Disclaimer: I do not own Cat Returns.
Chapter 10: Stuck Between a Rock and a Giant's Place
Back in the thorn filled forest, underneath the hand of one of the tree creatures, Phoebus burst from the dirt covering him and his men. A moment later, Natori popped his head out still in his Sphinx form and showering Phoebus in more dirt. The would-be king began to shake the dirt from his fur angrily as Natori turned to him.
"Well, my lord, it appears we lost them again." Natori ignorantly stated.
Phoebus gave a low growl then grabbing the Sphinx by his ears he yanked his head back onto the ground and raised his fist above his own head.
Natori let out a yowl of pain and then looking up to see the raised fist he shut his eyes awaiting the blow. A few moments passed and when nothing came towards his face he hesitantly opened one eye to look up at the enraged lord, who was staring ahead of him where the girl and cats had run too.
Phoebus looked out to see the fog moving out, revealing the footprints left by the giant. A slow grin rose onto his face.
"Ah, so that's where they went," he cackled gleefully.
Releasing Natori, he quickly began to dig himself out and yelled for his men to move quickly and follow the tracks. One thought running through his mind.
'Excalibur is just within my grasp.'
In another part of the forest Haru, Baron, Renaldo, Muta and Toto were following the tracks to a fog filled area. Haru was leading with Baron a few feet behind her, when she stopped with a worry filled gaze.
"Uh-oh," she exclaimed.
"What is it?"
Baron stopped behind her. She turned to answer him.
"The tracks are gone."
A loud, low growl rolled over their heads, they all stopped in fright.
"Please tell me that's your stomach?" Haru asked Baron fearfully.
"Hm-hm, just the ogre," he answered nonchalantly.
"Ogre!" Renaldo yelled in a terrified voice.
"Well, nice knowing you two, have a good life or whatever's left of it." Muta quickly said as he and Renaldo began to back away.
"Wait, what's so scary about ogres?" Haru questioned curiously.
Suddenly a huge dragon skeleton fell from the sky and landed on top of Haru and Baron, Muta and Renaldo jumped away as the two leaned out between the ribs like a cage.
"Their appetite," Renaldo whispered meekly.
"Oh no, I think that was Milliard, you know the dragon who showed us that wild berry patch." Muta let out a miserable yowl as Renaldo lifted a smaller skull into his hand. He lifted the skull and began to pear into its eyes.
"Ah alas, poor Milliard, I knew him well," he mourned dramatically.
A loud pounding could be heard moving towards them and the ground began to shake. Toto came flying out of the fog.
"Baron, Haru move!"
A large foot came looming out of the fog and Baron yelled.
"Haru, quick get out of the way."
Haru seeing the foot ran towards Baron and grabbing his arm she threw him one way out of the skeleton and launched herself towards the other side.
The foot came down on the skeleton and crushed it to dust, barely missing the two. Haru looked up at the large looming creature. Bits of leaves and wood fell from the being along with a swords scabbard. Haru reached for it.
"It's Excalibur's scabbard," she, Muta and Renaldo watched as the ogre climbed into its lair. "It does have the sword."
The group looked on as the fog cleared to reveal a large looming, mountain. They headed for the mountain and found a large crack on the side leading in. Baron began to lead them in using his staff to find his way he turned and spoke softly to the others.
"Ogres sleep during the day. We'll wait for it to fall asleep then grab the sword."
"Define 'We'?" Renaldo demanded indignantly.
"Shhh! Quiet, if we make even the slightest noise we're finished." Baron scolded him.
Haru lowered her hands in a shushing manner to the two as they continued through the tunnel, passing walls filled with skeletons of all kinds off creatures, from dragons to even smaller skeletons that appeared to be human, bird, and cat like. Toto perched on a ledge and Renaldo and Muta stopped next to him.
"Charming place," Renaldo mumbled. "I must get the name of his decorator."
Toto laughed softly at Renaldo's sarcasm and Muta just shook his head.
Haru and Baron continued on ahead towards large opening filled with light. Coming to a large looming cavern, Haru moved ahead looking for the ogre, the scabbard tied to her side. Baron came up beside her.
"What's he doing?" he whispered.
"I can't see him." She continued to scan the cavern, looking at the moss covered rocks ahead of her.
"Oh, he's here, I can smell him."
The floor of the cavern suddenly began to move, reveling the giant ogre, covered in moss, trees and other parts of the forest. Haru jumped back in surprise at the sight of the creature.
"You're right, he's here."
Baron and Haru backed up out of the creature's sight as he began to sit up.
