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Post by Lord Hugo Prosperio on Sept 6, 2008 16:45:23 GMT -4
"That is not important at the current time..what is important, my furry friend, is that you get up into those trees and tell me what you can see!" the voice says indignantly
You sigh and agree, rushing up into the trees to do your part.
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Post by littlefella on Sept 6, 2008 20:26:11 GMT -4
I scampered up a nearby oak. On the one, er, paw, I marveled at how easy it was to climb this tree, now that I was a squirrel. On the other paw I was also deeply concerned about Lord Hugo. What had become of him?
Before long I was atop one of the highest branches, with an excellent view of the maze. The maze looked huge, stretching off in all directions. To one side I could see the mansion, with the wide lawn that led to the maze. I was so distant, though, I couldn't make out any signs of activity. Looking down to the maze itself I was amazed to see 4 Lord Hugo's wandering about with other guests of the mansion. Then, one by one, they just disappeared, like someone had turned off a switch.
In a flash, I scrambled back down to the base of the tree and back to the machine. "I saw him! I saw him!"
"Saw who?" the machine asked impatiently.
"Lord Hugo!"
"You did? Where was he? What was he doing? Was he all right?'
"Well, he was, only there were four of him!"
"Ah, of course," the machine said with a bit of a sigh. "Of course, they would have been some of his magical images he'd send out so he could see how his guests were doing. Well, what else did you see?"
"It was strange. All of a sudden they just blinked out."
"Blinked out?"
"Yeah, disappeared."
There was no response from the machine for several seconds. Finally, feeling very nervous about what it might mean, I asked, "Is Lord Hugo...is he..."
"No, he's not gone from us, I'm sure he's still here somewhere," the machine answered. "But I'm more concerned then ever."
I gulped and rubbed my paws together. "What...what do you want me to do now?"
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Post by Lord Hugo Prosperio on Sept 6, 2008 23:21:44 GMT -4
"Not sure...For now all we can wait for the other side to strike"
That term makes you feel uneasy.
"Thanks for your help. If you'd like, I can turn you back to human form now, so you can continue onward, and see if you can find anyone"
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Post by littlefella on Sept 6, 2008 23:44:42 GMT -4
"I sat and pondered there for a moment. It had been a thrill being able to climb so fast up into the tree, and jumping from tree branch to tree branch was something that I'd like to try. It also would get me around the maze in a hurry, if need be. While I was considering what to do I heard a sudden piercing screech from way above me. I snapped my head up to see what it was, and my blood ran cold. It was a hawk! It had spotted me as it was flying over and was making a turn. Something about it
That made my mind up. It was time I rejoined the human race, and fast! "Human!" I squeaked. "I'd like to be a human boy again!"
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Post by Lord Hugo Prosperio on Sept 6, 2008 23:47:37 GMT -4
"Alright...but this may take some...Oh wow, is that a...Oh, dear..." he says with surprise in his voice. A small door pops open on the machine...
"Get in, quickly, or be food"
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Post by littlefella on Sept 7, 2008 0:15:21 GMT -4
I don't need to be told twice! I leap into the machine, the hawk's talon's just missing me by inches. As soon as I'm inside the door slams shut. There's a thump on the ground, and then, to my amazement I hear the high pitched squeal of the the hawk...speaking! "Son of a bitch!" he squeals. Then there's a flapping of wings, and again the high pierced cry of the hawk, fading as he apparently flies off.
i stand there inside the machine, my heart racing, straining to hear for any sign that the hawk is still around
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Post by Lord Hugo Prosperio on Sept 7, 2008 0:27:31 GMT -4
Suddenly a large whirring sound inside the machine
"Hang onto your fur!" he says as you feel a strange tingle
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Post by littlefella on Sept 7, 2008 0:56:22 GMT -4
The strange feeling comes over me once again. I look down at myself to see what's happening to me. I see my thick coat of fur start to recede. I'm turning human once more. Looking at my paws, I see my claws receding and changing back into fingernails.
Looking back down at the rest of me I see most of my fur has receded. "Gonna be tough to hold onto it now," I say with a chuckle.
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Post by Lord Hugo Prosperio on Sept 8, 2008 1:20:06 GMT -4
You return to your 12 year old boy form quickly, and soon a much larger pair of doors open, leading you back out. The hawk was still on the ground, hissing in pain. The machine pops out a drawer with your clothes from before. You slide into them quickly, and decided it's time to question this flying menace.
