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Part 9 - An odd development

 

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Part 9 - An odd development by Game Master (GM)
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It has been three days since the retrieval of Mister Pig's new name from the Dream.  Things have been relatively peaceful in that time - the weather seems to have realised, finally, that it is summer, and Mister Pig has managed to not give away his secret.

Even the local dogs have been quiet, as the weather has warmed up and left them too hot to be bothered with barking or chasing cats.

The Meeting Place is crowded this morning.  Cats, both the current ones, and those from other times, seem to have all arrived early to make maximum use of the sun.  Friendly conversation has lapsed into comfortable drowsiness, and from there into napping.







Something happens to wake all of the cats.  Was it a noise?  Distant thunder perhaps?  A shout?  One thing is certain... all of the ghost cats have disappeared.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Cyan
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Cyan snoozed peacefully at first, he had been busy the day before and ended up not getting as much sleep as he wanted. It was hard work hunting and trying to grow like the big cats he had seen on TV, they could take down huge four legged things whereas he was usually stuck with pouncing on small rubber toys...not how he wanted to spend his life and so he slept. Usually he would have his average dream of being out in the jungle and jumping from tree to tree, hunting the rare squeaky toy that apparently would try to escape from him.

"Ack! Scary!" Cyan exclaimed as his ears perked up and his eyes opened, he certainly didn't have the usual dream.

He found himself jumping up and accidentally falling onto one of the other cats that were near him, he gulped and tried to pull himself away.

"Sorry! I er...had a nightmare..." He mumbled, looking to the ground, "But it was really weird though, not my usual...scary..."

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Syd
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Syds eyes pop open as if he were never asleep. If he had eyebrows, they would have been up to reflect the terrors of his personal nightmare. He stares a long moment, trying to slow his breathing as he looks over at Cyan, ...who has apparently had a bad dream of his own. " You too, huh?" he asks, finally swallowing the fear and finding his tounge. " The ghost cats, ...they were staring. Alice screamed for help, and they wouldn't let me get to her!" He looks around the rooftop, noting there are none there to even ask why. They had only stared, like cold statues, doing nothing to help as she screamed.

Problem is, there had ALWAYS been ghost cats, since he had first opened his eyes as a kitten. His mind flickers briefly to baby Evilynn inside the house, and he turns to look back at the home of his human family. Nothing there to cause the unease, but he is still gravely concerned about the strangeness of the ghost cats; both in the nightmare and their noticable abscence in the waking world. " Where did they all go?" he asks, eyes still wide with shock.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Cyan
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"Maybe they went on vacation?" He asked, the dream seemed to stick in his mind and wouldn't get out though the fact both of them had it made it seem more significant, "Alice huh?"

He paced around a bit, trying to work out a few things in his head. Cyan personally didn't recognise the girl but he was thankful he was not the only one who had experienced it, he wouldn't have been able to make heads all tails of it 'cept for the now missing Ghost Cats.

Cyan looked around again, even after he had made sure to check the small area twice. He wanted to make sure they weren't playing a game of hide and seek with him though apparently this wasn't the case.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Miss Kitty
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Miss Kitty woke up with every hair on her body on end. She looked about, noting the absence of ghost cats.

"I had the same dream," she reports after Syd describes his. "It smells to me like a summons, perhaps from the King. But the part of the ghost cats is unclear to me. Why would they try to prevent us from lending a paw?" she wonders out loud.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Leon
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Leon yawns and opens his eyes. "Strange", he says and looks around, wondering where the ghost cats, and especially the little one he watched yesterday, had gone. For a moment he just stares at the point he saw the little ghost cat yesterday, then he turns to the others. "I shared the dream, too." Turning to Miss Kitty he adds:"That's a good question."

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Syd
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Syd looks from one friend to another, and the shared nightmare along with the disappearance of the ghost cats concerns him. He blinks slowly, trying to calm himself despite the echo of her cries still ringing in his memory. Breathing deeply, he blinks again, even slower this time as he says quietly, " Perhaps it might be best if we try to sleep again? I know of no other way to help Alice from the waking world..." Closing his eyes, he allows darkness to replace light and his focus turns inward, seeking once more the land of dreams. He tried his best to ignore the concern that it might no longer be possible.

Who had ever heard of a cat with insomnia?

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Miss Kitty
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Miss Kitty nods, breathes deeply, and closes her eyes.

A trip to the land of dreams- always inviting, always fearful.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by OGMO
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OGMO is already snoring.

After a moment, the snores fade away, as she actually slips into sleep.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Cyan
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"I'm glad to see someone is using their noggin'" Cyan comments, sleep was never a bad thing except when there was food to be eaten.

Of course now he had to sleep it seemed harder for him though he tried his best, laying down and closing his eyes as tightly as possible. He tried to empty his mind of all thoughts and felt he was successful until he realised that thinking of how well he was doing counted as a thought. Slowly but surely he did manage to drift off however, it seemed the most logical thing to do in the end.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Antonio
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"Less cawin', mo'e clawin'," Antonio mumbles and rolls over, going from a dream where he little control to one where he could weave the dream as he wanted, as long as he tried hard enough.  He hoped to dream up a little boggin, or a big one for that matter, that he could shred to pieces as his tradition dictated by now.

"You's hang in dere, Lis, Dreamweava's on his way," he mumbles the moment before he fell asleep completely.  His claws racked the roof in anticipation - he could smell the boggin's fear already.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Leon
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It takes Leon a moment to find a nice spot to sleep again. He curls himself up and closes his eyes, thinking of Alice. After a moment he sighs deeply and slips into sleep.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by The Dream (GM)
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One by one, the cats drift back in to sleep, but this time a spark of thought remains, guiding them to a place where they have some control.

