the quest of catmandu 6 (standard:science fiction, 0 words) [6/6] show all parts
Author: nightshade	Added: Jun 07 2001	Views/Reads: 2640/2018	Part vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
a discovery leads to a reunion and revelations for princess Shae

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

lifelessly to the ground, killed by Rhae's rage and desperation before 
he tried to fend off the other three. "look!" Shae pointed as she 
smiled at a turn of events. "they're running away! my daddy beat them!" 
indeed, the remaining attackers did retreat, leaving king Rhae standing 
ragged and very bloody, it was victory for him and seemingly for the 
rest for the war as well, the battle was dissipating. 

Rhae stepped over the dead bodies and started moving towards the hidden
cubs, but then...he grew deathly tired and stopped. Shae's heart sand 
and tears welled again. something was terribly wrong. why wasn't he 
walking any closer? why wasn't he coming for them? 

Solomon, the older of king Rhae's two bodyguards, and Leomat, the lion
clan's king came running to his aid. it was then that Rhae clamped a 
paw over the right side of his neck...and Shae could see blood welling 
heavily between his fingers. she couldn't make out what the approaching 
help was calling, but she could see him turn his attention in their 
direction for a second. the expression softened and all that father and 
daughter saw was each other for a few fleeting moments. 

in those moments, a million words were were spoken through each others
eyes, with Shae's begging for forgiveness through her tears and Rhae's 
remaining calm as if to assure her that it was't her fault. then...as 
the mighty king Rhae flashed his princess a smile that was tainted with 
blood, he stood tall and proud for a few everlasting seconds and 
mouthed the words. 'i love you.' Shae could do no less than the same. 
finally the light left his eyes and he fell face first to the ground, 
never to rise again. it was then that Solomon and Leomat reached him. 

Shae couldnt be held back any longer and broke from her cover, running
to the king's side as he was rolled over. "daddy?...daddy...DADDY!!" 
Shae screamed. "get up, daddy. you've got to get up so we can go home." 
she listened hoping to hear him say 'yes baby, let's go home.' no words 
came from him. none ever would again. there was no movement from the 
once energetic and commanding king of the Tiger clan, just his pooling 
blood. there was no sound from him...not even the rumble of him drawing 
a powerful breath, there was nothing. Shae cried and mewed as she 
buried her face into the blood-soaked fur of his powerful chest. 

after what seemed an eternity of begging him to get up, Solomon tried to
pull her up and away from the body. "come on child, we must go home." 
"not until my daddy gets up!" Shae shrieked. Leomat intervened by 
tearing her away and staring at her bloody, teary-eyed face. "listen to 
me, little one." he calmly ordered. "as much as wishing and begging 
does, it won't work here. look, i know you loved your father. he was a 
great man...loved by many, feared by others and respected by all. i 
know you want him to get up and be well, but he can't. i'm sorry...but 
your father is dead." "no! never!! he can't be!!" Shae blubbered as she 
escaped the lion king's grasp and ran blindly south. Tynak and 
Charval,who had come from their cover only moments before, took off 
after her in a attempt to catch and console her, although they were in 
their own worlds as well, from hearing no word from their parents. 

Shae was oblivious to anything ahead of her as she plowed ahead, and
thus did not see a half buried root from a once present tree. her foot 
caught the fibrous arc solidly and she fell, her head colliding with a 
rock as she hit the ground, knocking her unconscious. Tynak, Charval, 
Solomon and Leomat rushed over to her. "Shae...Shae, wake up." a voice 
said. the princess was swimming in a sea of nothingness, only her 
subconscious mind keeping her close enough to hear the muddled 
sentences. "Shae, are you alright?" another voice asked in the foggy 
distance. "wake up, child." a third voice pleaded. "wake up...wake 
up...wake up..." 

