the Quest of Catmandu (standard:fantasy, 5692 words) [5/6] show all parts
Author: nightshade	Added: Jan 29 2001	Views/Reads: 2917/1913	Part vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
deliverance and celebration

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plagued her. how had these arks made it here in the first place? the 
answer was very long, very thick and heavy ropes that were tied to 
massive rings that were hanging about halfway between the bow point and 
water level. the arks were pulled...by the whales? the picture in 
Shae's mind almost seemed too fantastic to comprehend. Chevelle and 
Chodac soon reboarded, and Chevelle quickly yelled to all four boats to 
sit down and hold on tight, warning that the whales would pull hard  
and fast on the huge loops. evrybody was now in their seats and holding 
on for dear life, waiting to feel the jerk of the rope being pulled 
taut by great force. it was a surprise to all, when the only thing felt 
was a light bump. all of them watched as the arks gradually gained 
momentum and before long they were travelling at tremendous speed. 

the pace was steady and smooth...a great relief to Charval...and those
who wished to walk about were allowed to. Shae opted to join Chevelle 
at the rudders, as she now had the opportunity to ask another question 
that she was pondering. it concerned the origin of these arks. it was 
almost not known anymore how these water vehicles were devised or 
constructed, or even who invented them. Chevelle and her family were 
the only ones who held the knowledge, but even they couldn't explain 
the schematics in full detail. the arks were designed to carry large 
loads with a proportionately small number of people moving them. the 
seats for the operators and passengers were up top along the sides, 
which were only slightly curved. the bows were curved to a point to cut 
through the water. the propulsion system was consisted of four large 
propellers on the bottom of each ark's stern with two rudders ten feet 
above them. the rudders would sit just below the water level. the props 
were powered by a complicated system of pulleys and knotted heavy ropes 
which ran to centralized rods. the rods, in sets of four with one for 
each prop, then also worked in conjunction with slightly smaller ropes 
that ran from crossbars at the top underneath the top deck in a flat 
corridor to connect with the sets of pedals at the foot of each 
operators seat. each propeller system wouls synchronize ten operators, 
bring the total to forty operators. theough the system was made for the 
maximum of forty, such craft could be succesfully run by a minimum of 
twenty. with Chevelle and Chodac included, the total present was a mere 
twenty-eight that could work the pedals. for four ships, with four 
working the rudders, that wasn't nearly enough. the rudder system in 
itself was far simpler, with a central bar attached to rotating cuffs 
at each end. the top one was naturally connected to the operators 
handle which moved in an arc around the front of the seat. the bottom 
cuff connected to the rudders through a cross bar with a donut shaped 
ring in the center that the cuff fit into. the ends of the cross bar 
linked directly to each rudder for synchronous movement. 

the sun was a thumb width from the western horizon, but cloud cover made
it seem darker. Shae hadn't expected to reach Cheetah island until it 
was well into darkness, but she soon spotted torches that lit up thier 
destination. when the arks got within on hundred yards of the dock, 
Shae felt a light jerk on the craft. she looked down the point of the 
bow and noticed that the two ropes had gone limp, meaning that the 
whales had let go. the arks were going just fast enough to coast to a 
gentle stop at he docking area. the minutely jerky stop as the arks hit 
the beach immediately signalled all passengers to disembark. while 
mothers kept their children out of the way, the loading ramps were 
brought out and leaned just underneath the bay doors at the front of 
each ark. with quick and careful action, the watertight seals were 
removed from around the doors. loud banging could be heard in all of 
the holding bays, lending voice to the restlessness of the animals 
within. the latches were disengaged and the ones that unlocked them 
dove out of the way into the shallow water, as, almost without warning, 
the doors were pounded open by the wildstock which stampeded from the 
interior. a deafening rumble was filling the air as the animals raced 
down the ramps and off into the distance on the grounds of their new 
homeland. soon after, volunteers entered the bays and unlatched the 
inner gates, releasing the rest of the cargo. after ten minutes of 
thunderous hooves running off and the howling of animals voicing their 
relief of being set free, it was finally quiet. the Tiger clan and 
their hosts were able to relax and settled on the decision to camp 
where they were for the night. Sha had thought of sending a message to 
the central camp to announce their arrival, but the sight and sounds of 
the animals that ran to settle into their new land would say that well 
enough. after the day that everyone had just gone through, food and 
drink were a delicious moment to be savored, and sleep was most 
welcome. 

