Zoë of the Mouse Wing – Part 7

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Apr 272012
 

“We’re back!”

Zoë opened her eyes. Had she passed out again? Her injuries had gotten worse without treatment. She had a fever. She was having trouble concentrating. She tried her best to put on a strong face for the sake of the children.

“Great! What did you find?”

Biki held out the container that Zoë had given the pair before sending them out to forage for food. It was full of berries and nuts. Meagre fare, but it was more than she could have hoped for.

Her big plan had been to keep the kids busy by sending them out in pairs to look for food. They would tie one end of the rope from her pack to a tree at the edge of the clearing. One of the pair would tie the other end to their paw. When they reached the end of the rope, the one would rummage around for food. The other would wander a little further out, keeping the first in sight at all times. That way they would always be able to find their way back to the clearing.

Zoë forced an encouraging smile, “Good work! Who’s going out next?”

“You don’t look so good,” Biki told her. Biki was the youngest of all the kittens. The others had probably noticed the rough state Zoë was in as well, but they were too nervous to broach the subject. The presence of an adult was comforting and none of them wanted to think what would happen to them if Zoë’s condition worsened.

She decided to be honest about it, “You noticed huh? Well, I won’t lie to you, I’m really hurting here.”

“Can we help?” Trip asked after poking his head out from the bushes where he’d been rummaging.

“You’re already doing lots,” Zoë replied. “We need to eat.”

“I’m hungry!” Greggy chimed in.

Zoë’s smile was genuine this time. “Me too. I guess now is as good a time to eat as any, right? Let’s divide this bounty up, shall we?”

The kittens crowded around her and she doled out their portions. To their credit, nobody complained. Not even the ever-hungry Greggy.

The berries were tart but good. They wouldn’t last though. Sooner or later they would rummage all there was to find in the area. She could only hope that Popkin returned before then.

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Zoë of the Mouse Wing – Part 6

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Apr 202012
 

Even before she awoke, Zoë felt warmer. She was wrapped up in a blanket She breathed in the familiar musty scent. It was HER blanket. But that was impossible. It had been lost along with the rest of her gear in the storm. And yet, there was the undeniable truth that she was wrapped up in it.

She opened her eyes to see liquid yellow eyes staring at her. A cat! Fear born of instinct, kicked in. Generations had passed but the old instincts remained. She squeaked and curled up into an even tighter ball than when she had been sleeping.

“You’re awake!” The voice was young. A kitten then. “You looked so cold before.”

“You found my blanket.” Zoë stated evenly.

“We didn’t know it was yours,” the kitten replied.

“We?” Zoë looked beyond the kitten. A clowder of kittens huddled around behind him. “You’re the missing younglings,“ she observed in the same even tone. She was slowly regaining control over her fear. Funny, she had assumed they would be mice.

“We were playing in the woods and we got lost.” the lead kitten confirmed.

“Everybody gets lost in the Forlorn Forest,” Zoë explained. “That’s why we warn little children not to play here.”

“You’re here!” the kitten countered.

“Looking for you!” Zoë shook her head. It was no good arguing with the kittens. They had no doubt learned their lesson. There was no need to hammer it home. “Thank you for finding my pack.”

“It fell on Trip’s head!” one of the girl kittens giggled.

The lead kitten, Trip no doubt, frowned, “It’s not funny! It really hurt!”

Zoë tuned them out for a moment. “How long did you walk through the forest before you realized you were lost?”

“A few hours,” Trip answered. “We were playing hide and seek.”

“And you’ve been here since?” Zoë asked hopefully. If that were the case they couldn’t be too far from the edge of the forest.

Trip looked a little sheepish, “No. When we realized we were lost, we started running around trying to find our way out again.”

They were only children, Zoë reminded herself. She might have done the same thing at their age. Assuming she had been foolish enough to play in the Forlorn Forest in the first place.

“My friend Popkin flew off for help. He should be back soon.” Not all that soon, she knew, but it would do no good to say so to the kittens.

