Tusks and Dagger Part Eight: The Secret Behind the Nut

“It’s not fair!” Sir Acorn whined bitterly, dusting off his scarlet vest. “My people are in trouble, and I can’t help them out by myself.”  Gazing around, everyone was fast asleep.  Turning my attention to him,  I whistled.  Mina padded over, her snout rubbing against my shoulders.

“Let’s go fix it.” I promised warmly, smiling kindly. “Where do they live?”  His lips parted in protest, his tail twitching wildly.  Tears welled up in his eyes, guilt eating him raw.  Sharp words sat on the tip of his tongue, fright holding them back. 

“We live in that direction. Keep flying until you see the only white tree in the forest.” He snapped hotly, his temper flaring. “The Time Cat keeps trying to eat us.”  My eyebrow twitched, the realization that I was going to fight a damn cat.  A white tree towered over the entire forest, my sarcasm fading to fright.  When he said cat, I thought the size of a house cat, not a cat that could touch the damn moon.  A pink top hat sat crookedly on the corner of his black furry head, the rest of him white.  A pink pocket watch dangled in his paws, the metal glimmering in the white moonlight. Landing at his paws which were the size of a freaking village, a single green eye staring at me.  A paw picked me up, his giant face peering into mine.  Placing my hands on my hips, a wide grin spread ear to ear. 

“So what needs to happen in order for you to leave them alone.” I demanded loudly over his rumbling purr. “Is your owner missing you or something?”  Sir Acorn cleared his throat, the cat hissing in his direction.  Shoving him back into my pocket of my green cotton dress, my full attention was back on the giant cat. 

“I am lost, but these damn demon squirrels keep attacking me when I just need help.” He purred sadly, his large whisker brushing against my skin. “More like he needs help.  A curse has fallen in the land of the giants, and the squirrels have the only gem to stop it all.”  Cocking my brow, I pulled Sir Acorn out of my pocket.  I was not about to time travel again, the idea of it nauseating me.  Signaling Mina to go back to my friends, the stupid demon squirrel spinning around in my fingers.  

“Go get it now.” I growled through gritted teeth, tossing him towards the tree. “Be quick about it.  We have giants to take care of.”  A pregnant pause hung between us, Sir Acorn carrying a pink jingle bell in his tiny hands.  Tucking them both in my pocket, the cat motioned for me to hop onto his back.  Chilly night air lashed at my face as the feline launched into the sky, Sir Acorn pouting in my pocket.  

“That was a gift from the giants a long time ago.” He grumbled under his breath, his paws crossed across his chest. “That was our one treasure.”  Rolling my eyes, a crooked grin danced across my lips.  Patting the top of his head, a death glare was gifted to me.

“Maybe we can find something else for you weird little squirrels to worship.” I suggested lightly, his face softening. “Help me out here, and tell me what spell I will need.”  Nodding his head, a deep sigh tumbled from his lips.  It was almost like he didn’t want to go home, dark secrets hiding beneath his red eyes.  Knowing my little friend, he definitely would not open up.  Fishing around my pocket, my trembling fingers wrapped around an acorn.  Passing him the acorn, his tiny paws took it.  Chewing away, the fluffy clouds brushing against my face.  Twirling my hair into a simple side bun, my rose tattoo glowing blue.  My breath hitched at the sight of a sea of cat houses, and a rainbow of different cats about this cat’s size.  Everyone was hissing at each other, the bell ringing in my pocket.  Panic gripped my mind, terror paralyzing me as they all turned towards me.  

“I need you to take me wherever I need to go to put this bell in its proper spot, or I am going to be cat food soon.” I ordered sharply, the cats bounding towards me.  Surprise widened my eyes, his paw throwing me into the swirling gray clouds in the distance.  Chilly air nipped my skin, my body crashing into a white tree matching the ones the squirrels lived in.  Groaning in pain, the branch creaked as I struggled to my feet.  Cats, I hate cats.  Sir Acorn popped out of my pocket, his little body trembling.  Disgust flashed in my eyes, squirrel scat jumbling around in my pocket.  Picking it out, the fogginess of the clouds impeding my freaking vision.  A loud purr made me nearly jump out of my skin, a white tail brushing against my back. 

“I am sorry for throwing you. It was the fastest way.” The cat said playfully, my eyebrow twitching.  My lips parted in protest, an orange tail catching my attention.  A snarl curled on my lips, my fist clenching tightly.  Boran was going to kill me if I didn’t get back in time before they woke up, red energy licking Sir Acorn.  

“I will show you my powers.” He promised nervously, pulling out his pocket watch. “Hands of time, freeze so we can complete our mission.”   The clouds stopped drifting around aimlessly, the orange tail frozen in time.  Extra acorns for him, I told myself.  A soft meow echoed behind me, my fist slamming into a black nose.  The whiskers nearly knocked me off of the branch I was on, my temper flaring up. 

“What the hell is your problem!” I demanded venomously, my scythe sliding into my eager palms. “First you throw me, then you can’t even freeze with time.  So please guide me to your statue or whatever it is.”  Shooting me a death glare, the cat just bounded off.  Flipping it off, I leapt from branch to branch.  Landing on the ground, a blue ball of energy floated above my head.  Blue light paved the way to three different paths, horrible noises coming from all of them. 