at morning's first light, the cut meat was quickly unloaded and carried
on the day-long journey to the lone Cheetah camp under Chevelle's 
escort. Shae and Tynak stayed behind momentarily, as they were waiting 
for Charval to join them. she was enduring another bout of morning 
sickness, finding it a bit easier this time. once they rejioned the 
clan, they hefted their loads with general ease while keeping in stride 
with the front. 

with all the things going on in the last day, the princess hadn't paid
much attention to Talon and...the egss! "Tynak, where are Talon's 
eggs?" "i don't...the ark. they're still on the ark." Oren heard the 
exchange, and having nothing to do, quickly stepped forward to 
volunteer. after a nod of gratitude form Shae, the eight year old was 
off in a spectacular burst of dust, accompanied by Talon. the young one 
reached the arks in no time at all and found the on the princess had 
been on. sure enough, the carrier pack was at the back, secured in the 
corner. it was a little big for her, but she managed to make it a 
comfortable going. Talon was now content and settled onto the nest to 
keep her eggs warm. the troupe moved at a slow pace, making it easier 
for Oren to catch up, and Shae was glad to see the cub handling the 
load quite well. even Talon was content enough to sleep. the pace was 
increased again, and spirits were at a high. 

the sun was long gone by the time that the destination was reached and
everyone's back and legs felt like lead, but all the effort and pain 
was worth it just by seeing the looks of immeasurable gratitude on the 
faces of the Cheetah clan. the Cheetahs were all in far better 
condition than they had been five days ago, with Chorac, the medicine 
man, being the only one who wasn't entirely recuperated. he wasn't far 
from it though. Shae couldn't believe the speed at which these people 
healed. The tiger clan was greeted so profusely that throats were 
almost raw from it, but it was welcomed. the hosts then gave more 
subtle thanks by relieving everyone of the sacks of meat and having 
every bit of it spitted and roasted over quickly dug pit fires that 
were set up all over the camp, making the immediate area considerably 
bright. 

"you're looking much better, Cheryn." Karo commented after the queen sat
down to rest. "it's all thanks to you and your clan, Karo." "with that 
said, allow me to introduce princess Shae...on her journey to become 
our queen. "welcome to our land, princess." Cheryn greeted. "it's a 
pleasure, your majesty." "please...call me Cheryn. everything that your 
people have done gives you that right...at the very least. i have 
already expressed that point to your medicine woman." "very well, 
Cheryn." Shae conceded. "now, then...this is my daughter Lynnar." with 
very sociable abandon, the toddler crawled from her mother's lap and 
into the queen's, giving her a hello lick. "hello, Cheetah queen lady." 
"hello, child." "and this..." Shae directed, "is my mate, prince 
Faelix." "a pleasure, milady." Faelix said as he extended his paw. 
"likewise, Faelix." Tynak and Charval approached after chatting with 
Chevelle, and were introduced as well. "Charval and her mate, Nharrel, 
are expecting their first cub in seven months." seven months was the 
accepted gestation period for the cat women. "congratulations." the 
queen offered. "Chevelle is expecting as well." "what?" "it's true." 
Chevelle told Shae. "ive just been able to keep it covered." a look at 
the Cheetah abdomen had the the Tiger women shaking their heads. "i 
can't believe we never noticed." Tynak huffed. "how far along are you?" 
Shae asked. "three and half moons." Chevelle replied. 