That place happens to be the Meeting Place... but here, in the Dream, the Meeting Place, and the Climbing Tree next to it, is as tall as a mountain, giving the cats a clear view of the neighbourhood.  The house where Karl and Otto live is, as usual, shrouded by storm clouds, while Priscilla's home is, as far as can be seen simply not there.  Even the space where it stood is gone, the houses on each side having, simply, drawn together...

Beyond the area claimed by the cats, there are mountains and dense forests, stretching as far as the eye can see, which is, from this altitude, quite far.

From just below the edge of the roof, a voice (the same voice as in the dream) can be heard calling, "Hello, cats.  Are you there?"

Looking over the edge reveals a peculiar sight.  About ten feet below the edge of the roof a sturdy branch juts out from the tree.  Suspended some fifteen feet beneath the branch, by a length of rope, is a tyre swing, gently moving back and forth.  Sitting on the swing is a female human child, in a blue dress, with long, blonde hair.  Below her feet, there is nothing, all the way to the ground.

She doesn't seem to be in the least bit worried about the long drop.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by OGMO
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"Are we where?" OGMO asks.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Cyan
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"Myeh...heights..." He sighed, looking around him as his mind woke up, "I really don't like heights no more, this is making me feel a little bit queasy..."

It looked as if Cyan was trying to hold onto himself, worried that he may fall and find his life shortened to an extent. Heights had never used to bother him since he was born but an incident a year back caused him to completely rethink his whole 'Sky-Diving' Career.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Miss Kitty
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Miss Kitty watched the new surrounding for a moment, her tail raised high like a flag.  The fact that the dog's houses are so dramatically changed is a little concerning, as always, but she does not dwell on it right now. Coming to the edge, she watches the child, swaying gently.

Then, with a flick of her tail, the cat changes the Dream, summoning two butterfly wings to grow on her back. She is a little rusty is dream changing, but this was a relatively easy feat.

Fluttering the wings rapidly, until they are but a haze over her back, Kitty flies down to hover in front of the child.

"Hello. Have you called us here?"

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Alice (NPC)
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Alice reaches out to scratch Miss Kitty behind the ears.

"Yes, I called for you.  You have proven to be resourceful and clever cats, and I couldn't think of anybody else who might be better able to help."

She glances up, towards the row of faces peering down at her from the edge of the roof, and a smile flickers, briefly, across her features, before an expression of concern reappears.

"The King of the Cats has disappeared.  I don't mean the way I can, or my friend the Cheshire Cat, I mean he has gone.  At his home, the fire in the hearth is dying, and the guards are becoming worried.  He was there for a while after you visited him, and then he was just... gone."


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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Antonio
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Antonio wakes up and stands up at almost the same time, only to the very next moment strut over to the edge of the roof where he stops to look down.

"I say, jolly long way down!  But then, it would have to be, would it not, or it would not quite reach all the way up, would it?  No, it would not, I dare say!"

For some reason he suddenly speaks like an English Gentleman, accent and all.

"Oh dear.  The king, missing?  We certainly cannot have that, can we?  No, we can not!  Fear not, Fair Lady, we shall venture forth and restore our gracious King to his rightful place!  Am I right or am I right, my dear friends?"

Evidently he has no problem arching on eyebrow as he looks about at everyone else.

Then he shakes his fur and clears his throat, stands up and lifts his tail straight up.  The tail beings to rotate and soon enough it is but a blur.  He folds up his legs and gently hovers towards Alice, his head held high in a defiant manner.

"Taily ho.  It is all in the tail, my dear Alice."

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Leon
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Leon looks down at Alice for some moments, wondering how the King of Cats could have just vanished, leaving Alice and the guards worried.
"We will find him." Considering the height Leon decides that growing wings, like Miss Kitty, would be a wise choice. With a flick of his tail white feathery wings, like the wings of an owl, begin to grow on his back.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Miss Kitty
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Miss Kitty, hovering thoughtfully in front of the human child, frowned.

"That is strange. Is there any other clue? Did he say something?"

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Cyan
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"Has anyone checked under a bed?" He piped up, I've heard that some people can be found under the bed, "I think they were playing some kind of game though...am not too sure,"

His ears listened to what was said so, a truly odd development indeed!

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Syd
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Syd remembers his time at the Kings residence quite well, for it was a happy moment that he had hoped to keep until he could remember little else in his old age. He thought briefly of the window which they had stepped through, and how it was unseen on the other side. Still, could others have come through and taken the King? Had the King decided to step through willingly and was then captured on the far side? From his place at the edge of the roof, he asks Alice, " Would it be possible for us to see the Kings house again? I would like a chance to sniff around and see what I can discover of his last known moments." He leaps from the roof, spreading black wings wide as he swoops out in a large arc before settling on a larger branch of the tree closer to the little girls eye level.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Alice (NPC)
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"He never mentioned that he would be going away." Alice replies, to Miss Kitty, though her eyes are fixed on Antonio, who is behaving quite oddly.

"The guards are very worried about it.  Usually they can... feel... that would be the closest word for it.  They can feel him almost anywhere.  This time, they have no idea where he is.  That can only mean one thing, as far as they know.  He must have travelled out of the Dream and in to the Waking World."

The human female looks from face to face, before adding, "The last time he did that was, apparently, for a funeral.  Rameses II was burying his favourite cat, and the King of the Cats felt it would be polite to pay his respects."

A shake of her head, "No.  If he was just hiding somewhere in the Dream, the guards would know.  They might not tell me where he was hiding, but they would know, and they would certainly not be so nervous."

"We can go to his palace, if you want to search for clues.  The road will be easier this time, because the rules of the Dream really apply only to those seeking the King, himself, not to those simply looking for his home."


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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by OGMO
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OGMO makes a sneezing laugh.  "Curious intertwinings," she says, and shrugs.  "The Waking World is large, and will not lay out a Path of Challenges as the Dreaming will.  The task may be simple, or impossible, there.  Let us indeed begin here, and see what Home and Hearth have to offer us."

