Two Sided Mirror Part Two: Daylight and Darkness by Razor email: Razor31763@aol.com -------- Author's Note: Here's part two!! This is the interesting stuff. I borrowed a couple creatures out of MTG, and some names as well, but this is not a crossover. Just thought I'd let you know! Have fun!! --------------------------------------------------- "There is another world, but it is in this one." -Paul Aluard Daylight and Darkness Prologue: ------------------------ "Yes, yes Shakar my Lord. They do exist, just as the legends have told!" The black dog with the blue eyes said to her king. "Legends never lie, Kala." The panther replied, his yellow eyes glowing, "But how can we reach them? They are not from our dimension." "You are right, Shakar. I will look closer." Kala leaned over the crystal ball which sat on a pedestal in front of her. She slowly glided her paws over it, chanting in an odd tongue that King Shakar could not recognize. He watched the mage work her magic for what seemed to be forever. "Of course!" Kala said suddenly, "The unicorn, the one who comes from the mountains of Adarkar!" Shakar cocked his large head, "Yes, Kala, I have heard of this unicorn, but he lives to high for even the greatest adventurer to climb, and there is no one I know who can call him." "But I know someone who can. It would not take long. This one I know, he has befriended the creature, and can call him with but a single toot of a goat's horn." Kala informed. "Who is he?" "He is Murat (pronounced: Myoo-rah. It's French)the archer." "Find this Murat, and tell him of his quest, Kala." "As good as done, my Lord." The black dog bowed and exited the King's chamber. Shakar pondered for a long time. He had hoped these heroes of legend would be enough to do the job. ---------------------------------------------------- Part 1 In Megakat City, February changed into March, and March into April. Finally, the snows were gone. Jake and Cass were engaged now, and he had finally revealed to her, the secret of the SWAT Kats. ------------------------------------------------------------------ Chance woke up late that Sunday morning. Hey, you can do that when you don't have to work. He stretched, and lazily got out of bed. The burly kat took a shower and slipped on a comfy t-shirt and jeans for the day. He bounded down the stairs and into the kitchen. There, he saw Jake and Cass goofing around. He caught the two of them in mid-kiss. "Having fun?" He interrupted Both of them looked shocked. They hadn't seen him come in. "Actually we were." Cass said, and nuzzled Jake affectionately. "But we can stop long enough to eat breakfast." Jake added. "Wait a second, you two haven't eaten yet? How long have you been up?" "Long enough, Chance." Cass answered. The tomkat shrugged and fixed himself a bowl of Frosted Cheerios, as did Jake. Cass prepared some leftover pizza. The three of them ate in an unusual silence, when a shimmer of white light filled the kitchen. The kats squinted at the light, which revealed a unicorn. A pearly white one, that projected an aura of the same color. He stood tall and proud, and the beard which came from his chin gave him a look of supernatural wisdom. He looked at each one of them with cold blue eyes. Chance stood up cautiously and said, "Who are you? What are you doing here?" The unicorn looked at him, but said nothing. "Hey!" Chance yelled, "I asked you a question!" "Chance, don't say anything." Cass stood and put a paw on his shoulder, "I think it's harmless." She walked over the to unicorn, and stroked its silky white mane. "Such a beautiful creature you are." She said to it. The unicorn looked at her and finally spoke, "You are a beautiful creature also, fair lady kat." Cass stepped back astonished, but bowed to the creature. "What do you want?" Jake asked the unicorn. "I was sent here to fetch you,warrior." "Warrior?" Chance asked. "I have come here from an ancient land, on the other side of this dimension. You tomkats are the ones from our myths. The heroes of legends. The wizards that guard us. My king requests your help. But there is no time to explain. Bring with you only what you need, and hurry." "That's crazy!" Chance said to the unicorn, "We're not wizards!" "But Chance," Jake calmed his friend, "His king needs our help." "Yeah, yeah, I suppose." Chance crossed his arms in disappointment. The unicorn spoke again, "You must hurry. Take what you need, and follow me." Cass watched Jake and Chance go into the hangar, then turned to the unicorn, "May I go too? One of these warriors is my loved one." "Of course, my lady, but hurry and get what you need." Cass obeyed, and ran upstairs. Jake and Chance then came out as Razor and T-bone. "Alright, horse, we're ready." T-bone said. The