Chapter 4- Basophil's backstory, the Cartoon Shadow Cat and a meeting at Cair Paravel
Once Basophil, Eosinophil, Lymphocyte, Betelgeuse and Rigel had returned to their groups, Monocyte looked up and spotted a Kitsune come by. This Kitsune was a deep red female and had three tails, and like all Kitsune and their cousins of Magical Foxes, metallic patches were strewn through her pelage (fur). However, unusual for a Kitsune, she also had magenta, violet and gold patches on her coat. Magenta was a VERY rare Kitsune colour and gold was almost entirely exclusive to the fully-matured, nine-tailed form. This Kitsune, based on her three tails, was over 300 years old for Kitsune gained a tail once every hundred years after passing 200, eventually reaching the nine-tailed form at 900 years. And unlike a number of Kitsune who had gone to war, against the White Witch and her army in Beruna, such as Seresute, Alestomeria and Hagrid, this Kitsune had stayed behind. This had been the case for a number of Narnians for various reasons, such as age and pregnancy in the case of live-bearing species, or having a clutch of eggs in egg-layers. However, this 300-year old Kitsune was fit and had not been expecting cubs during that time, which was rather odd. However, Monocyte and the others believed that she had to stay behind to help other Talking Beasts who had opted to stay behind to take care of the young, the aged and the severely disabled while the others went to war. Monocyte greeted the Fox.
"Evening, Alcina," he said. The red, magenta, violet and gold Kitsune stopped and smiled at the Terror Bird and his clan and friends, her three tails swishing like fluffy tree branches at the air.
"Evening, Monocyte, the rest of you," she replied, "It sure is a nice sunset, isn't it?"
Neutrophil and the father of Betelgeuse and Rigel gazed up at the darkening sky, the golden light melting away to a deep yellow and blue, indicating the sun's setting.
"Indeed it is," said the latter as he prepared Betelgeuse and Rigel for a trip to the area where Kushanku was waiting for his next lecture about the Dawn of Spring, "At least we don't have to fear night setting in when Jadis dominated our lands with her ice fist."
"Especially when her cronies were on the prowl like predators, most especially the Father Christmas impersonator Krampus," put in Rigel, Betelgeuse nodding in agreement. As the grey-coloured Wolf and his darker-coloured daughters said these, Basophil shuddered as he remembered those nights when he had been on his own after running away from his clan. Neutrophil turned to the blue-purple spotted brother.
"Yes, and we'll never forget the SHEER fright for Basophil here and his wellbeing when he had run away after being badly behaved as well," he said.
"Normally, us Terror Birds, even as chicks, are tough, fearsome-looking Flightless Birds of Prey," said Basophil, "But that wasn't the case with me when I got lost after getting involved with the wrong group."
As he said this, a series of flashbacks began to play as he recalled those frightening events.
Basophil, Eosinophil, Neutrophil, Monocyte and Lymphocyte and their clan had suffered SERIOUS difficulties during the later years of the White Witch's reign. Unlike Kushanku and so many other Narnians which included some Terror Birds, this clan had been forced to remain in their area due to so many spies prowling around the forests of their territory. Some of the their own clan members had even turned to the Witch's side either out of fear or covetousness for the Witch's offer of a 'better life' which she had always offered since her takeover of Narnia; those individuals had been an UTTER disgrace to the Terror Birds who had remained loyal to Aslan, and further, in this clan's case, a REAL dishonour to Neutrophil and company's grandfather who had managed to get a female human he had adopted into the clan until her teen years to safety before the Witch's takeover. Food was scarce and the clan of Flightless Birds of Prey were constantly ravaged by hunger and cold, and like almost any other hunting party, their game catch had often been taken away by force by the Witch's patrol groups. Due to the dangers surrounding the Terror Bird clan, the clan elders including the leader had been EXTREMELY strict with the younger members due to them being the easier targets for the Witch's cronies to lure away and indoctrinate in the dark ways of the Witch and her army, in addition to their murderous tendencies, especially the Slender-Men and the clan had lost several members to these faceless Humanoid beasts who had either ambushed them or lured them away and killed them. Curfew had been tight and the young members had not been allowed to venture into the surrounding woods or other area alone. Basophil and Eosinophil had only been young chicks at the time while Lymphocyte had been just a baby and Monocyte and Neutrophil, the older brothers of the two clutches, had been teenagers. However, Basophil had been VERY misbehaved. He ABSOLUTELY detested the wintery conditions and the strict rules and wished things were better, and when he had had a VICIOUS argument with the clan leader, he had run away to the horror of his brother, sister, parents and the rest of the clan. For weeks, the young Terror Bird chick had been absent.
