Thank you all for support.

You don't know how I appreciate that.

Oh, and my promise:

Since there were 4 new reviews, here are 4 facts:

- Polish Hussars were often trained since the age of 7 in horse riding and fencing, until they finally enlisted in the said age of 18-20.

- These horsemen could be freely used in nearly every tactic. They mostly charged at the enemy with long lances, but they could also perform caracoles (charging at the enemy, shooting them with pistols and riding back) and even fight on foot while shooting with muskets. Ranks of the elite, huh?

- An ordinary Hussar usually had a huge variety of weapons available. Lance and estock were for stabbing, sabres for cutting, and military pickaxes for piercing armor. Oh, and about two wheellock or flintlock pistols.

- Approximately 30% of a whole Winged Hussar company were members of nobility. The rest were retainers, who were commoners.

See? I keep my promises.

Let's continue, what are we waiting for?


CHAPTER III – THE TRAVEL

A tuxedo cat in a Hussar half-armor and a red long tunic was not an ordinary sight both for Puss and Kitty. But he was there. A member of a military unit designed to destroy whatever stands in their path was just in front of them.

Puss was still lying down in shock and pain. Well, more in shock than in pain. Kitty, however, tried to remain calm no matter what and ask Paweł about his intentions.

„What brings you here, sir Mashko- Meshko- uhm, Myetchko… - Kitty struggled with pronouncing his name.

Paweł however, only quickly yet calmly interrupted in his heavy Polish accent:

„Stick to Paweł. I was promised a big amount of money to catch this very swordsman and renegade – Puss in Boots." Paweł pointed his saber at Puss and gave him a glare.

Kitty tilted her head. „So you're a mercenary going after Puss, aren't you?"

„Tak." Paweł said. „Yes, I mean. San Ricardo is spoken to be a brilliant town with lots of opportunities right now. That is why I came here. To earn some coin."

„But..." Puss muttered while still lying down. „You won't kill me. Right?"

„Nie. I elect not to kill you." Paweł responded. „I was ordered to catch you alive."

Puss sighed in relief at these words. He seriously thought he was going to die. But being put in prison was not better than death. He heard some stories that the Polish mainly care about the money. He already had a few golden eggs, so why shouldn't he give them to the Hussar in order to bribe him?

And then, another thought welcomed Puss' mind. If he was ever going to Poland, he would need a guide. Nothing might be better for this role than a Polish nobleman.

„Then how about we make a deal, so you won't need to do it, eh?" Puss asked him. „Listen, compañero. We already have lots of eggs made of gold. Pure gold. What do you call it in your language? Geld?"

„Złoto. [Swhat-oh.]." Paweł said right away. „Geld is German."

„Hah, perfect." Puss continued. „So… How about we give you… uhm… a golden egg and you help us?"

Paweł only placed his zischagge next to his horse and marched forward, gripping his saber strongly. He made just two steps until Puss said:

„Two golden eggs!"

These words made Paweł stop in his movement.

„Co?" He asked in Polish my reflex.

„I give you two golden eggs and you leave me free." Puss said.

That seemed to be a fair offer, but it did not satisfy Paweł.

„The city watch promised me much more than that." He responded.

„Three golden eggs!"

„Do you find me a fool?" Paweł rotated his saber in his paw.

The situation was getting more and mor etense every second. Did Puss actually cross the line? He didn't know. He just stood silent and thought of a better offer.

„Three golden eggs and a bottle of tequila!"

These last words were said by Kitty Softpaws, who grabbed a nice bottle of this alcohol.

„See?" Paweł pointed his saber at Kitty and glared at Puss with a bit of anger. „This very fiance of yours has an idea how to negotiate with a member of szlachta, unlike you."

Puss sighed in relief. In theory, he managed to successfully defeat a Polish Hussar. But he knows that if it weren't for Kitty, he would be jailed.

„Glad you know much about our culture. I accept this offer. I will let you be free." Paweł said to Kitty, sheathed his saber, but soon turned back to Puss and slight bowed down in a polite way. „My humblest apologies for hurting you."

Puss only stepped up. His bruise on the right arm was visible, along with blood dripping from his mouth from the hit. He spitted out the blood what laid in his mouth and smirked.

„There is no problem." He said sarcastically.

Kitty immediately cut: „We desperately need your help. Have you heard about the White Eagle?"