"the child will be a much welcomed and sorely needed addition." a voice
said from behind them. they turned to see Chorac, who had just emerged 
from his tent. "everyone," Cheryn presented "this is Chorac, who is the 
most profound medicine man our clan has ever had...when he's not sick 
himself, that is." "it is...the most worldy honor to have you here." 
the medicine man said after clasping paws with everyone. after turning 
and looking at everybody, he went to Parnak. "where is Tromal? i had 
thought she'd be with you." "she died about a moon ago." Shae informed 
him. "wha...how?" "she was two hundred and ninety sun old, my friend. 
it was simply old age." "i'm sorry," Chorac offered. "i remember her 
from her past travels to our land. she had come to be a dear freind and 
a highly valued help to this clan. you see...without our holy woman and 
until a successor is found, i have opted to carry my clan's spiritual 
load as well as medicinal. i never would have been able to do so 
without Tromal's teachings and inspirational presence. i'll miss her 
dearly." "as will we." Shae agreed. "she was like a mother to our 
entire clan, but more important, as you said yourself...she was a 
freind. you were lucky to have so wise a mentor." "i could still use 
some guidance though." "say the word and i'll be glad to help you." 
Parnak declared. "your teacher was my teacher as well. she was 
more...she was my light. if i can help you in any way at all, then her 
legacy will thrive beyond the Tiger clan." "i would like that very 
much." Chorac replied in acceptance. "your words and guidance will be 
more than welcomed." "at least until a new holy woman or man is named." 
Cheryn said as she emerged from the shadows. "Cheryn," the medicine man 
greeted, "i have just discovered a common bond between Parnak and 
myself." "so i had heard. in the meantime, i came to tell you that the 
meat is all done and the feast will commence shortly." "sounds good." 
Shae acknowledged. as she and Faelix made their way towards the main 
bonfire, the princess looked around at all the other fires and the 
ground where the lights reached. she soon stopped. "where's our 
daughter? where's Lynnar?? "not to worry my love." Faelix reassured her 
"she and the other cubs are playing with princess Chanile in the 
lavender bushes behind Chorac's tent." "could you go retrieve them and 
have them go wash up, then?" 

"tonight is a good night." Cheryn beamed as she began her post-meal
speech. "a night that will never have been possible were it not for the 
selfless generosity of the Tiger clan. Shae...princess Shae...it can 
never be said enough. the help you have given us and the sustenance 
that you have donated is more deeply appreciated than you will ever 
know. there are no suitable words to describe it. this time will be 
forever ingrained in our hearts and souls. from now until the end of 
time, you will be welcome here, no matter the reason." loud roars and 
the drumming of sticks on the ground echoed in agreement by the 
hosts...and acceptance by the guests. when everyone quieted, Shae took 
the stage. "Cheryn is right. tonight is a good night. resourcefulness 
and strength have been proven. new things have been experienced and 
learned. new friends have been made. old friendships have been 
rekindled...and i say to the Cheetah clan now...promises will be made 
and kept. within the next two suns, our alliance will seek out and 
return to our folds those who are missing, even those who are dead. 
enemies will be confronted and justice will be dealt. our clans will be 
refortified and will survive. more than that...we will prevail." the 
roars and stick pounding were louder than last time, but Shae didn't 
care. everyone felt good and were bathed in the warm aura of 
jubilation, even the cubs, and that was all that mattered. 

"you have likely heard the rumbling," Shae continued, speaking to the
Cheetahs who hadn't aided in the animal relocation. "and may have even 
seen some of the animals before darkness brought complete cover, but 
you must now know what you have. two hundred head of wildebeest now 
roam your lands, as well as a combined total of two hundred head of 
elk, antelope, caribou, moose, musk deer, reindeer, roe deer, white 
tail and mule deer...all in equal numbers. our trek from the north dock 
to here revealed many rare herbs and other vegetation to be in good 
supply compared to what i had been told previously, so the animals 
should thrive until other land is revitalized. now...the poor status of 
your island's plant life is situated to the east is it not?" "correct." 
Chevelle replied. "then the areas that are common to contain plants and 
forestation will be evaluated and replanted accordingly. ten sacks have 
been brought which contain prepared packets filled with seeds of every 
known kind of vegetation and cones of every species of tree. they are 
from our surplus storage and have been labelled to indicate their 
appropriate region. is your clan familiar with all of this?" "we know 
it, yes." Cheryn answered. "very well then." Shae said. "over the next 
moon cycle, more wildlife will be brought over to balance out the food 
chain after my clan returns home, not including my bodyguards and i." 
"other wildlife?" Cheryl questioned, "does that include carnivores?" 
"it does," Tynak offered. "it is neccessary to keep the rest from 
becoming overpopulated." "we realize that." Chamren stated as he chewed 
another mouthful of meat. princess Chanile raised her paw, curious 
about another subject. "you're not returning home?" "not for as long as 
it takes to complete my journey." "at the end," Charval informed them, 
"we will be met with a festive gathering and Shae will be named as our 
queen." "finally," Tynak spoke, refecting on how much time had already 
passed without a queen of the clan. "how long will you be staying with 
us then?" Cheryn queried. "three moons..." Shae guessed, "maybe four." 
Cheryn then stood and approached Shae with open arms. "then on behalf 
of my clan, i bid you, Tynak, Charval the warmest of welcomes. however 
early it may be. after your clan leaves, you will have free reign to 
choose any of the abandoned camps that may find in your matter of 
liking. it may take a sweep of the whole island to find out where the 
camps are...or were." "don't you have a map of the islands and 
mainland?" Shae wondered. "uhh...no." "well, i have one and i'll show 
you tommorrow." 

