The True Jewel of Hope

                                          The True Jewel of Hope


         It was late evening in the forest. The sun had set and the moon’s glow shone on trees surrounding the camp and threw dazzling ripples of light upon the lake. Most of the cats had retired to their beds to sleep, but a few still paced around, taking care of last minute chores or talking with others. The hunting party had set out. In the morning they would be back, bringing food for the colony. Summer was ending, and the first leaf fell and touched the ground. Far to the North, a lone coyote howled.
         Near a pile of leaves and bracken, a mother and daughter sat together and surveyed the beautiful scene.
         After a long time the mother spoke. “Luna, don’t you ever wonder how all this came to be: the forest, the lake, the birds, the moon, and the happiness you feel inside?”
         Luna Silverpelt raised her head and nodded, for she did. “Tell me, mother,” she begged.
         “Why, it was created, of course,” her mother said simply.
         “By who?” Luna asked. “Humans?”
         Her mother laughed. “Of course not! Humans themselves were created. No, Luna the Creator was here before time began.” Her blue eyes took on a new light and her gray fur shone silver. “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”
         “What’s that?” asked Luna.
         “That is from the great Cat Bible. That is the book where all this had been written by wonderful prophet cats. That book tells of the Creator. He is the Lord of all. He made everything, He knows everything, and He can be everywhere at once. He loves you, Luna. He sent his son, Jesus, to die in your place.”
         “But I don’t know him! Mother, do you know him?”
         “Yes, Luna, and so can you. He must become a part of your life.”
         Luna hesitated for a moment. Then, she whispered, “I’d like that.”
         

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         Luna woke up and stretched. Six moons had passed, and she was now one year old. As she stepped out of the den into the sun, she noticed a commotion going on up ahead. Many cats milled about, and more were joining the throng. Everyone was talking at once. The colony leader, Tiger, climbed up to the great rock and shouted for silence. The crowd of cats finally calmed down, and the talking ceased to a low murmur.
         Tiger cleared his throat. “Many of you know that a visitor had come to our camp. Stranger, come here.” A dark gray cat with yellow eyes nimbly leaped to sit beside Tiger.  He glanced around warily. Tiger seemed to examine him, then said, “What are you called?”
         “My name is Shadow,” the cat replied in a voice like loose gravel.
         “In whose name do you come?” Tiger demanded.
         “My own,” Shadow responded.
         “You are a loner, then?” Shadow nodded. “No servant of Lord Blackheart?”
         Shadow’s eyes blazed. “I tell you, I serve no one but myself!” he spat out. There was a hush.
         Tiger continued. “Why do you come to our colony?”
         “I only seek shelter and food for a few days, then I will go,” Shadow said. “I’m sure that will make you happy!”
         “Oh, no, no,” Tiger protested. “Generally we are a very hospitable colony. It’s just these days…” his face darkened. “Lord Blackheart is rumored to be growing stronger. More are turning to him.” Shadow started to make an angry remark, but was silenced by Tiger. “Peace, Shadow. We do not suspect you. We will give you the best of everything.” He turned to a pretty black-and-white cat  standing near the rock. “Mira, make ready a place for our visitor.” The small she-cat went off to do his bidding. “Shadow, you may go now,” said Tiger. Then he turned to dismiss the rest.
         Luna made her way back to the main lodgings to see if the hunting party had returned. They had, and many a cat sat down to eat. Breakfast was the only meal provided by other cats. The rest of the meals you hunted for yourself. As Luna ate, she pondered the eventful morning. Why had Shadow been so sinister?

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         Meanwhile, Mira stepped into the sunlight and searched for Shadow. She finally found him in the Den of Shadows, gazing up at the great Jewel of Hope in a trance. Mira froze. But he soon looked up. “What is this place? It interests me.”
         Mira laughed. “That figures. This is the Den of Shadows!”
         Shadow didn’t seem to understand the pun. He just glared.
         The Den of Shadows was rather a shadowy place. It was a dark cave to the southwest of the camp. Not many cats went there. It was too strange. Sometimes the moon’s glow would hit the boulders, giving them an eerie illumination. Shadows and dark shapes flitted behind the rocks. The fish from the pools always tasted strangely pungent and strong, whereas one would expect them to be dull and tasteless.
         But the cave was the hold for the Jewel of Hope. It stood on a sort of pedestal-like base, sparkling and twinkling, reflecting the den in its many facets. It was this jewel which Shadow seemed so amazed by.
         “Tell me about this jewel,” he demanded.
         “Sir, that is the Jewel of H-hope,” Mira managed under Shadow’s icy glare. “It is for healing. We use it on the hurt and sick. Also, it is power against the forces of Lord Blackheart. It is wonderful!”
         Shadow eyed the jewel carefully. “What other powers does it possess?” he inquired fiercely. But Mira had already retreated out of the cave.
         Shadow gazed up once more at the jewel. “Hmm,” he mused. “It can be done…”

