to take it but it crumbled and Artimus disappeared like a frail mist taken away by an unseen breeze. She stood there looking down at her hand, the boat bobbing up and down, up and down...

 

[Lorraine]

Her hand was small and tanned, the fingernails short, rough and dirt engrimed. It looked as if it had been doing hard work in a field. She looked up and the sight in front of her froze her marrow. "A dragon, and it doesn't look friendly!" she cried aloud to the wind, " Help me, somebody, HELP ME!".

 

[LisaB]

Nice! I have two more posts to read still but truly fascinating! I could almost see renders scattered throughout the story.

 

[Lorraine]

Thanks, Lisa! I must get back to this. Anyone can jump in anytime and add some more. Who knows where we will end up

 

[McGyver]

Sorry if I was taking over the story, I have a bad habit of doing that... I sorta saw it in my head shortly after I started reading the first few posts, I didn't want to monopolize it, so I left it alone before I got carried away.

 

[Miss B]

I don't think you took it over, and I'm sure everyone here would love to hear your musings, be they long, short or in between.

 

[Lorraine]

Absolutely, McG, I love your story telling! Like I said, anyone can jump in and that means you too! The more the merrier, the crazier, the better...I mean, the poor girl/cat/dog is stuck with a dragon at the moment. Save her, someone!!

 

[Satira Capriccio]

I agree! I loved your additions McG! Soo ... keep it up!!!

 

[Rae134]

Brilliant everyone! I can't wait to find out what happens next.

 

[Lorraine]

"Wake up, Alley, wake up!"
Alley woke with a start as someone shook her. "Wha...what?! What happened? Where is the dragon?", she cried out.
"What dragon?", said Artie, "you were screaming in your sleep. Did you have a nightmare?"
Alley looked at him and looked at her white, furry paws. "I must have", she said. "There was a terrible dragon and it was coming straight at me. And I was in a small boat. And you weren't there. It was so scary. But the horrible thing was...I was a human! A girl, with small hands. I'm NOT a girl, I'm NOT a cat, I'm a DOG! I want to go home", the little kitten meowed plaintively.
Artie looked at her with a sad look on his face and said...

 

[Lorraine]

"I'm sorry, Alley, but neither of us can go home", he said, "We must go on and we must go soon. Meethoc is ready to leave as soon as it gets light. Sleep, little one, I will wake you when it is time."
Alley closed her eyes and mumbled "I'm not a little one, I'm...a...big...," and started softly snoring. Artie looked at her, then looked across at the wood wright before the door.
"I've got a bad feeling about this", he whispered to himself.

 

[LisaB]

Just then, the sky grew dark and the wind kicked up a dust cloud that started to swirl across the landscape. It grew larger and more intense and the dust transformed into what seemed to be the night sky ... a blue-black swirling mass of stars and space gasses ... as it intensified, it seemed to take direction and was heading right for the place where Alley lie snoring ...

 

[LisaB]

Wow. Did I kill the story?

 

[Miss B]

Hopefully not. I suspect it'll pick up again soon.

 

[Lorraine]

Nope, not at all, Lisa. Spent a couple of hours lying in the dark thinking of the next chapter. Will be doing it on the big puter when I'm at my housesit this arvo. Too long to type on this teeny keyboard. So, watch this space!