unicorn cast the SWAT Kat a dangerous glance, "I am a unicorn, and I have a name." He said coldly. "Okay, then what is it?" T-bone snapped. "My name is Melange." (pronounced: May-lahnj. Also French, but I changed the spelling around.) "He's sorry Mel," said Razor, "Let's just go and see your king." "Wait a sec!! I'm coming!" Cassandra came running back down the stairs with a backpack. She stopped next to the trio and fixed her hair, pushing it out of her face. "Okay, let's go." Razor smiled, and T-bone sighed. "Follow me, through here." Melange indicated with his head towards a spiraling vortex of blue mist. He delicately stepped through, followed closely by the kats. They traveled quickly through the swirling mass, and when they stepped through the other side, they were surrounded by towering conifer trees. The sunlight poured through cracks in the foliage, and made the forest floor look like a disco stage. "We are here." Melange said to them. The kats were astonished. They had never known that there was another world that existed on the other side of their own. "So, there is another world, but it is in ours," Razor said. "Huh?" T-bone and Cass asked at the same time. "Nevermind." "Whatever." T-bone said. "Be patient, heroes. I must call the king. He waits at the forest"s edge." Melange began to trumpet through his ivory horn, which the three kats found a rather unusual feature for a unicorn, but it was interesting just to listen to anyway. The unicorn suddenly stopped trumpeting when a midnight black stallion trotted into view, followed by someone on foot who was wearing a brown hooded cloak, and carrying a walking stick. Also accompanying the pair was a chocolate colored dog with black paws, whose quiver filled with obsidian headed arrows was strapped to his back. He was seated atop a stately velociraptor. The kats were amazed, yet frightened. They had never seen an actual dinosaur, only in the movies. Melange looked at them and reassured the group that they would come to no harm, and he ran off into the clouds, leaving behind a streak of white mist. The stallion stopped, as did the other two travelers. Seated upon the horse was a man (yes, a human!!) his appearance was middle aged. He had straight, black, shoulder length hair, and was dressed in a wardrobe that an Indian Bhramin might wear. Bright sashes, and ornamental jewels. His skin was tanned, and he stared at them through kindly brown eyes. The thing on foot lifted the hood of its cloak, revealing a black dog's head, with shining blue eyes. The chocolate dog smiled. "Welcome to Kjeldor, my warriors. I am Shakar, Panther King of this land." The man on the horse spoke first. "I am Kala, Royal Mage of the Palace of Nelba." The black dog said. "And I am Murat, an Archer Warrior." The chocolate dog finished. The three kats relaxed a bit and introduced themselves. Shakar asked that they all be seated and talk amongst one another, to become acquainted. "So, Shakar, why do you want us to be your warriors?" T-bone became curious. "I am glad that you asked. I will explain this as best I can." He cleared his throat and began his tale, "Centuries ago, Kjeldor was a peaceful land, said to be watched over by two wizards of vast power. They never showed themselves, for they lived in another dimension. The legends said that they would only emerge when the land was near the verge of vanishing for good because of plights by enemies. But the Kjeldorians were foolish, and believed they had no enemies. They trusted our warriors, the Nuwishas, or werecoyotes. Whichever you prefer to call them. The Nuwishas were our protectors, and guardians for only five decades until it was time for them to choose a new king. The coyote they chose was a tyrant. He convinced them that they were far superior to the Kjeldorians, and the warriors believed him. Thus, the Nuwishas turned against us. They ransacked villages, slaughtered the innocent, and destroyed the land. That is how it has been since then. But, now continuing, the Kjeldorians pleaded for their wizards to save them, but it never happened. Some said the wizards were afraid because in reality they had no power, and fled, never to be heard from again. Many now believe that the myth was a lie, created by some babbling fool. But Kala here, has finally found our salvation through her powers. You two, are not exactly the same as in the myths, but still, you hold great power." "Wow, that's really amazing." Cass said. "Yeah, but I have a question Shakar. If you're a panther, then how come you're a man?" Asked T-bone. "I am a werepanther. Just like the werecoyotes." "Whoa, that's pretty cool. But I have a question too," Razor broke in, "What I can't understand is the fact that all those years, the