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Leon
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"Taking a look sounds wise", Leon agrees. He wonders why the King of Cats might have decided to visit the Waking World, since he obviously leaves the Dream only for very special occasions. Maybe such an occasion is now, but then surely the guards or Alice would know, wouldn't they?
"But there is no special occasion for the King of Cats to attend to you know of right now?" Leon asks Alice.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Miss Kitty
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Miss Kitty flies closer to alice and purrs her goodbye by the child's cheek.

"We'll find him," she promises. "I have the nose for the job."

Her new wings fluttering rapidly, the grey and while cat rises high in the air, waiting for her companions to join.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Cyan
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"I more than 10% agree with what everyone else is saying, I think that warrants a look yada yada," Cyan said as he saw Miss Kitty beginning to rise upwards, "Uh...I hate heights, ain't there an easier way?"

He yawned, musing for a second as he tried to think of something that would normally be both impossible and irrational but wondering if in such a world it is possible to have it happen here now.

"Can't we take a big flying bird thing...or a hot air balloon?" He grinned, "Just that I don't trust myself gettin' all flying and such, I don't wanna be like Icarus,"

He was proud of his knowledge, he had seen some shows about it.

Of course I expect I will have to anyways...

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Syd
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Syd lifts from the branch once more, swooping out in lazy spirals on the updraft as he waits for the others to follow and for Alice to lead the way (or at least indicate the easy direction of travel). He sails past Cyan and says with a smile, " So make yourself a balloon, or into a balloon. Whatever makes you most comfortable, it is our dream after all." As if to prove his point, he arcs up in a spiral, performs a tight backroll, and then dives past at incredible speed before slowing abruptly just below the tire swing and spiraling up once more on the updrafts.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Antonio
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"Taily ho and pip pip!  I see no German cabbage crates of the briny, my good fellow, so I dare say;  dream a little dream!  A quaint little helium popper should do the trick.  I shall myself assist you in propelling it across the big blue, old chap!"

Antonio hovers over towards Cyan, suddenly equipped with a monocle and some kind of leather cap on his head.  To those in the known, it is a flight cap from the second world war.  He has snuck into too many films about the Battle of Britain, no doubt.

"Chop chop, make it snappy.  The Big Fellow may be in need of our assistance," he attempts to convey, although he wonders quietly to himself what they could do if the King himself could not do anything.  But then, they were the wild jokers in this game.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Alice (NPC)
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"There is no special occasion which would take him out of the Dream." Alice replies to Leon, with a thoughtful nod, "And if there were, he would have instructed the guards to explain this to visitors.  As it was, he is just... gone.  And not in the way that the Cheshire Cat taught me."

She grins at the antics of some of the other cats and, as if to demonstrate, her hands and feet start to fade away, until she manages to regain a more serious demeanor, at which point her extremeties begin to reappear.

"I have my own way of getting there, but I can't carry anybody with me.  Flying would be the fastest, and safest, way for all of you to travel.  Just because there would be no official challenges this time, doesn't mean that the road would be safe."

"I will go directly to the palace, and tell the guards to expect you.  They are a little... tense... at the moment, and might react badly, otherwise."


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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Leon
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"I see." Leon spreads his new wings and flies down to Alice.
"Let's take a look then. Is everyone ready?"

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Syd
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" Ready when you are!" Syd says as he circles Antonio twice and then dives out and away from the tree.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Alice (NPC)
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Alice claps her hands, "Good, then I'll see you all there."

Then she adds, "Oh!  The palace has moved since some of you were last there.  It will be easy enough for you to find though."  She turns, and points to an extremely high mountain, which almost certainly hadn't been there a moment before.  The peak stands on the horizon, and rises so high that the cats have to tilt their heads back to see the top.

"It's on the mountain.  Not at the very top, because there are some people who live up there who wouldn't allow it, but close to it."

The human turns back to her feline audience, "Thank you for agreeing to help with this.  I'll go now, to make preparations for your arrival."  And then she is, simply, gone... leaving a small group of flying cats behind her, gazing at the distant mountain.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Cyan
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Cyan's eyes try to adjust upon something, not truly sure what it is exactly but still trying his hardest. However he was still unable to truly identify what was flying around the top of the mountain and instead he turned to the others.

"Can any of you see what that is?" Cyan asked, nudging his head in the general direction and hoping some of the other cats have a more keen eyesight than he does.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Miss Kitty
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"Looks like a very large bird," says Miss Kitty, squinting at the speck in the distance.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Leon
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Leon stares at the moving thing in the distance. "Could be a bird. A very big one." He flaps his wings constantly.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by OGMO
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"It appears to me more as a wingèd horse," OGMO says, calmly.  "And the Olympians are famed for their jealousy."

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Miss Kitty
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Miss Kitty shrugs her wings.

"Well, we'll soon find out," she says and keeps on flying.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by The Dream (GM)
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Winging their way across the realm of dreams, the six cats seem to be making good time towards their destination.

Far below, and farther still, the land rolls by.

A strange city of green crystal, a sinister forest, and a vast field of poppies where a human girl and a small dog lay asleep...

A lake as wide as the sky, and the cats swoop low, past a small fleet of sailboats which seem to be involved in some sort of race...

And beyond the lake, the land starts to rise, gradually at first, towards the massive peak, bleak and empty.  A wasteland.  Something comes into view in the distance.  A section of a massive wall, where a peculiar, not-quite-human creature sits, it's feet dangling out over the edge as it turns an eyeless face to follow the progress of the cats.  As the strange being fades into the distance behind them, a strange, mournful wail reaches their ears, like the call of some demented bird...

There are more scattered structures now.  A pyramid, constructed of stone blocks as large as houses, laying on its side.  A huge metal ship, with a great gash torn along one flank.  Statues of long-forgotten gods, vast and cyclopean.  Half of a bridge...

And then something leaps up from the truncated bridge towards them.  It is, indeed, a winged horse.  It flies upwards, towards the group, and calls out to them, in friendly greeting, as it approaches.

