DRAGON IN THE SHADOWS - 1st book in the cat analysis trilogy

Chapter 11: No Rest for the Weary

     The next day was a warm, sunny day. Peter woke and stretched, enjoying the warmth of the sun. Sure, Midnight was gone, but how bad would it be to let it rest for a while? No, he would go on with his search for Midnight tomorrow while he rested today.
     Peter got up, dressed himself and lingered down the passage to the kitchen. He retrieved the jam from the fridge and deposited a couple pieces of bread in the toaster.
     He then sat down and turned on the small TV placed atop the fridge. The sound blared, so Peter turned the sound down. Lights flickered to life and a news report popped up on the screen. A short lady stood explaining the weather sequences, showing weather patterns and the current temperature.
     Peter nearly jumped out of his chair when the toast popped up, creating a loud crack. He hopped up and put the toast on his plate, smearing jam on its warm, crusty surface.
     He began to eat, closely listening to the report, which changed from general news to normal shows. After he had finished, he got up and turned the TV off. He was surprised that Lucinda was not yet up, so he peered into her room. She was not there, and Peter was scratching his head in both confusion and annoyance. Now not only was Midnight gone, but Lucinda had disappeared as well.
     "LUCINDA!!!!!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, but to no avail. No answer came. He tried multiple times in a desperate manner, but again; no reply. Assuming she had ran down to the shops for the bacon she had been complaining about for a while now, he moved on to looking after the dragon. When he got to the shed, he found that she had curled up into a tight ball and wedged herself underneath the low coffee table in the corner. He struggled to conceal a laugh and hold a straight face, but he managed to in the end.
     "What did you do to get stuck there, you silly thing?"
     Nothing...? She answered, guilty lines clearly visible on her purple snout.
     "Your pants are so on fire!" Peter said, a grin spreading from both sides of his face. "Come on, let's get you out of there." He heaved the coffee table, which was surprisingly heavy, out of the way and pulled her out of the crevice she was in.
     "There we go, now don't go poking your head where it doesn't belong. What did you do to get yourself stuck there anyway?"
     I was just minding my own business when that stupid mouse decided to cross paths with me. I chased it around the room and into a small hole behind that inconveniently heavy four stick thing you call a 'table'. I blew a stream of fire into the hole where I saw it run... it killed the mouse and gave me a little snack, but I managed to get my snout stuck in the hole. I pulled away and yanked my head out of the wall, but doing so forced me under the table and got me stuck.
     "Well, at least you're out now. Is there anything you want to do?"
      Nothing that doesn't include eating.
     "Oh. Well, I don't have any food with me at the moment, but if you wait a moment, I can fetch you some of the dragon fruit."
     Yes please, if it doesn't cost you too much time.
     "Nah, it's fine. I was going to have lunch some time soon anyway... how much fruit would you like?"
     A branch of them would suffice, thanks.
     "Alright, hang tight; I'll be back soon." And with that, Peter started walking to the tree lapiden with golden fruit.

     When Peter arrived at the tree just minutes later, he munched on a few, sat down and stared at the base of the tree, listening to the sound of wind flowing by and to the rustling leaves of the evergreen tree. It was then that he heard a peculiar sound that seemed to be coming from the base of the tree. He got up and walked around the tree, only to find Lucinda sitting there, munching away on the dragon fruit. The sound that she made while eating was weird though, it sounded brutal, like a piece of paper being pushed into a ball.
     "And how long have you been here?" Peter asked in a brutal, but curious voice. Lucinda flinched, startled.
     "Long enough," she stated, glaring at him.
     "Give me a real answer, I've been looking for you all morning!"
     She groaned. "Look, I only came here half an hour ago, and before that, I was going out to inspect the place that you found the orb."
     "Ah... did you find anything?"
     "Nah. Just some purple 'shavings' that probably fell off of the egg when it hatched."
     "Oh." Peter was somewhat disappointed with the verdict. "We should probably get some rest... Look, I'll make some spaghetti and tomato sauce for dinner, and then we'll get to bed, ok?"
     "Sure, see you soon."

     An hour later, after Peter had given the dragon the dragon fruit, they sat down for the meal. Over the table, they discussed what they could do to retrieve Midnight. Only a few suggestions were raised, and quickly discarded as they did not entirely make sense. Finally, as they finished dinner and did the dishes, the decided to let the matter be until morning. They said 'goodnight' to each other then went their different ways to their seperate bedrooms for the night.