Lol.

Thanks for all the views.

How about we make a small deal?

If somebody of you makes a review of any chapter, I will provide you with a fun fact about the Polish Hussars and Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth's reality in the next chapter.

Since there is one review, here goes the first fact: Majority of Polish Hussars were about 20 years old.

If you have any questions or you just wanna talk, feel free to send me a PM.


CHAPTER II – THE ENCOUNTER

After Puss got out of the inn, he noticed it was slowly yet surely getting dark. Even though it was an April late afternoon, residents of San Ricardo were still busy on the streets. After all, the economy had improved much and new job opportunities for people had shown up. It was ordinary to see craftsmen rushing to their workshops or merchants trying to sell their goods. San Ricardo finally had a good time. And that is what satisfied Puss.

The ginger hero walked through the streets and tried to pay attention to his surroundings. He was told that many guards are patrolling the town and they have better equipment. Nevertheless, he went into a back dark alley.

Just as Puss walked into it, a shining spot of light on the ground caught his eye. He had an urge to pounce on it, but he stopped. He knew what that meant.

„I am not being fooled this time." He muttered and looked at the window ledge.

Indeed, there was somebody lying on the window ledge. It was a black cat with white chest and mouth and with a white tip at the end of its tail. The thing was, it was not an ordinary cat. It was Kitty Softpaws – Puss's only true love.

Kitty chuckled lightly while holding a piece of mirror reflecting the light onto the ground.

„Oh, really?" She smiled and placed down the mirror. „I can doubt it."

„I thought you were leaving." Puss told her, being amused.

„Mhmm..." She murmured. „And don't you remember that we will meet sooner than you think?"

Then, Kitty jumped off the window right on her all fours. She stood up and walked closer to Puss.

„I… I do." He smiled at her. „I do remember that. And I was looking for you."

„Me?" Kitty placed her paws on her chest in surprise and irony. „And why would you need me?"

„One word: White Eagle." He whispered.

„That's two words." Kitty said.

Puss tilted his head in confusion and asked: „Two words?"

„Yes. You said: White Eagle. These are two words."

„Oh, alright, whatever!" He waved his paws in slight annoyance and gave her a glare. „So, have you heard about it?"

Kitty just shook her head, saying:

„Never in my nine lives."

Puss raised his head up a little. „Well, it is a great creature. I would like you to know something about it."

„Alright." Kitty shrugged and sat down on stairs. „Go on. Tell me."

Puss began telling her what he heard from Svenn. He began from the Polish legend about Lech, Czech, and Rus. After that, he moved on to the artifacts, the White Eagle's blood, Mieszko The First's maze and finally the Polish Hussars – legendary warriors. He told her everything in details, but he still simplified a few things in order to make a short story long.

Just as he finished, he noticed Kitty lying on the staircase on her back. Her white paws were curled up, her head leaned backward and her eyes were closed. Sure, it was a very pleasant sleeping position for a cat, but it was still firm evidence that his story was either boring or she was tired.

„Hey!" He yelled out of a sudden, shaking Kitty's shoulders.

„I-I-I am not asleep, I am not asleep." She responded while slowly standing up on her hind paws.

Puss only sighed and asked her: „Is this whole Polish culture bad enough that you grow tired and go to sleep immediately?"

„No, of course not!" Kitty scoffed, chuckling happily. „I am just sleepy these days, that's all." She rubbed her eyes just to emphasize that.

„Sure, I know." Puss admitted. „Do you at least have any about the things I've told you?"

Puss and Kitty walked out of the back alley, still managing to uphold this chat. He was speaking seriously about the White Eagle because it was a golden opportunity for him. It did not take long for them to finally be on the streets.

„Mhm." She agreed. „The White Eagle. Just a creature with a special blood and this living being is in a big empire called Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Do you have doubts about my skills?" She asked him in a charming way.

„I don't." Puss smiled a little. He knew that Kitty was the best for these kinds of job.

„You know... I always care about the gold." Kitty said and grinned cheerfully.

