7/8/2002

Title: Caterwaul Catastrophe
Chapter: One
Author: squeezynz
Rating: PG
Again, from the kernel of an idea, an epic is created. Well, sorta.

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"A-a-a-achewwwww!"

"Bless you,"

Dan mopped his streaming eyes as another sneeze exploded, causing him to bend over double as the explosion shook his body. Mark, standing a little way off to the side, watched warily as Dan rested his hands on his knees, trying to recover his breath.

"I don't know what's set me off, there must be something flowering nearby to make me sneeze like this," said Dan, straightening up and wiping his sleeve over his eyes to dry them.

"I didn't know you had any allergies, is it serious ?" asked Mark, regarding Dan with concern.

"I used to take anti-histamine to combat the worst of the symptoms in the spring, but I haven't had a bout like this for years,"

"Well, we won't be here long, the girls should be back soon and we can head back to camp,"

"I'll count the minutes...oh God, stand back, another ones...a..a..ah!"

Mark stepped back as Dan let go another violent sneeze, almost losing his balance in the process.

" Woah Dan, maybe you should sit down for the next one," said Mark putting a hand out to steady him.

" Sheesh, I hate this...I'm going over there for a bit, let me know when the girls arrive," Dan gasped, walking slowly over towards the roots of a tree. Mark watched as Dan found a broad, gently sloping root and lay down, his arm flung over his face.

Half an hour, and several more sneezes later, Valerie and Betty entered the clearing carrying two large and lumpy bundles plus several long thin metal rods.

" Hey, we would have been back sooner but we found these stuck in a tree trunk and it took awhile to prise them loose."

Valerie handed the rods over to Mark who inspected them closely while Betty put down her bundle and went over to where Dan was still laying on the tree root.

" What's the matter Dan, you look exhausted ?"

" I seem to have an allergic reaction to something around here, its been hell for the last hour,"

" I hadn't noticed anything in flower when we approached along the trail, is there anything else you're allergic to?" asked Betty.

" As a kid I had a violent reaction to animal fur, but I grew out of that," explained Dan, sitting up and rubbing his hands over his face.

" Here Dan, grab this and let's get moving, I want to get back to camp before dark," Mark had come over and threw one of the bundles which Dan caught. Valerie stood behind Mark, holding the metal poles, she was turning her head, as if looking for something.

" What is it Val ?" asked Betty, noticing Valerie's odd behaviour.

" I don't know, I thought I heard something, it was odd, kinda like a motor, but a long way off,"

Everyone paused to listen and after a moment it became apparent that a low throbbing noise was coming from somewhere off to the left of where they were standing.

" What is that ?" asked Betty, her face perplexed.

" I don't know, and I don't want to hang about to find out, let's get on our way," said Mark, hoisting a bundle onto his shoulder and starting to walk out of the clearing. Valerie and Betty quickly followed, Dan bringing up the rear.

They hadn't travelled very far along the track when Mark put his hand up to call a halt. They could hear the noise clearly now, a low throbbing sound that rose and fell in a regular cadence. It appeared to be close to where they were walking, but no amount of staring at the dense foliage revealed any new clues as to the source of the strange sound.

" Maybe we should see what's causing that, it seems to be really close now," said Dan, his eyes darting around the dark trees towering over them.

" Okay, we'll take a look, it could be important. Leave the stuff here under this shrub," said Mark, taking the rods from Valerie and laying them down next to his bundle at the side of the track. Once everything was hidden they followed Mark as he lead the way off the path and towards the puzzling noise.

They broached a short rise and found themselves looking down at a sizeable clump of tall dry grass. The loud noise seemed to be coming from the centre of the clump but they still couldn't see anything to indicate the source. Mark crouched down on his haunches and considered the situation. Behind him Valerie and Betty looked out over the clump and waited. Dan, bringing up the rear reached the top of the rise and immediately started to convulse with the build up of another nose shattering sneeze.

" Oh...God...a..a...ah...ahhh..oh..aaahhhhhhhshchoooooooo!!"

The noise startled the girls and made Mark whirl around on his heels, almost toppling over in surprise. Below them the throbbing noise abruptly stopped and the ensuring silence, in the aftermath of Dan's sneeze, made the rustling noise that followed seem unnaturally loud.

A brown furry head was starting to push it's way through the yellow stalks of the grass, the fur sticking up in spikes around the triangular head. A pair of glass-like green eyes with slits for irises blinked lazily in the afternoon sun that slanted down through the branches, while a delicately striped, furred paw stepped out of the enclosing grasses and onto the ground in front of the rise, directly at eye level with the Little People.