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Post by littlefella on Sept 9, 2008 21:16:03 GMT -4
The hawk was lying only a few feet away, squealing and letting out a string of profanities that would have made a sailor's ears fall off. He turned his head toward me and opened his beak wide and screeched. I gasped when he looked at me, for his eyes were a bright, burning red, like hot coals. "You!" the hawk screeched, "You're the one trying to destroy Lord Hugo!" I took a step back as he tried flopping toward me. His crash had injured one of his wings. It was bent at an awful angle.
"Sgt. Sedgewick!" the voice from the machine said sharply. "What are you talking about? This is one Lord Hugo's guests!"
The bird didn't reply, he just kept screeching, flopping painfuly toward me.
"Can you see his eyes?" I asked the machine as I took another step backwards. "They're bright red!"
"What? Oh damn," the machine replied. "That means he's come under a spell. Keep well away from him, lad. I need to brew a potion."
I kept my distance, but it was unnerving, the way the hawk flopped toward me, his wing twisted. The machine made several whirring noises, then one of the doors slid upwards. Inside was a small vial filled with a purple liquid. "Quick, Dave, pour this on him!" the voice from the machine said.
I grabbed the vial and getting as close as I dared, poured the liquid on the hawk's head. As soon as it touched him his eyes changed color, from bright red to amber. He stopped flopping about and shook his head, then let out another screech of pain. He looked at me again, glaring almost like he did when he was under the spell. "Who are you?!" he demanded. "Did you do this to me?"
Before I could reply the machine answered for me. "He did no such thing, Sedgewick! You did this to yourself when you crash landed when you were diving for him."
"Crashed? Me?! Impossible!" the redhawk snorted. "I haven't crashed since I got my plumage! What are you on about? And if I was diving for him, then there must have been a reason! Is he one of---them?!"
"He's a guest of Lord Hugo's, as you well know, or should if you've been reading the messages from Christopher. And the reason you were diving for the lad was because you were about to eat him!"
Sedgewick opened up his beak in surprise. "Eat him? But he's human! Normal size, at that. Since when has a hawk eaten a normal sized human"
"Because," the voice from the machine replied, a stern edge to it, "at the time he was a squirrel."
The hawk opened his beak to protest and then stopped. You could almost see the memories flooding back to him. "Dear sweet mother of hawks. I...I did try to eat him." Sedgewick fell silent, a look of horror in his eyes. There was no response from the machine, and I didn't know what to say. Finally the hawk looked up at me, deep sorrow in his amber eyes. "Lad...oh, lad, I'm so sorry. I have gone against my sworn duty toward Lord Hugo and the protection of his guests." He closed his eyes and bowed his head, his body shuddering.
I knelt down and slowly reached my hand forward and stroked his head. "It wasn't your fault. You were under a spell." The hawk jerked his head up suddenly and I just as quickly pulled my hand away. "Of course!" he shouted. "That damn witch! I'll tear her eyes out!" In his rage he forgot about his broken wing and tried to fly. He let out another screech.
From behind me I one of the doors on the machine slide open. "Take this lad, it'll cure him." I looked over and there was another vial, this containing a blue liquid. I took it and started to offer it to Sedgewick, but I hesitated. Had the potion really taken the spell off of him. If he was healed would he suddenly attack me or one of the other guests? Sedgewick noticed my pause. "You don't trust me, do you lad. I don't blame you, not after you nearly became my dinner. It's all right. See if that contraption can make a hood for me.
I turned around ready to ask, but there on a small tray was a black hood, just the size for a hawk's head. I took it, and watching him closely, slowly brought it up to his head. He kept very still, only letting out small noises, clearly because of his pain. I slipped the hood over his head and tied it in place. Then taking the vial I held it just above his head. "Here, lift your beak," I said. Sedgewick did so and I slowly poured the contents down his beak.
Instantly he relaxed, the pain gone. His wing immediately returned to it's proper angle. He took a deep breath and scrambled to his feet. "Thank you, lad. 'Tis more than I deserve after what I almost did to you."
"It's all right," I said. "You were under a spell. But how did it happen?"