"Hello cats!  You are far from home!"

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by OGMO
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"We are cats," OGMO says in return.  "Home...is where our hearts are."

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Cyan
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"That may be your answer but my home is where the foods at," Cyan interjected, "If there's food round here then I would say I'm 'home' but unless there's a school of flying fish coming by I doubt I'll be dining here tonight,"

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Antonio
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"Jolly good show, my neigh-sayer friend!  Chip chip and tally-ho!  I would say my home is where I am, without getting too personal.  You have not seen any suspicious fellows or other entities lurking about, have you?"

Antonio greets the flying horse cheerfully and moves down towards it to meet it, his tail still rotating and giving him a smooth and level flight all along.  Somehow one of those black, round hats has now appeared on his head, along with a small moustache that curls up at the sides.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Miss Kitty
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Miss kitty remains silent for the time being. She waits to see the reply of the Pegasus to her companions' empty answers, as she does not want to give away their true goal, just yet.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Syd
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Syd flies on, despite the approach of the flying pony, and as the other stall or hover to converse with it, he takes to circling the group, his eyes studying the pegasus closely, unsure if he could trust what he was seeing. After all, he had thought Leon a trusted friend until he turned Boggin on them. He continues circling, riding the updrafts like some bizarre raven-feline hybrid, never saying a word and leaving the diplomacy to those more clever than himself.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by The Dream (GM)
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The horse slows to a hover, it's huge wings whipping up quite a breeze, "I have seen no flying fish, at least not today.  I may have seen some a few days ago, but possibly not, my memory is not what it used to be.  At least, I seem to recall it being better than it is now.  I think."

"I've seen a number of other creatures hereabouts.  Birds mostly, and a herd of... of those creatures with the horns.  They bleat a lot.  The creatures that is.  The horns are silent."

The horse pauses then, and studies the flying cats for a long moment, before suddenly blurting out, "Oh, I'm sorry.  I forgot to introduce myself.  I'm always doing that, I believe.  Sometimes I wish I were a centaur - at least then I'd have... you know... the things that you can use to hold stuff.  I'd be able to write things down, so I could remember them."

"Oh!  My name, yes, my name, that was it.  My name is Astrapi'i.  I'm very pleased to meet you all.  Can I help you with anything?"


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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Miss Kitty
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"Hello, Astrapi'i. I am Miss Kitty. Nice to meet you."

The Pegasus seemed harmless, or worse, plain stupid. A simpleton. Still, it didn't hurt to try and get any clue...

"We are seeking audience with the king of cats. Have you heard anything of him or his location?"

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Cyan
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"Quite a varied name," Cyan commented idly as he listened to them all speak, "To be more specific he's sort of gone a little, missing...as in, we don't know where to find him. I was sort of hoping he'd be somewhere round here but at the moment that doesn't seem the case, you wouldn't happen to have any ideas now would you?"

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Leon
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Leon greets the flying horse with a nod. "Nice to meet you. I'm Leon."

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by The Dream (GM)
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"I'm very pleased to meet all of you.  Sometimes it gets quite lonely here.  The birds don't say much, and... ah... sorry.  You were asking about your king?  Is that right?"

"No, I don't recall seeing him.  And I'm fairly sure I'd remember a king."


Astrapi'i thinks for a moment, then, "Wait... no, it's gone again.  Ah... yes.  That was it.  There have been a lot of cats about recently, but none of them flying ones.  They've been walking up the mountain, on the path there."  He lowers his voice, until it is little more than a hoarse (horse?) whisper, "Which is silly, because there is a one-eye living in that cave there.  They all had to find a way past him."

His voice returns to a more normal volume, as he continues, "The path spirals up, and round to the other side of the mountain, and stops just below the snow.  Last Wednesday I was curious, so I went to take a look.  Or was it Tuesday.  No, no, no... on Tuesday I was over on the moors.  The grass there is very good at this time of year.  Not as good as in the SouthLand, which is why I went there on Thursday.  Or Friday..."

"Anyway, on Tuesday... er... Wednesday, I went to see where the path led to.  There was a new place there, like a stable, but smaller, with more cats guarding it.  Big ones.  They growled at me."


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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Syd
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Syd circles a little slower now, his eyes carefully tracing the pathway indicated by the Pegasus. He catches sight of the hole where the cyclops would be waiting to ambush them had they been walking, but he looks further up the trail, hoping to catch sight of the little stable and its oversized guardians. " Sounds as good a place as any to start looking. If nothing else, to free whatever is being imprisoned in the little stable by the big kittys." Syd says to his friends as he circles them once more and begins a slow glide down along the general line of the pathway below. Perhaps this was a kit-napping? If so, what would be the demand for the safe return of their king?

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Antonio
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Antonio has stayed silent ever since the horse replied to him, and had his fur turned slightly green in shade?  Either way he seems to drift away from the winged horse and into the wind a bit.

Unless it was a trick of the light, his fur now seems to be its normal colour and he slowly hovers closer again, this time staying upwind of them all.  He adjust his little monocle and makes certain his hat is in place, observing and watching from a safe distance.

"Jolly good show, Peg.  If you pardon us now, we must make haste.  Tea time is soon upon us.  Ta ta and pip pip!"

With that he suddenly and rapidly falls towards the ground, the tail only spinning enough to adjust the fall every now and then.

"German cabbage crates over the briny, methinks I am approaching the desired location at top notch speed, I say!" he comments to himself while plunging onwards, and downwards.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Miss Kitty
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"Thank you, Astrapi'i," says Miss Kitty kindly. "If we ever find a good patch of grass, we will let you know."

"Antonio, wait a moment!" The feminine feline turns to her litter mates.

"We must be wise. Those 'Big Cats' are probably hostile, and may be our enemies. I suggest that we split into two teams- negotiators and infiltrators. The negotiators will try to find out what is going inside through talking, and will also act as distraction for the infiltrators to get inside. Neither team should appear as cats; that would raise suspicion, if the king is truly there. The negotiators should be impressive, while the infiltrators small and inconspicuous."