Mark got quickly to his feet and stepped back, bumping into Valerie who was still looking around at Dan, causing her to lose her balance and fall backwards down the slope, emitting a scream as she fell. Betty reached out to try and stop her but failed and only Dan's arm stopped her following Valerie down the slope. The kitten, emerging from its grassy nest, licked a curled pink tongue around its wide yawning mouth as it stretched and shook itself to wake up.

Valerie reached the bottom of the slope and rolled to a halt, liberally covered in dirt and leaf frass. Dan was hustling Betty down the slope away from the kitten who stood and blinked its huge eyes at the tiny creatures scrambling to get away. Mark had reached Valerie and was helping her to her feet as she tried to clean the dirt out of her mouth and eyes, sputtering and coughing in an effort to get her breath back.

" Are you alright ? anything hurt ?" asked Mark urgently, his hands running down her arms, checking for breaks.

" Nothing broken, I think, just a bit winded and bruised," gasped Valerie, her eyes widening in fright as she glimpsed the kitten looming over the rise behind Mark's shoulder. Dan and Betty reached them at a run and they all turned to race back the way they had come. Behind them the kitten watched the scurrying creatures and voiced a howl of protest at their leaving him after waking him up. The yowl, high pitched and loud, caused a shiver to run up Betty's spine as she risked a quick glance over her shoulder.

" It's following us," she panted,

" We need a place to hide," shouted Dan, his face screwing up in another sharp but brief sneeze causing him to check before running on.

" Over there," panted Mark, grabbing Valerie by the arm and swinging her sharply around to head for a dark hole visible behind a screen of dead weeds at the base of a tree. Betty and Dan ran hard behind Mark and Val, reaching the opening only seconds behind them. The kitten, finally perceiving that its prey was fast disappearing, leapt after the fleeing Little People and mewed in protest as Mark and Valerie, followed closely by Betty and Dan vanished down the hole. Mewing shrilly, the kitten pressed its face to the dark maw and tried to push it's head inside the narrow opening, its whiskers pressed backwards as it got its nose and mouth partly inside. Pulling back, it then lay down and started to stretch its front paw inside the hole, its needle sharp claws extended in a vain effort to reach its vanished prey.

Inside the dark tunnel Mark hustled Valerie along beside him, his eyes quickly adapting to the gloom. Behind him he could hear Betty and Dan stumbling along over the rough floor. Valerie tripped and Mark caught her as she fell, both of them ending up against the bumpy wall of the passage. Dan and Betty reached them and they all stood panting in the dark, the sound of the kitten yowling behind them, it's claws scratching on the dirt walls.

" I think we're safe here for the time being," said Mark, "at least we're out of reach of that feline,"

" And now we know what set your allergy off, Dan," said Betty, her voice floating out of the gloom. A cough from a darker patch on the other side of the tunnel confirmed Dan's location.

" It'll take a truck load of anti-histamine to cure this allergic reaction," snorted Dan, a smile apparent in his words.

" How long are we going to stay here ?" asked Betty, her fear of dark spaces causing a quaver in her voice.

" No longer than we have to," Mark reassured her, "everyone stay here, I'm going to scout along this tunnel a little way, see if it has any opening,"

" Don't be gone too long," said Valerie nervously, a squeeze on the arm from Mark before he left, her only reply. They could still hear the kitten mewing and scrabbling at the entrance to their hide out and the sound masked Mark's departure. Eventually the kitten appeared to give up and the tunnel became very quiet, only the sound of their breathing and the occasional thump of dirt falling from the ceiling to break the tension.

" I've found a way out," Mark's voice floated back to them from further down the tunnel. A minute later and Mark was back with them, his white shirt showing up faintly in the darkness. "There's a narrow fissure further along the tunnel, its going to take some digging but it leads to the outside. Everyone hold hands and I'll lead the way,"

Valerie felt Mark's warm hand grasp hers in the dark and she reached out for Betty's hand until they were all linked together, then Mark tugged and they started to make their way along the passage, their progress slow as they negotiated lumps of dirt that littered the tunnel floor. Eventually they saw a narrow slit of light ahead and found themselves grouped around a crack in the wall of the tunnel, fresh air blowing in, sunlight tantalising close. Mark and Dan started to pull the dirt away from the narrow opening, while Betty and Val made sure the dirt was kept away from the men's feet as they worked. Within a short time the opening had been enlarged enough for Dan to squeeze his way through. A little more work and everyone could get through the gap. The other side revealed a shallow cave that was shielded from the outside by a boulder that partially blocked the entrance. Poking his head and shoulders out of the gap, Mark could see no sign of the kitten and nothing to indicate where it might be.