"Where's Excalibur?" Baron whispered softly.
Haru looked around the corner of the tunnel's wall into the cavern to see the ogre holding Excalibur and running it through his teeth.
"He's using it as a toothpick," she whispered indignantly.
"Let me know when he falls asleep."
Muta, Renaldo and Toto were still farther back in the cave but close enough to hear the two whisper. In the cavern the ogre began to toss and turn, then still holding Excalibur in his hand he lowered himself towards the ground with the other hand and curled his arms into a makeshift pillow. Then he plopped his head on his arms, shaking the entire mountain. Muta and Renaldo were launched two feet in the air and Toto was knocked off his perch, barely catching himself with his wings.
"Let me guess," snapped Muta.
"He fell asleep?" Toto asked sarcastically.
Haru looked out to find the sword poking out of the ogre's hand.
"Haru, describe the layout for me." Baron asked softly.
"The swords sticking out between his fingers and there's a ledge hanging just above the sword. Oh, but it has to be a twenty foot drop at least."
At this Baron began to walk towards Muta and Renaldo, measuring their height to that of his staff, taking into account that they were slightly taller than his staff he let out an approving hum and walked back towards Haru. Renaldo and Muta looked at each other in confusion.
Moments later, Muta and Renaldo's tail were now wrapped around a rock protruding a few feet away from the ledge. The boys were holding Baron by his feet while Haru hanged from Baron's staff by her legs, reaching from the sword.
"A little lower," she whispered softly.
Muta grumbled and roughly whispered.
"They are not allowed to make anymore fat jokes about us."
As he and Renaldo stretched out from their tail as much as they could to get Haru closer to the sword.
From the tunnels entrance, Phoebus and his men emerged. Noticing the quartet and the sword, one of his men began to point them out and exclaim loudly.
"My Lord, look it's the s-"
In attempts to shut him up before he woke the ogre and alerted their enemy, he grabbed the closer thing to him, which was a large glob of moss on the wall, and roughly shoved it into his soldier's face and mouth.
"SHHHH!"
Haru and the other's continued their attempt without noticing Phoebus and his men.
"Oh, I hate ogres," he grumbled then waved for his men to follow him.
As he slowly began to walk along the narrow edge pass the tunnel, his men came up behind him, their attached weapons shaking and jangling. Causing them to be loud and conspicuous, Phoebus shook his head in aggravation and placed his paw to his head.
Renaldo took notice of the new arrivals.
"Oh no, it's him," he whispered in fear and held his hand to his mouth in worry, letting go of Baron's foot.
"Hey!" he called as he began to slip from Muta's grasp.
Renaldo quickly grabbed his foot but Haru began to slip from Baron's grasp, he caught her feet with his staff just before she hit the ogre's hand. She was now right next to the sword and the ogre's closed eye.
Phoebus, mounted on top of Natori in his Sphinx form, he began flapping his wings causing dust to form around them. As he took off a large cloud of it went straight into his face and he sneezed, very loudly.
Phoebus, Muta, Baron and Haru all gasped in fear as the ogre's eye opened in front of the girl.
"Oh no, he's awake," she fought not to whimper.
The ogre began to stare at Haru, still groggy when she had an idea.
"Quickly! Swing me back and forth," she hissed up at her tawny companion.
Baron began to gently move his arms and torso to allow Haru to swing as she sweetly said to the ogre.
"You are getting very sleepy, sleepy."
As she said this the ogre gently closed his eyes and fell right back to sleep.
"Haru can you reach it?" Baron asked in strain as he continued swinging Haru.
As she came back towards the sword she grabbed it and pulled it up. "I've got it!" she exclaimed excitedly, though still keeping her voice low.
Muta and Renaldo began to pull the two back up, Toto grabbing onto Muta's ears with his talons to try to help. The ogre began to move again shaking the mountain's walls and causing debris to fall from the ceiling. He began to open his mouth in a yawn, Phoebus came charging towards the group but just before he reached them the ogre let out a large breath like a huge gust of wind knocking him and Natori right out of the air and towards the ground.
The group ran towards one the other tunnels with Phoebus soldiers right behind them. The ogre then began to stretch out his hand and sent it straight towards the soldiers, shoving them right into a large gap in the wall filled with moss and trees. When he pulled his hand away the men blinked as they were all wrapped in vines and leaves unable to move. Phoebus and Natori landed harshly onto the ground next to the ogre.