During this time period, Basophil had got himself in the wrong crowd, joining a group of rogue Terror Birds and other creatures who respected the Witch and loved her ways and getting up to serious mischief. All this time, his clan members had searched for him but could not find him, and the nights were hardest for them, especially Neutrophil, Eosinophil, Monocyte, Lymphocyte and their parents and they had hoped and prayed to Aslan that Basophil would return alive. Basophil continued his adventures with his 'friends', but eventually, things came to a head when the leader of the Terror Bird gang ordered him to wreak havoc on a Talking Squirrel village and kill some of the members for fun, and that was when something within Basophil changed, and he refused for he knew that killing Talking Beasts was murder. However, it came at a price and he was viciously attacked and chased off and then abandoned. From that point on, he had been on his own, lost, alone, frightened and cold, and longing to be back with his family and clan, and deeply regretted arguing with the clan leader and running away. It was quite an odd thing to have a member of a species that was known for its warrior way of life, bravery and fierceness, to behave like a lost and frightened lamb that had got separated from its herd or flock, but Basophil had indeed been such, and during his sad 'adventures', he had had several narrow escapes, few of which were VERY traumatising. One was winding up in the clutches of a Slender-Man who had disguised itself as a tree. That creature had entangled Basophil in its long arms and tentacles and had attempted to torture the Terror Bird chick but Basophil had managed to brutally injure it and flee. Another was a run-in with a band of evil Neko-Cabbits (Nekomata-like creatures that had ivory coloured fur, white manes and neon green cat-like ears and partially split tail; unlike Nekomata, they always walked on all fours, and had blood red eyes and were EXTREMELY bloodthirsty), a Drop Bear who had ambushed the poor Terror Bird by its usual form of ambush: dropping from a tree or high point and attacking its victims; and even the Black Bakeneko (or 'Cartoon Shadow Cat' as it has now been named) who had sadistically tormented the lost Terror Bird for hours (resulting in him developing an IMMENSE fear of the beast), and also Krampus who Basophil thought was Father Christmas but he had narrowly escaped being attacked by the Father Christmas-dressed Goat Demon's pseudo-Cherub dolls, cursed candy figures (some of which Basophil had eaten, a BIG mistake since these candy figures were imbued with a NASTY curse that can incapacitate their consumers), and the giant Python-Clown-in-a-Box who very nearly devoured the poor chick. Basophil had managed to escape Krampus but had been severely weakened by the cursed candy from the candy figures and he eventually collapsed in the snow. And just when it seemed like the end was near for him, he had miraculously been found by a Sleipnir (an eight-legged Horse), who took him and rushed to safety.
Basophil had been nursed back to health by the Sleipnir and his small herd who administered to him a drop of a potion they had managed to concoct from the meagre supply of magical plants they had and cure him of his poisoning from the candy figures and also treat his other injuries and hypothermia (Basophil had been exposed to the cold for so long. It was a wonder he didn't succumb to the FREEZING temperatures of the conditions). They had also given him some proper food in the form of fruit and vegetables for Sleipnir were herbivores, which they had taken from the low stock they had in their ramshackle but sufficient shelter. Even though Basophil didn't like plant material, preferring meat, he knew he had to eat them as it was the only food the Sleipnir had, and he did so with almost no complaints. After all, Terror Birds sometimes ate fruit and other plant matter and were not STRICTLY carnivores. The same was true for the other Talking Beasts whose species were mostly carnivores as well, such as the Birds-of-Prey, Canids, Felids and the Seals from the sea who also ate kelp. Then as soon as Basophil was well enough, two Sleipnir had returned him to his clan. Basophil had been expecting a HUGE furore from his clan, especially the leader but to his surprise, the clan had celebrated his return and had thrown a party. Basophil had confessed to the clan leader of being a fool and had apologised for his behaviour, which the clan members accepted. Since that period of misadventures he had landed himself in through his own foolish choice, Basophil had changed and had become a better Terror Bird, though he did have a few relapses. His clan strongly believed that Aslan had sent the Sleipnir to rescue Basophil, nurse him back to health and bring him home and for the rest of the Eternal Winter until the Dawn of Spring, Basophil stayed with his family and clan and helped in the tasks. However, his ordeal had left him severely traumatised. He still had nightmares about Krampus and was particularly wary around the REAL Father Christmas when he came into Narnia for the first time in decades to deliver presents, but