Nuwishas never had any good citizens among them, and none of the kings ever had any good in them either. Why is that?" "An interesting question, not many ask it. Well, my friend, the Nuwishas only select the most violent and bloodthirsty of leaders. And as far as good hearted coyotes, I do believe that they are killed. I am not exactly certain." Shakar answered, and then turned to Murat, "Murat, return to the village and fetch three horses for our friends, so that they do not have to walk. " "Of course. I will return shortly." The dog stood up and began to mount his raptor. Within seconds, the pair disappeared through the trees. "So, Shakar, how long did you want us to stay?" T-bone asked again. "As long as you wish. I only hope your powers can at least destroy the Dark Dragon." Shakar had a strange look of fear in his eyes as he spoke those names. "Dark Dragon?" Razor cocked his head. "That is the weapon of the Nuwishas, created by their current king, Ishan." "Can you tell us about it?" "Of course, listen closely, for these are your most ultimate foes." The king took a deep breath, and explained, "Ishan is a madman. Desperate to control all of Kjeldor. He is a mage, like Kala. Thus, using his powers, he created a dragon, black as the moonless sky. It is terrifyingly large, and deadly. Ivory spines cover its back, and it wears silver plated armor. When it flies, it blocks out the sun. When it breathes, its flames burn everything." Shakar stopped short. "What's wrong?" Razor asked. "Nothing. I shall finish the story later. Murat returns." The five of them looked in the direction of the raptor's footsteps, and Murat came through the trees again. This time, with a chestnut mare, a bay stallion, and an appaloosa stallion. "Three of the best horses, warriors." The chocolate dog beamed, "Taiga, the chestnut, Rogue, the bay stallion, and Viking, the appaloosa." The three kats stood up, and each approached the steed that suited their fancy. Razor mounted Taiga, T-bone: Rogue, and Cassandra: Viking. Shakar mounted his horse, and Kala stood, and reached for her stick. "Let us go onward to the Palace!" He indicated with a finger. The kats veered their horses, and followed the king. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------ Upon entering the village, those who were on the street cheered aloud. The kats looked around them at the dogs. There were so many of them. It gave T-bone the shivers. Pups yipped happily, and gypsies began to play joyful tunes. "Gypsies?" T-bone asked, "I thought they were thieves, Shakar." "They are, only if you wish them to be." The king replied. "Shakar loves all his people. Be you baker, beggar, or gypsy." Murat looked at T-bone and smiled. "I think that's wonderful," Cass said, "Then the people are happy. And that makes for a good kingdom." "Yeah, I suppose. " T-bone said to Cass, then pricked his ears at the sound of barking. "What, or who is that?" Razor, Cass, and Murat also pricked their ears. "Oh, oh my. That's my friend!! She is the baker!" Murat said excitedly. A butterscotch colored dog ran into view, and the small band stopped. She had slightly slanted brown eyes, and blonde points on her paws and tail, which wagged back and forth in a blur. "Hi, Murat! Hello, kats. " She blurted. "Hello, Disa. These two kats who are before you are the heroes who have come to free us of Ishan." Murat said, indicating to T-bone and Razor. "Pleased to meet you, warriors of legend." Disa said bowing her head. T-bone and Razor repeated the gesture, and Disa blushed shyly. Shakar smiled at her and then looked at the others. "Come now, friends, we must go the the palace and give you your rooms for the night. We must go now, Disa. Farewell." The band continued towards the Palace of Nelba, Disa waved goodbye with a paw, and returned in the direction she had come. --------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- That evening was an enjoyable one. The kats had learned much about Kjeldor's culture from Shakar and Murat. Shakar had given them rooms, and the cooks had presented a wonderful dinner. The moon was full that night, and its silvery light blanketed the courtyard where Cass and Jake sat amongst the flowers. The night was wonderfully mild, and a breeze tossed their fur gently. "Jake, I think we'll enjoy our stay here. It's such a peaceful place." Cass said, leaning against him. "I agree. It's really too bad that they live in fear of the Nuwishas, or whatever those things were Shakar was talking about." Cassandra sighed a sigh of happiness and put her arms around Jake. The two of them watched the stars together for a long time, and then Jake broke the silence, "I think I'm enjoying my stay already." He said. "So am I," was the reply, "so