Nero is about to light a brand from Lucinda’s flaming staff to confront the eels swarming around their raft when he glances toward the cave entrance. Light afternoon sunlight casts a glow over the lake, turning Brango’s raft into a silhouette. But something is wrong. The cats on the raft are milling around, and one too close to the edge topples off.
‘It’s Angelique,’ shouts Nero, ‘She’s fallen!’
Angelique is the most senior cat on the tour and is exhausted. She may have fallen asleep while the others paddled. Even in the most dangerous place or in the middle of turmoil, one can fall asleep if one is tired enough.
‘She’s swimming,’ says Sirin. ‘I taught her in our seniors swimming class, and she became very proficient.’
Angelique will need help, but the cats are under attack from all sides. They defend the raft with fiery brands or their paddles. The eels are persistent and highly aggressive. Maybe they resent the way their mother was attacked. Nero is sure they perceived the battle with the monster eel as an attack, even though the monster was frightened away rather than injured. The other raft has not attracted the same attention from the eels, so perhaps they sense the Mousecateers as their enemies.
More and more eels appear, some larger and some smaller. Lucinda and Nero wield their brands so efficiently that the eels back off. But then more eels, smaller and larger, rise to the surface and the battle is on again. All thoughts of escape abandoned, the Mousecateers must now fight for their lives.
The images and videos were generated by AI from the author’s prompts.
