After fleeing the lake inside the mountain, the cats lack the meagre resources they brought into the cave after the landslide. The cats Brango brought to this grassy clearing earlier have been busy following Lucinda’s example in the underground cave system and have collected insects from the tall grasses and the surrounding jungle, so they enjoy a feast of insects roasted over the small fire.
Everyone is thankful to be out of the gloomy cave system. Angelique rests in a grassy nest after eating her fill. Hopefully, an overnight’s peace will give them the energy to find a way of returning to civilisation the following morning.
After their feast, Brango tells the Mousecateers they found a problem while hunting earlier. Everyone goes to look. The sign is unmistakable. No wonder they have not found any other felines in this area. It may have been a wonderful picnic and camping spot in the past, but now the dangers have deterred anyone from coming to the lake.
The scenery is wonderful, to be sure. And the lake must be full of edible fish and other creatures. What a shame! But what can they do to protect themselves tonight? After much discussion, they decide to pull the raft onto the lake surface and set guards on a large rock near the shore. At least the rain has cleared for now. Some of the cats curl up together on the raft while others keep watch on and around the rock.
It will not be wise for the guards to fall asleep tonight. The cats plan to take turns in watching and sleeping, but as able-bodied cats are needed to guard, the Mousecateers may get little sleep. Some of the fitter cats on the expedition have also been keen to help, and Brango has given them some training. Will this prove useful? Only time will tell. The full moon casts its light over the lake. The darkness in the jungle is occasionally lit by reflections from unknown eyes.
The images were generated by AI from the author’s prompts.