the creature Basophil feared most was the Cartoon Shadow Cat who had SEVERELY traumatised him most. The young blue-purple-spotted Terror Bird still had nightmares of that evil black cat creature, which Queen Lucy had described as resembling a 'typical' cartoon cat character such as Felix the Cat when she had seen a drawing of it from some Talking Beasts who had done the drawing on a sheet of paper. Despite his trauma, Basophil had fought bravely in the Battle of Beruna, even taking on one of his biggest fears, the Neko-Cabbits. However, he had fainted at the sight of seeing the White Witch donning the Mane Hairs of the Great Lion Aslan, along with Eosinophil and Neutrophil, when she came parading through the battleground, and had been taken to safety by a Hadrosaur, a Duck-Billed Dinosaur, before the Neko-Cabbits could kill them. However, Monocyte had been turned to stone when he tried to attack the Snow Beast to snatch her wand, only for his plans to backfire in a literal blue-white flash. However, he, like every other soldier that had been turned to stone by the Witch, including those that had been shattered, had been restored to his flesh-and-blood form by the breath of Aslan. For those that had been shattered, their pieces had all magically assembled themselves into the original statue, fusing into their original form and then reverting to the original flesh and blood form when Aslan breathed on their pieces.
As this sequence of flashbacks ended in Basophil's mind with a shudder from him, the colourful three-tailed Kitsune, named Alcina, formed a smile on her muzzle.
"Well, I'll leave you Terror Birds, Sabre-Toothed Cats and Wolves in peace," she said, "I have matters of my own to tend to and I'll see you later."
With that, she walked away into the woods, Monocyte looking on. Rigel came in, a surprised look on her face.
"That was a bit of a brief chat," she said, "I thought she wanted to stay longer to talk with us, especially regarding your little brother's passing of his hunting exam."
"Sometimes duty calls, Rigel," replied Monocyte, "Alcina has a lot on at the moment and one of her tasks is helping a small clan of Curupira, Brownies and Dwarves to grow a vineyard nearby; one of the first EVER vineyards any of us had been able to grow here in Narnia in a century."
"AND without the worry of some bunch of ugly creatures working for the Witch and that false nine-tailed rabid dog sidekick of hers with the white fur coming in to snatch so much of the fruit," said Daggertooth as he also walked in, "Like how we common meat-eaters had to give up our game to passing patrollers."
"They practically exploited the hard work of the peasants trying to provide food for their families, clans and neighbours, I can tell you," said Monocyte disgustedly, "And even worse, some have even run into serious trouble with some of the Witch's one-of-a-kind individual assistants like Yuki-onna the Snow Siren, and that Pseudo-Father Christmas demon Krampus. A black Wampus Lioness with red-orange markings lost her brother and parents to that monster during a hunt for game when she was a cub."
"But glad that beast has been dispatched when the REAL Father Christmas managed to enter our lands when the Witch's magic began to lose power and when Aslan first set paw to set the stage for the Dawn of Spring," said Rigel. As she said this, Basophil walked in.
"Seeing him run about our lands for the first time in a century was certainly a HUGE sign the Winter Revolution was in sight," said he, "I remember receiving my battle spear-shield with Eosinophil getting a small trident, and Lymphocyte getting his crossbow and arrows from him as gifts."
"We'd better enjoy this new era while it lasts," said Daggertooth, "It had come but it may go as fast as a breeze."
The others nodded in agreement. However, before they could return to the others, Basophil turned to look at Monocyte and Rigel but as he did that, he suddenly saw a figure right behind the latter. It had a rounded head and was jet black, like a certain Wampus Cat mentioned by Monocyte earlier. Two spikes stood atop the round head but the face sported EXTREMELY frightening features. Its eyes were large white upside-down U's, the rest of the eyes formed by giant black patches, as black as a creepy cave but below these pair of eyes, a wide crack spread, that crack, rimmed with red, forming a giant, sinister grin with bone-white prickles showing through. This figure's face was NOT at all friendly and its U-shaped white eyes glared menacingly at Basophil from behind Rigel and Monocyte (who didn't notice its presence), the U-shaped eye whites flashing red. Then from its toothy grimace, a MASSIVE hissy screech exploded through directly at the blue-purple spotted Terror Bird, spittle flying from it, and along with the screech, a white human-like hand, each finger ending in a talon like that of an Eagle, rose in an intimidating fashion. An EXTREMELY TERRIFIED screech exploded from Basophil's beak and he bolted, his talons scrabbling at the floor. Monocyte and Rigel, seeing the young Terror Bird behave like this, shot a look behind them in line with his terrified gaze but saw nothing there.