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         It was a rather chilly morning in the forest. The hunting party was late. “Wow,” Luna thought. “What a glorious morning! So unlike yesterday!” Her thoughts were interrupted by the clanging of a loud, cold sounding bell. Three clangs! A cat was calling an emergency meeting. Something must be wrong! It was not often she heard this signal. The younger cats knew they would get in big trouble for sounding false alarms.
         She ran to the clearing. For the second time in two days, Tiger stood on the great rock and shouted for silence. What was happening this time?
         Tiger began. “Who rang that bell?”
         Deltis Thunderpaw raised his head. “It was I, Tiger,” he said calmly, but there was a touch of panic in his voice.
         “Why?” Tiger continued.
         Deltis’s voice rose. “The Jewel of Hope is stolen!”
         There was a silence. Then one of the cats cried out, “Shadow!” Immediately, all the cats started talking again.
         Tiger’s voice rose above the rest. “Silence! This is terrible. But although it is highly probable that Shadow has stolen our jewel, we must not jump to conclusions! Dust, go, try to find Shadow. Everyone else, keep calm!”
         After a while Dust came panting back. “He is nowhere to be found!” All the cats started talking and shouting, and this time Tiger didn’t silence them.
          He turned to his deputy, Sand. “Until we find further evidence, we must accept that Shadow is a spy of Blackheart!”

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         Somehow, word quickly got around to other colonies that the Colony of Forest Glade’s jewel was missing. Tiger expected that the other colonies would come and help, but it turned out that those other groups had troubles of their own to deal with. Wind, their messenger, had brought news:
         “We are not the only colony to experience such things. Almost every clan for miles around tells the same story! They had a strange visitor, they offered him shelter, and the next morning both the visitor and their jewel were gone! This is horrendous! It’s happening everywhere! We must do something!”
         Tiger face clouded over. “I had no idea it was this bad,” he murmured. “And I know why it’s happening. The jewels are extremely valuable. Besides their powers of healing, they protect us from Lord Blackheart. Naturally, he would want to take them so he can attack us. But why did it work? Normally, the jewels repel any servant of Lord Blackheart. They cannot go near it. But Mira tells me that Shadow was right there beside the jewel, and nothing was happening. He did not faint or run away. Somehow the jewel’s power was disabled so that it could be easily stolen. Yet the only one in the world that is able to do that is the colony priest. And if he did do it, it was either an accident, or it was treason!”
         “But Tang would never do a thing like that,” Wind said. “He is so loyal and such a good priest. Besides, that would mean that every priest of every clan was betraying their own colony!  I think that Lord Blackheart has found a way to do it himself.”
         “I don’t know,” Tiger responded. “I only know that we must get our jewel back. What are the other groups doing?”
         Wind took a deep breath. “They have decided not to go to war. Blackheart is strong and we would all die. No, they are going to send out a secret quest  party from each group. They are choosing their members now. Quick, we must do so also!”
         Tiger turned to his clan. “Depart while I and the elders discuss who will go.”
         Luna left the clearing, heart pounding. Who would be chosen?

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         It was an hour later when Tiger finally broke away from the circle and summoned the colony back. “We have decided who will go.” he cleared his throat. “Deltis!” the black cat nodded. “Dust!” The dusky tabby bowed. “Marina!” the calico agreed. “Tang!” the Siamese priest smiled. “And I. Sand, you will stay and take care of the camp. Now come, let us form a counsel.” Again all the cats departed except for the chosen few.
         Luna turned away angrily. They had not chosen her or anyone she knew! It was outrageous. With the exception of Deltis, all the ones picked were old and probably weak. Sure, they had been great heroes earlier, but had been a long time ago. Wasn’t it time to start a new generation in the warrior ways? Seething, she went to sit at her favorite spot by the lake.
         But someone had beat her to it. Unaware, Luna strode on towards the hollow in the tree. There was a shove, a surprised yelp, a confused moment, and the two cats stared at each other with the same expression on their faces: the face of one who had already been angry, had hoped to obtain some time alone, had been surprised, and was now quickly trying to compose themselves so that none of these things showed.
         Luna stared at the chocolate-colored cat opposite her: a Havana Brown, to be sure. “My name is Luna Silverpelt,” she started.
         “And I am Java Freestar,” the dark brown cat replied. She paused. “Isn’t it terrible about the people they chose for the quest?…”
         Luna and Java became fast friends.

