the Quest of Catmandu (standard:fantasy, 3476 words) [2/6] show all parts
Author: nightshade	Added: Sep 14 2000	Views/Reads: 3548/2031	Part vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
as the princess and her bodyguards continue their journey, they meet an old friend and make a new one.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

Tynak finished. "There's only one way to find out." Shae cried in joy 
as she scrambled out of the water. "Just pray to Tigress that i'm not 
wrong." Before the bird got too far away, Shae tried the only call she 
knew. Two hawk cries, a roar and another hawk cry. It was then that her 
heart practically jumped into her throat. Amazingly enough, the bird 
responded, making a sweeping turn and swooping down towards them, 
landing on her outstretched arm. "Talon! it is you!" Shae cried, 
stroking the female star-chested falcon, and licking the top of her 
head. "I thought she was gone for good." Tynak smiled as she came up 
and gave the falcon's beak an affectionate rub. "Me too," Charval 
agreed. "It's been over a year since she left with that male." 
Naturally, the thought of offspring occured. Talon seemed oblivious to 
the conversation though as she rubbed her head under Shae's chin. "Do 
you think she might join us on our journey?" Tynak wondered. Seeming to 
understand, the falcon bobbed her head. "i think we've got our answer." 
The princess announced with an ear to ear smile that displayed her 
gleaming white fangs. "Is there any chance she might be..." Charval 
started. "Carrying eggs right now?" Shae finshed. "I'm not sure." 
"Unlikely." Tynak argued. "If she were about to lay, she'd not be so 
far from a nesting spot." Suddenly, Talon took flight and the Tiger 
women took it as a hint to continue the journey. with their fur almost 
dried, except for dampness in the hollows between their breasts and 
ass-cheeks, they ran to the camp. They packed up their belongings and 
resumed their travels, hoping that they hadn't seen the last of Shae's 
newly-re-found pet. 

The present step of the journey was decided. The friends would skirt the
nearby forest clock-wise and so south-east until they hit Border river, 
and find the camp from there if they didn't meet it directly. 

Three days passed and the sun was gone when they reached Border and
found the bridge nearest the the camp they sought. Soon after, they 
found the old, adandoned camp. There was nothing there to identify the 
previous masters and neither the princess or her two bodyguards could 
remember who lived there. It didn't matter to Shae. What did matter was 
that there was no sign of Talon since her visit a few days ago. Despite 
this, Shae eyes remained watchful and her ears attentive. A fire was 
made and the trio was just settling down to eat when a loud flapping 
noise set down behind Shae's sack. A moment later, Talon came into the 
light. Shae welcomed her feathered friend back by setting the only 
remaining large chunk of elk before her. Talon took a peck at it, then 
hopped up on it and just stood there, staring at the princess. "There's 
something tied to her leg." Charval observed. Shae detached it, and the 
moment it was removed, Talon started tearing away at the elk haunch. 
"What does it say?" The younger of the two bodyguards asked. "Company's 
coming." The princess replied. "Now, what does that mean?" "It's 
self-explanatory." A voice suddenly said from the dark, scaring the 
bejeesus out of the unsuspecting travellers. The Tiger clan's 
ambassador came into the light. "Rhachyl!" Charval exclaimed, then 
laughed. "You bitch, you almost made me piss on my bedroll." "Sorry 
Char...couldn't resist." Rhachyl chuckled. "Why don't i doubt that?" 
Shae grinned as she got up and hugged the smiling visitor. "Because i 
am sorry." "Sorry, my ass." The travelling trio echoed together before 
all four burst out into a cacophony of laughter. They sat and the 
ambassador accepted an offer of elk and the findings at Danyx's camp. 
No words were passed until they finished eating and relaxed with some 
herbal tea. "So, you followed us." Shae said. "No, i left central camp 
two days after you did." "Parnak's horse." Charval deduced. "Where is 
it?" Tynak asked. "About a mile up the river." Shortly, it was 
Rhachyl's turn for questions. "I would assume that you bagged the elk 
the day you left." "That we did." Charval said as she puffed her chest 
out. "How could you have made it to the Falcon river in under a day?" 
"We didn't." Shae replied. "But that's where i found the carcass." the 
ambassador asserted. "But that's not where we killed it." tynak stated. 
"Then where?" Rhachyl asked. "Between the king Rae forest and the north 
end of the Emerald forest." charval claimed. "What?" "Look." Shae said, 
pulling out the map and unrolling it between Rhachyl and the fire. "It 
still amazes me to see Catmandu in this manner." "Tell me about it." 
The princess nodded as the ambassador took a minute to look the map 
over. "Can you tell where you killed the elk?" "Right around here." 
Shae answered, circling her fingers near the indent at the north end of 
the Emerald forest. "That's interesting." the Tiger emmissary stated 
curiously. "Because i found it," She said pointing at the map. "Here, 
by the start of Falcon river's circle path." "There?" tynak asked. 
"How?" "Wolves." Rhachyl announced. "They were gnawing it along the 
western bank. It looked like a big one too." "It was." Shae replied. 
"You should see the rack." At that, Charval was quick to retrieve the 
antlers and the hide. "Magnificent." Rhachyl said in appreciation. "If 
you could." Charval wondered as she put the hide before the ambassador. 
"Would you be able to have Darnec cure and tan the skin, and give it to 
Juno at the next gathering?" "It would be my pleasure." Rhachyl 
replied. "I know she'd love to get her paws on this." After another 
round of tea, another matter of curiousity got the better of Shae. "How 
did you manage to find Talon and follow us?" "I didn't plan to." 
Rhachyl shrugged. "The rest of the camp and i were just about home when 
Talon appeared out of nowhere after about four moons." "Four moons?" 
Shae asked in surprise. "Why didn't you tell me that at the gathering? 
It's been over a sun cycle since i've seen her!" "I didn't think about 
it at the time. anyway, i could tell she seemed to be looking for you 
by the way she looked around, so i pointed her south to where i figured 
you'd be by now. When she returned this afternoon with an apple core, i 
tied the note to her leg and followed her." "So, you'll be heading back 
in the morning?" Charval wondered. "Actually, i thought i'd see the 
three of you off at the boat dock." "Alright." Tynak said and yawned. 
"That's it for the night ladies." Shae announced 

