Session 18 - Chapter 6: Kindling pt. III

T

Trap

They dropped out of the belly of the spider unprepared, ready to chase like a cat does the mouse. But this mouse knew its surroundings and held the advantage over the cat. His drive to hunt is so strong that his four feet couldn't carry him far or fast enough, leaving him tripping over himself while the mouse traipsed about unhindered. Stumbling and bumbling the cat waded through the mouse's trap choking and coughing along the way, for the mousetrap had already sprung and its victim was none the wiser. The cat's maw was already salivating, eagerly awaiting the sweet taste of the mouse's flesh and nothing would stop it now. Clumps of fur were already trailing its clumsy footsteps but still it trudged on, both aware and unaware of the pain all at once.

E

Engage

Ever the cunning predator however the cat arrived with allies of its own; one of which soared above the mousetrap like an eagle above the fields. The ravenous eagle engaged and his speed absolute: the mouse would certainly succumb to his mighty talons. Ahead of the cat he soared, his feathers unaffected by the vicious trap and his wings easily large enough to shield the cat from harm. The eagle was on the hunt. The cumbersome cat fell far behind but the eager eagle soon spotted an egregious error: the enemy adept mouse wielded outrageously resourceful knowledge. The eagle was now alone, away from the cat and their handlers and lacked strategy and coordination to deal with the mouse's trap.

A

Aim

Assistance was ne'er requested but its practiced timeliness ticked forward like the hands of a clock: ever in-motion and always present. The hunter hesitated while the cat and eagle carelessly sprung the trap. What was the hesitation for, hunter? Do you wish to teach the predators a lesson in patience or does your aim sway like the branch of the tree the eagle just departed from? At last a crack, but not the branch or the tree nor the coiled spring of the trap but instead, the mouse. But a field he was far from and the shot failed to echo, its mighty sound fell on fearless ears of the vicious mouse. Soon another crack, this time by another hunter and a third but this one with a guttural growl. But no beast was in sight. No apex predator poised willing to strike. With the eagle's wings of shelter long absent and the cat still bumbling, the bug carried the mighty weight of stone on its back and leveled the field. For now anyways, the cat moved with poise.

M

Move

Moments after the hunters dropped below the spider, biding their time and waiting out the rain the cat and eagle vanished. From their perspectives, the mouse had won. An injury painted the pale alley red but whatever conflict raged was beyond the sight of the remaining few; they had to move forward. And so the bug burdened the weight of the world on its back again, giving the cat and the hunter a moment of reprieve from the tireless trek into the trap. Battle raged on around the corner however. Two mice had died but at what cost? The cats were bloody and bruised and the eagle still kept its selfish wings to itself. It knew the cat, the hunter, the bug all relied on its safe wingspan but the blood trickled from its beak with fervor. Mouse became mice and their infection spread through the trap, weakening the foes who dare to pursue.

W

Worry

Whether the cat, eagle, hunter and bug would survive or not caused nothing but stress to the pilot. Her duty was to bring the circus, not to act. But inaction would certainly be death, would it not? She watched with worry as the predators rounded the corner out of sight, gunshot after gunshot failing to fell foes and the splatter of blood bending backwards. The predators were dying. Mice fell and arose again, fell and arose like nothing could stop them. Their claws were sharper than the cats, their clasp stronger than the eagles and their spit more venomous than the hunter's. But duty held her in place. If they came clawing back begging for escape, she would be it. She had to be it. Steadfast and stoically, she waited.

O

Overcome

Overconfidence, not curiosity, killed the cat. His mighty claws, lightning reflexes and fierce tenacity did nothing to overcome death. His limp body interrupted the ash leaving behind his shape, but not his tale nor his legacy. The eagle was too late to realize his wings were the key to safety; the cat, bug and hunters instead fought to stay within the protective confines of them. The feline rose, a life of his spent in this trap and still the cat turned to strike again. He was not a dog, surely he could learn new tricks. But slowly and only under the careful cover of the eagle's wings did the mouse fall. One fled and the predators viciously pursued but failed to catch up. They were tired, battered and overworked without a plan.

R

Reward

Reaching the crater was their reward. A pit in the ground where buildings, families, commerce and ideas once stood - now, nothing. But this pit lacked the traditional characteristics of its very definition: it came with a flat bottom, undisrupted and obvious. The magician and the bug worked together, moving boulders like they were dust until the crate below bared its face. His touch tempted the crate to reveal its ancient secrets, lighting its walls with writing and script none could read. Were these even words or simply symbols of a magician used to confuse and confound the audience? Like a box of mirrors the illusion faded and from behind a creature of godly origin appeared: a dragon. One whose scales were made of man's metal and eyes of man's light. It had two heads, each awaiting a magician's touch.

K

Knowledge

Keys open locks, used by the magicians to sell the illusion of barred entry. Locks keep the door to the pilot shut to ensure the safety of the passengers aboard. Bugs bear the shape of the craft needed by man to manifest machines powerful enough to compete with nature. Nature provides hunters with a purpose; a home for their skills and a location for their practiced talent. Eagles keep to the skies, out of sight from the rest of the world who failed to evolve wings to compete with them while they hunt silently from above. In the fields below the cats lurk, stalking their prey with silent footfalls and swift pounces. The holes, burrows and fields are home to the mice who exist only to feed the chains above them. They lack the knowledge to understand that, if only they could band together they could overcome and overpower all of their predators.