With a twirl of her tail and a loud bang, Miss Kitty is replaced by a stunningly beautiful female sphinx, with golden wings added to the package.

"I'll be one of the talkers."

OOC- needed 1 even for the change, and got 3. Used a second for style, and reserved one.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Leon
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Leon thinks about what Astrapi'i said for a moment and then nods to Kittys suggestion. "Thank you for your help, Astrapi'i." Leon slowly begins to follow Syd and Antonio downwards.
"I'm more of an infiltrator. And besides, very curious what's in there." With a twirl of his tail Leons appearance changes, until he appaers to be a squirrel with small dark brown wings.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Syd
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Syd pulls up, turns back and catches the words of Miss Kittys plan on the breeze. He dives in on the group once more, and even though he is drawing closer, he seems to be moving farther away ...as his whole body begins to grow smaller and smaller with each passing inch. By the time he is between Leon and Miss Kitty, he is now only the size of a tiny black fly. His dark wings literally hum with power as he stalls into a hover, and when he speaks, his words are now nearly as small as his new physical form,
" I will help Leon. Never was very good with words, but always good for a surprise."

Four for Four Evens :)

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Antonio
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The tail of Antonio stops mid-air while he continues onwards, the tail elongating, and then, like a rubber band, it pulls the cat back up to it and above, towards Miss Kitty's location.

"I say, jolly good plan, darling!  As for negations, does biting and shredding things to bits count?"

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Miss Kitty
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"They count," says Miss Kitty the Sphinx with a toothy smile, "as disadvantages. You'd better go with the infiltrators."

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Antonio
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"Positively splendid, my dear Miss Kitty!" Antonio replies with a small bow of his head, lifting the hat to Miss Kitty.  "Infiltration it is!  I shall infiltrate forthwith and with great enthusiasm!"

"I say, you do wear that guise in the most radiant manner!  Must go, got to hurry infiltrating!  Parting is such sweet sorrow, my lovely Kitty but, alas, the get is apaw!  Pip pip!"


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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Cyan
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"I already look pretty impressive no?" He grinned, watching some of them seemingly change, "Besides, all this changing can send my stomach through a bit of a marathon, I really don't want to end up losing my breakfast,"

In truth he hadn't actually eaten that much though this was only because Cyan had a nigh unquenchable taste for food. He had to learn to try and control himself, what he didn't eat at first could be saved for later, sadly he had left any snacks in his other 'trousers'.

"Nothing like a high risk mission to keep letting you know that you're alive eh?" He said with a slight nervous chuckle, his eyes shifting about a little as he spoke.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by The Dream (GM)
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Hurrying around the flank of the mountain, in an assortment of guises, the cats soon see what Astrapi'i had referred to as a "small stable".  They immediately descend and take cover at a safe distance to observe the structure and finalise their plans.

The building is not a stable.  It is, in point of fact, a house.

More of a cottage really, which manages to look somewhat out of place on the mountainside.  The door stands open, and there is a human, dressed in blue, sitting on the grass outside.

Several very large cats are also lounging about nearby.  Each of them looks to be at least as large as Astrapi'i.  These huge cats are, at first glance, relaxing.  Then a few small signs become obvious - twitching ears, and the agitated movements of their tails.  Clearly there is a certain degree of tension about them.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Leon
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"Looks a bit like the King's home to me", Leon says, "at least if the human in blue is Alice." He remembers Alice having worn a blue dress when they met her earlier, but this doesn't have to mean much here.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by OGMO
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"And those," OGMO says, "Look rather a lot like the King's Guard, and this rather a lot like where Alice said the King's home had moved to, where she would meet us."

She looks to the others, mischeviously, as the grey and black on her fur blurs.  Her wings flap lazily in the air, and her temperature rises; her fur continues to blur until it is not simply smoky, but, in fact, smoke - or at least, very smoke-like feathers.  A dull red seems to underly the whole thing, while her wings become more batlike, and her eyes take on a deep red glow.  "Do we infiltrate anyway?  It might be fun..."

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Syd
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" I say we go for it. Lets see how sharp the Kings guard really is...", Syd says.

The tiny fly-sized feline begins a buzzing dive for the house, hoping to catch sight of an opened door or window, or even a mere crack in the exterior through which he can slip through unnoticed. This should be entertaining if nothing else.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Miss Kitty
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"Oh, right," says Miss Kitty, a little embarrassed she did no think of the simplest explanation.

"We'd better approach as ourselves, or else Alice won't recognize us and tell the guards to let us through."

With a flick of her tail, she returned to her normal, wingless, sphinx-less, self.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Mister Pig (NPC)
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Mister Pig relaxes.  "The King's home, of course...  That foolish horse clearly doesn't know enough about royal palaces to recognise one when he sees it."

His attention is drawn by OGMO's remark, and then Miss Kitty's.  "Probably better to make our presence known.  Alice did mention that the guards have been a little irritable since the king's disappearance.  We wouldn't want to make them angry."

By then, of course, it is too late.  Syd has already set off to buzz the palace.

As the tiny, fly-sized cat hurtles towards the building, one of the giant cats, a muscular and sleek black animal, flicks an ear in Syd's direction, and clambers to its feet, staring in the general direction of the disguised feline, it's tail thrashing from side to side.

Alice, sitting near the open door, reading a large book, looks up, "What is it, Saberhagen?"

"Something approaches." the great cat grumbles, "It sounds a little like a fly, but isn't one."  Nearby, the rest of the guards become more alert.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Antonio
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"Call me Banderas and pull me on a little trolley, it is indeed our friends from the last little expedition we set forth upon," Antonio exclaims, still not having decided what to disguise himself as, although he was considering to be a bit of pollen on the leg of that cat-fly.  Free rides are the best, next to a free meal.