At dawn, Rhachyl was gone, presumably to get Parnak's horse. Talon was
nowhere to be seen...again. Shae felt that the falcon would return 
before long and was gathering up the few things she had removed from 
her sack, when her hand nudged...eggs...nestled in her old deer hide 
with a bunch of twigs, grass and feathers. A nest, the obvious 
conclusion. "Uhh, Tynak." "Yeah?" "Remember when you said that Talon 
couldn't be ready to lay?" "Sure. Why?" "I'm happy to say, you were 
wrong." Shae announced, holding up one of the six eggs to the looks of 
surprise on her friends faces. "Then where's Talon?" Charval asked. 
"Probably looking for more nesting material." Rhachyl guessed as she 
returned. "Did you know about this?" Shae asked. "Well, i had an idea, 
so i brought this just in case." Before the princess could ask, Rhachyl 
reached around the side of the horse and returned with an odd looking 
wooden contraption. "My backpack nest carrier." Shae smiled. "You must 
have had more than an idea. "Alright, i did." Shae carefully 
transferred the hide nest and eggs to the carrier. With help, it was 
secured to her back with the straps tying together between her breasts. 
"It still fits." Shae grinned. As the were about to leave, something 
caught Rhachyl's attention. "Charval, maybe its just me, but your 
breasts seem larger." "They do?" The young bodyguard asked, looking 
down at them curiously. "They do look a bit bigger." Shae agreed. "Have 
you been sick lately?" Rhachyl asked. "I, did throw up when we went 
down to the river this morning." Charval admitted. "What about your 
cycle? Shouldn't it have started by now?" Tynak queried. "Now that you 
mention it. It should have started yesterday." Charval sdaid, as she 
scratched her head. "Maybe its just late." "It's not late, you silly 
cub." Shae said with a huge grin on her face, "You're pregnant." 
"seriously!?" The young Tiger woman asked excitedly. "You think so?" 
Shae remembered her own symptoms with her cub . "Yup, you're pregnant." 
The seventeen year old squealed with joy like a cub as she hugged the 
princess, Tynak and Rhachyl, before roaring and jumping four feet into 
the air. "Settle down, child." The twenty-five year old ambassador 
chuckled. "You know, you and Wherrel were in your mating tent a long 
time." Tynak giggled. "Now i know why." "What about you Tynak?" Shae 
teased. "You weren't in your mating tent with Karnak a whole lot less 
time." "My cycle isn't due for a couple of days, and besides, i haven't 
experienced any morning sickness." Tynak replied. 