"wake up, Shae" Kronat said as he squeezed a water-soaked sponge over
her forehead. her eyes shot open, and she was eighteen again. 
"wha...what happened?" she groaned as her eyes closed in pain from the 
wound just below her hairline. "you hit your head upon a rock when you 
fell into the river." Charval replied. "are you okay?" Tynak asked. 
"yes. i...i...i saw it all again." she blubbered as Kronat sat her up 
and held her tight, letting her release her tension. her naked body 
shook heavily as she half-curled up. "you saw what, princess?" Kronat 
queried. "my father's...death." she cried as a fresh wave of sobs 
wracked her body. Charval's and Tynak's eyes closed as they recalled 
that day. "there, there. it's alright." the royal advisor consoled her. 
"your father is still watching over you, he'll always be watching." 

"where are we now?" Shae asked as she looked around the interior of the
tent she was now in. "we're still be the river and everyone is 
outside." "Faelix? Lynnar?" "Faelix is out there, and Lynnar is 
sleeping in the next tent. she wouldn't stop crying when we pulled you 
from the water. it took a couple of hours to calm her down enough and 
get her to sleep." "i've been out that long?" Shae gasped. "yes, 
princess." Kronat replied. "i...wait." she stopped. "you say i hit my 
head on a rock?" "yes," Charval piped "and you've got the cut to show 
for it." "why do you ask, child?" Kronat asked. "why does that have you 
so shaken?" "that's what happened the day my father died." Shae 
recalled. "i tripped on a tree root and hit my head on a stone." "you 
saw your father's death?" the old one gasped. "the three of us did." 
Kronat turned to Charval and Tynak with wide eyes and the both smiled 
sheepishly. "that's what happened to you that day." "forget about it, 
Kronat," Shae said, wincing as she patted the bandage on her head. "it 
was a long time ago." "i'm one hundred and eighty-two years old, child. 
to me, twelve years is hardly a long time." "there was something odd 
about this incident." "of course...you ended up in the water." 
"no...not that." she shook her head, stirring up a headache. "this 
time, before i hit my head, i caught a glimpse of something shiny, 
but...i don't know what it was." "it doesn't matter now." "it does 
matter, Kronat." Shae argued. "i don't know why, but for some 
reason...it does. i've got to find out what it was." "you must rest, 
child." Kronat warned. "you've got a cut on your forehead and a mild 
concussion. please..rest." "forget it." 

Shae gt up and ran from the tent, ignoring the pounding in her skull and
heading straight for the river. the sun was still high overhead and 
causing lots of bright dotted refections on the waters surface. eveyone 
there had seen her burst from the tent and had followed. wondering what 
the princess was thinking by running back to what appeared to be the 
same spot on the bank where she had fallen in. she never bothered to 
pick her way down the side. she jumped...eight feet from the grassy 
edge down to the water...and landed right by the same rock that her 
head had hit. there was still blood on the sharp edge as it rose above 
the ripples. looking at the first path down, she traced her memory to 
try and remeber exactly when and where she had seen the strange 
glitter. 

when there seemed to be no hope of finding the object of her search, she
turned to get out of the water, and at that moment, she caught the 
exact same glint that she was looking for. it had moved away only 
slightly downriver...just about under the bridge, but with the sun's 
position, a beam of light cut through the boards and hit the thing at 
just the right angle. Shae rushed to it, seeing it to be partially 
buried. water splashed everywhere as she pulled it from the gravel and 
shook it vigorously in the rivers flow to get the mud off. she took a 
good look at the face of it and the blood drained from her face... 

Shae stood frozen, kneedeep in the river with the object clutched to her
breast. Lynnar had toddled her way over to Faelix and he lifted her up 
without a word, keeping his eyes on his mate. when the two-year old saw 
her mother standing in the river just staring at nothing, she became 
both worried and curious. "daddy? what's mommy holding in her paw?" "i 
have no idea Lynnar." Faelix replied. "why isn't she coming out of the 
water?" "i wish i knew, baby." "well, i'm not waiting for her any 
longer." Parnak declared. they watched as the holy woman stepped off 
the grassy overhang of the bank where Shae had gone down before and 
slid down the wet, gooey side, getting mud up the crack of her ass in 
the process. she didn't care. her concern was with whatever it was that 
had the future queen so spellbound. when she reached Shae, she stopped. 
the princess had a completely ashen look about her that seemed so odd 
for her. "Shae...what's wrong? what did you find?" without saying a 
word, the princess slowly and deliberately focused her gaze on Parnak. 
moving her arm in the same fashion, she displayed the haunting and 
enigmatic signifigance og her finding. it was a small carving...a 
granite bust of king Rhae. the shape and unbelievably accurate detail 
left no doubt as to the identity. 