Mark made his way back inside and addressed the others. " Stay here and I'll scout around outside, see if that cat is still around. We aren't that far from where we came in, so be ready to duck back into the tunnel if that animal returns,"

They waited and eventually Mark returned, waving to them to join him outside.

" We need to get clear quickly," Mark said urgently, his voice low. " The kitten is behind that tree, so we need to go fast but as quiet as possible...everyone ready ?"

Betty, Valerie and Dan all nodded, so Mark started off at a fast jog. They reached their original track and collected the bundles and rods, then took off at a fast pace, putting as much distance between them and the cat as possible. After fifteen minutes of jogging Mark signalled a halt and they all sank to the ground panting, dropping their bundles and poles.

" Are we far enough away ?" gasped Valerie, perspiration streaking the dirt on her face.

" Not as far as I'd like, but far enough for a rest," replied Mark.

" Hey Dan, no sneezing," said Betty with a grin. Dan regarded the pretty blonde with a jaundiced eye.

" I think the idea of being a kitty snack scared the allergy out of me," Dan retorted, his face split with a rueful smile.

" Well don't get complacent, if there's a kitten, there's gotta be a mummy cat somewhere, so let's get moving," said Mark, his face sombre.

Wearily, the small group got to their feet and picked up their bundles. Behind them a faint mewing spurred them to a faster pace, occasional glances over shoulders needed to confirm that they were still alone. After an hour the glances were forgotten as the sky darkened and the evening drew in, a light rain falling to make their journey more hazardous. Mark called a halt when the rain turned the path to mud and then to a stream. Peering through the drizzling murk he spotted an overhang close to the path. Pointing and waving he indicated to the others to follow, then lead them to the shelter. Dirt had fallen away from under some tree roots, exposing them further, but leaving a ledge that would shelter the travellers from the downpour and keep them uphill from the streams rapidly forming on the forest floor. The ground inside the shallow cave was dry and sandy, leaves and debris banked up against the back wall.

Shaking the water out of her eyes, and hair, Valerie made her way to the piles of dry leaves and kicked at them.

" Do we have anything to light a fire ?" she asked, rubbing her arms as goosebumps chased down her limbs.

Mark reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a lighter, shaking it.

" Still a little juice in this thing, should be enough to start a blaze,"

Dan cleared a space while Betty collected rock sized pebbles to make a bed for the fire. Valerie sorted through the piles of leaves and found twigs and small branches for kindling while Mark tore up the dry leaves to use like paper. Shortly a merry fire lit up the shallow cave and they all clustered around to take advantage of the warmth as well as to dry out their soaked clothes. Mark unwrapped one of the bundles and handed round the fruit that the girls had gathered earlier in the day. Dan spitted one on a metal pole and held it over the flames, the skin turning black but not cracking. When he deemed it was done, he pulled it off the pole and split the fruit open making two halves. Inside the fruit had pulped, similar to cooked apple, providing a much needed warm meal for the chilled survivors. Once warm, and mostly dry, they unwrapped the remaining bundle, stored the fruit at the back of the cave and spread the cloths over piles of the leaves to create makeshift beds. The drizzle showed no signs of stopping and the path they had been using was now a wide torrent. Mark banked up the fire, choosing to take the first watch while the others slept. Soon there was only the sound of the rain dripping on the leaves and splattering on the ground as an accompaniment to the crackle of the fire and the soft sounds of the people sleeping behind him. With his head nodding drowsily, his body warmed by the heat of the flames, Mark was unprepared for the suddenness of the attack as a massive paw swept over the fire, partially scooping him up and throwing him hard against the base of one of the tree roots, stunning him into oblivion. As if unaware of the results of its actions, or distracted by the leaping flames, the cat patted again at the bright yellow fire, its sharp yowl of pain when the flames singed the sensitive pads enough to wake Dan and the girls.

Dan took in at a glance the full size cat, no kitten this time, outside their shallow shelter, then he spotted Mark's body lying limply under the tree root. Beside him Valerie and Betty sat frozen to the ground in horror, their eyes fixed on the red maw that was the cats mouth as it opened to yowl again. Without hesitation, Dan grabbed a flaming brand that lay half out of the fire and started to shout and wave it in the cats direction, the embers flying out either side, creating a sweeping arc of flaming light. Valerie and Betty were quick to catch on and picked up pieces of the fire as well, the smaller pieces getting thrown directly at the cat. Those that weren't extinguished by the rain landed on the cats fur and sizzled before being put out. The cat, seemingly attacked by a leaping fire creature decided to find somewhere else to get in out of the rain and leapt away into the darkness, leaving chaos in its wake.