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         They sat by the lake together, talking. “I wish I could go on the quest,” Luna said.
         “Me too,” Java said, and then her eyes lit up. “Yet we can!”
         “How?” Luna whispered, delighted.
         “Easy, we sneak along and surprise them when it’s too late for them to send us back,” Java pointed out, the excitement in her voice mounting.
         Luna wondered, “Where do you think they are now?”
         Now Java took a deep breath as if she was going to say something of great importance. “Luna, as I left the clearing today, I heard the counsel say something about stopping in Travaine!”
         Luna looked at Java for a moment, then screamed, “Let’s go!”

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         It turned that Java was right. For at that very moment the quest members were, indeed, in the town of Travaine.
         Travaine was a busy town. There was a main street lined with coffee shops, candy stores, breakfast bars, souvenir stores, magic shops, and much more. There was a town square with a great church topped with a steeple and a huge clock. And it was here that the quest party, in disguise, rested and talked about the events that had occurred on their journey so far. Everything had gone well. They were going at a good, moderate pace.
         Meanwhile, Luna and Java rushed along, leaping over streams and winding through the trees. Then they suddenly broke out from the forest to the open plains. They ran and ran.
         Luna sometimes wondered what it would be like to be a housecat. She wondered how housecats could stand living in such a closed-in space and eating tasteless food and never hunting and always lying around dozing the day away. Luna was glad she was a free cat, with the wind in her fur and the rolling sea of grass stretching out for miles ahead!
         Finally, Luna and Java could see the town of Travaine, looming up ahead of them. They came to a quick halt and slowly walked in. The small town was bustling with activity. There were cats and friendly dogs, horses and birds, unicorns, flying horses, centaurs, fawns, gryphons, imps, and many other creatures found in the land of Larraine. But before Luna and Java could drink in any of the exotic sights and smells, a paw reached out and pulled them into a dark alleyway!
         Once there, their captor ripped off his hood, and Luna breathed a sigh of relief. It was Tiger. Five other figures came forward: Deltis, Dust, Marina, and Tang!
         But the expression on their faces was not welcoming. Tiger strode up to them. “What on earth have you done! You two were not chosen for our quest!”
         Java responded timidly. “We thought you could use some…er….extra questers?”
         Tiger scowled. “No one gave you permission to come. And we don’t need more help. We find more secrecy in small numbers. How did you get here, anyway?”
         “We, uh…ran,” Luna explained.
         “All the way?” Luna and Java nodded. Tiger whistled. “That’s a long way. Are you ready to make that journey again? You will, of course, go home now.”
         Luna and Java started to protest, but Dust broke in. “Tiger, this journey home may be very dangerous. They were lucky on the way here, but how can we be sure something won’t get them on the way back? We would partly take the blame!”
         “Perhaps one of us should accompany them,” Marina suggested.
         “No,” said Tiger. “That would take to long, waiting for that person to come back.” He sighed. “I suppose they’ll have to stay.”
         Luna and Java began to thank him, but he interrupted them. “Now don’t get any ideas. We won’t let you get away with everything!” He spoke sternly, but a smile played around the corners of his lips, for he remembered when he was young.
         As Luna and Java padded away, Tiger turned back to the others with a sigh, but Luna’s heart sang with joy. They were part of the quest!
         But later that night, Java seemed worried. “Luna don’t you think we’ve gone a bit too far?”
         “Nonsense!” Luna tried to sound sure of herself. “You know very well that the quest would have been a total disaster had we not arrived!”
         Java smiled. “I’m not so sure about that! But I’m sure glad we’re here.”
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         Morning came far too soon. Luna awoke to the sound of a screeching bird. Then she thought she saw a vague shadow that might be Deltis leap at it and pin it to the ground. Dimly, she tried to remember where she was. And when she did, a feeling of happiness and expectation rushed over her. The quest! Soon they would defeat Lord Blackheart.
         Breakfast was ready. Deltis had just caught a bird, and they ate. Then they discussed what they would do. They decided to travel as far as they could, using the little-known Chandler Trail. It was the longer way, but the main road, Cause Highway would be populated by many other animals, especially the Sodden, warriors of the evil Lord Blackheart. And so, early in the morning, they set out.
         On and on they traveled. When they came to Chandler Falls, Tiger announced a break. They had gone halfway. Halfway?, Luna’s mind echoed. Already she could go no further. “Halfway to where?” she asked aloud.
         “Supposedly, Tang has a friend who lives around here,” Tiger explained. “His name is Dunn and he has a big, sturdy house. He shall keep us safe. It is his house we are halfway to. Come, it is time for us to go on.”
         They walked for hours. There was a slight mishap when Java slipped and fell into the stream, but they managed to pull her out. Yet when they were back on the trail, Java sat down and declared she would go no further. Luna, half dead, agreed.
         Then she heard Tang whisper, “I knew they would slow us down,” and found mysterious strength from somewhere deep inside her. She would not be a nuisance. She whispered to Java, and they went on. Night fell. It began to rain.
