Star and Piper stood on the hill overlooking the village of Falling Waters.
The day was bright with sunshine, and the meadows below were green with swaths of colorful wildflowers. On the far side of the valley sparkled the cascading waterfalls that Star’s tribe was named for.
“What an incredibly beautiful valley,” Piper said softly.
“Why did you ever leave?”
“It wasn’t easy,” Star replied. “It was wonderful living here. Well, it still is. It isn’t like I’ve left for good.”
“Life seemed too easy, and I wanted adventure. When I heard some travelers talking about you Rangers, it sounded like just what I was looking for.”
Piper gave her a smile and said, “Well, that did work out well, didn’t it?”
“It looks like the village is starting to stir. Let’s go wake up your family.”
Walking down the hill and winding their way through the village, they found themselves standing in front of Star’s house.
Hearing the sounds of activity inside, Star called out, “Hey Mom, I’m home.”
“Wait, could that be my long lost daughter?” a voice called back.
An older version of Star stepped out into the morning sunshine with a big smile and her arms held out wide.
“Oh Mom, it’s so good to see you again,” Star said, giving her a big hug.
“This is my good friend and fellow Ranger, Piper.” Star said, nodding toward Piper. “Piper, this is my mother, Nicole.”
“It’s wonderful to meet you, Nicole,” Piper said. “We’ve come to ask you a favor.”
“Come inside then, and I’ll make you some breakfast. Then we can talk about this favor.”
After an enjoyable breakfast, they went back outside to talk and enjoy the sunshine.
“So, let’s hear about this favor of yours,” Nicole said, settling back and giving Star a questioning look.
“It’s a long story leading up to this point,” Star started, “but the favor involves a cave that we found, with walls covered with an incredible amount of intricate drawings. We think they tell an important story.”
“We can use torches to light the cave, but the torchlight barely makes the drawings visible, and the smoke will ruin them,” she continued. “We have a way to produce a smokeless light, but it’s very labor-intensive.
We need to copy the wall drawings so we can study them outside the cave. The problem is that, with our clumsy way of making light and the sheer number of drawings to copy, it’s going to take a very long time.”
“We need your help to copy the drawings,” she went on. “Nobody’s better at fine details than you are, Mom. It would be great if you could help us, and I’d love to work with you.”
“Well now, that’s very intriguing, I must say,” Nicole said, “Of course, I’d be happy to help you. I’ll have to make some arrangements before I can leave though.”
“That’s fine, Mom. Take whatever time you need,” Star said, getting up and motioning Piper to join her. “I’ve got some friends I want Piper to meet.”
“Okay then, you two go do your thing,” Nicole said, “and I’ll start tying things up so I can leave.”
“Okay, Mom, we’ll be back by suppertime,” Star replied.
As they walked through the village, Star said, “There’s a family I want you to meet. They live just up the path from here.”
“Are they friends of yours?” Piper asked.
“Oh yes, I’ve known them most of my life,” Star replied. “They have a son a few years younger than me.”
Star stopped at one of the houses and called out, “Hello in the house!”
From within, a voice called back, “Who is that, with a voice that sounds like our little Star?”
A large black cat, with sweeping long ear furnishings, swept the door curtain aside.
“So it is Star,” he said with a smile. “Del, come outside and see who’s come to visit.”
A small, plush gray female cat appeared at the doorway and then rushed forward to wrap Star in a hug.
“It’s so good to see you, Star! It’s been way too long.”
Looking back at Piper, Star said, “Piper, these are my friends, Delphi and Vittorio.”
“Del, Vitto,” she went on, “this is Piper, my friend and fellow Ranger.”
“So, you did join the Rangers,” Vitto said. “I hope it was what you were looking for.”
“It’s even better than I thought it would be,” Star replied with enthusiasm.
“Well, let’s not just stand out here,” Del said. “Let’s move to the backyard where there’s room to sit and relax.”
Moving through the house, they entered a spacious backyard.
Looking around, Piper said, “Wow, your backyard is big enough to hold martial arts training.”
“That’s good, because that’s mostly what we use it for,” Vitto said.
“I see, do you have many students?” Piper asked.
“We don’t have as many as I’d like,” Vitto answered, “but in our village, there seems to be more teachers than students.”
“I don’t understand,” Piper said. “I had the impression that this was a village of artists.”
“We certainly have a lot of those,” Del said. “But we also have many families with a tradition of martial arts.”
“Have you trained in the martial arts?” Vitto asked Piper.
“I’ve had some training, but I’m certainly no Master,” she replied.
“Perhaps you’d be interested in a bit of sparring?” Vitto asked.