"What?" asked Monocyte, "WHAT IS IT!?"
Rigel also looked around in confusion as Basophil, his eyes inflated out of their sockets and head feathers flared, continued to tremble violently and emit timid whimpers and hyperventilate. Eosinophil, Neutrophil, Betelgeuse and Lymphocyte (who was armed with his crossbow) rushed in with some other Sabre-Toothed Cats, Terror Birds and Wolves, alarmed looks on their faces.
"What's going on?" demanded the leader of the Wolf clan while Betelgeuse and Rigel's father, the late Nanu's oldest son from the oldest litters, began to examine the area. Then as the group began to search for whatever had frightened Basophil so severely, a catlike cackle sounded. Eosinophil's eyes picked out a black shadowy Bakeneko-like form in a shaft of moonlight. This creature indeed resembled a bipedal black Cat but to Basophil's sister's surprise, it did not have a tail. Its arms and legs were long and lanky, like a Slender-Man's, its arms ending in white humanlike hands, and its Cat face was NOT like any usual Talking Cat at all, not even a Nekomata or Bakeneko for their faces were like a regular cats'. And this creature, its U-shaped white eyes flashing white and spiky teeth shining menacingly in the moonlight, was throwing EXTREMELY obscene gestures that I will NOT put down in writing using its humanlike hands at the group as a taunting method, but taunting would be an understatement here.
"THERE!" Eosinophil blurted out with a point of her short, clawed wings. Daggertooth and Neutrophil also saw it and took off into a sprint, Lymphocyte and Betelgeuse following close behind. As the three pursued the tailless Bakeneko-like creature, Monocyte gently led the trembling Basophil back to the clan while the Terror Bird clan chief joined the chase with Neutrophil's group with several other higher ranking Terror Birds, Sabre-Toothed Cats and Wolves, including Nanu's oldest son (Betelgeuse and Rigel's father).
Neutrophil, Daggertooth, Lymphocyte and Betelgeuse sprinted as though they were on the hunt after the Bakeneko-like creature as it retreated like a Shadow into the woods. To their surprise, the creature didn't seem to be running but levitating, EXACTLY like a Shadow indeed. As the creature fled, it emitted verbal taunts in a high-pitched Hag-like voice but again, the word 'taunt' would be an understatement. These weren't just taunts, they were also VULGAR remarks.
"Aslan ain't nothing but a (bleep), Aslan ain't nothing but a Kitty-Cat (bleep), Jadis is the TRUE GODDESS of NAAAAARRNIA! Ya gonna get me (bleeps)? CACKLE!"
Accompanying these remarks were the EXTREMELY vulgar hand gestures, obviously intending to insult the chasers in the most caustic way possible. Lymphocyte, the moment he got ahead of the other three, immediately armed his crossbow and in a split-second, he aimed his weapon at the black Bakeneko and fired his arrow. The mini-spear sliced through the air from the weapon at the black catlike figure with the upside down U-eyes but to Lymphocyte's surprise, the arrow seemed to disappear into thin air. Neutrophil glared volcanically at the creature.
"That slime-cat was the one responsible for the deaths of SO MANY Narnians, among them our mother," he bellowed, "And also Nanu, that brave Wolf who had defected from the Witch's side when he had been a young pup and had gone with those evacuees to Archenland, returning as an elderly Wolf when Aslan came..."
"That Shadow Cat was, and still is, TOTALLY loyal to Jadis just like Jack Frost, Yuki-onna and Krampus had been, and he's still LOYAL to the White Witch with a PASSION," panted Daggertooth wrathfully, his four legs propelling his body as though they had springs, "Further, he absolutely LOVES to torture and torment his victims and your brother Basophil had been ONE OF THEM when he ran away from your clan!"