The sun was now in view over the trees across the river, prompting the
women to pick up again and move on. There was a lot of extra movements 
to the routine since they were all on a high of exuberance and elation. 
Two hours later, they arrived at the Border river coat dock to 
find...someone tying their boat to the dock. The person was facing 
away, but it was apparent that the visitor was...Cheetah clan. The 
woman worked the rope, completely unaware that the masters of this 
territory were behind her and closing in. "Try a slip knot." Shae 
suggested on approach. Caught off guard, the woman shrieked and jumped 
into the air, arms and legs flailing wildly. She fell to the dock with 
a resounding thud before scrambling to her knees. 
"i'msorryi'msorryi'msorry." She said. "I know this is a Tiger boat." 
"Take it easy." Shae said gently. "You're among friends." "Forgive me. 
You just scared the religion back into me." "Happens to everyone. I bid 
you welcome to Tiger clan territory. I am princess Shae. These are my 
bodyguards, Tynak and Charval, and our clan ambassador Rhachyl." 
"Greetings," The gaunt, visibly weakened woman replied. "I am Chenelle, 
ambassador of the Cheetah clan." "How did you get over here?" Tynak 
asked. "My mate, Chodac, shuttled me over." "What brings you here?" 
"Please," Rhachyl interrupted. "The poor woman looks starved. Let's get 
her some food and drink before we question her to death." Suddenly 
sheepish. Shae turned to Chevelle. "Forgive me, please. Come sit and 
end your hunger with us." "Thank you." Chevelle accepted as she slowly 
and shakily followed her hosts to a flat section of grass where their 
belongings had been set. The Cheetah gorged herself, her voracious 
appetite seeming to have no end. It didn't matter to Shae, the visitor 
wasn't meant to starve. Before long, Chevelle turned to Shae with tears 
in her eyes that were threatening to overflow. "My clan is in the most 
dire need of your help, if you can give it." "What do you need?" Shae 
asked in concern. Chenelle was suddenly wracked with sobs and was 
quickly comforted by Charval. The spasms soon passed and she lifted her 
tear-streaked face. "We need..eveything." "Everything?" Shae repeated 
in confusion. "The most immediate being medical attention." Chevelle 
declared. "Doesn't your tribe have a medicine man or woman?" Charval 
wondered. "Thorac, our shaman, is the sickest one there." "How many of 
you are sick?" the princess asked. "All of us." the visitor croaked. 
"Tigress help us." Rhachyl muttered to herself. "Our plants, medicinal 
or otherwise, are dying. Animals are practically nonexistent. The only 
food we can find are the odd schools of fish that find their way into 
Feldspar lake." "How has this come to be?" Tynak asked. "Many resources 
were depleted in our clan's involvement in the war of Catfight 
mountains. Those of us that are left had been laboring furiously to 
rebuild until a couple of months ago, when..." "Months?" Shae asked. 
"The old human term for what we call moons." Rhachyl explained. "What 
happened, Chevelle?" Charval prompted. "Almost everything was wiped out 
by a terrible flood. we lost almost every single land animal on the 
island. Crops and most important plant life suffered irrepairable 
damage." "And your people?" Rhachyl asked. "What of them?" "We lost 
fifteen in the flood, and the few of us left are hanging on by 
threads." "You said 'the few of us left'" Shae noted. "How many of you 
are left on your island?" "Eight." Chevelle answered, with tears in her 
eyes again. "That can't be!" Charval cried. "There has to be more of 
you!" "Charval's right, Chevelle." Shae said. "There must be more of 
your people somewhere." "That's what we tell ourselves at home, but 
there's no way for us to find out because we're too sick to travel far. 
We don't know how many are living or dead. We have no clues regarding 
where to even look. We can't spy on enemy territories for 
possibilities, we'd be slaughtered if we were discovered." "No you 
won't. Not now, so don't say another word." Shae declared. "You've got 
our help in every respect, and i mean EVERY respect." "Thank you." 
Chevelle sobbed, crumpling into Shae's arms. 

They travelled back up Border river to the abandoned camp. during the
short trek, Shae was happy and grateful to spot Talon's return. The 
falcon was quick to swoop down and land gently on the nest carrier as 
the princess kept moving. The Cheetah woman looked at this situation 
with great surprise, much to the delight of her hosts, who enjoyed the 
fresh reaction. At the camp, the guest was urged to rest and recuperate 
after taking some herbal medicines to combat her sickness. Shortly 
after Chevelle fell asleep, Shae and her friends walked a short 
distance from the camp before the princess laid out her plan of action. 
"Rhachyl, i'll be sending a message to camp to have Darnac prepare the 
messenger birds. We're having a clan rally." "I don't have to guess how 
you'll get the message to Darnac quick enough to set things in motion. 
I already know." Tynak grinned. "Half of the birds," Shae continued, 
"Will be sent out to the rest of the clan asking half of them to hunt 
for meat to be shipped to Cheetah island." "What about the other half?" 
Tynak asked. "They will collect eight of each member of the deer family 
per campground, take them by wagon to the Falcon river dock where the 
transport ships will take them to Cheetah island." "As you wish, 
princess." Rhachyl said. "And the other half of the messenger birds?" 
Charval inquired. "Those will be sent to allied territories asking for 
help in finding word on missing members of the Cheetah clan, whether 
they be alive dead, captive, lost in enemy boundaries or elsewhere." 
"Got it." "What will we three do?" Tynak asked. "We," Shae delared. 
"will make our way to Falcon river dock and ready the ships for the 
clans arrival." "Wait a second." the older bodyguard interjected. "If 
the remaining Cheetah clan is all sick, we need to get Karo here right 
away with herbs and medicines, to see Chevelle home and help care for 
them until we all get over there." "Excellent point, Tynak." Shae 
agreed. Shae wrote the letters with carefully detailed instructions, 
tied it to Talon's leg and sent her on her way to Umak's camp, the one 
live camp along Border river in Tiger clan territory. Talon seemed 
fidgety until Shae assured her that her eggs would be well cared for 
and protected until she got back. then, she was off. Now, all they 
could do was wait. 

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