by the time the evening meal was done, everyone had seen the carving,
but no-one had any clue as to who did it or how it had come to be in 
Cheetah land. Lynnar had become infatuated with it for a short while. 
she had no idea who the man was, but soon came to understand the 
carving's importance after Shae explained why she should be the only 
one to touch it. the toddler was only slightly dissapointed, but was 
still happy to be able to look at it all she wanted. Faelix didn't seem 
to understand why no-one else was allowed to handle a rock carving. 
"what's going on Shae?" "what do you mean?" "i mean...you're saying 
that nobody is allowed to touch that carving, like it has some sort of 
curse on it." "it's not for you or me to question." "it's not...what's 
with you? you haven't been the same since you found the damn thing." "i 
don't know. it's just that something in my heart is telling me that i 
must protect it from any kind of damage...even accidental." "are you 
telling me that a carving made out of granite will break more easily 
than one made of fired clay?" "mo, i''m telling you that...never mind. 
i don't have time for this. i've got to see Parnak." "about what? it's 
a carving of your father, end of story." "no, Faelix. there's a 
question that i can't quite put my finger on with an answer that's even 
more elusive. i need to find some resolution and Parnak is the only one 
that i feel has the capability to find it." 

with no further words, she grabbed the bust and sought out the holy
woman. Parnak was seated at the royal fire, the biggest of the flames, 
in conversation with Cheryn, Chorman, Karo, Charval, Nharrel, Tynak, 
and Karnak. on seeing Shae's approach, the holy woman could tell who 
the princess was seeking. "Parnak?" Shae called. the woman excused 
herself from the group and the pair walked off towards one of the more 
secluded fires. they found the farthest one out and sat on opposite 
sides of the flames. "what can i help you with?" "it's about the 
carving. there's something about it that eludes what i can see. i'm 
more protective of it than i am of an average possession, but that's 
not the issue. the issue is a question that i don't know. i need you to 
help me find the question and the answer that goes with it." "very 
well, princess. we'll solve the problem...in a dreamwalk." "a visit to 
the spirit world?" "no, the spirit world cannot be reached by the 
living. what we can reach however, is a dreamscape." "close enough. 
let's do it." 

they sat in a meditational pose, staring into the fire for a short while
before closing their eyes as they relaxed. the air was cool for this 
time of year, but the flames provided more than adequate heat as it 
warmed their bodies. as a dreamscape would begin, the flames seemed to 
envelop them. Parnak's magic seemed evident from Tromal's training, and 
the fire's warmth caused an oddly arousing hardening of Shae's nipples. 
but then... the flames in the dreamscape suddenly snuffed out and they 
felt themselves being transported to a void that had even Parnak 
confused and full of worried caution. the holy woman and princess were 
then in an unfamiliar landscape that left them feeling uneasy but 
strangely safe. Shae had no idea where they were and Parnak has even 
less of a clue as to how they had got there. the only thing they felt 
they could do was wait and see what would happen or where they might 
end up. as they looked in the direction of a range of mountains, a fog 
of mystical properties formed at the base and grew until it almost 
reached them, stopping twenty feet from them with the mist seeming to 
pulse as if alive. Suddenly...a form began emerging in the shape of a 
figure just beyond the edge of the fog. the man strted to step through 
and as each part came into view, Shae felt an uneasiness growing in the 
pit of her stomach. the body was in full view with the fog still 
obscuring the figure's head, and Shae started to shake. 'please 
Tigrus...no. don't do this to me and fool me in the end. i want it so 
much to be real...' in answer to her unspoken plea, the fog began to 
lift, exposing an infectious smile. when they saw his face, they could 
only blink in disbelief. how was this happening? how could it happen 
during meditation" they were only supposed to find a solution to the 
mystery of the carving, but what was this part of it? were they really 
in the spirit realm? were they supposed to see...him? could Shae afford 
or even dare to dream? now...the look on the man's face seemed to be 
asking the same questions. Shae had to know. "daddy?" Shae...my 
daughter, is that you?" it was him, it was king Rhae. 

