The Story of Two Cats and a Planet called Earth

Hunted

Thalia continued to visit at regular intervals. Sometimes she would even stay a night. She spent her time fixing the rocket until it was finished.

One day, she stumbled in through the back entrance crying, "I'll never return! Never!" She then proceeded to smash up a couple of empty crates. Minke was confused and amazed. Who knew the pampered princess of Lop Lop was so strong?

"Thalia, what's wrong?" asked Minke, alarmed.

Thalia ignored him and continued to smash up the crates.

"Is everything alright?" Minke tried.

Thalia turned on him, eyes wild. "No. Everything is not alright. Everything is completely wrong! The worst of the worst happened... My parents found out about my engineering lessons. They executed Len the engineer for teaching me. I ran away."

Minke stared at Thalia in shock. She'd been found out?

Thalia continued, "They tried to marry me off. When I refused, they threatened to disown me. And they did. Look."

Thalia held up a crumpled sheet of paper which Minke guessed was Thalia's copy of the disowning contract. It was crumpled and tear-stained. "I'm guessing that they'll be looking for me now. To get rid of me. My father will say that I was killed in some tragic holiday incident, where I went too near a cliff or something.”

“Why?”

“My parents have always known there was something different about me. I always hated all the beauty sessions and things they put me through. They never wanted an engineer for a daughter.”

“But aren’t you an only child?”

“They’ll put one of my cousins up instead. They were always jealous of me.”

Minke nodded sympathetically. “What do you want to do?”

Before Thalia could reply, there was commotion down the street. Guards. A whole section of them. Thalia looked out between the crack in the wall. The guards were raiding each and every house, throwing things and people out. Thalia paled. “We have to get out of here!” she screeched. She grabbed her bag of belongings she and taken from the castle and demanded, “Is there another way out of here?”

“We can’t just leave Minka here!” protested Minke. “The guards will probably punch her awake to interrogate her!”

At that point, Minka sang in her sleep, “I eat potatoes… night and day, night and day.”

“Then hide her!” replied Thalia, desperately searching for a way out. Minke rushed Minka to the only place he could think of. Inside the rocket. He put down the rations and things near her.

“I’ll be back,” he promised, and left.

Thalia was waiting for him near a big gap in a wall. She had gathered some of his belongings and hid the other items in the warehouse. “Hurry!” she hissed. Minke sprinted for the gap in the wall, and just as they were through, the guards crashed through the door.