Sedgewick shook his head and sighed. "I was on patrol, circling the mansion. As I was circling over the maze I noticed that Lord Hugo's magical duplicates were disappearing. That could only happen if something terrible had happend to Lord Hugo. As I flew, deeply worried about what was going on, I spotted---her! I was about to fly into the mansion and raise the alarm, when she threw a small piece of steak into the air. Ordinarily I'm immune to such crude attempts to gain my loyalty, but, I, I don't know, but she must have had some magical concoction on it that no hawk could resist. I swooped down on it and grabbed it in my talons. Before I knew it, I'd taken it and finished it off. From there my will was no longer my own. She called me to her arm. She had complete command over me. She said that all of the guests could not be trusted, that their wherabouts were to be learned and reported to her. If any of the guests were in a small enough form, they were to be eliminated as..." Sedgewick stopped short. "What is it?" I asked. Sedgewick, using the sound of my voice for direction, turned his hooded head toward me. "I'm sorry lad...she wanted any guests small enough to be eliminated...as painfully as possible."
Sedgewick hung his head low, his whole body sagging in defeat. I gently stroked his back. "It's all right, Sedgewick, you weren't in control of yourself."
The poor bird nodded. He raised his hooded head up toward me. "Thank you, lad. What might your name be?"
"Dave," I answered.
The red tailed hawk nodded. "A pleasure to meet you, and one I wish had been under better circumstances."
I continued to stroke his back. "What do we do now," I asked.
The hawk was silent a moment, thinking. Finally he said, "We'll need some more eyes in the mansion, someone who can find out what's going on, and won't be spotted. Dave, would you be willing to be turned into a mouse? You'd be able to wander behind the walls and through the mansion. There's a mouse here, a master of potions and very friendly, too, who'd be able to help you. His name's Patrick."
I smiled. "I've met him, and no, I won't mind at all, it won't be the first time I've been a mouse, and even it was the first time, I'd gladly do it to help Lord Hugo." I said.
By this time I felt sure Sedgewick could be trusted. I undid his hood and took it off. He shook his head a few times, and ruffled his feathers. "Ah, I thank you again, Dave," he said, nodding his head.
The hawk nodded. I'd almost swear he'd smiled, too, but that couldn't be possible. "Good lad! Meanwhile, I'd best get to the mews and tell the rest of the hawks to be extra careful..." Again, he stopped short. "Oh, lord, if she's already gotten to them...We need to find Patrick! He'll have a potion that will keep them from coming under potion's control."
"But why can't you just get some more potions from the machine?" I asked.
"Because, I can't produce them as quickly as Patrick can, or in the quantity we'd need."
"But to do that we have to find Patrick!" Sedgewick said, his voice both tense and exasperated.
"I might be able to help locate him," I said. "When I was a mouse, I got to know his scent. I'm sure I could pick it up again..." I was interrupted by the sound of the door on the machine opening. There, inside, was a hunk of cheese. Grinning, I grabbed it and was about to take a bit, then paused as I looked back at Sedgewick. Was I right to trust him? If I was wrong, as soon as I was a mouse, I might still end up being eaten. He was much too close for me to make another escape into the machine.
Sedgewick seemed to again figured out why I was hesitating. "It's all right, lad. I'd still have some suspicions, too. There's a simple solution. Break off a piece of that cheese and let me have it. I'll need to talk to Patrick too, anyway.
I nodded and did as he suggested. He opened his beak and I dropped it in. As soon as he swallowed, he started shrinking, his feather turning into furs, his beak into a small muzzle. Within seconds he was a small mouse. I popped the rest of the cheese into my mouth. Instantly I started shrinking down into my clothes again. Soon I was standing atop my clothes, furred and tailed, and as much a mouse as Sedgewick was now. We both tested the air, sniffing for any trace of Patrick's scent. At the same moment we both caught wind of it. We both dropped to all fours, keeping close to the edge of the hedges, and ran as fast as we could.
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Post by Lord Hugo Prosperio on Sept 9, 2008 22:03:51 GMT -4
Darting through the hedges, you and Sedgewick hear behind you.
"I was doing my duty to Lord Hugo, and if that's a crime...deactivate me, m'lady" The Machine spits. a female voice responds.
"As you wish..." the sounds of eletrical noises and screaming filled the air, chilling your tiny mouse body to the bone.
"Come on, Dave...we have to run!" The former hawk squeaks.
