Chapter Two
"Bring him in.," said a rather well dressed dog man. He was king of all lands. His pelt was like a Collie, but still he was part man, part canine, and his name was Siro, which in the planet's language meant "new day."
Two guards roughly brought in a tall, impressive, hooded figure. The hooded cape was the clothing of the slaves; the cat people race called the Jellicles. They wore the bachi to hide their feline appearance. The dog race was known as the Pollicles. Siro walked to his dais and sat down in his throne, the cape he had draped around his shoulders flowing with the movement. He eyed the catman in front of him. The tom kept his head lowered respectfully, his hood concealing his face.
"Remove the bachi."
A guard came behind and roughly yanked the hood back. Still the cat man kept his eyes lowered. Siro stepped off his dais and stood in front of the Jellicle. The Jellicle was taller, medium built and because of the heavy labor he did on a regular basis, muscular. His strength was hidden under a flared shirt, of the 16th century style. All the clothes of the people on the planet were fashioned after that era. Only instead of the puffy pants, the men wore tight ballet like leggings and high buckle boots. The women's dresses were like the same era's gowns only shorter, coming to the ankle rather than the floor and absent the corset. However the slaves women often dressed the same as the men. The difference only being the lighter and more feminine style of the bachi they wore. Often white, pink, or sky blue, trimmed with jewels. The men's bachi were plain, usually black, brown or midnight blue.
Siro now faced the furry head of the Jellicle. He stooped lower to see his face. Many of the Pollicles found the Jellicles looks repulsive, but Siro found them exotically fascinating and at times lovely, especially their women. The guard closest to the catman pulled his whip from his belt and stuck it under the Jellicle's chin pulling his head up.
The face that looked back at him was yellow, striped with patches of black and grey, his neck and what could be seen of his chest was white. The luminous eyes were a bright shimmering blue. The catman if he had been an earth cat would have been called a Clouded Leopard, only with blue eyes. Siro stepped back. The shoulders were not bent in a slump, as one would believe a submissive slave's would be, nor was his stature. Instead it was noble, royal like, just as was the stare coming form the Jellicle's face. That always amazed Siro the most about their race. Even the most submissive slave walked and stood nobler than even the most graceful of the Pollicles. The noble nature always took him by noticeable surprise.
"What's your name?" Siro asked recovering from his usual reaction.
"Coras, son of Janer Sembele sir." the cat man replied in a soft, gentle, almost whispery deep voice. A voice that could calm others.
"Well, Coras son of Janer, do you know why you were summoned here?" Siro asked returning to his throne.
"No master." Coras replied lowering his head once more.
Siro looked around at the guards and saw them snicker at what they believed was an action from the Jellicle as a result of fear. Siro knew better, even if the Jellicle himself didn't. He knew this catman, as well as any of the Jellicle not weakened by the whip, could tear them apart in minutes if he wanted to.
"Guards, leave us alone." he said returning his gaze to the Jellicle. The guards gave him a surprised look but did as he bid. They knew the king was far more skilled with the swords and hand to hand combat than they could ever be. They reasoned he would be okay.
"Now they are gone, so please act as though I am not the king and look at me. I can not speak to some one without seeing his face." Siro replied. The Jellicle complied reluctantly.
"Go to the window, look out at the horizon." Siro said pointing a clawed finger at the window to his right. He walked slowly over to it, the stones surrounding him glowing green with the reflection of his anxious and curious mood. Siro watched as the long tail of the catman thrashed back and forth complimenting the stone's moody tones.
"What do you see that is missing?" Siro asked after a couple minutes. The Jellicle turned back around, the stones glowing brown with sudden sadness.
"The mountain Cio is gone."
"Yes," Siro then got up from his throne and crossed the room and stood in front of the Jellicle, "do you know why?"
"Yes." he answered in almost a whisper.
"Tell me." Siro persuaded.
The Jellicle looked back out the window and stared at the spot where the mountain Cio had once stood. "Because of the sacraeh. Our people are dying and are part of the planet. As we die so does our side of the planet, just as if your race..." the Jellicle turned around looked briefly at Siro and bowed his head after he had trailed off.
"Very good. Do you the history of your people?" Siro asked turning around and going over to a table where an old book known as the Juranae lay. It was open and marked.
"From what I remember from individual studies of the Juranae, about 400 years ago one of our tribal leaders broke an extremely important trading agreement with your people. We were a race of people who knew only the land; we lived off the plants and animals. We knew nothing of warfare and conquering. So when it was brought to your king's attention and your people demanded blood for the outrage this was mentioned. Out of fear for killing the planet's other side, the Day of Tears happened. We were taken as slaves and our kin... tribal leader and his line were the only ones that were to be killed," Coras replied in a tone he recognized Deuteronomy often used when teaching the Jellicles their history.
"Yes, and you may refer to your tribal leaders as kings, that's what they were. But I mean further back than that, about 100 years."
"You mean the story of Brai and Ara Belle?"
"Yes, because it is important as to your purpose here." Siro said gloomily, the stones around him reflecting his mood.