“You’re a member of the Mouse Wing!” the girl kitten said awestruck. “Momma told me stories about the Mouse Wing!”

“Why did your bird fly away without you?” Trip asked.

“My saddle broke in the crash,” Zoë explained. “I was too hurt to follow him, so I sent him for help.”

“Birds are pretty forgetful,” one of the boy kittens said. “Are you sure he’ll remember the way back?”

Zoë had the same concern, but again, it would only serve to upset the children to admit it. “Popkin isn’t like most birds. He’ll find his way back to us.”

“I’m hungry!” another kitten announced. He was much more rotund than his young friends.

“You’re always hungry, Greggy.”

“Only when I haven’t eaten!” the chubby kitten protested snottily.

Zoë stepped in, “I’m sure we’re all pretty hungry. Where’s my pack? I had some rations in there.”

Greggy looked guilty, “I ate them hours ago.” The other kittens turned and frowned at him.

Zoë shook her head, “That’s alright. Come to think of it, there wouldn’t have been enough for everybody anyway.” She struggled to sit up. The throbbing pain made her feel dizzy. The kittens looked worriedly at her. Be strong, she thought to herself. You need to be strong for them. Quickly she began formulating a plan.

Zoë of the Mouse Wing – Part 5

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Apr 132012
 

“Remember Popkin! Keep flying west. That’s where home is!”

Popkin nodded, “I know Zo! I remember where home is!”

Zoë repeated it anyway, “Go west until you reach Sunnyvale or the Cross.” Popkin was simple-minded enough that he forgot even the simplest instructions unless they were repeated multiple times to him. “Then go to the nearest Mouse Wing hangar and get help!”

She hoped there would be help to find. The whole Wing had scrambled yesterday. Who knew where they could all be today? She shook her head. That was silly. Surely some mouse would have returned. They probably had found the younglings already, instead of flying into a storm cloud and crashing.

Popkin looked blankly at her as she talked to herself, “Are you okay, Zo? Does it still hurt really bad?”

Zoë’s head snapped up. Tears were rolling down her cheeks. She was crying! She wiped them away with the back of her paw, “I’ll be fine, Popkin. It hurts a little less than yesterday.”

Popkin stared at her for a moment, then nodded, “Okay. I’d better go then.”

“Remember! Fly west!” The mouse pointed the way with her scope. “WEST!”

Popkin nodded, “West! I won’t forget, Zo!” He started to run and flap his wings. In seconds he was airborne. “I’ll be back soon!” And just like that, he was gone.

Zoë looked around her. The Forlorn Forest was gloomy even in the daytime. And it was cold. If only she hadn’t lost her backpack. The supplies she’d been carrying with her, would have come in quite pawy right about now.

“Nothing I can do about it now“, she thought to herself. “I might as well, take another nap. I can’t worry if I’m asleep.”

And so she curled up as best she could to conserve heat and dozed off.

Zoë of the Mouse Wing – Part 4

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Apr 062012
 

Night was falling fast. Zoë’s progress had been slow going. Every few steps she had to stop because the pain was so intense that she felt like she would black out if she continued. This was not going to work. “Popkin!” she called out.

“What is it, Zo?” her feathered friend answered.

“I can’t go on. It hurts too much!” She reached out for a nearby tree to steady herself. Her knees felt weak, like she was going to collapse. Slowly, moving too fast made her even dizzier, she lowered herself to the ground. Fortunately, there was a mossy patch that was a little softer than the surrounding area.

“”What are we going to do then?” Popkin asked.

Zoë took a deep breath to relax and exhaled slowly, trying to expel the pain as she did the air in her lungs. “Well, it’s getting dark. We might as well camp here for the night. In the morning, you’ll have to go on without me to get help.”

Popkin‘s brow furrowed, “I can’t leave you all alone Zo!”

“And I can’t go with you…so there we are. Either you go by yourself and bring back help or we’ll never get home!”

Popkin lowered his head, “Okay Zo…” He knew she was right. “I’m going to go look for something to eat, okay?”

But Zoë was already unconscious.

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