The cat had not disappeared. He’d withdrawn back into the clustered thickness of low scrub that dominated the bottom of the forest, like a wavy and near limitless thick rug. The writhing and waving plant growth of small size, where rivulets of wind were able to creep down through and among the great pines, blended the lines and coloration of the cat’s protective fur into a kind of obscurity, penetrable by the eyes of almost no other predators or prey. The cat did what it did best. He waited to see what was going to come down the valley and what kind of threat would have to be responded to. Acting or moving too soon could prove just as deadly as acting or moving in the wrong direction when the direct threat finally revealed itself.
It took only moments for the boy and the warrior to extinguish and then disassemble and disguise the fire pit as much as was possible. The lean-to came down in seconds, although both the boy and the warrior knew that even the most cursory of inspection would reveal the fact that humans had encamped at the spot, and very recently.
The cat watched the hurried cover operation with passive interest. Fight, flight, or simply remain motionless were the three choices that automatically played through the cat’s mind for its own response to the approaching threat. The lightning strike hadn’t changed the automatic survival mechanisms genetically sealed into the cat’s very being, but the cat’s awareness that such actions were his choices was new, and discomforting because of other things that also crept into his mind. What of the boy and the warrior, the beaver, and even the territory he’d staked out as his own? Was he to abandon those creatures and things, or face the looming threat without respect to what might be the best automatic response for immediate survival?
Jim – one edit on this, my 8th or 15th time through:
“Why are we having this pow-wow?” Cetan asked.
“You have somehow come here to bond…..
With the new speaker, you need to start a new paragraph here.
I sure do hurt a lot more than normal, so I am reading to take my mind off of the pain.
Healing prayers going your way.
Thank you agin for your support,’
Noted and corrected.
Semper fi
Jim
Love this tale. Brings to mind that the Di ne needs some additional member, maybe the Bear. Just a thought. I so enjoy your writing.
That is an interesting direction, SA.
Thank you for your support.
Jim
“The cat wondered and waited for the two humans to spear more fish, clean it and then cook it for his benefit.” LOL A build up of tension and then this sentence! Dogs have owners. Cats have staff. Keep it coming. I also enjoy the pictures that accompany the segments.
Sorry I have missed some of these comments.
BUT you are 100% correct about Cats having staff.
Have you read the Harvey sagas?
He controlled my routine for 17 years
Harvey, The Grey Cat
Jim
Was beginning to think I’d missed the next chapter. As soon as I saw it I stopped to was it. Well done.
The story gets more interesting as it unrolls. Thanks for the chapter.
I really enjoy reading this book!I could go on and on but I won’t just keep up the good work. And thank you for your story telling.
Thanks Mike, and I am much enjoying the writing…
Semper fi,
Jim
Ah, James/LT/Junior! I had about given up on you, and here you are, hitting a home run off a screw ball pitch.
Yep, most indigenous people refer to themselves as “The People”, and everyone else is – everyone else! The shaman seems to have his work cut out, deciding about Cetan, the Boy, the Cat, and the Beaver! That cat may not consciously know, but he is the kingpin of the new tribe, and is not to be messed with.
How do you think the Cat would fare, over in South East Asia, where we “grew up”? Independent he is, but he is changing and becoming, as you said, a part of a new tribe. Please continue this case study of animal and human behavior.
Thanks so much Craig for the compliments inside your comment.
much appreciated.
Semper fi,
Jim
I knew it!
A new tribe forming before our very eyes.
Unforeseen events inexplicably drawing strangers into a relationship that can’t be explained, but visible not only to them but to others outside of the relationship.
This special “family” will become desirable to others, and will grow.
A microcosm of modern day tribes and nations.
Write on!
You have a way with words that transports me to the scene you are describing. It doesnt matter if its thousands of years in the past or Viet Nam the effect is the same.I thank you for allowing me to travel with you.
I cannot thank you enough for the compliment. I am unaware of how I write. I do edit but not for material meaning, only for grammatical and spelling.
I am on the adventures too and it’s really great to have a few along with me…like you.
Most Sincerely,
Semper fi,
Jim
Well worth waiting for, damn you are good,!
Thanks a lot Pete. Love writing about the cat and how this is developing.
Semper fi,
Jim
Sure has me wondering what will happen next. Never heard tell of a guard cat before.
You are a class act Pete Billings and I thank you for being one of my supporters…
Semper fi,
Jim