Puss adjusted his whiskers at her words. „Will you care even if these Polish Hussars will come?"

„Don't joke about them." She responded bluntly and pushed Puss. „I have heard stories about them. They massacre their enemies and even if you had a firearm, you can't defeat them."

Her lover, however, only waved his paw and said: „That's just a rumor. No Polish Hussar can defeat me! I am just Puss in Boots after all!" He exclaimed with pride.

„Oh, just shut up." She said rudely yet playfully and walked closer to Puss.

The two lovers were leaning closer to themselves and about to kiss each other, but this was interrupted by Kitty looking with fear behind Puss and saying:

„There's something behind you."

Puss shook his head for no. „I don't care."

„Seriously, speak of the devil. Look around you!" She yelled, pointing her paw far behind him.

Puss pivoted and he saw something he never ever saw during his life. About a mile away, there was a very fit horse, but that was not the biggest issue.

A small figure was mounted on it. From very far away it was not seen clearly, but some of his traits could be visible. Its figure resembled a cat, like Puss or Kitty, but it was dressed in a red long tunic. On these clothes, a steel cuirass, arm pauldrons, and vambraces were lying safely. The head of this mysterious character was covered by a simple zischagge, along with the face.

The biggest problem is that this unknown warrior had an enormously long lance with a red small flag on its end.

„Is… Is that a Polish Hussar we talked about earlier?" Puss asked in amusement.

„Si." Kitty nodded. „That is a Polish Hussar. I hope he has good intentions."

Neither of them knew how this mysterious figure actually got there, but that was not the case now. The Polish Hussar began riding to the two cats. His lance was lowered down and placed horizontally like he was actually charging at them.

„Oh, wait. He hasn't." She muttered from being surprised and also from fear.

„I think we shall..." Puss tried to find a solution by making up a plan. „We shall stand our ground no matter what."

Out of the blue, Kitty put on her black mask. Puss actually noticed that and asked: „What are you doing?"

„I am getting outta here." She said and waved her paw in farewell. „I will buy him a shot of vodka, so maybe he won't massacre you! Adios!" Kitty sprinted off and leaped over a nearby wooden fence.

That was it. Puss was all alone by himself and a possibly angry Polish Hussar was just charging at him at the light's speed. Kitty just left him and even mentioned something about him being massacred. Wait. Massacred? At this thought, he instantly felt his paws getting colder and nearly all of his muscles trembling in his body.

He knew he was probably going to die.

But then, he reminded himself he is in truth a hero. He couldn't die. Not here. Not now.

The mysterious Polish Hussar was riding his horse so wildly and fast that even a modern camera couldn't capture him, let alone a standard painter of those times.

When the Polish warrior was coming in literally ten seconds, Puss fixed his pose, lifted his paw and said: „Well, I see there's only one way out of it."

Soon afterward, Puss screamed:

„RUUUUUUUN!"

And that's when he jumped to the left side, swiftly dodging the Hussar's charge, and began to run faster than he ever did. Surprisingly, the attacking horse had a good mobility and quickly turned to continue the pursuit. Puss ran for his life while trying to escape the Polish Hussar's wrath. He jumped over merchant stands soon to be torn down by the Hussar horse, he ran between panicking people and he even climbed a building to evade his attack.

That was when the Hussar stopped. Puss laughed at him from the rooftop and jumped to another building, doing a cartwheel mid-air. The Polish horseman aimed his long lance and threw it right at Puss, but it only impaled his cape on a wall of a higher building. It left him hanging there.

„Hey! Lances are not for throwing!" Puss yelled.

He took off his cape, what allowed him to fall down and continue his escape. Soon, he ran into a dark alley and met a dead end. The Hussar, however, did not charge at him with full force, but slowed down and stopped a few dozen feet in front of Puss instead.

Puss knew that it was either his end or not. He needed to fight. He felt courage flowing through his body, though it soon disappeared when the Hussar jumped off his horse and stood some distance opposite to Puss.