Paweł stared at them blankly as he began taking off his steel varmbraces. His horse was watching this.

„How do you know about the White Eagle… And are you actually after it?" He asked with a little threat in his voice when unstrapping his last varmbrace.

Kitty and Puss stood surprised, unsure what to answer. They mainly thought of income at first, but if they told the truth, they possibly wouldn't get the help from the Hussar.

They tried their best to come up with the perfect idea. What would an ordinary Pole value? Vodka, that's for sure, but how about the virtues? Power? Peace? Money?

Paweł snapped them out of their thoughts as he was taking off his cuirass: „There must be a reason to go after such a creature."

From the pressure, Kitty quickly responded with the first thing his mouth brought to his tongue:

„We just want to… see if it's real." She smiled as she told him peacefully and even a bit joyfully. „We are really, but really interested in your culture. A man in a tavern told us about it. We thought it was a joke, but then you came, good sir! I wonder how will our friends react if we confirm this creature is real!" She shrug her paws. „We'd all be heroes! Your glorious lands would be famous! But we need to see it first and you are going to lead us to it if you know anything. Besides, wouldn't you need a few free compañeros to accompany you? We are seriously unemployed right now."

Puss stared at her, being both surprised and displeased by this half-truth. Still, it was better than nothing.

Paweł glared at Puss and asked him directly when he put his cuirass on the ground: „I hope you're also just for the adventure and your own will to accompany somebody… Aren't you?"

At first, Puss didn't know what to say. Mieszkogradzki's face was deadly serious. He wasn't joking at all. He looked as if the White Eagle was a serious matter. Something was behind this. He knew something neither Puss nor Kitty had any idea about. He could potentially lead them to the mythical bird.

Puss was thinking mainly about the income. Mainly about how we could possibly pay for his crimes with the White Eagle. He didn't know how he could do it. He didn't even want to say it out loud. What he wanted to do was to see this bird for real.

The ginger cat smiled and shrugged his shoulders charismatically: „Si. I am always up for a great adventure!"

But as he spoke these words, he didn't feel right.

Paweł was still staring at Puss without any emotions and unbuttoning his long red tunic at the same time.

„That's good. If you want to know – I have no idea where it is… But I know a hint where it might be. Hop on my horse." That's the only thing he said.

He put everything he had taken off in one of the saddlebags, including this bottle of tequila he acquired earlier.

Right now, he only had a belt going through his hips and a saber sheath hanging on it. Also, a belt was going through his left shoulder and torso. The black cape fitted on his left shoulder on the belt succesfully hid his entire left arm. It had a symbol on it, but neither Puss nor Kitty didn't get the chance to look at it clearly. There was also a steel ammunition box on his chest and a few pouches on his hip belt.

„Wait, uh, let me get the golden eggs for you." Kitty mentioned and immediately ran out of the alley.

Nobody wanted to stop her. Paweł only asked Puss: „Will she get back?"

He responded with a smile: „Sure. Just you wait, my Polish compañero."

„What's with this com… companero?" Paweł asked bluntly.

„It means comrade." Puss said. „Hah! You still got much to learn from Puss! In Boots!" He exclaimed in a charming way, like a Chad doing The Chad Stride from that spicy old meme on the internet.

Paweł, however, was not amused at all. Not even a little. He was still staring blankly at Puss.

„Do you want your arm broken?" He said clearly in a fast pace.

Puss slowly removed the grin of his face. „I… uh… no, caballero. No."

Suddenly, Kitty bursted into the alley, carrying three golden eggs on her back. She could barely even lift them in normal circumstances, let alone actually run with three of them. That's why she tossed them on the ground right in front of Paweł and knelt down to regain her strength while panting.

Kitty looked at Paweł from below, smiling and still desperately trying to control her breath: „Tres… Three golden eggs. As… As you wished… As you wished, good sir."

Paweł went for one golden egg. „Dziękuję." He murmured under his nose as he…

As he literally lifted one of the golden eggs with only one paw and curled it up under his shoulder with ease.

Kitty only stared at him with wide eyes while Puss took a step back due to feeling uncomfortable. One golden egg needed to be carried with both arms for them… seemed to be as light as a feather for this Polish Hussar.

However, Paweł wasn't bragging about his strength. He quickly stuffed the golden eggs in the saddlebags. After he was done and ready to move, he hopped on his horse.

