LUCEM
XXXVII Chapter

There are big adventures and little adventures, Marbella and an army of rats know it. We're not told the size before we start. Sometimes we can have adventures even when we stand still.

"Hello? Hello, Marbella it's me. Moonflower puts a secret 'now' knock on the door that borders her with Marbella. There were three knocks on the wooden door. Then two tones up and down followed before he passed towards the backyard.

Marbella in the form of a cat has occupied its position when Moonflower got under the tree.

"Maybe he'll leave if we keep quiet" Moonflower whispered from below.

"It shouldn't be" said Marbella.

He raised his voice and exclaimed, "We're up here!"

"Hey, you still have to give a knock or a secret mark before doing so, Moonflower exclaimed softly.

"Oh, brrrppphhgggrueu, ' erang Marbella slowly, and fortunately no human or creature other than a cat knows how bad the word swear in cat language is.

The figure across the back fence was just a glance towards the tree where Marbella and Moonflower were and refocused on the house.

"I don't think you're a good dialogue cat" Moonflower said as she climbed the stairs.

"Gosh, you're right, Moon. I mean, you don't wear boots, swords and you don't have a big hat on your head either" Marbella said, pulling herself up to the side of the branch.

Moonflower stared at him for a long time. "Bot shoes?" said finally. "On these claws?" Moonflower raised her bird's leg.

"Yes, if you refuse to flap your wings," Marbella touched Moonflower's slippery black feather with her claws.

"By the way, how long has the creature been there?" Ask Marbella.

"More than an hour," replied Moonflower.

"It seems that the protector has worked well so far, although our existence cannot be covered completely," Marbella scratched her bored face.

For a long time they both stood there. When Marbella almost fell asleep on the branch, Moonflower exclaimed. "Look! He's approaching."

Marbella's cat's heart is beating fast. "I'm looking forward to this."

Marbella closed her body to the branch she was leaning on. Moonflower held her breath. Waiting for the action of the figure they intai almost half today. But, a few steps before reaching the light protector, the figure stopped and then walked around the right side of the house towards the main street and disappeared there.

Marbella grunts annoyed.

"I'll check it out," Moonflower jumped up high and flew close to the main road. Not long after he returned. "Nothing."

"Alright, let's go back in," Marbella took a swing to get down.

"Marbella turned her body immediately with an alert look. "He's back?"

"No, but we have to do something. Hold on!" Moonflower flew by lifting up Marbella's cat's body.

"Other times give me a cue, cats are not born for flight" he said, breathing in as he landed on another tree branch in the yard.

"Ssssttt..., below," Moonflower signaled.

"By the way, how long has the creature been there?" an unfamiliar question sounded in Moonflower's ears.

"Some time before the previous creature came, Moonflower replied. There was a strawberry ice cream in his hand as I passed by earlier."

The cat grinned. A quick glance then he jumped up quickly, right where an old white rat was enjoying secretly a piece of chocolate cake that was oversized to the size of his stomach.

Bumm! The cat's leg immediately pressed against the rat's tail as soon as it landed on the ground and raised the mouse's small body towards its open mouth. The mouse panicked and immediately struck the wooden spoon he held onto Marbella's face in droves. Moonflower who watched from the branch of the tree laughed out loud.

Marbella lowered James' body in annoyance.

"Marbella, um. that's.sorry yes..that's a panic response, I didn't really mean to hit you" James inched back out of Marbella's reach.

"Make sure the food cabinet is locked tightly" Marbella said to Moonflower with a sharp glance at James.

James' body shrunk, he hugged both of his shivering knees.

"Poor old mouse." Marbella moved forward to approach James until his mouth was dangling right in front of James's myopic eyes. Although not able to see well, but James can feel the existence of Marbella who is so close to him. James swallowed his mouth.

"Once again I find you eating something sweet secretly, then I will swallow you at that time. Understood!?" Threaten Marbella by getting her face closer to the trembling old mouse. James nodded loudly.

No matter how familiar he is with Marbella, James always has a feeling of worry approaching fear when remembering that the girl is also a cat. James was never sure that Marbella's wild instinct for rats would never arise even if she swore she would never eat anything that could speak like a human. But, out there James knows not all mice talk. Has Marbella ever tasted one of them? James creeps.

As the old rat James was not afraid of dying, first, he only wished to die with honor as a learned mouse. And also another hope, which is a lot of opportunities to enjoy his favorite sweet snack. But Marbella has dashed some of James' second hopes. Moonflower briefly took care of James a few days after Marbella's departure to the forest, then gave her report to the cat girl, that she had some health problems and had to do a healthy diet. That was the beginning of James's stealth.

Marbella moves across the tree trunk and reappears as a human. It was a great feeling of relief for James. A tad.

"I'll take this," Marbella picked up the rest of the cake with a disgusted face and ran away from James.

Moonflower observed from the top of the tree as the old white mouse walked over the house.

Wuussh's.... Once again Moonflower decided to fly around the outer side of their residence.

And the flapping of Moonflower's wings came to a halt as something crashed into her body violently before she fell to the ground in her human form.