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nodded in Cezer's direction, where the cat-man was lying contentedly on the
warm sand. "Your friend will show you."
Not even Taj, who was the smallest of the visitors, could fit comfortably
within one of the numerous huts, but the travelers did not suffer from their
lack of shelter. Night proved as benign as day in this marvelous country, and
they slept content and confident by the shore of the lake. Samm in particular
luxuriated in near-familiar surroundings, digging in until his body was
completely covered by the warm sand. Within the village, all seemed equally
peaceful and happy. Nary a child cried, and those natives who worked through
the night were careful to keep their conversations to a whisper so as not to
disturb their neighbors.
It was difficult, Oskar reflected as he lay down among his companions, to
envision what danger could so unsettle the princess and her apparently
contented people. That they dealt daily with whatever it was he had no doubt.
That it was serious in nature he also conceded. He simply could not imagine
what it was. If it was as deadly dangerous as Ourie insisted, it seemed
unlikely it could be deflected by something as simple as a woven sunscreen.
Try as he might, he could not resolve the apparent contradictions.
His head beginning to throb from the effort of trying to envision the
unimaginable, he put everything aside in favor of getting some serious rest.
In his former body, sleeping was something he had always been good at.
He felt soft skin brush up against his shoulder as a limber shape sat down
next to him. Cocoa tried to sit back on her haunches, only to discover, as
always, that in her present form she was in possession of too much leg and not
enough haunch. She settled for stretching the former out in front of her.
Despite the time she had already spent in human form, she found the position
unnatural. Afraid of sitting on her tail, she was constantly shifting her
seat, even though there was no longer a long, multicolored tail to sit on.
"You know, Oskar, I always liked you. I realize that cats and dogs aren't
supposed to get along, but I always admired the way you carried yourself
through life."
"Really?" He continued to gaze out across the lake. Meeting a cat's eyes was
always dangerous. "How was that?"
"Indifferently, I mean," she hastened to add, "nothing ever seemed to trouble
you."
He shrugged, his head resting on his crossed forepaws (hands, he reminded
himself angrily--hands!). "As long as I got a table scrap or two, and the
occasional bone, I was happy." Now he did turn to face her. In the
silver-yellow moonlight, she was as graceful as she had ever been. "I always
felt that cats think too much."
Her expression was contemplative. "Maybe you're right," she eventually
replied. "Though I never thought of it that way."
"Don't stare at things so long," he suggested helpfully. "And don't worry
about your appearance so much. You'll find life is easier to take."
She considered this advice. "I don't know if I can do that. Cats are
just--serious. Dogs are--"
A voice interrupted them from behind. "Goofy," Cezer concluded, before rolling
over and turning his back to them. Oskar had the feeling the swordsman would
have sprayed them then and there, had not his plumbing undergone a preemptive
sea change.
"Mister Sarcasm," Cocoa muttered. Her smile returning, she lunged forward and
rubbed her nose against a startled Oskar's, then rose and moved off to join
Mamakitty. "See you in the morning."
Reaching up, he slowly wiped the tip of his nose with the palm of one hand.
Cats, he mused. Who could comprehend them? Their actions and antics had often
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bemused even Master Evyndd.
All the more reason, he told himself, why he should not try to.
Dawn saw the breaking of a cloudless morning. As Oskar awoke, it was to the
bustle of tremendous activity within the village. It was almost as if the
inhabitants were striving to accomplish as many of the day's tasks as possible
before the sun was fully up. Sure enough, the instant its rays began to cast
the first shadows within the community, activity slowed and did not resume
until the Slevish had picked up their thickly woven sunscreens.
With appropriate ceremony, the special kwavins that had been finished during
the night were presented to the bemused travelers. Oskar and his companions
were politely thankful for the gifts, Cezer included. Mamakitty and Cocoa had
promised to scratch him severely if he did not respond in a courteous manner.
Hiding his disdain, he smiled fatuously while accepting his own screen from
two of the little women who had produced it.
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