"good enough." Cheryn nodded. "in the meantime, let's liven the night up
a little, shall we?" with a snap of her fingers, the Cheetah queen had 
two of her clansmen produce some primitive musical instruments...drums, 
flutes, horns and even some makeshift guitars. the air soon came alive 
with music and everyone was drawn to the beats and tunes in their own 
intricate dance, except for the cubs, who were off to sleep in Chorac's 
tent. the different beats of different songs, inspired various moods, 
especially the slow, happy songs that carried strong intonations to 
inspire the desire to love. invariably, the crowd slowly 
dissipated...even Kronat and Juno, who hadn't been moved that way for a 
long, long time. when Shae and Faelix saw the old couple groping each 
other as they walked away to their tent, they couldn't help but smile 
as they imagined what people would say if Juno was able to carry yet 
another cub. 

during a break in the music, Chevelle approached, carrying nothing and
wearing nothing either as no one did, the ruling Tiger couple took 
better notive of her bulging midsection. when the ambassador sat beside 
them, Shae had to ask... "how far along did you say you were?" "three 
and half moons." Chevelle replied. "maybe it's just me." Faelix 
squinted, "but it looks like you're about six moons along." Chevelle 
couldn't help but look at herself, and when she did, she paused and 
shook her head. "it can;t be...but you're right. something must be 
wrong. what can i do?" "maybe have Karo and have a look at you." Shae 
suggested. "what about Chorac?" Chodac asked, emerging from the 
shadows. "him too, but Parnak may have a better idea." "Parnak? why 
would your holy woman have to look?" "she has an unearthly powerful 
sense about things surrounding a pregnancy." 

shortly after, Chorac, Karo and Parnak were called to examine the
concerned Cheetah woman. "you're right, Faelix." the medicine woman 
agreed with surprise. "now, as i run my hands over your abdomen, i'll 
have a feel for...whom. by the breath of Cheetus. i 
feel...four...no...five...five different sets of movement." "wha..." 
was all Chevelle could squeak out. "let me check." Parnak requested as 
the word spread and everyone was soon gathered around in excitement and 
concern. Karo and Chorac watched as intently as everyone else while 
Parnak waved her paws around minutely before settling them to run her 
fingers with feathery light motions over Chevelle's protruding abdomen. 
suddenly, her hands began stopping at different spots as her eyes 
closed. "one...two...three...four...five...Tigrus, i don;tbelive this. 
six. i sense...six souls developing and growing stongly." eyes shot 
open and jaws dropped in mind-numbing shock. twins were common enough. 
even triplets weren't unheard of. but six? "please..you must be kidding 
me." Chevelle stuttered. "it sounds unbelievable, i know." the holy 
woman gasped. "but i swear to you that it's true. i sensed six distinct 
life lights within your womb." after rifling through her medicine bag, 
Karo shuffled up next to the prostrate Cheetah whose eyes were now 
glazed over with incredulity and an overwhelming sense of hope. 
finally, the medicine woman produced a strong yet flexible hose with a 
funnel-shaped apparatus at one end and a smaller cup-shaped piece on 
the other end. "what's that thing?" Chevelle asked nervously. "this is 
a heart-beat tube." Karo replied "with this, i will know for sure how 
many heartbeats are present in your uterus." covering her ear with the 
smaller end, Karo moved the larger funnel end slowly and gently over 
every square inch of the ambassador's swelling stomach. finally pulling 
the funnel away, Karo smiled a contagious grin as her eyes focused on 
Chevelle. "believe it or not." the medicine woman chuckled. "but Parnak 
is right. you are carrying six cubs." suddenly, Chevelle broke down 
with tears of unrelenting joy as Chodac clutched her to him in an 
emotional embrace while the other six Cheetahs cheered with 
unparalleled elation. six cubs. no one had ever heard of that many at 
one time since hearing the ancient legends of their ancient ancestors. 