"I absolutely CANNOT STAND that wretched CAT-WORM!" snarled Betelgeuse, her red-orange eyes blazing anger as she sidestepped a tree trunk and as Lymphocyte quickly nocked and fired another arrow at the Shadow Cat only for it to disappear into thin air again. The chase continued until finally, the four lost track of the Shadow Cat. The two Terror Birds, the dark red Wolf and the Sabre-Toothed Cat, all puffing and panting, then skidded to a halt and began to examine the darkened woods, a wall of tree trunks surrounding them and the canopy, its green leaves now restored, forming like a roof over them.
"It seems that we've lost that monster," said Daggertooth after he had taken a moment to get his breath back. The other three just continued scouring the trees for any flash of white or movement from the Shadow Cat among them.
"That was DEFINITELY the Cartoon Shadow Cat Kushanku mentioned during one of his lectures about the Winter Revolution to our chicks, pups and cubs when he came to visit us last week," said Lymphocyte with certainty, his crossbow armed with a third arrow raking the environment and poised to fire in case the creature appeared suddenly, "It must be that same monster that had terrorised that flock of Alicanto before Quark, one of Teal'c the Kamaitachi's sons, flew in and drove it away the other night."
The quartet continued to examine the surrounding trees for any sign of the Cartoon Shadow Cat (which I will call to from now on) but when it did not reappear, they decided to abort the search. "Let's just head back to our clans," said Neutrophil but before the quartet could make their return, a small group of forms made the four jump and Lymphocyte had barely restrained himself from pulling the trigger on his crossbow, his arrow aimed squarely at them through instinct. However, the forms shouted in defence.
"Whoa, whoa, it's only us," yelled the one at the front, which was a male Curupira based on his reversed feet and red hair, his arms raised in defence. Behind him were several more forms, among them two more Curupira with one being a female based on the orange hair, a Capelobo (Humanoids with an Anteater's head, much like the Bull-headed Minotaurs), several Dwarfs, some Theropods, an Aardvark, a Badger and a female Manticore with reddish fur, bat like wings that were deep red on the underside and green on the topside, and a purple Scorpion-like tail with a slight sheen on their segments' surface. However, this Manticore was well on in her years for silver was strewn through her fur. Accompanying her were several smaller Manticores, called Manti-cubs, obviously her grandchildren based on the age difference between them and the aging adult. Neutrophil and the other three lowered their guards when they saw that they were only allies. Lymphocyte also lowered his crossbow, trembling that he had almost shot one of the newcomers from fright.
"We're so sorry to think you lot were a threat," apologised Daggertooth, "But we've been trying to chase that Shadow Cat."
"It had SEVERELY frightened my brother Basophil and made EXTREMELY rude gestures to us," said Neutrophil with outrage.
"But we've lost it," said Betelgeuse. At this, the aging colourful Manticore stepped forward, a scowl on her face. This Manticore was named Dionaea and she had been one of the defectors from the Witch, and had been honoured as a heroine for her part in helping to release some victims caught by the evil Witch for her own selfish uses, among them the captured Sea Creatures and also the mighty Rainbow Serpent, the guardian Reptile of the Narnian Sun biosphere, along with Kobaruto the Bakeneko who was the husband of the later Ryn, Kushanku's only sister. Dionaea was now a proud grandmother of several young Manti-cubs who will carry her legacy.
"It'll be the Cartoon Shadow Cat as Queen Lucy has dubbed it," said she in a low growl, "One of Jadis' most trusted servants he was. He has brutally injured my husband and I suffered a NASTY claw swipe down the flank during a confrontation with that beast," she turned and showed Neutrophil's group a set of scarred streaks down her left flank. The length of these stripes spanned her entire side, going from the left shoulder where her left bat-like wing joined her body to near the hip of her left leg. Neutrophil, Lymphocyte, Daggertooth and Betelgeuse flinched at these scars and could not imagine the severity of the injury when the Cartoon Shadow Cat had raked its claws over that area. Then the first Curupira stepped forward. He was one of the grandsons of Cedrus the Curupira tribe leader, and the leader of this little mixed clan. However, he did not have a leadership staff and had opted not to have one, instead having a decorative necklace made of a vine with flower and leaf carvings, painted metallic colours, hung from it around his neck.
