Alexander the Caracal's Big Top Adventure

Roxana

Alan and Alexander had only gotten to the entrance of the estate when a meow came from behind them. At first, Alan looked at Alexander, but seeing that the Northern caracal was looking behind them, Captain Smith's sixteen-year-old nephew followed the feline's gaze and there did he see Roxana.

Roxana was a one-year-old Asiatic caracal from India. Rather than uniformly reddish-tan, her coat was uniformly sandy and she was slightly smaller than Alexander, with her shoulder height being sixteen inches, her head-and-body length forty inches and her tail was twelve inches long. Initially under the ownership of Herr von Fell, Roxana had found herself belonging to one of the cruelest men imaginable, to her, Herr von Fell was indeed the Devil. When Captain Smith had rescued her from the Herr Ludwig von Fell Circus, she had been derma and cartilage, could not expire properly and had become cantankerous, mean-spirited and barbaric. She knew well the evils of the Herr Ludwig von Fell Circus and she was not about to let her mate and their master's nephew go off to rescue Gemma, the human she was closest to after Captain Smith, all on the their own.

Seeing Roxana, Alan knelt down and extended a hand. He was a lean boy standing a height of five feet and five inches with ruddy skin, short, curly red hair and heterochromia resulting in his left eye being blue and his right green. His nose was hooked, his jaw square and he was overall not particularly good-looking. His attire consisted of a white shirt, black trousers and shoes and a red blazer.

Alexander watched as Roxana allowed Alan to pet her. Her temperament may have improved since Alexander had been wounded by the Canada lynx Miltiades, but even then, she was reluctant to let many people touch her, though Alexander had heard of Roxana having allowed Alan to pet her before.

"Alright, Roxana, come on." Said Alan. "Let's go rescue Gemma!" There was no point waiting for the police, Alan knew that well. If the thief Caligula Filcher kept avoiding arrest thanks to family connections in the local law enforcement, there was no reason to believe the police would be of any help.

The moment Alan walked over the threshold, Alexander and Roxana followed, the former more quickly than the latter. Looking back at his mate, Alexander watched as Roxana slowly stepped off of the estate, staring up at the sky as the sun set. Approaching, Alexander made a chirping noise, to which Roxana replied with a chirping noise of her own. Rubbing his head against that of his mate's, the Northern caracal waited patiently as his Asiatic mate crossed over. She had been off the estate before, yet never had it been without Captain Smith.

Alan watching this, feeling a little bit impatient, but as Roxana crossed over, he realized that their destination was a fair distance. The Herr Ludwig von Fell Circus was down by Lake Ontario, they had to get there quickly but...

Hearing the sound of an approaching car, the three looked up. Thankfully it was going their way. Alexander watched as Alan raised a hand and by pure luck, it was someone Alexander had seen before: Timothy Covington, a former student of Captain Smith.

The nineteen-year-old Timothy Covington stopped his car and asked: "Here now, what's this? Taking Alexander and Roxana out for an evening walk, Alan?"

'If only it was something so nice, Timothy." Replied Alan. "Herr von Fell has taken Gemma captive and Uncle Kull and Mr. Cook both think the police will be any help."

"Say no more!" exclaimed Timothy. "Hop on in and I'll get you down to Lake Ontario fast as Mercury!" Mercury? Who was Mercury? Alexander knew no Mercury. All he could think of as he and Roxana jumped into the backseat was who this Mercury person was.