Dan dropped his makeshift weapon back onto the remains of the fire and instructed Betty to make it up again, then he hurried over to where Valerie bent over the still form of Mark.

" Is he breathing ?"

" Yes, but he's unconscious Dan, and I think he may have a broken wrist, it's doesn't look right,"

Dan inspected the wrist, agreeing with Valerie that it was probably broken given the angle. Instructing Valerie to take Mark's feet, Dan looped his arms under Mark's shoulder and together they hauled his limp body towards the back of the cave to the beds and nearer the fire. Betty had built up the fire so it threw out a fair amount of light and heat, and with its help they found the sizeable bump on Mark's head where he'd hit the tree root. Betty tore a strip off one of the cloths and used some of the wood to create a splint for Mark's wrist. She worked quickly and carefully, thankful that Mark was out of it as she had to move his injured hand and it would have been excruciating if he'd been awake. Valerie used one of the empty fruit halves to collect some water from the rain dripping off the overhead, she used it to clean up Mark's face while Betty finished splinting his hand. Finally they made him as comfortable as possible and sat back to take stock. Valerie found herself trembling in reaction and she clasped her hands together tightly to stop them shaking.

" I don't think I'll be able to sleep anymore tonight, you girls rest and I'll keep watch," said Dan, poking at the fire.

" I don't think any of us will be sleeping very well," said Betty, exchanging a glance with Valerie.

" I know, but at least try, okay?"

Betty nodded and went to lay down, near to where Mark lay motionless at the back of the cave. Valerie soon joined her, laying on the opposite side so the two women flanked the injured man. Dan stared out at the curtain of rain, his nerves still tingling with the rush of adrenalin.

Glancing back a little while later, he was relieved to see that Betty and Valerie had succumbed to exhaustion after all. Mark's condition appeared unchanged and Dan prayed silently that the rest of the night would be uneventful. They had had enough to cope with for one day.

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Betty jerked awake suddenly, her mind fuzzy as she tried to figure out why her bed felt so hard. Then realisation crashed in and her eyes snapped open. Her glance met Valerie's across the body between them and Betty sat upright hurriedly.

" What's happened, why are you awake ?" Betty asked, rubbing her eyes to clear them.

" Mark woke up an hour or so, his temperature is up and I've been trying to cool him down, rather unsuccessfully... he seems to be in a lot of pain,"

" Seems to be ?"

" He hasn't opened his eyes yet, just tossed and turned...I'm worried Betty,"

" Where's Dan ?" Betty asked, looking around and seeing the fire still burning but no sign of their co-pilot.

" He's gone to get help, we're not more than a couple of hours away from camp, so we decided that if Steve and Dan can build a stretcher we can carry Mark back," said Valerie. Betty gave her friend a look but chose not to pursue the matter further, she could see that Valerie was upset at Mark's condition, and the thought of having Steve and the others around was comforting.

" Then we just wait, it'll be a hard slog in this weather, when did Dan leave ?" Betty asked, poking the fire and feeding it more twigs.

" I'm not sure, more than an hour ago I think, he said it would be dawn soon, but it doesn't seem any lighter out there,"

Betty walked to the edge of their shelter and peered out but the light from the fire didn't extend to the woods beyond. Looking up she could just make out a slight lightening of the sky beyond the canopy of the tree-tops but it was still a long way from the true dawn. Turning her back on the sound of the stream flowing strongly where the path had been the day before, Betty made her way back to where Valerie sat next to Mark. She had sensibly strapped Mark's injured wrist to his chest to immobilise it and avoid further pain when he awoke, and now that showed its worth as Mark tossed and fidgeted in his unconscious state while Valerie tried to cool him down.

" I've had a good sleep, why don't you lay down and get some rest Val, I'll watch over Mark and wake you when the others arrive," suggested Betty, concerned at the dark circles under Valerie's eyes.

" I don't think I could sleep, but I will lie down. I've been so on edge I feel worn out," Valerie laughed uneasily, "I keep imagining that wretched cat will return and finish us off,"

" You just need to rest, come on, my beds reasonably soft, pass that cloth and go and lie down," Betty coaxed. After a last glance at Mark, Valerie gave Betty a brief smile and crawled over to the lumpy pile and lay down. Within a few minutes she was asleep and Betty smiled to herself while she tended the fire.

