The Nisse, the Cat, and the Apple Tree Part 6

Strolling up to the front door of your enemy and asking for help.

Christian greeted his teeth, not saying a word. Persephone stays close to him, watching the wolves. She hadn’t put her claws away or let her fur calm back down. The wolves wanted to taste cat tonight, and Persephone could feel their lustful eyes on them.

                “King of the Forest,” Christian said, trying to keep himself calm. He was staring in the face of death, hearing all his bones yelling for him to attack. If he were going to die, he would go down fighting but dying now among the wolves would be a foolish move. He would not only lose his life and Persephone, but the child back at the house would meet her end as well. “I beg you to let us pass so we can save an innocent soul.”

                King Artio marched to the edge of the wolf's nose, pointing down at Christian. “What would you do to gain my protected in this war?”

                “What do you need me to do?” Christian asked, narrowing his eyes.

                “Queen Diana,” the mouse locked in this war, “has stolen the Claw of Odin, I want it back.”

                Christian huffed to say no, but he stopped himself and then let the hot air out. “As you wish, King Artio.”

                King Artio smiled big, holding up his nose to the Nisse and the black cat. “Good luck then,” he said, stepping back up the wolf head, “and remember I have eyes everywhere.” He whistled with the wolves growling at the order being dined their dinner, fading back into the night of the woods.

                Persephone let her black fur fall flat studying the dark with her cat eyes to see nothing moving between the trees. She glanced back at Christian, whose shoulders were low and his head down lower.

                “What is this Claw of Odin?” She asked.

                “Five years ago,” Christian explained,” the mice kingdoms came together to kill a bear with one eye. After they defeated the bear, one of its claws was removed to give the right to the King or Queen, who holds it to rightful rule over the forest.”

                “Great,” Persephone sighed. “Why don’t we just head for the Apple Tree and forget about the claw then?”

                “We wouldn’t make it,” Christian said. “As King Artio said, there are spies everywhere. He would kill us long before we got there.”

                “Fair enough,” Persephone said, “then where is the claw?”

                “In the Keep of Queen Diana,” Christian groaned.

                “Do I want to know where the Keep is?” Persephone asked, and for the most part, she did not want to know, but ever the less they travel the short trip to the knotted oak tree somewhere deep in the forest. The large oak tree with its black bark and twisted root was the Keep of Queen Diana, but that wasn’t the real problem about the tree. Where King Artio had gained the alliances of the wolf pack, Queen Diana had found herself in league with a pack of Owls. Thought Christian wasn’t sure if calling the Owls a pack was the right word but no other word seem to fix. The Owls, all thirteen of them had nested at the top of the oak tree and were forever watching the woods around them. The thirteen owls might as well have been a thirteen headed Hydra.

                “There is no way in,” Christian said. “It’s why King Artio has never got the claw.”

                “If the Queen has an army of Owls, why not attack the King’s Keep?” Persephone asked to bring her head back from around the tree before one of the owls had found her.

                “Queen Diana has no idea where his Keep lies,” Christian said, leaning against the tree.

                “And you do?”

                “Aye, I help him establish castle,” Christian said. “I help them both in many different ways. It is one of the reasons I would not join either side in the war.”

                “It being a war, I’m sure helped the matter,” the cat said, sitting beside him.

                “The question is, how do we get into the Keep,” Christian said.

                “I’m not sure that is going to be a problem,” Persephone said as she started to clean her paw.

                “What do you mean? Do you just want me to walk up to the gates and ask if I can enter?” Christian asked, watching the cat.

                She stopped cleaning her paw and stare right at him. There was almost a smile cutting across her face. Christian had never seen a cat smile, but he was sure he never wanted too. “I like that plan.”

                “Are you mad?” He protested.

                “Yes, mad as a cat,” she said, “but you have stated they both know you. They both have worked with you before. So, is there any reason to believe Queen Diana would want your head?”

                “Not that I know of,” he said, “but Queen can be a little quick with the ax.”

                “I’m sure she can be,” Persephone said, standing up. “Now climb on and let’s go see if we lose our heads.”

                Christian did as the cat asked him to do and climb on to the back of her, “But how do we get the claw?” He asked.

                “I have a plan,” Persephone said.

                “Are you going to clue me in on it,” Christian asked.

                “Now, my little friend,” Persephone strolling around the tree and heading for the oak. They both could feel the eyes of a few Owls falling on them and the Owls took to the sky. “Where would the fun in that be?”

Author's Note

If you had made it this far, then I appreciate it, and before you start to tear my work apart (which doesn’t bother me too much), let me explain something. The most common critique I see is about my spelling and grammar. It is an understandable critique, and I do not blame you for pointing it out. After all, spelling and grammar are the tools in which we use to craft our work, like a paintbrush or a chisel. The artist must know how to use these tools well, but like an artist who has a tremble in their hand's somethings will never be perfect.
My tremble in my hand is caused by my dyslexia. It is something, no matter how much I learn, study, or works on, it will never go away. It is the reason you will find a good bit of spelling and grammar mistakes in my work. I ask you to keep this fact when you are about to write your critique.
Also, I feel the need to point this out, this website is like a journal for me. A messy journal I used to work out problems in my stories or to simply warm up before digging into my novels. I do not hire an editor for the work here. I do not spend hours and days pouring over these stories to make them perfect, that energy is saved for the project I plan on taking to market. Everything on this website is my world-building exercise or sketches for other projects.
I do hope you enjoy my work, but this website is not a publishing house for me, and it shouldn’t be for you either. Something to keep in mind as you write your critique.