am I." --------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------ Though the night was calm, the morning was just the opposite. Jake snapped awake at the sound of bustling feet. He sat up in bed, wondering what the commotion was. The sun had just barley begun to come up in the horizon, and the dew was still on the glass window. "Jake, what's wrong?" Came the voice of the lump next to him. "I don't know, Cass. I'm getting up to find out." Jake slid out of bed, and that was when the door was slammed open. Both kats looked up, and Murat was standing there with a pale look on his face, and his bow in his paw. "Quickly, Razor, the Nuwishas! They have begun to raid the village!" Jake clumsily, but quickly put on his SWAT Kat flight suit, and grabbed his gloveatrix. "Cass, stay in the palace. You'll be safe here. I'll be back soon." As he exited the room she heard him mumble what sounded like, "I hope". She pushed her hair out of her face, and slumped back into bed, but couldn't get to sleep. Especially because there was a fight outside, and her beloved was in it. "He's a grown tomkat, though." She reminded herself, "He can take care of himself. Right?" --------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------- The SWAT Kats were fighting with the Kjeldorians in the same conifer forest that they had arrived in yesterday. Why the Nuwishas picked that territory to fight in was unknown. They had strange tactics, but they were effective ones, but Murat wasn't having any trouble with the brutes. His accuracy with the bow was impressive. He never missed once, and T-bone enjoyed the challenge of fighting the coyotemen. They were worthy opponents in his book. Razor sat atop his steed, the chestnut mare, Taiga, getting his bearings, when a Nuwisha suddenly streaked past him through the bushes, yelping. Razor grinned to himself, "This guy is gonna be my prisoner. Unfortunately for him." Razor kicked Taiga, and she galloped after the fleeing coyote. He whimpered as Razor gained on him, and ran as fast as his legs would carry him. However, the Nuwisha's armor weighed him down, so he decided to pull a tricky stunt: The coyote quickly jumped to his left, out of the way of Razor, and successfully avoided being trampled. "Aw, crud!" Razor halted, and turned. As he looked around for his foe, he realized he had gone awfully far from the battle. He could just barely see the clearing. The kat guided Taiga back in the direction he had come, until he heard a rumble. It sounded like thunder, and he felt the vibrations through his horse. Razor looked around, but saw nothing. Voices filled his ears, the thunder continued, but still, he saw nothing. Taiga was beginning to become uneasy. "Steady, girl." Razor said and continued guiding her in the direction of the field. "Get the wizard!!!" A booming voice yelled. It was followed by two Nuwishas, perched on black stallions. They were huge, with funny horns on their heads. And, like their riders, were covered in silver armor. They galloped towards Razor, and he was really scared now. The tomkat kicked Taiga, and steered her away from the oncoming attackers, attempting to escape the coyotemen. Taiga was a quick horse, and outran the stockier beasts with ease. "An ambush." Razor thought, as he looked back, "Nuwishas are smarter than I anticipated." The caramel kat turned and looked ahead of him again. He couldn't act quick enough to stop Taiga in time though, and collided with a Nuwisha on horseback that had intercepted him. Taiga fell, and Razor was flung forward into the waiting arms of the Nuwisha in front of him. The Nuwisha and his steed were unharmed by the impact, much to Razor's surprise. The tomkat looked into the eyes of his assailant, and blinked. The coyote then raised his fist, and that was the last thing the tomkat remembered seeing before everything went black. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------ When Razor came to, his hands were tied, and two nine foot coyotemen stood by him. The third was nowhere to be seen. "Well, well, well," One of them spoke, "Looks like we've caught one of the legendary heroes." The two of them laughed viciously. Razor narrowed his eyes at them, and one of them snatched him. "What's that on yer wrist?" The coyote growled in his face. Razor said nothing. "Hey, Joran, he doesn't want to tell us." The other piped up. "I know, Coron. Maybe I should make him. Whatcha think?" "Sure, go ahead." Joran slammed Razor down onto the ground, and placed a clawed foot onto his back. Coron handed him a Cats o' Nine Tails whip. "This'll make you talk." Joran began to lash Razor brutally, yet still, the kat said nothing. This continued for quite sometime before the pain was too much for Razor to