Shae lost control, breaking down in tears as her father's presence hit
her, and she dropped to the ground. Parnak, still in disbelief, stood 
frozen as this apparition crouched down with Shae and embraced her. 
"you've grown up well." Rhae observed with fondness. "h,h,how can this 
be happening" Sahe blubbered. "you're dead." "how can you be here?" 
Parnak asked. "i think i should be asking the two of that question." 
"this is impossible!" Shae bawled. "does that mean you're not happy to 
see me?" "how do i know its really you?" "if it wasn't, would you be 
crying right now, thw=e same way you do at the foot of my statue every 
time you visit it?" upon hearing that, Shae's eyes sparkled as her arms 
jerkingly wrapped around the ghost's chest, unsure of whether or not 
the body would even be solid...not an illusion. finding king Rhae to be 
solid indeed, Shae buried her face in his neck as a new onslaught of 
tears cascaded forth. "careful, Shae...that's the side of my neck that 
was ripped open, remember?" Shae's head shot back and she stared at him 
as if she had no eyelids. "sorry," he smiled sheepishly. "i was known 
on occasion for telling jokes at the wrong time." "your majesty," 
Parnak hesitated, "we seek counsel to solve a small mystery. your 
daughter found a carving in the north river that feeds Feldspar 
Lake..." Yes, i know," Rhae declared. "but it's not me." "what?" Shae 
squinted in consternation. "how can that be? it look just like you." "i 
know...but it's not me. did you look at the stripes?" "yes. it all 
matches exactly." "no, it doesn't." Rhae countered. "what?" "when you 
awaken, look at the back of the carving...from the base of the skull 
down. you'll notice that where the stripes should branch out in a 
stagger pattern, as mine do, the ones on the carving don't. theses ones 
are in a similiar pattern around two large stripes that branch from the 
top of the trapezoid muscles down and out to where the armpits should 
be." "if its not you...who is it?" "all i can tell you is that he is 
part of your future." Rhae replied. "i can't tell you any more." 
"daddy, what about mama? is she here?" the apparition looked away as if 
asking someone's permission to give the answer. he then turned back and 
closed his eyes. "if you are to learn anything, you must answer that 
question by yourself and deal with what you discover." Shae looked 
down, trying to find another subject that would prolong her visit. she 
felt a need to be with her father as long as possible...and she would 
not deny herself the time if she could help it. "daddy...how long 
should i remain on Cheetah island? when should i continue my journey?" 
"when the Cheetah ambassador gives birth." "that's three and half 
moons, sire." Parnak supplied. "no, it's not. Chenelle is four and a 
half moons along, not three and a half." "how do you know this?" "i 
watch over all the lands and the people from time to time. believe me, 
i know." "two and a half moons then." Shae decided. "my king." Parnak 
asked. "we also need to know if there any missing numbers to the clans 
in our alliance that are still alive...that we are able to search for 
and return." "yes daddy, please tell us what we need to know." again, 
the king looked away to seek his own counsel. when he faced them again, 
his infectious smile was upon him. "yes...and you are to be their 
deliverance." "does that include the Cheetah clan, daddy?" Shae 
wondered. "can you tell me how many of their numbers are out there?" 
"there are seventy-five or better, but..." "but what?" "it's time for 
you to go." "wait daddy, answer the question please." "not right now 
Shae. it's time for you to wake up." the fog reappeared and began to 
surround him." "daddy!" Shae blurted as the spirit started to move back 
into the mist. "i know your question, my daughter...fear not. you'll 
see me again in your dreams. any time you need me...i'll be there." he 
then faded into nothingness. "come on Shae," Parnak urged. "we should 
wake up...wake up...wake up..." 

