Chapter Six
“Moving away to another palace!” Mom sobbed, as we sat late one night in the garden, “I am just too old to be starting over.”
I saw the moonlight shine off her tears and said, “You know, there is that other option.” She turned her face to me and I saw a smile slowly form, her head nodded just once. We knew we had to act quickly with a plan that would satisfy everyone. The guests would be leaving in a few days and would want to take Mom with them. To keep them from coming back here making demands, or jeopardizing any treaties, she must leave when they do. Once on the road, though, many things can happen.
Mom said Isom was pretty broken up about the whole thing, but may now have something else to occupy her time. Isom and the handsome servant of the visiting couple had been spending the nights together. “So,” I thought to myself, “apparently the human male likes a female that changes color.” I mused about this as I formulated an escape plan for Mom that would get her safely back to Grandpaw in the Valley of the Kings. This would take skill, stealth, speed and most of all… luck! Yes, sir! Lots of luck!
Having the amulet around my neck allowed me entrance into anywhere I wanted and a few scratches were all it took to get a guard to open a door that I could not. Where I wanted to go this time, was to see what the visitors were intending to carry Mom in for the trip. Mom was still considered pretty wild and would need some type of cage. I wandered around the area looking for such a cage when I saw the tall servant and Isom over by some cargo. “Are you sure she will be comfortable in that?” Isom asked the handsome male, “It looks pretty cramped.”
I saw the cage that was meant for Mom and had to agree that it did look a bit snug, when he grabbed the female and pulled her close to him and said, “She will be just fine, I will be with her the whole time! It looks small because of the pillows that you insisted on!” He laughed a good hearty laugh and kissed Isom.
I had to endure more of these humans acting foolish for what seemed an eternity, until they left the area. So much time had passed that I had nearly dozed. Fortunately the advisor had ceased with his late night activities and I felt relatively safe in staying away for longer periods. For this to work there will be a time when I will be away all night. I went to the cage and saw the little nest that the pillows had created inside, “Cute!” I thought. The cage had handles in the front and rear, clearly to be used by two slaves or servants with enough distance away from the cage to keep them out of claw reach. “Good idea!” I mused, “Mom will be upset enough by the pillows!” I inspected the frame of the cage; the door was on the side and was latched with a loop and peg that went down from the top through loops in the door. Difficult for teeth and claws to get around from inside the cage, but not from the outside! I decided to test my skill at this latch a few times till I was satisfied. Then it was back to the bedchamber to rest up for what appeared to be a very long day and night ahead.
I awoke with the king and queen as they went about saying their farewells to the visitors and I chose that time to run down the plan with Mom. She knew what she had to do and that there was no turning back. We agreed that she would cause no trouble to the servants who caged her or to the ones who transported her. No reason must be given for them to reinforce the cage. Isom was chosen to place mom in the cage, which she did with tears. As the cage was locked and Mom began to howl Isom fled the area. I witnessed her and the tall servant in another embrace and saw more tears fall. I watched the caravan leave the palace gates and made a mental note in the direction it was traveling, “South, along the Nile.” I said to myself, “Plenty of places to rest up overnight.” A nagging thought did occur to me, “What if they take a barge?” I decided to put that thought out of my head for the time and continued with my royal duties. Ra bringing his chariot home for the night could not come soon enough for me.
The day dragged out excruciatingly slowly, but the Sun God finally started his journey’s end and I could get ready for mine to begin. I was very impatient with the king and queen as they prepared for bed, they saw me pacing about and the king remarked to his bride something about the fullness of the moon. They bedded down for the night and I slipped off the bed and out the door without noticing the king watching me exit. I left the palace grounds through a secret hole I knew about in the wall. I was running at top speed following the scent and tracks of the caravan. As I came to a point by the Nile my worst fears were realized as the trail turned to a barge dock.
“Just great!” I thought. “Now what?” I was looking around by the dock area when I caught Mom’s scent. One of the pillows that had been in the cage with her was discarded along the side of the well-traveled road. I noticed what looked like scuffling marks in the dirt, and then I saw the tracks of the caravan, continuing south along the Nile. It looked like the caravan had split, with some getting on a barge and the others going by road. I think she must have struggled so much about getting on the barge that the royal visitors decided to make the split. I also think Mom had an accident! Phew! Cats really do hate water and so the pillow was thrown away. “Way to go Mom!” I said, as I resumed my haste, following the caravan.
The caravan managed to make pretty good time and I had still failed to catch up to it, as the east was getting lighter. Then I spotted fires up ahead less than a mile further. Boy was I exhausted! I had run the entire way with no food or even a stop for a drink. As I neared the caravan I spotted Mom’s cage next to some other crates and tents, a fire was still glowing nearby. I saw that Mom was inside the cage still and that it hadn’t been reinforced from her little incident by the river. Before releasing her I had to insure phase two of the rescue was prepared. So, off to the river I went.
I scouted out the perfect location for Mom’s “death”. I found a nice sandy spot near the river edge that had the scent of crocodile all over it. I peered out into the murky water as I took a drink and splashed my paw in the water. It didn’t take long before I saw two beady eyes sneaking closer and closer. Crocs like to surprise their meals and this one was good, but he was playing right into my paws, I was hunting him! As he struck, I leapt back. He followed me up on the shore to the sandy spot as I kept retreating. Once we reached my spot, I stopped retreating. The croc kept coming and opened his mouth in anticipation of a tasty meal, but instead of meat and fur all this croc got was a face full of my claws!
In the short time I had before I did become his meal, I managed to shred a good part of its’ face and mouth. Blood flowed from the cuts and soaked into the sand and as I took one final leap, sideways to an awaiting tree, I saw the croc thrashing about in the sand. “Purrfect,” I thought, “now to free Mom!” Fortunately, thanks to a very hungry crocodile, phase two went smooth and took little time. The caravan still slept as I returned. Mom was the only creature that heard my approach and I placed a claw to my lips to keep her quiet, we had plenty of time to catch up after I got her free. The locking device on the cage was still the same and as I released the door I motioned for Mom to follow me.
We went behind the stacked crates and I told her of the plan. She returned to the cage and from there went across camp making sure to leave good paw tracks and headed to the river. Meanwhile I cleared our earlier tracks, as well as my own, and exited behind the camp. I spotted Mom close to the sandy spot as I stayed off the road. She reached the spot where my tracks began and with a pretty great leap of her own, sprung sideways into the awaiting tree. Once there she let out some howls and screams that would curl your tail. The scream continued, then on cue she cut it off, dead stop. I heard shouts from the camp and I knew our ruse had worked. I met up with Mom further up the road at a distance where it was safe to travel on the road once again.
“Poor Isom,” the servants would say, “She got so thirsty that she managed to open the cage and went to the river for a drink, only to be eaten by a crocodile!” I’m sure a servant would be punished, but I didn’t care, my mother was free! We tr
aveled up the road as fast as we could, but the distance was too great to be able to return to the palace before Ra was riding high in the sky. At one point behind the city of Thebes the road into the Valley of the Kings stood. “You will be safe now.” I said, “I have unfinished business with an advisor that I must tend to before I can join you.”
Mom, with a tear in her eye, choked back, “You be careful son, and remember to bring your sisters with you! Oh! And thanks for saving me.”
“No thanks needed Mom,” I returned, “I love you!” At this she rubbed alongside me and then headed off toward her home. “Say Hi to Grandpaw for me!” I called out, “I will see you both soon!”
I had turned and was about to start running towards the palace again when I heard her return wafting on the afternoon breeze. “I will, and do hurry Amun! I love you too!”