withstand, and he blacked out once again. "Huh, now how do ya like that, Joran. He's passed out. Let's just kill him." "No, stupid. Ishan would want him alive." Joran barked at his comrade. "Fine then, lets get him and go." The two Nuwishas gathered their prize, and loaded him onto Joran's horse, and they rode off into the dusk. --------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------- Twilight came, and once again, the village was peaceful. The Nuwisha raiding party had been driven away. Murat and T-bone searched the battlefield for Razor in the dim light given by the newly rising moon. They had searched for hours, but found no trace of him. Both were worried. "Murat, I hope the Nuwishas didn't get him." T-bone started a conversation. "I hope so too, my friend. If they did, it would be his fate as we know it." The two walked in silence for a few more minutes before coming across some battered ground. "Looks as if there was a fight here." Murat inquired. "Yeah, I wonder if Razor was in it." "It's hard to say. There is no evidence of him being here." "Really, then what's that?" T-bone pointed ahead of him. Murat looked up and locked his eyes on what T-bone had seen. It was Taiga, who had managed to get to her feet. "That's Taiga, Razor's mare!!" The chocolate dog said running over. The chestnut was scratched all over her body, and she seemed to have an injured front leg, for it was held off of the ground. "Good horse, faithful horse." Murat stood on his hind legs and clutched the reins in his paw. "We'd probably better get back to the palace, and tell Shakar about this so we can get my friend out of captivity." "If that's at all possible." Murat guided Taiga, and followed T-bone, who had already begun to head back to the palace. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------ Murat and T-bone returned and told Shakar all they knew about the situation, which wasn't much. Cassandra had overheard the conversation, and refused to believe it. She had feared something would happen to Jake, and now her fears had become a reality. She found herself unable to sleep that night. She lie awake in bed, thinking the worst for Jake, " I can't count on Shakar to act right away. Ishan would have probably done something horrible to him by then." She said to herself. "I've got to do something myself." She got out of bed quietly, and slipped on some clothes and shoes. "I might be crazy, I might even be stupid, but I'm willing to go through with this for Jake. He would do it for me." Cassandra made her way through the palace corridors quickly, but silently, and was outside in no time. "Well, now all I have to do is find a horse." She looked in the direction of the palace stables, "Hmmmmm." --------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------- Razor found himself in a large dungeon cell when he awoke. "Umph, must have been unconscious for a long time." He sat up rubbing his head, and looking around. The dungeon stunk of decay, and from what he could see, there was nitre growing on the walls. He heard the moans of other prisoners, and the squeak of large rats. Razor took off his helmet and his mask, wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed, "So much for enjoying my stay." --------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------ Cassandra rode Viking, the appaloosa stallion through the conifer forest. The moon gave her a wonderful light to guide her, although she had no idea what direction she was supposed to be going in. She figured her judgment would tell her when she was close to the Nuwisha territory. "I've got to keep going. No matter what happens." --------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------- The dungeon door was now being pushed open, and Jake recognized the ever so familiar voices of his captors, Joran and Coron. He heard their heavy footsteps stop in front of his cell, and the jingle of the keys in the lock. The two Nuwishas opened the cell door, and seized Jake. "Ishan wants to get a look at ya, wizard. Come on." Joran said. Both of them dragged him out of the dungeon, down long corridors, and up long spiral stair cases, until they reached two extremely large double doors. "Here we are." Coron said, pushing open the doors. The three of them entered, and found themselves facing a throne, carved entirely out of ivory. On it sat a black furred Nuwisha. He wore a purple cloak around his shoulders, and his yellow eyes glowed. "My Lord, here is one of the heroes that Shakar believes is his kingdom's savior." Joran said adding a mock to his tone. The Dark King stood and approached Jake. He lifted the kat's chin with a clawed hand, and surveyed him. He began to chuckle, "This? This is the hero? This little