suddenly, Shae and Parnak were staring at the fire again. they met each
other's gazes with wide eyes, though Shae's were sheeding tears 
profusely. "i...was...was that real?" she asked, drying her tears. "as 
real as the spirit world can be."the holy woman shrugged. "though i 
have absolutely no idea how we ended up there, or why we ended up 
seeing..." "my father." the princess whispered. "at the moment, its 
beyond my understanding. no living being has ever visited the spirit 
world with such ease, let alone come back." "so...what we saw was real 
then?" Shae shivered. "but did we actually hear what we heard as well?" 
"there's one way to find out for sure." Parnak stated. "if you remember 
waht your father said about..." "the carving!" Shae gasped. the 
princess ran to her tent, where Lynnar was now sleeping soundly, and 
grabbed the granite bust off her sleeping fur. racing back to the fire 
and the waiting holy woman, she sat on the dirt, not caring about 
keeping her butt clean. "son of Tigrus...Parnak...look." the carving's 
back was patterned just as it was said to be. they had in fact gone 
beyond a dreamscape and visited the spirit world...and this proved it. 
"this is...almost too much to handle." Parnak heaved uneasily. "how in 
the name of Tigrus could we have possibly visited that realm? there's 
no logical explanation. i know i don't have that power...and i'm a holy 
woman. there's no way, unless...it was you, Shae." "me? are you crazy?" 
"it had to be you. i can swear to the grace of Tigrus that it wasn't 
me. i will assume that something must have happened to you...and that 
whatever it was opened in your soul...the gift of spirit realm 
passage." "you've lost it, Parnak." Shae laughed in denial. "i am not 
the type for that to happen to. i doubt it will happen again." "tell me 
this, Shae. have you had any strange or haunting dreams that might 
possibly relate to any recent events?" "yes...but that's just a 
coincidence." "don't discount what you saw, princess. all you need to 
do is wait until you fall asleep. should you so desire, you will visit 
that realm again." "until then, i suggest that you sleep yourself." 
"you too." "i will...shortly." Shae promised. "i just need to do some 
thinking for a bit." 

Parnak left the princess to herself, still flabbergasted and made her
way back to the main fire where Tynak, Charval and her mate still 
remained. it would be up to Shae to announce this occurrence to the 
clan. for what seemed like an eternity, Shae sat alone, staring at the 
flames, her confusion still conflicting with her sense of reasoning. 
confusion about the identity of the carving. confusion over her visit 
to the spirit world of her long deceased father. confusion about what 
she was going to do about everything and whether or not she could 
handle it all. she held the granite bust in her hands, looking at it 
intently, trying to get a sense of who it was. before she was able to 
fall too far into thought, she was interrupted by a pair of huge paws 
touching her shoulders and rubbing her back. "would you like some 
company?" Faelix asked as he shuffled slowly to the side to sit by her. 
"please." he seemed to be strangely deferential to her now, and she 
figured it must be that he realized the impact, however little, behind 
his lack of empathy over the carving and any meaning it had to Shae. 
his approach had surprised her regardless since he was rarely 
apologetic and he hadn't carried any visible deference towards her 
since before they were mated. looking at him by the fire's light, Shae 
saw that his eyes were glassy with tears, which suprised her even more. 
"before yu say anything." Faelic started. "i need to know one thing." 
"what's that?" "can you forgive me for being so thick-headed?" "if i 
know what's troubling you." "a part of it is my lack of fortitude when 
it come to fighting homesickness. the big factor is your journey. it's 
going to kill me bit by bit to be without you for such an extended 
length of time. and...as far as the sculpture goes, it's understandable 
for you to hold value on something of your father and..." "it's not my 
father." Shae stated. "what? you're kidding." "no, i'll explain 
tommorrow." "good enough. ive got another question for you then." "and 
that would be..." "will you miss me as much as i'll miss you?" 

Shae's answer came as she sat facing him, on his lap with her legs
wrapped around his waist and her arms around his neck. she gave him a 
long lick across his mouth and cheek before stopping at his ear. "what 
do you think?" 

to be continued --------------------------------- comments to
karlw@telusplanet.net --------------------------------- 


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