“Well, I don’t think I would stand much of a chance against both you and Del, but I suppose I could try,” Piper said.
“No, no,” Vitto chuckled. “I was thinking between you and Del.”
“If that’s okay with you, Honey,” he said to Del.
“Shall we?” Del asked Piper, gesturing toward the training area.
“Give me a minute to stretch and center myself,” Piper responded.
“Absolutely,” Del said. “Whenever you’re ready.”
After preparations, they squared away and bowed to each other.
Vitto signaled for them to begin, and quickly backed away.
They started with tentative grabs and feints, then attempted leg sweeps.
Then the match suddenly turned into a flurry of jabs, slaps, strikes, and blocks, followed by throws and rolls with neither cat gaining an advantage.
They backed off, facing each other, and Vitto smiled, knowing what was coming next.
Suddenly, Del sprang forward, spinning in a blur of motion.
Startled for a split second, Piper still somehow perfectly matched Del’s spin.
Coming to a stop, they found themselves standing back to back with both of their arms locked with the other’s.
They both stood with a surprised look and then burst out laughing.
After untangling, the two faced each other and bowed in respect, then hugged each other, talking excitedly.
“Well, that was certainly something to see,” Star said.
“I don’t think Del has had a workout like that in quite some time,” Vitto said.
“Gads, that was fun,” Del said, still slightly out of breath.
“I’ll tell you what, Piper, if you’re not a Master, then you’re a very, very good student.”
“Are all the Rangers that skilled?” Vitto asked Star.
“Piper and Jax are the best of the Rangers, but we’ve all had training with various Masters. We all work hard to improve our skills.”
“We always try to avoid violence,” Piper said, in a serious tone, “but sometimes it takes a quick, sharp lesson to show someone the errors of their ways.”
“That’s good to hear. That’s our way of thinking too,” Del said, glancing at Vitto.
“Are there a lot of Rangers?” Vitto asked, looking thoughtful.
“Not really, to be honest, we’re spread pretty slim,” Piper replied.
“There’s always people who need help, and right now we’re at the beginning of what could be a big project.”
“Why do you ask?” Star said. “Are you thinking of running away and joining the Rangers like I did?”
“Well, Star, you know all the families in the tribe,” Vitto said. “An awful lot of us are related. You wouldn’t believe how many of my brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and cousins live here. And most of those are involved in martial arts. The rest of the tribe’s families are where you find all the artists.”
“The thing is, we’re not really needed here.” Del added.
“It’s the same with our son, Kyron,” Vitto said. “He’s a skilled hunter, but the tribe has way more hunters than they need. Plus, with so many cousins in the tribe, when he’s ready for a mate, it’s best that he looks outside the tribe.”
“I haven’t seen Kyron in a long time. How’s he doing?” Star asked.
“You can ask him yourself if you stay around for lunch,” Del replied.
“But to answer your original question,” Vitto said, “Yes, we’ve been thinking about seeing if being part of the Rangers would suit us.”
“So, would you still be interested in teaching martial arts?” Piper asked. “Or are you looking at doing something completely different?”
“Oh, we’d love to keep teaching. Right, Honey?” Vitto said.
“Absolutely,” Del agreed.
“And what about your son?” Piper asked.
“He’s a natural hunter, so I’m sure that’s what he’d want to do,” Del replied.
“But he’s actually got some skills in the artsy department. He carves things out of wood that you wouldn’t believe.”
“That’s right.” Star said. “I still have some of the animals that he carved for me.”
“Well, I really hope you come and check us out,” Piper said. “I think you’d fit right in.”
“I have to tell you though,” she added, “We don’t act all that serious most of the time. We like to enjoy life.”
“Okay, you’ve sold us,” Vitto said with a grin. “When can we meet these Rangers of yours?”
“It’s short notice for you, but I’m heading back with Star and her mother tomorrow or the next day,” Piper said. “You’re welcome to join us.”
“If that’s too soon,” she continued, “then when you’re ready, find your way to Golden Oaks. The Rangers have a lodge there. They’ll be able to tell you how to get to the Valley of Flowers. That’s where most of us will be.”
“It’s about midday,” Del noted. “I’m going to get lunch ready. Kyron will be home soon.”
“You two are staying, aren’t you?”
“I’d never turn down a free meal,” Piper said.
“That would be nice,” Star agreed. “Mom isn’t expecting us back until this evening.”
When Kyron got home, they all sat down to lunch and discussed the idea of joining the Rangers. Kyron didn’t hesitate for a minute, saying he was all for it. When Vitto told him about his mother’s sparring match with Piper, he didn’t believe it had ended in a tie until his mother assured him it was true.