swine, barely bigger than a twig? Surely Shakar could do better than that!!!" Coron and Joran grinned wide, and chuckled also. "Soldiers, where is the other wizard?" Ishan asked his men. "We do believe that one still roams out of our reach, my Lord." Coron answered. "No matter. One captive will bring the other to his fate also..............Wizard, you will tell me the whereabouts of Shakar, will you not?" Ishan said to Jake. The kat only stared darkly at the coyote. Ishan stroked the tiny little beard that branched out from his coyote's chin, and smiled, "You are a stubborn one.....Coron, Joran! Throw him back in the dungeon, and do not let him see the light of day until he decides to talk. Young warrior, I will not kill you. I will make you suffer things much worse than death. Be gone now!!" Ishan pointed his index finger towards the door. Coron and Joran bowed and exited. --------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------- Cassandra stopped, and dismounted Viking. "Your job's done here." She said and slapped him on the rump. She had no use for him now, not since she was drawing ever closer to her goal. Cass knew this because she passed a Nuwisha camp about two miles back. Luckily, they did not see her on the stallion. "I'll have more more maneuverability on foot anyway, and they'll be less likely to see me." She reminded herself as she continued. A soft orange glow caught her eye, and Cass crouched low, stalking forward through the bushes . She crept in its direction, and poked her head through the brush. Her eyes darted around the second camp that she had found. A small band of Nuwishas, she counted about five, were seated around a fire, talking and laughing. "So, the Nuwishas are beginning to steadily advance towards the Palace of Nelba. That explains these camps." Cass then decided she'd better make her exit before any of the brutes spotted her. She withdrew her head from the brush and silently crept away. She made her way up a muddy incline. She tried to climb, but lost her footing and slipped, sliding back down and landing with a thud. The Nuwishas at the camp heard the thud, and two of them went to investigate. Cassandra's scent filled their nostrils, and they followed it until they saw her. She saw them coming too, and made a feeble attempt to escape over the incline. Her muscles were not strong enough, and she had no traction on her shoes. She was an easy grab for her enemies. The two coyotemen easily scaled the incline, and seized her. She hissed and clawed at them desperately, but they became annoyed with her struggles, and knocked her out with a swift blow to the head. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------- When Cassandra came to, she was being dragged by her captors down a long, dark hallway. They lead her through to double doors, and into a throne room. The she-kat looked up at the ivory seat, and the black Nuwisha sitting on it. Her brain told her that this was obviously their king, Ishan, the one she had heard so many horrible tales about. Ishan stood up, and walked up to her, and looked from her to the soldiers, "And why have you brought me this?" "The scouts found her last night snooping around, my Lord." One of the coyotes replied. Ishan surveyed her muddy clothing, and then lifted her chin, forcing her to stare at him. Cassandra met his gaze with her big blue eyes. She was unintimidated by his cold stare. Ishan let go of her chin and smiled, "You are very beautiful. What is your name?" "None of your business!!!!! What'd you do with Jake?!?!?!" Cassandra hissed. Ishan flashed his sharp teeth at her, and wickedly replied, "Fiesty, aren't we? Well, my dear, if you are referring to the wizard, we have thrown him in the catacombs." Cass was silent. She only folded her ears against her head, and eyed the king as he paced back and forth. "I will make you a deal, my lady. If you agree to stay with me, I will free this Jake of yours." "Yeah right!! Do you think I'm THAT stupid?" Ishan faced her and the rage in his eyes boiled, "I never implied that! Watch the way you speak to me, witch!!" Cass was silent again. His outburst frightened her. She had no idea what he might do, or what he was capable of doing, and did not wish to test him. "Now, what is your name?" "Cassandra." "Ah, such a sweet sound. But no matter. You have angered me, and thus you have destroyed all your chances of me setting you free. You will be my servant, Cassandra." Cass looked at him with a questioning gaze. What did he mean by that phrase? She certainly hoped it wasn't what she dreaded. "Soldiers, keep her in the dungeon catacombs for tonight. Go now, lock her away." Ishan waved his hand toward the double doors, and the soldiers dragged Cassandra