the Tiger clan cheered as well at hearing this revelation. "i dont know
how we didn't notice this when we first met you at the Border river 
dock." Shae chuckled as she helped Chevelle to her feet and hugged her 
in congratulations. "or those." Karo added as she pointed to Chevelle's 
torso again. "whoa..."Rhachyl uttered as she peered through the crowd. 
what everyone noticed was that below her primary breasts, two pairs of 
smaller breasts were visible and swelling with milk production as well. 
this was just as unexpected as the total number in the pregnancy. 

milleniums of evolution had not only changed musculature and physical
stance in the cat world, but had dictated to some extent the eventual 
main requirement of only two active breasts and nipples. the fact that 
the two others pairs were now growing proved that evolution handn't 
phased out the need for extra sets. now it proved that the lower sets 
were merely dormant. this finding could now be shared with the other 
clans in the alliance...Lions, Siamese and Lynxes..for on the rare 
occasion that another multiple birth shoud occur, the mother would not 
have to worry about the milk supply runout. there would also be no need 
to decide who suckled first. 

the discoveries threw a new fire under the need to celebrate, and all of
them partied to the fullest extent of their emotions...everyone, that 
is, except for Chevelle, Charval and Nharrel who sat together close to 
the main fire and talked incessantly about the two women's pregnancies. 
everything from feelings about the physical changes and sensations, to 
possible names, to the difficulty of vocally describing their emotions 
was discussed to no end, but the rationalization was the same as it was 
for the night's celebration...they felt good. more than good. everyone 
needed this night for it's affection, unity and the sky-high rush it 
provided. that was the bottom line. 

as positive and emotionally charged as the midnight hours were, they
were just as humorous. as it was with the first round of music, the 
music and singing wound up as slow and love inducing, but this time 
when mated couples retreated to copulate, the rest opted to end the 
night as well so as not to cut too far into the next day. 

the following morning, another surprise arose as Charval went to pass
yet another bout of morning sickness. she was accompanied by Tynak who 
started having to contend with the same ordeal. when Tynak consulted 
Karo, she confirmed the suspicions. Tynak was pregnant, and her joy was 
momentous, not to mention contagious. Karnak was just as elated. 
neither of them could sit still for long as the morning meal was 
partaken. even as they had their paws on the food, they had their paws 
on each other as well. 

the man meal was soon finished, after which many bowls were passed out
among hosts and guests. "what's this?" Karo queried with a look to 
match the face of everyone else. "i'm so glad you asked." Cheryn said. 
"i'll go and get the answer for you." she got up, retreated to her tent 
and soon returned with a very well preserved...very old book. "this, my 
friends, is a book from the human era." "a book?" Parnak echoed in 
surprise. "i didn't think anything as fragile as a book could survive 
from that age." "well, it did." Kronat interjected. "that's how we 
learned the human language. our ancestors had discovered books on 
language and spelling." "but, how did these books survive?" Shae 
challenged. ""wouldn't they have rotted away?" "i asked myself that 
same question," Chevelle agreed. "but as strange as it may sound, 
historical records show that our clan's first holy woman had discovered 
a small cavern deep within the mountains of our island. we haven't been 
able to find the cavern ourselves, but the records show, it's there. in 
that isolated cave was discovered...a shallow pool containing some kind 
of liquid preservative...and in the pool were many books on such 
subjects as education, human technology, human history, many different 
human languages, human sexaulity and techniques, art and it's many 
forms...and multiple other subjects. this is one of them." "that 
preservative you mentioned sounds like the one we keep our map in." 
Karo observed. "Cheryn?" Rhachyl probed. "what is this preservative?" 
"this liquid," Cheryn replied "i have learned from our records and 
dictionaries, is called formaldehyde. it prevents decay." 