"Tally-ho!" he calls out and drops like a rock once more, as he once started a little while ago.  "Pip pip, old chaps!" he calls out.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Miss Kitty
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Miss Kitty jumps from the concealing foliage, and calls out.

"Alice, it is only us! The fly as well. We were... er, well, a bit foolish and forgetful, and thought about sneaking in before we realized it was you."

Her ears flat and her tail down, she approaches the sentinels meekly.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by OGMO
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OGMO gives a sniff, approaching as well, still looking of smoke and flame.  "Perhaps not all of us," she corrects.  "We have come to look about, though it seems doubtful we will find significance where you have not," she admits to the guards.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Syd
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Syd slows his descent to hover only inches from the guards nose. He had hoped to get a little further, but this big cat was sharp. He pulls back, resuming normal 'bird' form, then settles to the ground, folding his raven wings back into fur. " Well done Saberhagen." he says with a polite nod. " Was just testing, its good to know you are so keen as to discern between a fly and one pretending to be a fly. We've met once before, I was here not to long ago with my friends to see the King. Remember?" He looks calm despite the glare he receives from the guard, and casually licks one paw a moment before looking up at the door of the house.

" They tell me he left rather abruptly. They also say he left no word of his leaving. Have you searched the house for some clue as to his disappearance Saberhagen?" he asks the guard, leaning forward to indicate he was more than ready to search the house for answers if the larger feline already hadn't. He looks on curiously at the windows and door, then smiles at Alice with a tilt of his head. Certainly she had been expecting them...

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Alice (NPC)
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Alice closes the book, after carefully noting the page number, and gets to her feet.  "You're here, good.  It's fine, Saberhagen.  These are the experts I asked to help us."

One of the other cats, a burly Tom, seemingly made out of leftover fur from several others, and with one green eye and one blue, stands up, stretches, and yawns.  "Hello there.  I'm Gladstone, and I believe I may have been the last one to see the King before his disappearance.  He definitely gave no indication that he intended to go anywhere.  We talked about supper, that was all."

Saberhagen relaxes a little, but still appears somewhat grumpy, "We searched the palace thoroughly.  The King did not exit through the door, though he may have left through one of the windows, I suppose."

At the mention of the door, Alice turns towards the cottage.  The door is open, and the room which can be seen inside is clean and tidy, with many paintings on the walls, and a large book case, heavily laden with assorted volumes.  There is even a computer, looking quite out of place, standing on a desk opposite the doorway.

The girl closes the door, and gestures towards the small panel at the bottom of it... a cat door.  "You can take a look, if you want to."

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Miss Kitty
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"Thank you, I'll do that," says the lady cat and moves towards the house.

Once inside, instead of looking around, she closes her eyes and sniffs the air, highly concentrated.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Syd
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Syd studies Gladstone a moment longer, then pads quickly after Miss Kitty and through the small door. Once inside he verifies that what he saw outside through the open door was the same room he was now looking at. Dreams had been to slippery lately and while still curious, he held all he saw with a hint of suspicion now. He moves to the closest window, sniffing at the sill and studying it for some sign of struggle before moving on to the next one for inspection...

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by The Dream (GM)
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The room inside the cottage is not, in fact the same one that they had seen from outside.  For those who have visited the King before, it is familiar though.

The room is untidy, filled with lots of furniture, all of which is severely scratched, and covered with cat hair.  There is a table in the middle of the room, with several food dishes on it, but all are empty.  There are numerous cat toys scattered about.

A large armchair stands next to an huge, empty fireplace, and the fabric which covers the chair is shredded, and has a layer of hairs on it which is almost an inch thick.  The last time any of Alice's "experts" had been here, the King of the Cats had sat in that chair, and the fire had blazed brightly, making the small room pleasantly warm (though for a human, the heat would have been stifling).  Today, the room seems as cold as winter.

The large, human door is not visible from this side.  Instead the cat door is set directly into a wall.  And there are the four windows, one in each of the four walls, and each of them displays a different scene.  Through one, butterflies play in the shafts of sunlight which pierce the canopy of a deep forest.  Through another, horses move across an open plain, beneath a sky pregnant with rain.  The third shows an endless expanse of ice and snow, where the sun sits low in a clear blue sky.

The fourth window is... disturbing.  Not so much the animals visible beyond, for what cat doesn't like fish, but the fact that the window seems to be at the bottom of a lake.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Syd
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A Syd leaps up onto the fourth windowsill, then he quickly jumps back at the sight of SO MUCH water beyond and the dampening of one paw. He shakes the droplets from his claw, glaring at the lake-bottom window before moving across the room to jump up and sniff at the ice-world window. A low growl rumbles within his chest and he looks up with distaste as he says to his friends, " I smell Dog here. Faint, but unmistakably the stench of Dog..." The black cat sits on the sill, studying the endless expanse of ice and snow, where the sun sits low in a clear blue sky. He looks for some sign of King or Dog, or for some form of tracks in the snow...

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Miss Kitty
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"Yes," confirms Miss Kitty, every hair on her back on end, "a dog was here recently."

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Miss Kitty
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On a wild hunch, the lady cat approaches the lake-view window, and sniffs all around it.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by The Dream (GM)
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There is the sound of the cat door opening, and closing again and Alice comes into the room.  The Human girl is no taller now than any of the cats, and for some reason, she is holding a half-eaten piece of cake in one hand.  "It makes me quite sad, coming in here." she says, as she studies the room, "This room was so warm when the King was here, and filled with magic.  Now it just seems cold, and shabby."

"I hope you can work this out somehow, and find him.  According to the Rules, if he is... dead... or even just gone for too long, the other animal rulers can call for a new Contest.  What if the dogs won this time?  Or bats?  Or snails?  Imagine the world, ruled by the Pasha of Snails."


===========================================================
Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Antonio
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"Humbug!"

A loud exclamation from the up to that point background-lurking Antonio.