Up to his surprise, this Polish Hussar probably was also a cat. He was not sure about it because his body was dressed in a red tunic and steel armor. Only his front white paws were seen – his hind paws had black boots. His left arm was covered by a black cape with an emblem on it. His stance said he was ready for a fight. Also, Puss couldn't even read anything from his enemy's face – it was already covered by a visor.

„Fight me! If you dare!" Puss exclaimed to his enemy.

Puss drew his sword and pointed it at the Hussar. The Polish soldier did not even flinch. Instead, the horseman grabbed his own steel melee weapon with a curved blade from his black sheath. Puss quickly realized it is a saber. A weapon frequently used in Eastern countries.

The situation's pressure made Puss' heart beat stronger and faster. That was not an ordinary situation. That was not what he thought. He heard rumors that the Polish are usually drunkards and incompetent in fighting, but he was seeing the truth now. Puss thought about if he is going to get out of it alive. Whether he will at least distract him and manage to escape or maybe get himself killed in a fight and never see Imelda or Kitty ever again. That was stressful, but he found bravery in himself and faced the danger.

Puss engaged his enemy first. He waved his sword as fast as he could, but the Hussar only grabbed his lunging forearm and kneed his elbow. The pain was so unbearable that he needed to drop his weapon. He held his arm and slowly moved away to not let the attacker do any further harm. Polish Hussar, however, only slowly walked forwards while holding his saber near his hip.

A brilliant idea showed up in Puss' mind – to find weak points. That is why ginger cat kicked his enemy between his legs with full force. The Hussar only grunted from the kick and tilted his head in confusion.

Puss felt his chest freezing from inside. He had no chance against a Polish warrior. He even didn't mind a kick in the crotch.

Right now, the only solution was persuasion.

„Pl-Pl-Please, compañero (comrade)." Pus stuttered while moving backward. „That is not what I meant. I-I-I have sired at least fifty kittens, therefore..."

That did not work. Hussar only bashed Puss' jaw with the saber's handle. Puss fell down in pain, raised his paws up in a sign of innocence and said:

„I-I can give you free tickets for a new Molier drama premiere!"

That was even worse. Polish Hussar grabbed Puss both by the scruff of his neck and the belt, walked up to a nearby trash can while still listening to Puss' whining, and forcefully threw him in. The can soon fell down and Puss crawled out of it.

„That's awful!" He exclaimed. „Who wouldn't want a free ticket for a new Moliere classic? Who?!"

Polish Hussar looked up the sky as he heard a loud meow. It was Kitty in her mask trying to pounce on him from above with her sword.

Just when she was about to stab him while falling, the Hussar moved out of the way. Kitty fell straight on the ground with a loud thump. She slowly stood up very soon and after shaking off the dust from her fur, she stared at the warrior. She knew she had barely any chances against him and that is why she tried her charm.

Kitty removed her mask and still staring at the Hussar with her blue eyes, she said: „Who are you and why were you chasing us?"

Polish Hussar stood silent for a few seconds, only to take off his zischagge. Finally, his face could be seen. Both Puss and Kitty saw that it was really a tuxedo cat, but with more white fur, especially on his cheeks. His right eye was icy blue, but his left was only white, since it was blind.

„Nazywam się Paweł Mieszkogradzki, szlachcic z województwa częstochowskiego." He told them calmly in Polish and in a very deep and dark voice.

Neither Puss nor Kitty could understand what he said. But more than that, this Hussar sounded like he was whizzing, though his voice sounded like he was making a war declaration.

Kitty asked: „Excuse me?" Her paws started to tremble a little from fear.

„I have told you." The enemy spoke in a heavy Polish accent. It sounds a bit like Russian, but it is completely different. „My name is Paweł Mieszkogradzki [Pah-ve-oo Myesh-cokh-krra-tzki]. A nobleman from częstochowskie voivodeship."

Puss, who was lying in pain and trying to get himself up, and Kitty, shocked to see an invader from Eastern Europe, looked at Paweł. They were unsure what to do.


Remember: If you review, I will provide a fact about Polish Hussars and be happy. If you send me a PM, I will be even happier.