“Thanks for the lunch,” Star told Del. “I still want to show Piper around the village, so I think we’ll leave you guys to talk this over. We’ll check with you tomorrow to see what you decide.”
“This is really a beautiful village,” Piper said as they walked past houses nestled among the trees. “The people here really try to blend in with the forest.”
“We like to feel close to nature,” Star explained. “It’s good for the spirit.”
“Speaking of spirit, is the ability to see auras common among your people?” Piper asked.
“It’s mostly found with the artistic people,” Star replied. “But we’ve found that anyone, anywhere might have the ability.”
“I remember you thought Suki might have that talent,” Piper said.
“I’m sure of it,” Star said. “We just need to bring her talent to the surface. It’ll be fun helping her with that.”
Leaving the village, Star led Piper to a well-used pathway into the forest. “Come on, you’re really going to like this.”
Shortly, the forest opened out to a vista of cascading waterfalls. The water sparkled in the sunshine, and mist formed rainbows over the falls.
“This is why my tribe is called the Falling Waters tribe,” Star said.
“It’s gorgeous. I’d love to bring Jax here to see this,” Piper said. “I know he’d love it.”
“Take your time and enjoy, then I’ve got something else I think you and Jax would enjoy,” Star said with a smile.
After a while, Star pointed to a trail leading back into the forest. When they finally emerged this time, steam filled the air. Before them was a spacious pool fed by a natural hot spring. A few cats were already soaking in the hot water.
“Oh wow, now that’s something I could really get into,” Piper said with a wistful look.
“There’s no reason you shouldn’t. I’d enjoy a good soak,” Star said. “There’s plenty of time before we have to be back.”
“You don’t need to ask me twice,” Piper said excitedly, removing the few things she didn’t want to get wet. She timidly stepped into the water and found it wasn’t too hot. Star joined her, and they both slid down into the water up to their necks. With closed eyes and blissful looks, they settled onto the naturally formed stone benches.
After an hour of relaxed soaking and comfortable conversation, they decided they should climb out and let their fur dry in the sunshine. When they were all dry and fluffy, they collected their things and headed back towards the village.
It was late afternoon when they got back to Nicole’s house. They found her sitting on her porch, enjoying a mug of tea.
“There you are,” Nicole said when she saw them. “Did you have a good day?”
“We did,” Star replied. “We visited Vitto and Del. We think they might be going back with us.”
“Oh, and you should have seen the sparring match between Del and Piper,” she added.
“I hope Del wasn’t too rough on you, Piper,” Nicole said.
“Well, she didn’t pull any punches, that’s for sure,” Piper answered.
“Actually, they went at each other full on, and it finally ended in a tie,” Star said.
“I’m impressed,” Nicole said, giving Piper a measured look. “And from the look of your fur, I’m thinking Star showed you the hot pool.”
“She did indeed,” Piper said with a grin. “And it was wonderful.”
“So, Mom, did you get things settled so you can leave for a while?” Star asked.
“Yes, I think so, unless I’ve forgotten something,” Nicole replied.
“No problem if you need more time,” Star said. “We won’t hear what Vitto and Del have decided until tomorrow anyway.”
“Good, that’ll give me time to make sure I have all the art supplies I want to take with me,” Nicole said. “What time do you want to leave tomorrow?”
“I don’t really know,” Star said. “I want to wait to hear from Del and Vitto. I don’t want to rush them into a decision. If it gets too late in the day, we can head back the next day.”
“You realize we’ll be on the trail for a few days, don’t you?” Piper said.
“I already figured that,” Nicole replied. “Even going direct to the Valley of the Flowers and not going to Golden Oaks first, it must take three or more days to get there.”
The next morning, shortly after breakfast, they heard voices outside. When they went out to see who it was, they found Vitto, Del, and Kyron standing expectantly with smiles on their faces.
“We couldn’t wait,” Del said. “We’re ready to leave anytime you are.”
“Well, okay then,” Star said. “Let’s give Nicole time to get things cleaned up and put away. Then we’ll grab our stuff and be ready to go.”
“Great,” Vitto said. “We’ll go get our stuff, and meet you back here.”
“Come on, guys,” Kyron called, already headed up the path to their house. “We’re burning daylight!”
“That’s one excited boy,” Del said. “We were up most of the night talking about this.”
Del and Vitto took off after Kyron, while Nicole, Star, and Piper went back inside to get ready to leave. It wasn’t long before Kyron, Del, and Vitto were back, carrying packs and supplies for the trip.