Robin Hood: Cats in Tights
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Hidden deep within the forest, Team Tiger stopped their mad flight from
Riveroland Castle and evaluated the current situation. The general
consensus, at least from those coherent enough to give intelligent input,
was that they were in trouble.
"We need help," Thundera Tiger decided.
"You need your writing abilities back," Fianna remarked. "Without
second
tier causality, we're little better than first tier occupants." Everyone
else blinked. Fianna grumbled something demeaning. "Without our writing
powers, we're as helpless as the canon characters."
"Well, what about using those canon characters in the meantime?"
Chanur
asked, ducking as Kamanchee raced by with Peachyra and a mushroom in hot
pursuit. "Could we recruit some of them to help us? They'd be more used to
lack of entropic control."
Tiger snorted rudely. "Resident characters? Against Grunes in a G-string?
They wouldn't last more than a few minutes."
"I thought I did rather well," Lion-O protested.
"I would have done better but RD was in the room," Tygra pointed out.
"By the time I was through with it, the pillar was no more," Lynx-O
stated
proudly. Thundera Tiger sighed loudly.
"What have we got to lose by recruiting?" Tygris piped up. "It's
not like we
can get worse." A loud crash, a shout of surprise, and the splat of a
mushroom followed her words. The white tiger winced. "Never mind. That was
a
stupid thing to say."
"Okay, Peachyra, that's it! If you want to tempt the pixies of the mushroom
ring, that's entirely your affair. But count me out!"
"Kam, look. Nothing's happened so far. I haven't seen a single pixie, you
haven't seen a single pixie, and Zhyan hasn't even made an appearance in
this fic! There are no pixies! Give it up. There is nothing special about a
ring of fungi."
"I guess adding a few more characters to this thing wouldn't hurt," TT
conceded slowly. "Okay. Let's split up and start recruiting. We'll meet
back
here in two hours. And try to find something with more fighting capabilities
than a micrit!" The tiger added as the group started to move away.
* * * *
Ayanna slowed her pace and glanced over her shoulder to check on the status
of Sher Kahn. She was mildly impressed. The siberian tiger had not only
managed to keep up with her for the last two hours, but also showed no signs
of tiring. Ayanna, on the other hand, was feeling the need for a bit of
catnip.
**Game of tag is over,** she decided, wondering how to break this news to
Kahn. Unfortunately, he didn't look like he would take the news well. Well,
actually, it didn't look like he would really care. He seemed quite ready to
continue this chase until one or both of them dropped. And at the rate
things were going, Ayanna wasn't so certain that Kahn would be the one who
dropped.
**Time for a new plan,** she said to herself. She glanced at her
surroundings and wondered what this new plan would be and who would suggest
it. Feeling hot breath on nearing her haunches, she skidded into a turn and
raced off again, momentarily losing the bigger cat.
The smell of salt was in the air and Ayanna guessed she was close to the
sea. Maybe in his madness, Kahn wouldn't be able to swim. A far-fetched
idea, maybe, but Ayanna was tiring fast. If she didn't do something, she
wouldn't live to see how this fic played out.
Making up her mind, she coaxed additional energy out of her normally hyper
body and made a beeline for the shore. Kahn was gaining once again, but she
could see moonlight reflecting off the water. She would make it in time.
Heavy breathing behind her indicated just how close Kahn was coming, but now
there was water splashing up around her. She just had to get to the end of
this shelf and into the deeper water. Once there...
Without warning, the ground dropped out from under Ayanna and she found
herself sinking. At this point, the cheetah realized the fatal flaw in her
plan. She couldn't swim either.
A flurry of motion above her sinking form heralded Kahn's arrival. With
needed oxygen in short supply, Ayanna's vision was dimming and she could
barely see the tiger's massive form now silhouetted by the moonlight above.
But she could see his muzzle coming toward her in the water. His lips pulled
back, his teeth gleamed once, and then Ayanna felt as though the back of her
neck was being pulverized. She closed her eyes and waited for the end of the
bite that would signal the end of her existence, but to her surprise, it
didn't happen. Instead, she found herself being dragged to the surface.
Breaking into the air with a loud gasp, the cheetah began struggling again.
But a heavy forepaw slap across her spine momentarily stunned her. The
tiger's breath was hot and heavy against her neck and she could feel every
minute shift in his powerful jaws where they gripped her body just above her
shoulders.
Now there was ground dragging beneath her limp body, and feeling was again
returning to her limbs. She considered resuming her struggles, but a low
growl made her think otherwise.
They were a good ten feet from the water's edge when Kahn finally released
her. Ayanna dropped to the ground, dazed and more than a little confused.
Beside her, she heard Kahn groan and collapse. With a great amount of
effort, Ayanna managed to turn her head to the side.
"Kahn?"
"Run," the siberian hissed. "Get up and run. I don't know how
much longer I
can hold him off."
The cheetah frowned. "Hold who off? What are you talking about? Why were
you
chasing me?"
"He's too strong!" Kahn roared, squeezing his eyes shut and shaking
his head
vigorously. "Run! I can't keep him out of my head!"
Ayanna staggered to her feet, swaying a bit as the world spun crazily around
her. "Who is it? Who's behind all this?"
Sher Kahn looked up at her and seemed about to answer when his deep amber
eyes suddenly turned red. Ayanna scrambled backwards in alarm, and then the
red faded. "Go!" Kahn pleaded. "Please go!"
"Tell me who!"
"Archives," the tiger moaned. "Check the archives. I can't say
their names.
He's too strong for that."
For a moment and an eternity, Ayanna stared at her fallen comrade. A low
growl shot from his throat and he glared at the cheetah. Reading the silent
entreaty for her to leave, Ayanna finally gave in, turned, and raced away.
The Archives! She would have to meet back up with the others. At least now
they had someplace to start.
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TBC