"That Cartoon Shadow Cat is just one of quite a few remnants of the White Witch's subordinates still on the loose and who refuse to ABSOLUTELY surrender since their Mistress' defeat," said he, a scowl on his face, "and Their Majesties are going to concoct a plan on dealing with them."
"They're still at large and may be planning some sort of revenge," added Dionaea, "High King Peter has ordered us to keep strict watch and to report any suspicious activities to him and his three siblings as soon as possible."
"Right, we'll do just that when His Majesty comes to meet with Neutrophil once he has had his main meeting at Cair Paravel," said Daggertooth, his gaze on said Terror Bird who nodded in agreement.
"Shall I escort you back to your clans?" asked Dionaea. This perked up the quartet since their outrage ignited within them by the Cartoon Shadow Cat.
"It will be a BIG help, Ma'am, thanks," said Daggertooth while Lymphocyte and Betelgeuse breathed sighs of relief. With that, the elderly Manticore nodded to her group and walked over to the quartet before beginning her escort of them back to their home while her group, including her grand-Manti-cubs, departed to their area.
Cair Paravel Great Hall
In the castle where the four Kings and Queens sat on their thrones, a meeting was underway in a large hall. In this hall were two LONG tables and their edges were decorated with a variety of creatures seated along them. The tabletops had a variety of food served for the evening meeting and among the creatures were three Humans, all dressed in royal robes. A fourth human stood at the end of a room near a large magical screen on the wall. This screen showed the map of Narnia and was magically animated and operated like our modern Iphones. This screen, which showed Narnia as a satellite would show our world's locations, was large enough for all the attendees to see. Like the three humans sat at one of the long tables, this human was dressed in his royal robes and his crown was more elaborate than those of his siblings. This was to show that he was the highest ranking of the monarchs, and he was High King Peter the Magnificent, also known as Lord of Cair Paravel and Emperor of the Lone Islands. High King Peter was leading the meeting and was discussing his plans on an important subject: dealing with the remnants of Jadis' cronies and areas.
"Her castle is still standing, so we will need to have that demolished and completely destroyed as soon as possible," said he with a pointer to a spot indicating the White Witch's now-abandoned home, "and that will prevent ANY of her cronies, especially Nogitsune if there are any left, from using that as a base to concoct any revenge plot with ANY survivors of Jadis' army."
His siblings and officials, the creatures sat around the long tables, listened intently as Peter continued his discussion. Among them were Tumnus the Faun and his cousin Guinan and several other Fauns, and the former's best friend Queen Lucy; Mr and Mrs Beaver and their pup, a son; Kushanku, Alexandrite, Padparadscha, Kobaruto and several other Nekomata and Bakeneko recruited by High King Peter into his officials; the warrior Mouse group Sordward, Shielbert, Athos, Porthos, Aramis and Squea'tagnan, and three Pigs who were among the grand-piglets of Trotterhoof. These three Pigs' names were Straw, Woody and Brick. Puss, the messenger for the Monarch Quartet, was also present.
"The area where the Witch's followers and the 'Massacre Event victors' village' will be turned into a sanctuary for any species whose homes had been forcibly taken by Jadis and her followers once we have torn down ALL the areas that had been used for evil purposes, such as the slaughterhouses for murdering Talking Beasts for their meat," continued High King Peter, his pointer to said area, "and among the creatures will be the Candy Fairies, Lightning Pikas, Flower Mandrakes and the Flutterbirds. The Talking Beasts best suited for the demolition job will be the large Talking Beasts who are very strong, such as the Elephants, the Rhinos, and the large Dinosaurs such as the Sauropods, the Cerotopsids and T-Rexes."
A T-Rex in the seated audience nodded to this.
"As for the Massacre Event arena," continued Peter, his hand swiping the magical map to slide it to the location of said area, "its setting up as a memorial and grave for the unfortunate Narnians who had been forcibly sent in and fight against each other for the sickening entertainment of the Witch and her followers will continue. We have gathered as many names of the victims thrown in there as possible and several sturdy monuments with those names carved will be erected at regular intervals in the field..."
Several Bats in the audience who had been a part of the Roost in which Shadewing, the Bat who had lived with Kushanku's family and who had been a part of their roost before their breakup since Firewing's death, took a moment to grieve the loss of Shadwing's son Firewing who was one of countless Narnians to be forcibly selected and thrown like a wild, dumb animal into that arena, before continuing to listen to High King Peter as he continued the plans on the memorial. Then after he had finished this section and was about to start on the plans involving dealing with the survivors of Jadis' army and followers, Kushanku raised his paw.