“Would you like the riddle to find your way?” The cat’s voice teased cruelly, hanging upside down above us. “Or are you too impatient for that? I bet you don’t even have any brains floating around that tiny skull of yours.”  Taking a deep breath, I chose to ignore his comment.  

“Just tell me the damn riddle.” I growled through gritted teeth, moving a piece of frozen cloud out of my face.  Resting on my left leg, my right foot tapped impatiently.  The curve of my scythe touched me, his tail curling around my neck.  

“What can you earn, but not see?” He joked jovially, his smile unsettling me.  Cocking my brow, my fingers spun my weapon around in my palm.  Sir Acorn was about to blurt out the answer, his powers beginning to falter.  This was great, the poor squirrel hiding away in shame.  

“Trust.” I uttered simply, his face falling.  The middle path lighting up, the fog clearing away. The ground trembled, hundreds of meows coming my way.  My boots pounded down the pathway, skidding to a stop at a gray temple shaped like a cat of course.  Damn, these cats were full of themselves.  A bell shaped hole stuck out in the middle of the vine ridden doors, the bell jingling in my hands.  Slamming the bell into the hole, the two doors slid open.  Dirt rained down over us as we crossed the threshold, the doors slamming shut behind us.  Orange flames flickered to life, the bell rolling to my boots.  Shoving it into my pocket, the rushing sound of water roared behind me.  Icy water bit my skin, a wave of water crashing into me.  My body swirled around in the water, the bell slipping out of my pocket. Sir Acorn swam out of my pocket, wrapping his body around it.  Grabbing his tail, my hands gripped him like my life depended upon it.  Air became precious, the temptation to breath getting harder to ignore.  A white paw swiped us out of the water into a golden room, the metallic walls blinding me.  A golden cat statue towered over me, shivers shaking my body.  A hole for the bell caught my eye, Sir Acorn soaking me the water from his fur.  Childlike wonder brightened my eyes, the squirrel bouncing up the intricate details.  Shooting me a thumbs up, the bell rang out as he pushed it into the hole.  A white light bathed us, all of the doors opening.  Strands of hair stuck to my face, my wet clothes doing me a big disservice.  The icy air of the altitude bit my skin the moment my boots crossed the threshold, my scythe fading away.  Dismay dimmed my eyes, a white paw scooping me up.  

“Do you want to meet us?” He asked with a crazed look in his eyes, the cats all getting along. “I am King Thrasher, ruler of the giants.  This is for you Sir Acorn.”  Tears welled up in his eyes, a golden acorn resting in his palms.  

“I would love to, but save the date for me.” I chirped cheerfully, feeling the opposite of my polite smile. “May we have a ride back home?”  Before he could answer, we hopped on his back.  Awkward silence poisoned the air, the warmer air a pleasant comfort to me.  Landing gracefully on the ground, the cat took off the moment my boots touched the loose dirt around the ancient tree.  A wall of black demon squirrels loomed over us, the biggest one stepping forward.  My jaw tensed, a look of disdain on his aging face. 

“Hand over the golden acorn, and leave, you foul traitor.” He threatened Sir Acorn coldly, my friend’s head bowing in shame. “You have no honor or place among us.” Growls rumbled in my throat, my scythe sliding into my eager palms.  Blue energy swirled around me, Sir Acorn’s pleas telling me to calm down falling on deaf ears. 

“You better check your head!” I screamed furiously, my voice cracking. “He is an amazing friend, no family member who risks everything to be on my shoulder. Here’s your damn golden acorn! You will never be good enough for him.”  Spinning on my heels, he trembled on my shoulders.  Leaping into the trees, nothing being said between the two of us.  Orange rays of the sunrise flickered in between the leaves, Boran and my friends still sleeping.  A peck on my hand stopped me, my scythe fading away.  

“I can’t thank you enough for standing up for me.  I was never accepted at home.” He wept quietly, burying his face into his paws. “No one must know about tonight, can you agree?” Nodding in agreement, one thing still puzzled me greatly. 

“I don’t understand why your father doesn’t like you.  Is it because you left?” I queried curiously, a rare smile flashing on his face.  Confusion twisted mine, his tail tucking in between his legs.  He was trying to hide his pain, the bottle about to explode.  Sobs wracked his cute body, his head snuggling into my neck.  

“We got into a fight about how he was running things, and he hit me all of the time.” He admitted sheepishly, his tears soaking my neck. “So I ran away.  I was starving, and Antler found me.  Please keep this a secret.” His puppy dog eyes won me over, Boran looming over us.  A permanent scowl seemed plastered to his face, his brow cocking. 

“She had to vomit.” Sir Acorn blurted out, a nervous smile giving us away. “Then she decided to take an early morning bath to feel better.”  Cursing to myself, the gig was up.  Boran clutched me close to his chest, his hand resting on my stomach.  Kissing the top of my head, he just ruffled my hair.   

“Next time you have a heart to heart with someone, just tell me about it.” He uttered warmly, his loving gaze meeting mine. “I just want you to be safe.  You look exhausted, get into warm clothes.  You will catch a cold if you don’t get changed.”  A sneeze exploded from my nose, a cough tickling my throat.  

“It appears that it is too late.” I whispered weakly, collapsing into his strong arms. “Good night.” Sweet slumber took me to dreamland as a fever burned my cheek.