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Betty was becoming increasingly worried. The sun had risen, albeit a weak and watery sun, and the day was well advanced with still no sign of the returning rescue party. Valerie had slept well into the morning but had finally woken and now sat next to Mark while Betty paced at the entrance of their shelter. Mark's condition hadn't worsened but he wasn't any better either and Betty chewed her lip in worry as the minutes continued to tick by.

A sudden noise made her hold her breath, thinking it was the cat returning but the sudden appearance of a pair of brightly coloured yellow gumboots right outside their shallow cave caused Betty to back up suddenly and hurry back to where Valerie crouched, her eyes enormous as they looked out at the giant boots.

The boots disappeared briefly and a matching raincoat lowered itself down and a rain-hat encased head appeared, the Giant's face peering into their hideout.

" I knew I smelled smoke, what are you doing hiding in there?"

The voice belonged to a young boy, his face partially hidden by the oversized rain-hat He leant down and folded his arms, resting his chin on them to better see into the shallow cave. He was careful not to have his arms too close to the tiny blaze as even that heat would melt his plastic raincoat if he was imprudent.

" What are we going to do ?" hissed Valerie as she crouched protectively over Mark's recumbent body. Betty only shook her head, unable to form a reply in the face of this latest disaster.

" Is that Little Person sick ?" the Giant boy asked, "only I can't stay here long, I'm only supposed to be taking a short walk, and I've already been out longer than I'm allowed,"

Betty cleared her throat and tried to form words, but Valerie beat her to the punch.

" Yes he's sick, we've been sheltering here out of the rain hoping he'll get better," said Valerie, her voice quavering slightly.

" I've always wanted to see you Little People, what a find," said the Giant Boy, his eyes bright with excitement," I'm sorry one of you is sick, I don't think there's anything I can do to help, my guardian doesn't approve of me having friends so I've nobody to show you off to,"

" Are you going to take us with you then ?" asked Betty anxiously, but she breathed out a long sigh when the Giant Boy shook his head.

" No, I'm not going to take you, I lost my parents to the sickness and I know what it's like to have someone you love die. I don't even keep any pets for that reason either, you always have to lose them eventually and I hate crying,"

Betty bit her lip as her heart swelled in empathy for the boy.

" We have a friend who's an orphan, just like you," said Betty as she got to her feet and approached the face of the Giant Boy.

" Do you ? I didn't know that could happen to you as well, you're really not much different from us, only a lot smaller of course,"

" No we're not that much different," Betty agreed, smiling.

A voice could be heard indistinctly, but obviously calling out for someone. The Giant Boy cocked his head and started to pull back, getting to his feet, his head turned towards the source of the voice.

" That's my guardian calling, I'd better go before he comes looking for me, I don't want him to find you, he'd hand you over to the SID before you could blink," he stated, candidly.

" Thank you for keeping us secret," called Valerie, her relief evident.

" Maybe I'll see you again, next time I manage to 'escape'!" said the Boy.

" Maybe...goodbye," said Betty, waving as the boy turned and hurried off, his bright yellow raincoat rapidly becoming a distant blur in the persistent drizzle. Behind her she heard Valerie let out a whoosh of air as she relaxed her defensive stance.

" That was another of my nine lives used up," stated Valerie when Betty joined her after stoking the fire.

" We certainly lucked out with that close encounter," Betty agreed.

A sudden shout made both women swing around once more, thinking that the boy had returned but it was a concerned face of Dan, followed by Steve and Fitzhugh that greeted their apprehensive eyes.

" We overheard you encounter with the Giant, we'd only just arrived when he showed up, so we hid to see what happened," Dan explained.

" You have no idea how glad we are to see you," said Valerie, relieved beyond measure to have help arrive.

" You certainly have a way with the boys, Betty," said Steve, "now let's get the hell out of Dodge before that Giant changes his mind. How's Mark ?"

The next half hour was spent getting Mark settled on the stretcher and everyone kitted out in makeshift rain gear, then finally the fire was extinguished and the bundles and rods gathered up and they made ready to leave their temporary haven. Mark had opened his eyes as Steve and Dan were lifting him onto the stretcher but he was dazed, still suffering from the blow to his head and quickly lapsed back into a healing sleep before Dan had finished telling him what had happened.

With Steve and Dan at one end, Fitzhugh and Valerie at the other and Betty carrying the remains of the fruit and the metal rods, the rescue party left the overhang and started their long journey back to camp. Betty, turning to glance over her shoulder one last time, thought she caught a glimpse of something yellow flash between the dark, wet tree trunks. But in an instant it was gone and she let go a sigh before turning and trudging after the others.

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End.

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