"Where is your faith, fellow cats and little girl?  The King is not just any cat, but the Ruler!  He will not be easily bested, and if he indeed was, we are here to restore proper order, by golly!  Take heart, my friends, and we shall triumph over whatever foul play is apaw here!"

As he speaks he paces back and forth on the mantel, chest puffed up and chin held high.

"Chin up!  For we are cats!"

He takes the time to look each cat in the eye, or any other end they might show him, but not long enough to challenge them of course.

"En garde, foul doers!  We are a-coming for you!"

Then he leaps down and starts to sniff around again, his nose appearing to grow bigger than his head - but then he stops and sneezes, hard, flying back and hitting the wall.

He quickly sits up and licks his paw, pulling it over his now normal nose.

"I forgot to clean it first," he explains, to himself, naturally.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Syd
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Syd continues his vigil at the ice-world window, studying the snowscape and shaking his head in frustration. He jumps at the sound of Antonios sneeze, but turns back to narrow his gaze once more on the snowbanks. " The smell is strongest here, but I see no tracks in the snow. Either it was covered over in snowfall, or they flew him across the glaciers..." he says. He pauses to look at the other three windows, then back to the snowscape. It seems the best lead to follow, but the only thing he hates as much as water, ...is snow between his claws.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Miss Kitty
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miss kitty moves from beside the water window to the middle of the room.

"I thought they had exited through there, wanting to cover their trail, but they did not." he manner is very business like, devoid of emotion or distraction. "Well, it would seem we have to venture into the coldness. do you think that the window lead to the waking world, or are they still in Dream?"

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by The Dream (GM)
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There is a sudden blurring beyond the windows, and Syd is no longer looking at a snowscape.  Instead, the window now displays a view of an ordinary house, surrounded by a perfectly maintained garden, with the first stars of evening faintly visible in the darkening sky.

Similar dramatic changes have taken place in the other windows.  The lake, for example, is now a broad expanse of blowing sand where a group of oddly-dressed humans are currently riding on horses, accompanied by an exceedingly strange scaly creature, which is riding on a large dog...

Alice, still down on the floor, and unable to see much from there, thanks to her much reduced height, calls up to the cats, where they sit at the window, "Have you found any clues?"

At that moment, outside the window which used to show a snowfield and now shows a peaceful suburban scene, a more familiar dog appears around the corner of the house.  Priscilla!  She is walking on her hind legs, while her male owner, Mr. Jenkin, crawls on all fours, wearing a collar and leash.

Of Mrs. Jenkin, there is currently no sign.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Miss Kitty
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"well, that answers my question," says Kitty, motioning to Priscilla with a disgusted snort.

===========================================================
Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Alice (NPC)
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Alice, looking up, explains about the windows, "The places they show are always in the Dream, so the King can't be in one of them.  But sometimes a dream can give  clues about the Waking World.  If a Dream place has a Waking counterpart, then they can be connected.  Events in one will affect the other."

She steps back a little, and cranes her neck in an attempt to see more, but from her limited vantage point, all she can see beyond the window is sky.

"If the place you're seeing exists in the Waking World, then that might be where the King is."

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Miss Kitty
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"So the King's at Pricilla's house?" asks MK with much doubt in her voice.

===========================================================
Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Alice (NPC)
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"That is one possibility, yes." Alice replies, with a slight hint of doubt in her own voice.  "Or it could be that those in the house might simply have information which could point you to the place where he is.  To be perfectly honest, the windows are not clever.  The King can make them open wherever he wants them to, but left to themselves, the choice of view doesn't always make sense."

"Except that, sometimes, it makes perfect sense after the event."


Three of the windows change again, and now, as if to confirm that the King of the Cats is in that place, all of them briefly show exactly the same view of Priscilla's home.

And then the three change again, once more displaying views of different locations.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Antonio
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Antonio has been silently watching the scene with Priscilla, sitting still as a statue and not moving at all, not ever a flick of his ears.

"I say," he says, and nothing more, before he trots over to the window still displaying the dog and its ex-master-made-pet.

He looks back at the others and winks before leaping through.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Miss Kitty
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Shrugging her shoulders in a most human manner, Miss Kitty leaped after Antonio, transforming into a sphinx as she did so.

===========================================================
Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Priscilla (NPC)
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First Antonio, and then Miss Kitty drop onto the lawn which, in the Waking world, Mr. Jenkin regards as some sort of sacred ground.  Here, in the Dream, he flinches as the cats' paws touch the soft, green, velvety surface, but Priscilla yanks at his leash, dragging him back into line.

Behind the cats, the King's palace is gone, invisible and intangible from this side of the window.

"Do not show fear before these mere cats, servant!"


"N-n-no, Mistress."  The man's voice is little more than a hoarse whisper.

Priscilla gazes icilly at the cats, "Why are you in my domain?  Leave at once, and I will permit you to retain your tails."

===========================================================
Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Antonio
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"Oh dear.  I think I just heard a cow break wind or something.  Let us hope the wind leads it elsewhere but to us.  Now then, I would say..." Antonio starts saying, completely ignoring the dog.  Then he seems to notice something and peers at the human.

"Boo, I say," he says casually, looking straight at Mr. Jenkin.  Then he looks around and seems to finally notice Priscilla.

"Ah!  What a hideous...  Oh, is that you Priscilla?  You look absolutely lovely today.  Move along now, it is not polite to stare," he brushes her off and begins to sniff the air, once more ignoring her.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Priscilla (NPC)
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Priscilla glares at Antonio and Miss Kitty, "Cats!  You think you rule the world since the Contest, and you may be right, in the Waking World.  But this is my Dream, and you are not welcome here."

"You have no right to come into my dream and sully...  More!?!"
  Her voice rises in pitch, while her eyes bulge incredulously.  Behind Antonio and Miss Kitty, their companions are simply appearing in mid-air, and dropping onto the perfect lawn.