away. --------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------- The next morning, the sun did not rise to kiss the Kjeldorian fields with its brilliant light. Instead, the rain fell, and the clouds cast their dark shadows. Chance was in his room staring out the window, watching the rain slide down the glass pane. Cass had been gone for a day now, and he was worried. He came to the conclusion that she had gone to look for Jake. He shivered when he thought about what Ishan would do to her if he caught her. Chance had also wondered about his friend. What would Ishan do with Jake? Murat said the king wouldn't kill him. Ishan would use Jake for bait. Chance used Murat's wisdom to try to comfort himself, but it wasn't working at all. Sighing, the tomkat decided to go and see what Murat was up to. Chance slumped down the spiral staircase, and into the dining hall. There sat Murat, Shakar, and strangely enough, Disa, the village baker they had seen the first day they arrived. The kat walked in, and seemed to go unnoticed until he seated himself next to Disa. "Hello, Chance." Shakar greeted him. He was in his panther form, sitting on the other side of the table next to Murat. "Greetings, warrior." Disa said quietly. Murat raised his head and acknowledged Chance with a smile. He was never one to speak much. "What are you guys up to?" Chance's curiosity provoked him to ask. "We are trying to find a way to retrieve Jake and Cassandra." The panther king replied. "How come you can't use that unicorn, oh what was his name? Melange, yeah, that's it." "The unicorn is powerful, and would be able to free them, " Murat said, "But he will only do favors for us when we have done all we can beforehand." "Oh, okay." "Um, Shakar, " Disa changed the subject, "Perhaps we could round up enough villagers, or maybe some war wyverns to storm Ishan's palace, and distract the Nuwisha soldiers long enough for us to try to free Jake and Cassandra." "That is worth a try, Disa, but it will take long to plan a successful surprise attack, and I'm not certain if we have enough time." "True, Shakar, but it is possible to form an attack good enough to save our friends." Murat suggested. "Very well. Than it shall be a surprise attack. Murat, Disa, gather those you know and tell them of the plan. I will organize a war party of wyverns and gryphons." Disa and Murat exited together, and Shakar began to climb the stairs. Chance was left sitting silently in the dining hall, gathering his thoughts. "I'll help the war party." He said to himself, "After all, we're talking about my best friend and his girlfriend's welfare here." The tomkat got up quickly, and headed after Shakar. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------- Five suns and four moons passed, and Jake was still stuck in the dungeon living off of bread and water that tasted like Lord knows what. He was consumed by dreadful thoughts of what was in store for him. But he tried to think of jollier things, "I wonder if the sun is shining today." He would ask himself day in and day out. Unfortunately, this never helped. He found himself thinking of Cassandra and Chance, and how worried they must be. He thought about Shakar and Murat, and wondered if they were planning to rescue him. Jake rubbed his chin in contemplation, but found himself drifting off slowly. "Boy, what I wouldn't give for a cup of coffee." The tomkat sighed to himself, settled in the corner of his cell, and fell asleep as soon as he rested his head on the ground. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------- The band of warriors, led by Shakar, climbed the hills that led to Ishan's palace that night. Shakar informed them that if they traveled all night, they could launch the suprise attack at dawn. All they had to do was be careful. "None of the Nuwisha scouts should see us passing this way, if we watch where we tread. This area is no man's land." Shakar informed. Chance hoped that the king was right. He was worried to death about Jake and Cass. --------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------- Dawn had finally come, and the Kjeldorian war party waited patiently. Shakar strategically located them the previous night, to ensure success. The gryphons, and wyverns had arrived at the first sign of sunlight, and hovered in the air, waiting for the signal to attack, as did the army on the ground. Chance hadn't gotten any sleep last night, but he was wide awake. His adrenaline rushed through him like a hurricane. Sweat poured down his brow as he waited crouched behind the bushes. He kept his ears pricked, listening for Shakar's command........ End of Part 2.................................... Email me and tell me if ya liked this story! PLEASE!!! ~Razor