Last Year's Voyage Part 3

"Avast ye swabs," meowed Smokey. Smokey was the Bos'n and chief of
the deck and sail crews. "We be comin' about and crossin' the wind
and I'll see it smartly done or be knowin' the reason why.

"Ready about!" bellowed the large Russian Blue. "Deck crew stand by
the sheets! (sheets being the ropes that held the sails in position
and taut to the wind)! "Come about Mr. Steersman! Deck crew loosen
the starboard sheets and haul in the ports!"

"She's heading up into the wind nicely Mr. Bos'n," remarked the
striking green-eyed tabby who, being a veteran of several Mouser
voyages, had the privilege of steering the ship.

"Arrgh!" replied the Blue. It would be when the bow had crossed the
wind and the starboard sheets were let out and the port sheets hauled
taut that would tell the story of the maneuver.

Easing the sheets on the starboard side of the deck went well. The
ship had crossed the wind and now needed the port sheets hauled tight.
The gang of cats assigned the duty took the coiled lines and
proceeded to haul out the slack. This being a ship rigged out with
mainsails, gallant sails above those, top gallant sails, and crowning
the masts were the royals. Multiply this by three masts and this was
a lot of lines to keep track of. Things went well till the gang was
about half done.

Someone had blundered and a kitten on her first voyage was somehow put
in charge of the coiling up the end of the line that the cats were
hauling in. Slowly the coil of line began to look like a ball of yarn
instead of a seamanlike coil of line for storage

Things would still have gone all right though had not a somewhat
'fluffy' Seal Point tried to squeeze past the kitten on the gangway.
The coil of line that now resembled even more a ball of yarn slipped
out of the kitten's paws and went rolling down the deck, line
uncoiling out behind it. Suddenly cats were not paying attention to
their work, but watching the ball roll down the deck.

The first to succumb to the lure of a familiar-looking toy was a
Tuxedo male. He let go the line he was holding and took off down the
gangway. The ball of line in the meantime had become tangled in a
snaggle-toothed old tom's tail and as the line gripped his tail, it
startled him into a kitten-jump and he took off across the ship
dragging the ball down the starboard rail.

Suddenly there were cats running in all directions on the deck.
Instead of hauling on the lines, cats were batting them about tangling
them into a huge snarl.

"Belay there! Back to hauling in those sheets," shouted Smokey in
vain. Smokey knew there would be hell to pay. Suddenly Cap'n Pine
Cone appeared on the quarter-deck. "Mr. Bos'n, what's the meaning of
all this?" bellowed the captain. "Sorry sir, no excuses" said Smokey,
knowing that the captain would accept none in any case.

"Well, just get this under control as soon as you can. The crews a
little green yet, but I'll not be so lenient if there's a next time."

Smokey turned to the deck where the action had stopped at the sight of
the imperious Pine Cone. It was going to be a long day.



Dear Imp,

It is not advisable to tease the birds flying overhead - although if
they don't swallow the view is pretty incredible.

[Insert Picture of Lacey in a Pelican's Mouth]

Lacey
(hoping to be back on board the Mouser very soon)



Mischief falls over laughing.......and then gets up with a satisfied
look on her face. After all Lacey did knock her into the bait bucket
which resulted in her having to swab the deck.



Later, Cap'n Pine Cone esq. sat at the head of the low benches where
individual bowls of kitty kibble, canned food, and fresh cooked
swordfish were placed so that each kitty could help him/herself. A
purr
to Bast for the well being of all cats at sea and on land was sent up
by
all the crew members and individual friends were purred for. Many good

friends had gone to the bridge in the past year and all of the cats
wanted them to know that they would never be forgotten.

Mischief looked around the galley. It was on the second deck and well
equipped with huge stove, refrigerator, and microwave. A large
dishwasher was set up for the humans to wash both their dishes and
those
of the cats. Cupboards with all sorts of dinner dishes and drinking
bowls lined the walls. Through an open door one could see a large well

equipped pantry. Water fountains were placed at various parts of the
room. Everything one could think of for the dining comfort of the cats

and crew members was there. Mischief ate her fill, relaxed, and then
burped gently. Life was good.


Lacey's Story of the Elders

That evening word had spread among the cats and kittens who were on
their maiden voyage of the Mouser. They gathered in the sleeping room,
bringing with them treats that they had taken from the galley to munch
on as Lacey told her story. Even Mischief was listening, although she
pretended to be asleep in her hammock.

Lacey settled down in a meatloaf position, enjoying the attention she
was getting, but realizing that what she had to tell was a very
important story. One that all the felines needed to hear. As the ship
gently rocked in the waves and the moonlight spilled through a porthole

of the sleeping quarters, Lacey began to explain:

This is a story that my sister, Selena, told me. She told me it was
very
important that I listen to her and understand what she was saying
because someday I would need to tell the story so that other kits would

know. Selena is older than I am. She is 7 years old, but she is not the

oldest or the wisest feline aboard the Mouser. You might have noticed
that most of the hard work, the scrubbing of floors and the hoisting of

sails, is done by the younger kits. You don t see many of the older
cats
on board but they are here. They are the primary reason that the Mouser

sets sail each year. It isn t so that we get to have an adventure
although we are expected to learn while on board, to mature and begin
climbing the levels of experience.