As each paw touches the immaculate grass, Mr.Jenkin flinches and twitches, just as he had done upon the arrival of the first two feline intruders, but now his reactions are accompanied by small squeaks of pain...

"Why have you spoiled my dream?"

===========================================================
Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Syd
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" Oh..." Syd says, looking around at the scene with an aire of disdain, " ...this is your dream, is it?" He sniffs at the air, searching for some scent of Cat in this surreal stench of a canine fantasy, then tilts his head to one side as he studies Mr. Jenkin at the end of a leash.

" I see you have the master well in paw, ...but what of the mistress?" he asks Priscilla.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by OGMO
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OGMO lands very lightly, standing on the tops of the grass without disturbing the blades.

"Dreams are a part of the world, and Cats go where we please," OGMO replies.  "Nevertheless, the spoiling of your dream is not our purpose here.  We follow a trail, and it passes through."

She pauses a moment, considering, and then walks forward a little.  "Our neighboring is oft uneasy, but I think not needlessly hostile.  Perhaps you know something that might help us to continue along and most quickly leave your figmentation?"

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Antonio
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"Can not smell anything.  Nothing of interest, at any rate," Antonio muses as he sniffs the air and then looks over at Syd and Ogmo, as if confused.

"Dream?  Spoil?" he asks and then, one more, seem to see Priscilla for the first time.  "Oh, you are still here?"

"I say.  Onwards,"
he then states, once more having put the dog on his ignore list - as opposed to his hit list - and starts to trot off in a very casual fashion, sniffing the air and swivelling his ears.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Priscilla (NPC)
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Priscilla glares at Antonio's retreating rear, then turns her attention to OGMO and Syd.  "Very well... since you have admitted to needing my aid, and providing such aid may remove you from my sight, I believe we can come to an arrangement."

"The Mistress, not that it is any concern of yours, is in my house, somewhere.  Perhaps preparing my meal.  It will be best steak again today, as usual, cooked to perfection.  I can almost smell it now."


She starts drooling at the thought, then shakes herself, "What is it that you would like my assistance with?"

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Mister Pig (NPC)
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Mister Pig, his disdain for Priscilla evident in the set of his ears and the posture of his tail, decides to get the interview over and done with.  "We need to know... is there a cat in there?"  He inclines his head towards the house, before regarding the quivering and pathetic Mr. Jenkin with a baleful glare.

The man had thrown things at Mister Pig when the cat had been younger and had wandered onto his precious lawn.  He deserves neither forgiveness nor pity.

Mister Pig stretches, yawns, and sinks his claws into the dream-lawn, before dragging them back across it, tearing up earth and pieces of grass.  He straightens up, to find the man almost in tears.

So... vengeance is a dish best served in your precious garden. he thinks, Interesting...

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Priscilla (NPC)
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"There is no cat here!  Not until you lot arrived." Priscilla growls, "I came here to get away from the smell of cat.  The whole house... MY house... stinks of the filthy beast, and I had to sleep outside, because the stench was keeping me awake!"

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Syd
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Syd shakes his head, wondering how the dog could BE so STUPID. " You say there was no cat here until we arrived, and yet..." he looks up to the house with steady blue eyes, scanning the windows for some sign of movement within, "...you say your own house smells of cat. So much so that you had to sleep outside." He looks at Priscilla and says a little slower than normal,

" Did - you - find - the - cat - stinking - up - your - house?"

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Priscilla (NPC)
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"Not here, foolish cat!" Priscilla snaps, glaring indignantly at Syd.

"This in the Dream.  My other house is the one that has the cat in it.  It has been there for days, in the room that my Mistress keeps closed, but I can smell it all through the house.  So I went outside to sleep, and came here, where there was no stink of cat."

"But now there is."


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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Syd
-----------------------------------------------------------
" Stop drooling at me like that." Syd snaps back, " Or I'll go up to this house and make all your nightmares come true!" He swells a little larger as the hackles on his neck stand on end and his words end with a distinctly feline growl. Could the King be in our own neighborhood this very moment, locked away in Priscillas house? If so, it seemed foolish to be napping at the moment.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Mister Pig (NPC)
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"Yes!  Alice did say that if the... " Mister Pig catches himself, and glances at Priscilla, "If He were still in the Dream, then the... the big cats would be able to sense him.  So He must be in the Waking World."

The small dog huffs out a heartfelt sigh, "Well, if you are going to wake up, could you please hurry up and find somewhere else to do it, so that you can leave me to my lovely dream?"

Then she stops and thinks for a moment, as it occurs to her that these cats may be planning to find the intruder, "If you will promise to remove that cat from my house, before dawn tomorrow, I will agree to give you safe passage until then."

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Antonio
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From where Antonio is trotting off into the distance there is a huffing noise, as if he was laughing.  Indeed he is laughing too, at the promise of safe passage.  In his mind, it was the dog that should be glad he allowed it safe passage, seeing as he is well known for fighting them, and winning.

No sooner has the huffing noise started before he is simply gone, nowhere to be seen.

To the cats it is obvious he already is back in the waken world.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by Syd
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Syd smiles as the dog manages to put two and two together. He pauses a moment to preen his fur back into its sleek ebony form, already sensing their agreement to the beasts terms as Antonio walks back into the waking world of time and space. " I'm sure the cat in question doesn't want to be there anymore than you want it there. It should be no problem to get him out before dawn provided we encounter nothing to stop us." he says to Priscilla.

" However, if we cannot get into the room before dawn, I may decide to wake you to help distract your family. Please, try to remember our arrangement when you do wake up." he adds. Syd then turns and seems to step into a large overhang of foliage. There is only a rustle of the leaves as his tails disappears, and then only silence. Intent on finding the King, the black cat has no trouble rousing himself from sleep this time.

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Re: Part 9 - An odd development by OGMO
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Always fonder of the dream realm than the waking world, OGMO puts off waking as long as possible, although it's only a moment longer than everyone else

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