A Cats Tale

  Chapter Two

  I grew fast and was soon following mom on her patrols. I had the best teacher and was quick to learn the skills needed to be a great killer, yet I had a gentle streak as well. This last part drew the attention of the queen and her nephew. I spent my time when off patrols hanging out with him and following him about the palace grounds. The boy liked to rub my fur and watch me perform my duties on patrol. He was also the one who named me. “Aten,” the boy said, “You are a great warrior! I can only hope to become half as skilled as you. A swift and merciless killer at times, yet you also have the gentleness to be beloved by those around you, even my uncle sees your greatness.”

  I thought, “I just do as I was taught.” My eyes diverted to where Mom was stalking her prey in the granary yard. I saw her a make swift meal out of a fat rat that was trapped in a crack.

  As I grew in favor with the royal family so did my acceptance in the palace proper. I was welcome in the chamber of the queen and the nephew, as well as the throne room. King Akhenaten saw my presence at war counsel as a good omen. I had heard that the Pharaoh had once been great in battle, but age had slowed his once masterful military mind. I was present when the beautiful Queen Nefertiti posed for statues of her; she would stroke my fur as a distraction to posing. I had even heard that the nephew of the queen, whom I had grown very fond of, would become king before too long. This was due to the fact that the king and queen had only produced daughters. The boy was to wed one of them and ascend to the throne.

  “Let’s go for a ride,” Nefertiti called to her nephew, “I’ll let you drive my chariot!”

  “OK, but I want Aten to come as well.” he called back.

  “A little protection is always welcome,” she said, “most certainly, bring him!” Meanwhile, I had been stalking a scorpion as it scurried along the tile toward the throne room, when I heard the call from the boy I slammed my massive paw squarely on the scorpion, sending it instantly into the next life. I turned and trotted off toward the calling voice.

  The queen and the boy were pulling out of the palace gates in the chariot when I came rounding the palace steps. In what had become a game to the boy, and me, I kicked it up into pursuit speed. The speed that I reached as I passed the palace guards had them shaking their heads in disbelief and in what has also become a tradition, I zipped through the closing gate with barely a stone to spare. The dust was kicking up high behind the racing chariot as I caught up, and with one great leap landed flatly on the chariot platform at the feet of my friend and the queen.

  “Where are we going?” the boy asked his aunt.

  “To the Valley of the Kings.” came her response, “To pay our respects to the great Pharaohs of the past and to ask of them to impart their wisdom to you, my future king.”

  “A perilous outing indeed.” he said, “I am comforted in knowing that Aten is along to protect us from grave robbers and thieves!” I looked up at the mention of my name, but was more interested in the passing scenes as we raced along the Nile, through Thebes and up to the Valley of the Kings.

  I had been on other chariot rides before with the young king to be, but never had they passed this way. The river was loaded with barges that drifted and made their way to distant markets. We saw great stone statues along the way and more as they approached the Valley of the Kings. As we entered the area I could feel eyes upon us, and this brought me to full alert. They tied up the chariot and walked to the tomb area, the queen noted that construction was going well on the tomb that would hold her and Akhenaten when they passed. They saw that a few articles scattered about proved the thieves were busy as well. This left an impression on the young boy and gave him some ideas as to how better protect his tomb when the time came.

  As the boy and the queen entered the new tomb area I nervously scanned the surrounding stones that contained many areas that could keep a snake hidden and in a position to strike out at a passing leg or arm. I also couldn’t shake the feeling that we were being watched. The boy was busy talking to the queen and did not see the snakes coiled on the rocks he was about to pass.

  I caught them mid-strike, one in my mouth and the other with my paw. The one under my paw was ripped to shreds as I spun to send the snake that was in my mouth slamming into the rocks. The force of the blow sent pieces of the snake showering down like rain. “You never cease to amaze me Aten! This must be at least thirty times you have saved my life!” the boy said, after he recovered from the shock of what he had just witnessed. He and the queen entered the tomb.

  “Just as fast as your mother.” came a voice from up above me. This was startling enough to cause me to jump almost ten feet away from the voice, into the rocks. “Just as jumpy, too!” the voice laughed, “So the rumor is true, the palace guards took out poor Horus, but not before he gave her you! Welcome Grandson! Welcome home.” I looked up into the rocks above me and saw a mau that was equal my size and more.

  “You know of me and my mother?” I asked the stranger, “You know of my father?”

  “Know you?” the older mau chuckled, “Why, boy, you are the spitting image of me as a youngster. Plus you have the color of your mother, which she got from her Mom. As for the tale of your creation, I may be some distance from the palace, but news of that event carried far down the Nile. I am Anubis, your Grandpaw, I was named after the God of the Dead because I patrol and protect the tombs. Your father, the unfortunate Horus, used to patrol here with me.”

  The queen, with nephew in tow, chose that moment to leave the tomb and discovered me staring up at the large leopard-mau mix. The boy picked up a rock, but before he could hurl it in the direction of Anubis, he was gone. “Come, Aten,” said the boy, “time to head over to the temple.” With that, we walked back down the path and over to the temple of the kings, followed secretly by Anubis.

  As the boy and queen entered the temple I stayed outside and my Grandpaw reappeared. “It was I who suggested to Horus to check in on your Mom, for I had not seen her in years.” he said, “He reported back about what a great hunter she had become. I could tell that he had become fascinated with her and that something like what happened might occur, but I never thought Horus would get hurt in the process. You have the blood of excellent hunters running through your veins and endless courage and loyalty. I have already heard of your exploits and the favor you have in the human world, but be careful, my son, for these humans have a strange way of rewarding loyalty.”

  “What do you mean by that, Grandpaw?” I asked, without realizing just how good it felt calling this old mau by that name, “Strange?”

  Anubis uneasily answered, “You know that I have been patrolling here for a very long time. I have seen many burials that have taken place, from small ceremonies to large full-blown ones. Every ceremony has the same routine. First comes the dead, next the family, followed by the things that the dead one loved most in life and what they wanted with them in the next life, mostly food and wealth. Sometimes though, that included pets, and sometimes slaves and such.”

  “I can understand that.” I replied back, “So?”

  “Some of the things that go in never come back out!” cried Anubis, “Especially the pets and slaves.”

  I finally understood what my Grandpaw was saying about rewarding loyalty. The truly loyal servants had made themselves so indispensable that the king needed them in the afterlife as well, this meant death prematurely in this life. I could see that I was already a candidate for this early entry into the afterlife, but the boy who would be king is young and by all rights he would most certainly outlive me! It is at this time that the young boy and queen reappeared from the temple and headed toward the awaiting chariot. I called out a hasty goodbye to my newly discovered Grandpaw and he called back for me to tell Mom that he is doing well and missed her.

  On the ride back I kept thinking about the things I had learned today, and counted myself fortunate for having traveled along. I
met my Grandpaw! I learned of my father, Horus! I couldn’t wait to tell Mom of this, but even though I was glad to have this new knowledge of my family, it had come with a harsh realization of what could happen if the king so wished.