Cassandra arrived at an old willow tree in the middle of the riverbend.
Animals, including Snowball and Rocky, swarmed around Cassandra as she sat on a tree stump.
"Grandmother Ruth" called Cassandra. "I need to speak with you."
A large ghost emerged from the tree and approached Cassandra.
She looked like she was mean, but she was misunderstood even in the time of her death.
"Good morning, Cassandra, my child" said the ghost.
"I was hopin' you visit. And I see you have your mama's necklace on."
Cassandra smiled. Everybody knew she was a lot like her mother.
"Well, that is why I came here to talk with you about" she replied to Ruth.
"You see, my father wants me to marry Varian."
"Varian?" gasped Grandmother Ruth. "Why that boy is too young for you!"
"Yes, I know."
"And if there's anythin' I hate other than your daddy, it's that Varian."
Cassandra nodded. She knew how Ruth was to her father before she was even born.
"My father thinks this is the right path for me" Cassandra continued.
"But lately, I've been having this dream and I think it's trying to tell me something."
Grandmother Ruth got excited.
"Oh, a dream, eh?" she smiled. "Let's hear all about it."
The animals nodded in agreement.
Cassandra was not sure what to say, but she has always told Grandmother Ruth what was on her mind.
"All right" smiled Cassandra.
"Well, I'm running through the woods and right there in front of me is an arrow. As I look at it, it starts to spin."
Grandmother Ruth found this dream unusual.
"So, the arrow spins faster and faster and faster until suddenly it stops."
Then, it hit Ruth.
"Sounds to me this spinning arrow is pointing you down your path" she said smiling.
"But, Grandmother Ruth, I don't understand" said Cassandra, confused. "What is my path and how will I ever find it?"
Grandmother Ruth chuckled, Cassandra's mother asked her the same question before. She was like her mother.
"All you need to do is listen..." answered Grandmother Ruth.
Cassandra listened.
"All around you are spirits, Cassandra. They all live within the earth, in the water and in the sky. If you listen, they will guide you."
The wind blew quietly.
To Cassandra, the wind was a spirit's voice. It sang into her ear.
It was telling her to listen with her heart and she will understand.
"What is the wind telling you?" asked Grandmother Ruth.
"It says something's coming. Something like strange clouds" answered Cassandra.
She climbed up the tree and looked above the skyline to see sails of a ship.
"What do you see?" called Grandmother Ruth.
"I see clouds... but they are strange looking" frowned Cassandra.
Meanwhile on the ship, the Hooded Claw looked out the window of his cabin.
"Look at it, boys" he sneered.
"Just think. The entire new world will be filled with gold will be for me."
The Bully Brothers were busy preparing Muttley for the New World, but they answered.
"Right, boss" they answered.
"Besides, even if we meet some savages" continued the Hooded Claw. "We'll have to give them a proper English greeting."
Hearing this, Muttley brought in gift baskets.
"No, no!" shouted the Hooded Claw.
"Not gift baskets, you dumb mutt! Just go get your bath ready!"
The Hooded Claw kicked Muttley into another room.
"Rasa frasa Sneekly" complained Muttley.
A loud knock on the door jumped the Hooded Claw.
"Hello?"
"Um, just a minute!" he called.
Quickly as a flash, the Hooded Claw changed to his causal clothing as Sneekly.
The door opened to Dastardly.
"Governor, it's prefect" he said, cheerily.
"We're close to the New World, the water's deep and we can pull right up to shore. I've just assembled a crew ready to go."
"Very well, Dastardly" Sneekly said.
"I'm counting on you to make sure those filthy natives don't disrupt our mission."
"Understood, Governor" Dastardly saluted.
"There's a good man, Dastardly. That'll be all."
As soon as Dastardly left, Sneekly returned to his disguise.
"This is prefect, men" he grinned.
"Dastardly and I are not popular men. He's the most hated captain and I've been called a pathetic social climber who's failed at everything he's tried. If I can get him out of the way, I can have all the glory!"
Muttley was concerned about this.
He maybe Sneekly's dog, but he did like Dastardly.
"Mark my words, boys. When King James sees the gold unearthed, success will be mine at last."
He laughed evilly.
To be continued...