         And suddenly, there it was: looming out of the darkness at them. The House of Dunn. Tiger wearily lifted the brass knocker.
         A minute later, there appeared at the door a young, tall frog standing on two legs. It turned out he was not a servant but Master Dunn himself!
         “Hello, Hello!” he piped. “I understand it is my duty to keep you safe for one night. Come in, come in, out of the rain!” he ushered them into the house.
         Nimbly, he leaped through the grand hallway and into the dining room. The cats followed. Master Dunn flew about, setting the table and preparing the food. He leaped to a pot, opened it, sniffed, nodded, and proceeded.
         Soon, everything was ready. The cats sat down, thanked him, and began to eat. Luna prayed, thanking God for all that had happened and asking him to keep them safe.
         The meal was delicious. There was roast chicken topped with tarragon, tomato soup with basil, carrots and peas, mashed potatoes with gravy, and shrimp. For dessert they had pie and ice cream and a marvelous fruit salad accompanied by strawberries floating in cream.
         When all had had their fill, and thanked Master Dunn again, it was time to go to bed. Master Dunn’s house had a hall filled with many bedrooms and everyone settled down to a sleep filled with happy dreams. Outside it rained and rained.
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         In the middle of the night Luna woke up. The lights were on in all the rooms. She heard a terrified screech. Something was terribly wrong.
         She tiptoed to the door and opened it. And screamed! There, in the middle of the hall, stood a hideous figure. It floated above the ground, wraithlike in the moonlight, ghostly, like a wisp of smoke. Its eyes were placed in deep sockets, those horrifying bulbous eyes. Luna would never forget those eyes. They were red and haunted, seeming to hold all the horror of the world in their gaze. Its mouth was twisted in a leering grin.
         And then it spoke, “Hello, Luna. I am the true Master Dunn.” Beside him stood a figure. Luna peered at him. Tang? No, it couldn’t be!
         “But it is,” replied the figure standing beside Master Dunn, reading her mind. “I am Tang, servant of Lord Blackheart. It was I who told Lord Blackheart the secret of disarming the jewels so that he could steal every one. I who directed you to the House of Dunn so you could be captured. Master Dunn came to you in the form of a frog. But behold, here he stands before you, also a servant of Lord Blackheart’s.”
         “But, but…” Luna was speechless.
         “Didn’t think so, did you? Come, see what has become of your friends!”
         Luna looked. She gasped. Behind the two figures, bound paw and paw, were Dust, Marina, Java, and Deltis. Where was Tiger? Before she could think of anything else, she to was picked up, tied, and made to join the others.
         Luna looked up at Tang. “Why did you join Lord Blackheart?”
         “He promised to give me food.”
         Luna grimaced. Tang had always cared way too much about food. Look where it had brought him! In the darkness, Luna prayed that they would somehow get out of this ghastly dilemma.
         And suddenly, it happened. Tiger shot out of the blackness behind them, sword in hand! Immediately, he cut the bindings of everyone. They ran and ran out of the house, into the night. Master Dunn and Tang the traitor simply stared after them frozen. “Those ropes were supposed to never break! It didn’t work! It didn’t work!” Tang screamed in a horrible voice. Then they began to pursue the escaped prisoners. But the quest party had already disappeared into the darkness.
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         Finally, they stopped running. Without a word, Deltis and Dust created a campfire and Marina cooked some leftover meat. They ate in silence, put out the fire, and went to sleep.
         In the morning, Dust, who knew the land well, proposed they keep heading West in the direction of Lord Blackheart’s fortress. It would be best to go through the swamps, where they were least likely to be seen. They set out.
         After a while, they came to the swamps. It really was quite a beautiful place. Lush trees and ferns grew plentifully . There was a weeping willow, its boughs trailing in the water. The water was clear and refreshing. The ground, however, was a little too muddy. Minnows swam in the water, and insects buzzed excitedly above. Dust looked carefully at the map. “It’s best to take this trail,” he announced, and they agreed.
         Luna sniffed the air. The beautiful morning blotted out the memory of the horrible events last night. For now, she felt, they were safe.
         Cautiously, they made their way through the dense undergrowth. Everything was so green! They plodded on. Then Deltis seemed to see something up ahead. “What’s that?” he inquired of Tiger.
         “Looks like a cave to me,” Tiger responded cheerfully.
         “Pretty big one, too,” added Marina, throwing away some leftovers they had saved from the meal at Master Dunn’s house. They would not be eating them now.
         “Looks like good shelter,” Java pointed out. They kept on going till they reached it.
         The cave was huge, with a large open mouth. They entered. The inside was gigantic! The spacious cavern, brightly lit, was filled with many cave formations. There were stalagmites, stalactites, draperies, and flowstone. In the middle there was a large pool. The cave was empty.
         “We’ll shelter here tonight,” Tiger announced. But before they could enter the cave, nine figures came behind them, bound them, and hauled them away.
         Luna struggled against her captors hold. But he was too strong. More of the creatures, whom she now recognized as the Sodden, were carrying Tiger, Deltis, Dust, Marina, and Java. Luna cried out but her captor instantly clapped a hand over her mouth. All hope was lost.