You see, as we learn the lessons that the older cats tell us and as we
experience purr days each year we begin to climb what Selena called
Levels of Experience. She s on her third level. I ve reached my first
level and since I m 4 years old I should climb a level in another year.

She and I had to learn to survive outside with out the help of our
humans, my brother Hobbes is only on his second level even though he is

seven years old too, but he didn t climb as fast as Selena because he
had Meowmy and Paw since he was a kitten. He s never had to hunt or
protect himself from the evils of the night.

But the oldest of the cats, they are called Elders. They have learned
many lessons in life and experienced all kinds of situations. They are
able to teach the rest of us what we need to know to survive this
adventure as well as any situation we might find ourselves in later in
life. Then there are the most protected of the Elders&I guess you d
call
them the elder Elders. The Grand Dame of the Elders is Tanada. She s
Cap t Pine Cone s sister. She s said to be grumpy and nasty and you
want
to stay away from her if possible. She s the one you have to watch out
for even before Cap t Pine Cone because she s the one he sends the
errant cats to for discipline. She is the one who gathers the Elders at

night for their purr sessions.

As Lacey pauses to lap at the saucer of milk she has found beside her
she looks around at the circle of cats listening to her story. She sees

with satisfaction that they are paying attention, their eyes wide with
anticipation of what is to come next.

Lacey finishes her milk and looks back up at the circle of wide eyes
watching her, listening to her story:

There are quite a few Elders on board. Tanada is one. Natasha, Dorrie,
Sugar and Grant and Pearl, Hugo Katt and Nanki Poo. There are many on
board, I don t know them all but some of them may live with you. The
Elders meet at night, when the moon is high in the sky and form a
circle
and begin purring. And as they concentrate on their purrs they somehow
bond to form one mind and together they follow a shimmery white path to

bond with what is known as the Exalted Elders. (here Lacey s story is
told in almost a whisper). The Exalted Elders are those that have gone
beyond - the wisest of all felines in existence. They know more than
any
other cat on our earth. The Elders and the Exalted Elders spend the
time
before the moon begins to fall from the sky visiting and sharing
stories
of the past year.

Lacey stands a moment, and stretches her legs and back before settling
down to finish the story.

Selena says that each Level of Excellence has a place in this ritual.
She says that when the Elders form their Circle of Purrs that the
Fourth
Level of Excellence forms a Circle of Watch around the Elders. This
Circle ensures that no one stumbles onto the Circle of Purrs. The Third

Levels circle around the Circle of Watch as added security. Second
Level
is supposed to create diversion around the Third Level so that humans
are distracted and not aware of the ritual that is taking place.

Then, finally we reach our destination. It is Elder Frank and Nikki s
island. Our arrival at the island is always timed to coincide with a
full moon so that the silvery pathway is brightest and easiest to
follow. It is at this place that the Elders unable to make this voyage
arrive. Smogg arrives from Australia, Waffles and her crew arrives,
Romeo and Juliette and the other Elders from around the world. This is
the most important ritual of the year for the Elders. The Circle of
Purrs is formed and protected by the lower Levels. The Elders bond and
follow the path to the Exalted Elders where they celebrate the
induction
of the past year s newest Exalted Elders. Our Elders deliver to the
Exalted all of the purrs and hugs and headbutts that followed their
journey to the Bridge.

Selena says that this year they will induct quite a few new Exalted
Elders. There will be Shadow and Mike and Dusty and Lord Amber. Simon
will be there and Samantha and Smokey and Penelope Marie and oh, so
many
will be inducted this year. They ll all visit and our Elders and the
Exalted will retell stories of past years and remember lessons best not

forgotten to ensure the survival of the species. They ll review and
approve of the newest Masters coming along. As the moon begins to fall
in the sky each of the Elders will say a reluctant goodbye to the
Exalted, for this is the final night that they will bond in this manner

during this voyage. The Elders have completed their mission. They ve
attended the induction. Now it is time to return to the Mouser and
begin
their job of showing the youngest the ways to climb the Levels and
preparing the young for the day they take their place in the Circle of
Purrs.

As Lacey ends her story each of the kittens and young cats return to
their hammocks. They are thinking of what they have learned tonight and

their future role in the very important ritual of the Circle of Purrs.
Lacey visits the litterbox before climbing into her hammock. She is
remembering the day that Selena had told her this story and the
importance of the message. She is also thinking of her role as a First
Level. She knows she ll need to help guide some of the youngest and is
thankful that no one in the sleeping quarters knows of her first night
on board the Mouser.