"Yes, Kushanku," said the High King with a quick point.
"Sorry to interrupt, Your Majesty," said the Nekomata, "But I feel I have to tell you this. We have been having reports of the Cartoon Shadow Cat wreaking havoc up and down our area," as he said this, a small group of Alicanto (metallic coloured birds, usually gold whose diet consisted of metallic 'fruit' like the coin-fruits of money trees, planted from actual money coins. The intensity of their metallic colours depended on how much metallic fruits they consumed), and a lithe Weasel-like creature with scythed claws, a gold spot on its forehead and white fur, nodded to this, and the latter creature, the Kamaitachi, spoke.
"One such time it was terrorising these Alicanto and their clan," he said, a scythed claw gesturing to the gold, silver and copper-coloured birds, who nodded in agreement, before its Weasel-like face twisted into a scowl, "and it was making OUTRIGHT VULGAR gestures to them, but I managed to drive it away by flying after it and slashing my scythe-claws at it."
"It's also been bothering a Mokele-Mbembe and a family of Dimetrodon while they were meeting some Naiad friends in a river," added a small Humanoid with butterfly-like wings, this creature called a Fairy, "and it managed to injure the Mokele-Mbembe when he tried to use his hydrokinesis to drive away the beast..."
Kushanku and the Kamaitachi, named Quark who was a descendant of Teal'c, drew in a sharp gasp each when they heard this and some of the other attendees including Tumnus and the Beaver couple flinched. High King Peter, however, kept his composure.
"I'm not surprised," said he with a stern frown, "That demonic Feline creature is fiercely loyal to the White Witch and ABSOLUTELY despises what has become of her and her army outright."
"We have actually placed the Cartoon Shadow Cat on our list of most wanted creatures," said Queen Susan, "and Hagrid and two of his Raiju assistants are printing 'Wanted' posters of that monster to distribute and stick up around our land so that the others will know what it looks like and report it to us if they see it."
"It's an INCREDIBLY dangerous creature," said King Edmund, "Not only does it terrorise its victims but it is also a potent shape-shifter like a Nogitsune, and is INCREDIBLY sadistic."
"It has devoured several of its victims before," put in a Minotaur, one of the officials of the Four Monarchs, "among them an unfortunate Terror Bird who was Neutrophil and his brother and sister's mother."
Murmurs rolled among the attendees until High King Peter called their attention back to the magic map.
"The Cartoon Shadow Cat will be one of our priority creatures and follower of Jadis to catch and deal with," he said, "Now, on with dealing with the rest of Jadis' followers..."
After the meeting
After High King Peter had dismissed the meeting after distributing the tasks and allocating the attendees to the different groups, and prepared to depart Cair Paravel to visit Neutrophil's clan to discuss his plans with the pink-spotted Terror Bird, Kushanku left the crowd as they talked amongst themselves and walked over to one of the balconies overlooking the sea. Close behind him, Quark the Kamaitachi glided with the Piglet Trio Straw, Brick and Woody, Sordward and Shielbert, and Alexandrite following.
"I remember myself and Merida watching Aslan as he made his departure on the waves," said Kushanku to the seven, "Merida had flown after the Lion and I followed her along with Moon-Eyes the Messenger Owl and Dionaea the Manticore and together, we witnessed the Lion walk on the waves."
Smiles formed on the muzzles of the other seven.
"Was he actually paddling?" asked Quark with fascination. Kushanku turned to look at the Kamaitachi.
"Not ACTUALLY paddling, but WALKING on the waves as if they were solid ground," he said. Amazement flashed within the seven.
"You mean to say Aslan actually walked on the..." began Sordward while his twin brother Shielbert, distinguished by the boarder red feather on his hat, stood still, his mouth open in awe. Kushanku, with a smile, nodded in awe as Alexandrite then remembered Queen Lucy telling her, her husband and their descendants and friends of a certain Figure in the human world doing that in that world's history.
"Well, I guess we shouldn't be surprised," said Straw, "Aslan is the Creator of this world and THE most powerful being, even more so than that Snow Beast Jadis after all."
The others nodded in agreement and returned to gazing out at the night-time sea, the dark water lapping at the sand along the beach running from the cliff on which Cair Paravel Castle and Citadel sat.