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         Luna sat in a dark cell. A guard came to her. “Lord Blackheart is ready to see you!” he said in a voice so deep and gravelly it was almost not understandable.
         Slowly, they walked to the great hallway. Luna could see the others being led too. And then her mind brightened. They were seeing Lord Blackheart! Wasn’t that the purpose of their quest anyway? But there were still some difficulties. First, they had lost the advantage of surprise attack, and secondly, they were probably going to be killed while they were still in chains instead of a proper fair battle. Still, there was a tiny hope they could win.
         The guards plunked them down on the cold floor. They were in the throne room of Lord Blackheart. There he sat on his throne, a cold, prideful glare on his face.
         Though Lord Blackheart was a cat, he was still quite threatening. He was huge with matted ebony fur. His claws were many inches long and his teeth were long and sharp as  knives He spoke.
          “I suppose your little quest’s purpose was to obtain your silly jewels back! Well, it’s not going to happen. I myself don’t particularly need the jewels’ powers. I only took them so you would have no protection against me when I raid your clans. Tang has been very helpful to me with this, and I shall give him much food. But anyway, you may wonder where my power comes from. Well, I shall tell you. I doesn’t really matter if you know since you may die soon anyway. My power is…”, he pulled out a stunning jewel bigger than himself. “…THE BLACK AMETHYST!”
         Suddenly, the jewel exploded. Blackheart was shocked. “What?” he shrieked. But suddenly the jewel came back together again. Blackheart’s face relaxed.  “Ah, see! And what is the source of your power? These jewels?”  He picked up one of the jewels from behind his throne and smashed it to the ground. It shattered into a million pieces. “See,” Lord Blackheart leered. “You are weak!”
         Suddenly, an idea came into Luna’s head and she spoke boldly. “You ask where our power comes from. I can tell you. Our power comes from The Lord Jesus Christ, through his glorious resurrection!”
         Java looked at Luna, eyes wide. “Yes!” she cried. “We come in the name of God! He will help us.”
         Slowly, the others joined in. And soon they were all shouting. Somehow, they broke through the chains! They drew their swords. The battle began.
         The whole time Luna and the others prayed and praised God for his great power. And when the battle was finished the jewels were won at last!
         The journey home was the happiest time of their lives.

         THE END
(sorry to end this so abruptly for now, there was a page limit on the assignment, but I plan to give it a better ending soon!)

PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!