The ogre began to shift and move and slightly raised itself from the ground and then began to lower itself back down. Heading straight for Phoebus and Natori, they attempted to scrabble away but couldn't move fast enough before they were trapped under the creature's rear end. A huge dust cloud erupted from the ground and as it cleared it revealed the two of them sticking slightly out from under their trap.
"We're under the ogre's butt!" Phoebus rasped in disgust.
"Well, my lord, at least it can't get any worse." Natori tried to whisper comfortingly, when the ground began to slightly rumble underneath them as well as through the ogre's stony flesh.
Phoebus glared at him. "Do ya wanna bet?"
Haru and the others made it to one off the exits as they quickly ran out of the tunnel. The sword at her hip and holding onto Baron's hand. A loud fart erupted through the cavern as Phoebus and Natori flew quickly by above their heads and face first into the wall ahead, stalagmites protruded from the wall between their arms and legs. As the group ran by, Phoebus softly raised his hand towards them.
"Seize them," he rasped out painfully.
"Yes, my lord." Natori let out in a squeak.
The group came an opening in the cave, Muta and Renaldo came out first to a large drop below, they were barely able to stop as they looked down at the dizzying fall.
"There's no way out." Renaldo called in fear.
Baron, Haru and Toto came quickly towards them as Haru called out to the two.
"There has to be a way out, you could use your magic, try to fly out of here."
"We can't use our magic," Renaldo called indignantly before whispering to Toto, "we explained that before our song."
Then Baron and Haru came crashing right into the two knocking them over the ledge. They all hovered in the air as Muta softly exclaimed.
"Guys, we've got a problem!"
The last word was loudly pronounced as they went straight towards the ground, sliding down the hill. Phoebus carrying his sword came running out of the cave with his men right behind them. They nearly went tumbling over the edge but stopped themselves until Phoebus kicked them from behind.
They went tumbling after the group and Toto went flying after them, till Natori saw him and began to chase after him through the sky. Toto flew towards Phoebus who swung his sword around trying to hit him. Natori came flying towards them at top speed and was unable to stop, turn or slow down before he went crashing into the Cliffside, causing all to crumble and Phoebus to go flying down the hillside. The deranged cat danced across the falling rocks.
Baron and Haru continued down the hill riding on Muta and Renaldo's stomach. Baron used his staff to steer them down the hill and away from the soldiers. As they continued their decent, the brothers began to yell out random things.
"Lady and Gentleman, please return your seat into their upright position!" Renaldo yelled.
"Assume the crash position and hope you don't smell your socks!" Muta continued.
Haru grabbed at Renaldo's head in attempts to stay on as the two continued their strange announcements.
"Tray tables up," Renaldo directed.
"And put away your sandwiches." Muta finished.
"Turbulence!" Renaldo yelled.
The men came crashing and falling after them, unable to slow down.
"Hold on gang, I think we're going in!" screamed Muta.
Natori came crashing down the hillside with the avalanche of rocks right behind him.
The group slide over another slight ledge before a large wall of boulders, just before they went straight for it Renaldo grabbed onto a protruding root and pulled them over the other edge. The soldiers rolled right into the wall of boulders, Natori came crashing down on top of them followed by Phoebus onto him and the avalanche of rocks landed on all of them.
The quartet continued down another part of the hillside, the brother's backside beginning to actually start smoking.
"We know you have a choice but thank you for flying 'Cat Air'," yelled Renaldo.
The two started to skid towards a small pool of water as their back actually caught fire. The two began to yell out in pain till they finally landed in the water and floated on top. Baron was thrown right off into the water and Haru remained right on top of them. Toto came flying above them and began to snicker.
"Well what do you know, fat does float!" he guffawed.
Muta glared at him and hissed, then he turned to Haru still laying on their belly.
"Tell you what, next time you both try to fly and we'll hold on!"
Haru began to smile as she looked down into the sword in her hand.
"We did it, we did it, I can't believe we actually did it!"
She exclaimed happily, Baron now standing leaned on his staff and smiled in her direction as she continued to cheer.
"Congratulations, Haru."
"So this is Excalibur."
She softly whispered as she removed the sword from its scabbard, Muta and Renaldo began scrambling against each other wanting to hold the sword.
"Oh let me hold it!"
"Give it to me!"
"Please?!"
"No!" Baron snapped, making the two stop and look at him with matching pouts. "Excalibur only belongs in the hands of Lune. Come on, Haru."
They then proceeded out of the small pond and towards Camelot.
A/N: Again, I am so sorry for the long wait on the update, after school was done I was so exhausted my artistic muse was on a vacation. I hope you all like this chapter.