"excuse me people," Karo interjected "but we're getting away from our
original subject." "you're right." Rachyl smiled. "this brown...paste." 
"that's where this book comes in. "Chevelle presented "this as a cook 
book the give directions and ingredients for preparing different foods. 
that's where i learned to make...chocolate pudding." "choco...what?" 
Parnak queried. "chocolate pudding." the Cheetah ambassador explained. 
"it's a milk-based dessert that contains cocao beans, sugar, eggs, and 
seaweed gelatin that i used in place of some unpronounceable type of 
gelatin. it took experimentation to use our present tools in place of 
human utensils, but i have perfected it nonetheless." "and you've tried 
it?" Clawd asked as he sniffed it. "i've been making it since i was a 
cub." Clawd dipped his finger into the pudding, and throwing hesitance 
to the wind, put it in his mouth. almost immediately, his face lit up 
with a smile as he moved the sweet goo around in his mouth. "this 
is...delicious...and sweet, too." he gleamed as he took his spoon and 
extracted a bigger glob from his bowl. everyone was soon enjoying this 
treat, savoring the flavor and smooth texture. it was a first for the 
guests, one that prompted the women to get the recipe. herbal tea was 
served afterward while the Tiger clan commented on the tasty treat. 

it didn't take long then for them to get down to business as they all
picked up and headed north-northeast to begin skirting around Feldspar 
lake. it was  a relaxing trek that afforded Shae and her people the 
time to enjoy the scenery that adorned this end of the island. by 
mid-day, they had reached the northern end of the lake by which point 
Shae was bugged to play tag with the cubs. she finally gave in and ran 
around smiling, feeling a bit like herself at heart. they reached the 
north river by early afternoon, which was faster than they had 
anticipated since the destination was an abandoned camp on the lakes 
east side. with the weight of the sacks that they carried on their 
backs, they hadn't figured on reaching the camp until well past night 
fall. 

the time was now appropriate for Shae to introduce the Cheetah clan to
the map of Catmandu. no one there had seen the map before and only two 
of them had ever heard about it. Shae unrolled it on a flat rock by the 
river's bridge and quickly gave them the explanation of the map's 
legend and landmarks. the Cheetahs smiled at seeing Catmandu from this 
perspective and enjoyed pointing out landmarks that they recognized, 
including their present location. "i hadn't figured on getting this far 
for another couple of hours." Parnak said. "neither had i," Cheryn 
agreed. "hours?" Shae asked, confused. "what are hours?" after a brief 
explanation of the smaller divisions of time, and a look at Chevelle's 
pocket watch, those present that hadn't learned of this before nodded 
in understanding, though many immediately dismissed it for seeming too 
troublesome to get wrapped up in. 

with more spare time on hand, Shae called for a break and searched for a
boulder to set her seed sack and nest carrier against. Talon had been 
flying overheard and was the one to settle that issue for the princess. 
Shae was glad to be able to unload the weight and petted the falcon 
affectionately. Talon was glad for the pause in travel as well and sat 
comfortably on her nest, almost seeming to smile. Shae's resting spot 
was out of the way of where everyone else was reclining, fifty feet 
north on the rivers slope, on the hidden edge of a giant slab of 
granite that stood straight up on the bank. she was far enough from it 
to be in direct sunlight and laid down, letting the waning rays wash 
over her. 

she had fallen asleep momentarily, but was awakened by Faelix joining
her. he held her and they lay together. Shortly after, they were 
overcome by thirst and joined the rest of ther entourage. the river 
water looked cool and clean, but since the banks here were steep and 
the water held only shallow cover over different shaped rocks, the 
river had to be reached in a careful and cautious fashion. Shae opted 
to be the first one to test the footing, finding out how slick and 
treacherous the going was due to the mud left by the level of the 
rivers previous flood. as she sat on a grassy outcropping, halfway 
down, letting her feet dangle, her feet contacted a supposedly stable 
foothold in the dirt. she stood up on it and the dirt gave way. she 
fell hard, splashing into the water and hitting her head on a large, 
sharp rock. her eyes swan and her brain pounded from the immense pain. 
only a faint vision of a glittery, odd-shaped rock caught her fading 
attention before she blacked out... 

(continued in chapter 6.) ----------------------------------------- if
you enjoyed this chapter, or the previous ones, please let us know at 
karlw@telusplanet.net thank you. 
----------------------------------------- 


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