The Clash of Stars Book 1: The Key

Chapter 25: Percy

The ground rumbled as the truck rattled along the road, making the seats bounce with it. Dust stirred as they made their way down towards the forest, making it almost impossible to see the early morning through the windows. But Percy didn't care. Today they were going to bring home a new friend.

"And it'll be one of the ones with the wings?" Percy asked eagerly, looking over at his Grandpa John.

John laughed a bit, keeping his gloved hands on the steering wheel. "If we can manage it," he replied. "They're just as hard as grabbing a bird out of the air, you know."

Percy didn't really care. Whatever cat it was, it would be a new friend for Mochi! Mochi was quite happy on the farm, but he often got bored and restless. After all, he was just under a year old. Kittens needed things to do, and Percy and his grandfather couldn't always find time to play with Mochi when they had a farm to tend to.

The truck creaked a bit as they turned onto the dirt path, but that was to be expected. They were lucky there was still fuel in it after how long they'd left it on the farm while they were in the Haven.

"The water's going sour," one of Grandpa's friends had said, so the group had moved eastward, away from the shore. Too much pollution, it was seeping in from the ocean.

But Grandpa John hadn't wanted to leave his farm behind. Living in the Haven, they were at least able to get to it on foot, even if it did take a day or two of walking. And as long as they avoided the ravine.

They'd be fine, he'd promised Percy. They had plenty of ways to filter drinking water, and of course John wouldn't put his son's youngest in any danger, not in a million years. Percy had been upset to leave the Haven, but what kid wouldn't be? A gift in the form of one of the kittens that he'd seen running around the Haven was enough for him to chin up.

"Are you excited?" John asked.

"Definitely," Percy said. "Especially if we get one of those flying cats!"

"Now, winged cats are just an urban legend," John chided him. "I don't want you getting your hopes up," he added, though he was smiling. "And I was talking about this being your first exploration into the Cursed Cape."

The Cursed Cape.

Everyone called it that; but no one ever returned with a concrete explanation as to why. Because of the strong weather and the mountains filled with flying cats? Because of the strange stories those brave enough to breach the land returned with? Because the last group of people to try to explore it were swept away into the ocean, as if it'd reached out with mighty claws and pulled them in?

Percy shook with excitement just thinking about it.

"They have to be real!" Percy retorted with glee. "You told me you saw them!"

"Well, I certainly saw a flock of something flying by earlier, but I don't want to make any promises," John replied. "But, I did see them go into the woods, and I haven't seen them come out. So hopefully they're still hanging around."

He pulled to a sudden stop and stepped out of the truck. Percy followed suit with some difficulty. One day he'd be tall enough to get out of the truck without jumping!

John rummaged through the back of the truck and pulled out a duffel bag. He reached in and handed Percy a folded up something.

"They used to call that a 'hazardous material suit'," John explained. "Surprised it was pollution that finally did us in, and not that nuclear stuff."

(Well, he didn't say stuff, but Percy's father had always told him to try not to internalize swearing too often.)

"What happened to the nuclear ... stuff?" Percy asked.