„Get on." He ordered quickly.

Just when they started mounting the horse behind Paweł, Puss mentioned: „Compadre, The Commonwealth is a great distance from here. It is going to take ages!"

Without any word, Paweł pulled out a black candle out of his pouch.

It really looked like a very ordinary candle. Just small enough to fit in a cat's paw. Nothing made it unusual for now.

„Good that you have a sober head on your shoulders." Paweł said while grabbing a wheellock pistol from one of the horse's bags. However, the size of the pistol was forcing him to use it as a carbine instead of a pistol, since it was human-sized.

„What's that?" Kitty asked and glared at the candle with joy.

„I will light it up… you hold me tightly… I say the words and we get where we want to be."

Puss immediately made a facepalm and complained: „Argh… Humpty Dumpty would be in exctasy if he saw this."

Paweł held the pistol close to the candle and pulled the trigger. The spark succeeded at bringing light to the candle and letting it blaze. Just when Paweł concealed his wheellock firearm and the fire was big enough, he said as clearly as he could:

„Kraków."


All of them suddenly heard a very loud bang, as if somebody fired a cannon right next to their ears. In a brink of a second, a short outburst of very bright light blinded their eyes. When they got adjusted, they saw they were on a dirt road in the middle of a forest.

It didn't look like Spain at all. The trees were green and there was an evident mix of pines and oaks, along with a couple of birches here and there. Later the all could feel the air was even slightly cooler and there wasn't a single smell of dust. There was only fresh light breeze.

Paweł turned his head around to see the Spaniards. The candle in his paw was gone without any trait.

„Cholera, it looks like the candle was damaged and we got brought a very long way far from our city where we should start." Paweł explained, still being serious and even slightly angry. „I feel there might be a tavern somewhere close. I really need to drink."

Just when the horse began walking forwards in a steady pace, Puss pointed out:

„You have a tequila in your bag. Just if you wanted to drink."

Paweł silently pulled out the said bottle of alcohol from the saddlebag. He removed the cork with his bare teeth. Just when the bottle was open, he took quite a large sip from it.

„You like to drink, eh, Pollacko?" Puss told him in a fun tone and gently elbowed him in the back.

„Touch me again and you will follow me on foot." He threatened silently with his usual dark voice while staring at the bottle of alcohol.

Puss nodded a few times slightly and explained: "I've just… I've just wanted to cheer up the atmosphere a bit."

Suddenly, Kitty said: „No, Puss, I can't stand like this any longer."

The ginger hero dreamingly stared at Kitty with a gorgerous smile on his face. „Si, mi amor… I also can't wait any longer."

He looked directly in her beautiful icy-blue eyes and showed his teeth, smiling. Like a nice beast he was while desiring something.

Kitty out of a sudden sighed deeply, rolled her eyes, and told him directly: „No, Puss, you have a blood dripping down your mouth."

Puss was immediately snapped out of his thoughts. He instantly got serious and nearly held his breath.

„Oh, uhm… Alright, I'll clean myself up. Gracias."

He started licking his bruised arm and wiping off the blood out of his chin. For this whole time, Paweł ignored their flirt games and conversation as he tried to ride the horse safely.

Despite all of this, Kitty strongly embraced Puss in a warm hug. The „ginger lover" blushed slightly when looking at his own love actually showing some compassion at once.

„I love you, Puss." She said.

Puss answered her with his own embrace and answered: „I love you too."

Then, Kitty got out of his grasp and flipped his hat down playfully. „Especially when you got beaten by that Polish cat! Hahah! That was hilarious!" She said that as a joke.

Puss fixed his hat on his head and smirked at her. He really loved these games he had with her. Even if it was sometimes offensive.

Little did they know that the horse already covered quite a long distance. Paweł, the rider, suddenly pointed in front and said in his Polish accent:

„Here. A tavern. We might have a good rest there and talk." After saying that, he took another sip from his bottle.

„Jezu Chryste, to smakuje jak szczyny. (Jesus Christ, it tastes like piss water.)" He whispered under his nose, but Puss and Kitty did not really care about that.

They mainly didn't because they really saw what Paweł told them about just a second ago. A cozy and a quite big tavern was standing next to the dirt road. The sounds coming out of it implied that there already were some patrons inside it.

The question was: Who might they meet there? And how will these people act? Will they be hostile towards foreigners? Nothing was known for sure.