“It looks like someone left in a hurry,” Vitto said, surveying the room.
“Yeah, you’d think these cats must have made a sudden decision to pull up stakes and move to a new village,” Del said with a grin. “I wonder how that turned out?”
“I’m told it’s going well,” Vitto replied with his own grin. “Though all the details are still being worked out.”
“All joking aside,” Del said, “I’m very excited about our new life at Mystic Village. Something new happens every day.”
“And one of those new happenings is why we’re here,” Vitto said. “I have to admit, I miss this old house. We made a lot of good memories here.”
“I feel that too,” Del said, hugging him and giving him a peck on the cheek. “But those memories are with us wherever we are.”
“Well, it’s time to go find out if our old family stories can tell us anything about the missing army of the drawings.”
“Let’s talk to our parents and see if they can tell us who to talk to next,” Vitto said. “Besides, it’s been a while since we just sat down and had a good visit with them.”
“That sounds great, and since they live next door to each other, we don’t have to decide who to visit first,” Del grinned.
In another part of the village, Vitto and Del approached two houses separated by a giant tree, its thick foliage shading both.
“I’ll get my parents and you get yours,” Del said. “We can gather on the deck under the tree.”
As Del walked up the path to her house, an older cat stepped out with her arms stretched wide.
“Delphie, you’re home!” she said excitedly, rushing forward for a hug. “What a wonderful surprise.”
“I’ve missed you, Mom.” Del said, hugging her back. “Is Dad home?”
“Of course. He doesn’t hang out with his buddies until after lunch.” Del’s mom replied.
“Isn’t that about the same time you ladies all get together?” Del asked with a laugh.
“Why, yes it is… what a coincidence,” she said, leading Del inside.
Vitto stepped up to the door of his parents’ house and rapped on the door frame. Not getting a response, he walked inside.
“Hello?” He called out. “Anybody home?”
“Is that Vitto? Come on through, we’re out back,” a deep voice called back.
Stepping out the back door, Vitto saw his parents working in their garden.
“Hi Mom and Dad, your little boy is home,” Vitto said with a grin.
“Okay, ‘little boy’, come give your mother a hug,” his mother said with a big smile.
The two older cats stood up, brushing dirt from their paws.
After the hugs were done, his father asked, “How’s life at your new village?”
“Interesting and exciting,” Vitto answered. “Del’s over at her parents’ place. We need your help.”
“Let’s go see what you two are up to then,” his dad said, gesturing to the gate that led out of the yard.
Del and her parents were already sitting in chairs arranged in the shade of the giant tree. Vitto and his parents settled into other chairs in the shade.
“It’s good to see you again, Anya, Milo… it’s been too long,” Vitto greeted Del’s parents.
“Daria, Dante, you two are looking good,” Del smiled at Vitto’s parents. “Managing to keep busy?”
“Daria always finds something that needs to be done,” Dante grinned.
“Anya’s good at that too,” Milo laughed.
“And now for the reason we’re here,” Vitto said, leaning forward. “We’re interested in the old family stories of our tribe.”
Del explained, “In the Magic Valley, where our new village is located, we’ve found evidence of events that took place several hundred years ago.”
She related the story told by the cave drawings, emphasizing the army that appeared to defend the valley and then disappeared.
They were all quiet for a few minutes, then Dante stated, “It seems to me that if such an army were needed today, the only tribe that could provide it would be our village.”
“Our tradition of training in martial arts, generation after generation, does sound like an army in training,” Anya mused.
“Yes, but nearly half of our tribe is artistic and creative. What would that have to do with an army?” Milo said.
“I can think of a few possibilities,” Daria said with a thoughtful expression. “Remember, my parents are artists.”
“And you’re ‘my’ artist,” Dante smiled, touching her hand.
“And you’re my protector,” she smiled back.
“I think we need to talk to the oldest cat in our village,” Vitto said. “Maybe he can shed some light on all this.”
The six cats chatted easily as they walked toward an older section of the village. They stopped at one of the old houses.
Torin certainly looked the part of the oldest cat in the village. His once black fur was now mostly gray. His muzzle was white, and his ear tips drooped, but his eyes were bright with humor and intelligence.
“What brings you kids to my house?” Torin said, “I don’t get many visitors these days.”
“We’ve come to see what you can tell us about our tribe’s history,” Del told him.
“Well, you’ve come to the right place,” he replied. “Being as old as dirt, I probably know more than you need.”
“First, we brought you something.” Daria said, “I’ve been doing some gardening. I thought you might like some fresh vegetables.”
“And I brought a loaf of fresh-baked bread,” Anya added.
“You ladies know the way to an old cat’s heart… You should visit more often.” Torin said with a twinkle in his eye.
As Torin made hot tea for everyone, Vitto told him about the cave drawings and the mysterious army that had helped defend the valley and then vanished.
Torin sat, sipping his tea, lost in thought. “There are old stories,” he said. “Quite a few, actually.”
“Some are basically the same story that your cave drawings depict, but with far fewer details. They talk about the plague, finding the cure, the retreat to the valley, and the defending army.”
“There are tales that relate more specifically to the defending army.”
“Other stories focus on the part played by our tribe’s different groups.”
“The stories told by the artistic community go something like this…”
“Healers in our tribe always come from the community of artists. Several of them, along with their apprentices, were in the valley working on the cure. When the attacking tribes were nearing the valley, these cats sensed their dark intent. That feeling of alarm was felt by cats back in our village.”
“I don’t know how that works, but it’s a real thing between some of the artists.”
“The cats convinced the cats of our warrior community of the danger approaching the valley where they were working on the cure. The warriors made a fast march, trying to get to the valley before the attackers. As they neared the valley, the artists traveling with them could sense the groups of attackers and were able to lead the warriors around them. They entered the valley in time to set up lines of defense. Moving behind the defensive lines, the artists were always able to tell the warriors where the attackers were massing, allowing the defenses to be strengthen.”
“When the threat was over, the warriors returned home. Our healers returned with violet flowers to produce enough of the cure for our tribe.”
Torin paused and took a sip of his tea. “That’s the version told by the artists.”
“Surprisingly, the story told by our warrior community, what is now our martial arts community, is very similar to the artists’ version.”
“Similar, but concentrating more on the actions of the warriors with only vague mentions of the role of the artists.”
“I suppose those details were lost in the retellings of the stories.”
“I think that explains your missing army,” Torin concluded.
Vitto looked at Del and the other cats. “Do you think your village would defend the valley again if needed?”
Torin drew himself up straight. “We defended them, and their cure saved our families.”
“We would come,” he said with certainty. “Even I would, if I weren’t so old.”
“I’ll bet you would anyway, old or not,” Del said with a warm smile.