As he lay in the thick underbrush, stunned by the explosion, Samba of the Cat Pe ople remembered his brothers departure

this very morning, how they embarked from the village for the capital, Orgala, to seek fortune in the princes army - how they denied his request to accompany them, because, they said, he was too young - and how he followed them without thier knowing. Along the route a patrol of l ocust soldiers appeared and a battle ensued. A bomb that strayed out of the ba ttle zone sent debris in his direction, hitting his head, knocking him down. His limbs rattled as he tried to stand. "I must rescue my brothers before they become meals for the locust men, he thought, and followed their trail through t he woods. It wasn't long until he came upon the Node, hanging by it's tail from the limb o f a tree. (Nodes are apt to do that from time to time.) Samba related his stor y and asked for help, to which the Node replied, "It's a pity youre brothers wer e captured by the Locust men, but such is the way of life. The Locust men will eat them, and you too, if you go any farther. Everything that lives in black fo rest is subject to their will - and their apatite." "Even you?" Samba asked. "Ha-ha! I don't live in Black Forrest - I'm not even alive - I just exist as a figment of your imagination. You have need for me, therefore, I am. I can do n o more for you than what you can do for yourself." "I don't understand about any of that, Sir. I don't care about anything except my brothers. Will you help me to free them or not?" "All right," said the Node. "I'll help you, but only with advise - I'm more of a lover than a fighter. Well, not even that, really. Hehe. Nevermind . . . Ju st remember two things if you want to save your brothers and not get caught by t he locust men yourself. First, let instinct guide you upon entering the caverns of the locust men. Second, rely on reason to get you out. I know it sounds ea sy, but it is not." Samba nodded his furry head in affirmation and took off. He arrived at the moun d where the locust people lived. Under the cover of darkness, he scaled it to t he summit and then descended into the pit at its center. Inside he saw the bridge of bones that lead across the larva beds. . . After crossing the larva beds and overcoming the three challenges, Samba came to a huge silk screen that barred his way. Behind the screen he saw two figures wrapped in cocoons and huddled in a corner. They were Tana and Kob, his brothe rs. He drew his sword and slashed through the silken barrier to free them. "Sa mba!" they exclaimed in unison. "Yes, brothers, it is I! Quickly! take up your weapons and let us go before the Locust men find us out." "We have only our knives, "Kob protested. "Then bare them," Samba ordered, "and let's away, for I sense mpending danger!" When they reached the bridge Kob spoke at seeing an awful sight. "Look Brothers. The bridge across the larva beds is burning in hot flames of fi re. We must find another way." "Stay brother," Samba told Kob. The locust men are crafty. They have arranged

a deception to dissuade us from crossing. This is only an illusion; the flames do not burn hot. For, see there, the larva below are not affected by them at al l. Follow me - we go this way." And rather than stay to be eaten alive by the evil locust men, Tana and Kob followed Samba. At the entrance of the mound they met fierce resistance, but overcame it with ve ngeful fury. At the conclusion of the fray, the thunder-cats stood victorious in the morning light. "This dawn heralds the birth of a warrior," Tana said. "No! Not so!" Kob, the eldest, corrected. Samba looked down, dejected, and slow ly turned to walk away. Hadn't he proven himself? Not by the tone of Kob's voi ce, or so it seemed. But then he felt Kob's furry paw hold him by the shoulder. When Samba faced him, Kob was smiling; then his booming voice shook the trees and echoed in the mountains. "This dawn heralds the birth of a team!" Tana was happy for his little brother, and Samba himself was ecstatic. And so, together, the three finished the journey to Orgala, news of the adventure preced ing them.