"Our people's line needed to be reinstigated. There was a portal to the planet of the humans, Earth, I believe it is called. Through the portal the human Ara Belle as brought to our planet. She was supposedly very beautiful and gentle. There were signs as to her not belonging on her home planet, things once she came here she realized told her that here was truly where she was meant to be. The portal reshaped her DNA as to start to tie her to the planet. But her human form and all else about her wasn't effected. Through the continual contact with other jellicles and the saturation of the planet she received from the very wind and earth beneath her feet she became more Jellicle. She did not however become a full Jellicle until Brai and she exchanged a jua. Her DNA was totally reshaped enough that her human appearance no longer existed and like us she became fully liked to the planet. But the human genes to insure our survival were left untouched. After their marriage they had children, who had children and so on and so forth and therefore our species survival was assured." Coras explained all this, then when finished took a deep breath and caught himself from the smile he felt crossing his lips, happy that he remembered that much of the history.
"Do you know the humans version of the story?" Siro asked, curious as to how much this young tom knew.
"I believe their version involved the Jellicle turning into a human. But the real history was brought to them by Ara Belle's family and the efforts of a missionary of Janu I, who was certain history would repeat itself and tried to persuade more humans to make their life on our planet." Coras said uncertain.
"The story is called 'Beauty and the Beast". Now, here's the reason I sent for you. What happened in Brai's time is happening again. Do you know who your ancestors are?" Siro asked.
"No," Coras said embarrassed. Up until now he'd been doing so well.
"You are a descendant of the line of the Sita." Siro said, waiting for the Jellicle's reaction. His eyes widened slowly and his mouth dropped open and then quickly shut. Siro smiled slightly then erased it.
"Yes, you are of royal Jellicle blood. The royal line of Janu I and the line of Brai."
The Jellicle stared back at him in disbelief. The entire royal family of Janu was thought to have died on the Day of Tears, the day they were put into slavery. Coras recovered enough to ask, "What do you want me to do?" Coras didn't dare ask why or how Siro knew this information about his lineage. It was a proven fact that the Pollicles were full of secrets. Siro however, was often on the Jellicles side. Something not many of the Pollicle nobles liked, but it certainly had won the hearts of his peasants and slaves. The ones Coras knew were the most important.
Siro looked into the eyes of the Jellicle. He knew he was holding his questions. Siro could also see something more about him... he could see the king he knew this Jellicle was deep inside.
"The portal still exists Coras, son of Janer. Come with me." Siro walked over to the other window across the room. This window looked out over the palace gardens, still thriving and flourishing. As long as the Pollicles existed, this side of the planet would survive. The side that was dying was the Jellicles former Pride Lands. "Look boy, do you see those shrubs?" He pointed to a row of shrubbery that had small delicate leaves and tiny hidden thorns. 'In a few vira they will start to bloom into the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen. Do you know what they are called?" Siro asked raising would be eyebrows.
"Yes, I work n the gardens sire. I was told they are called Angena. The flowers are indeed beautiful and fragrant." Coras replies happy to be on a roll again. The mood rocks reflected white with specks of red, like shining opal.
"Yes on Earth they are called roses, this kind English roses. They will bloom for several vira, then they will die out for the winter."
Coras gave him a quizzical look in wonder. 'How could an Earth plant have gotten here?' Siro saw the wonderment in his eyes and by the slashing of his tail, followed by the color of the Rih stones.
"Ask your question," Siro offered.
"How did an Earth plant get here?" Coras asked.
"It was brought here for Ara Belle. She missed it's scent. So Brai arranged for cuttings to be taken from some of the shrubs. The life force of our planet caused the cuttings to grow roots in our rich water and soil before they ever would on Earth. Now as to why I mentioned them. I felt it is best to leave the welfare of the people in the hands of their king. For me that is the Pollicles, and now that you are aware of it, you are the rightful leader of the Jellicles. Since the welfare of the people is left in the hands of their ruler so is their survival. You, my dear boy, are going to be the one to either save your people or lead them into extinction. Deuteronomy and Mistoffelees, poor lad..." Siro broke off in thought for a moment, thinking about the young tom and his pure white mate's loss, then he regained his train of thought, "... have located the portal and they have also located the dwelling of the one human who can either save or kill your people." The tom cringed at the heavy burden he could feel was being put upon him.
"I will make a deal with you, Jellicle. When she is found, she'll be brought to you. If you can learn to love her, to be in love with her and earn her love in return by the time the last petal falls on the last Angena on both the Pack Lands and the Pride Lands, then I will set your people free and the lands of your ancestors will once again be their home. I emphasize they will be free, and you and your Human-Jellicle bride will be their rulers and your people will never be enslaved again. If not, then the human will become a slave, your people will remain slaves, and will be at the mercy of their masters and mistresses, the next succession of kings, and your race itself will be doomed to extinction for all time."
Coras gasped that so much had been put upon his shoulders. A young tom that no one had really noticed before was the last hope for his race. 'Can I do this?' he asked himself.
"You are not to go to Earth with the retrieval party that will be sent. You will spend this time preparing your mind, heart, and people for what lies ahead. Now go Jellicle and remember, before the last petal falls on the last Angena." Siro said as he returned to his throne and summoned his guards. Coras put the hood back on and bowed his head. The guards grabbed him roughly. Siro called, "Gentlemen, you are no longer permitted to man handle him like that. He is the future of his race." Siro said with a touch of irony then added seriously, "Handle him with care. Take him to his chambers to rest and to think. He needs this time.
Coras walked out ahead of the guards, and for the first time they realized he didn't walk in the usual humble style of a Jellicle around Pollicles with his head lowered, but high and proud like a prince.
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