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Post by littlefella on Sept 9, 2008 22:29:09 GMT -4
As much as I want to turn back to help the machine, I know Sedgewick is right. The two of us pick up our speed, following Patrick's scent as it roams through the maze. Patrick's mousy scent slowly grows stronger, we're getting closer, but it seems to take forever.
Sedgwick and I are panting, and still we run, staying as close as we can to the edges of the maze. Overhead we can hear the screeches of the rest of the hawks. There's no words that I can understand, but Sedgewick seems to know what they're saying. Between breaths he manages to utter a few more choice words, like he'd used earlier. I get another feeling of dread for what that might mean about the rest of the hawks. If Sedgewick and I are spotted now we're sure to be someone's dinner.
Patrick's scent has now gotten very strong. I'm starting to feel some sense of relief at last. If we can find him we can get the potion to restore the hawks! "This way, Dave!" Sedgewick squeaks as he makes a quick left at a maze crossing. I follow close behind, and WHAM! We both run into....
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Post by Lord Hugo Prosperio on Sept 10, 2008 21:03:13 GMT -4
a foot. The man who it belongs to looks down and smiles..."Patrick get you guys?"
Your former hawk friend speaks up "No...we are actually looking for Patrick. I am Sedgewick, one of the hawk guards. I changed my form...well"
"Oh, little friend, you can trust me...I am Jonathan Prosperio Jr. Hugo's Brother."
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Post by littlefella on Sept 10, 2008 21:40:09 GMT -4
Sedgewick slapped a paw to his forhead. "Of course! My apologies for not recognizing you right off, Mr. Prosperio. So much has just happened to me just recently, I'm still getting my bearings. I'm also not looking at you from this point of view, of course."
Jonathan smiled down at us and nodded. "Oh, I'm sure you aren't. The view from above is what you're used to, my formerly feathered friend." Jonathan kneeled down and held his hand out to us. We both climbed on. Standing back up again he asked, "So, how did you happen to get turned into a mouse, Sedgewick? And you, little mouse," Jonathan said, turning his attention toward me, "Who might you be?"
I looked up at Jonathan's face. There was no doubt about the family resemblance between Johnathan and Lord Hugo, they were most certainly brothers. He had the same warm, friendly, attitude and gentleness about him. But there was also a look of deep concern that he was trying to conceal. Remembering myself, I finally responded, "I'm Dave, I arrived here not many days ago."
Jonathan smiled and nodded. "Ah yes, as I recall Hugo said that your car broke down in front of our home. Odd, that happens a lot for some reason," he said with a slight smile. "And what were you two in such a hurry to see Patrick about?"
Sedgewick and I both started telling Jonathan about what had just happened. As we went on with our story Jonathan's expression became more and more grim. He was no doubt upset about what Anzana had tried to do. When Sedgewick got to the part about where he'd nearly eaten me, he hung his head and wiped a paw across his eye. "I...I don't know what Lord Hugo says when he hears I almost ate one of the guests," he squeaked in a voice full of emotion. I patted him on the back, while Jonathan gently stroked the top of his head. "He won't do anything, I'm sure, Sedgewick. He knows you weren't in control. I'll back you up on that."
Jonathan nodded. "Sedgewick, you know my brother, you know he'll understand. You've always been a good and faithful guard of our home and our guests."
Sedgewick nodded, but was still too choked up to go on. Still rubbing Sedgewick's back, I finished up our story, telling about the woman's voice I heard speaking to the machine, and the awful screeches and cries when she deactivated it. Jonathan's nodded, his lips set tight. "And then we just kept running, following Patrick's scent. It had gotten quite strong and when we turne the corner, well that's when we ran into you."
Jonathan nodded, his face still looking very grim. Just then a piercing cry came from way overhead. All three of us looked up to see a hawk circling us. It gave one more screech and then started flying toward the east, toward the another section of the maze. Jonathan and I looked back at Sgt. Sedgewick. He just continued staring up at the sky, shaking his head. "That witch...that witch, she's magicked the General!"
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Post by Lord Hugo Prosperio on Sept 12, 2008 19:40:45 GMT -4
"Dear Lord...things are worse than I thought. We must move swiftly, my friends...Patrick isn't far...if...*gulps* they haven't gotten him yet"
He moves forward, the two of you safe in his hands, still shaking at the shrieking sounds of General Van Horne, the toughest hawk to ever live.
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