Egyptan1

It had been who knows how long since you'd visited that cottage out in the forest. As a matter of fact, it had been a long time since you've even thought about Jennifer and Cacora, and it would have continued to be that way if you hadn't seen someone walking down the street with another Egyptis cocoon in their arms one day.

"I wonder how they're doing..." you asked your friend Chris as the two of you popped into the local general store. "Wonder how who's doing?" he said as he grabbed a candy bar from one of the racks. "Jennifer and Cacora...you remember, the girl and her Egyptis cocoon I met that time I got lost out in the woods." "Oh yeah, them..." he muttered, rolling his eyes. Everyone thought you had just imagined the whole thing...eaten some bad mushrooms or something like that...and evidently, Chris still didn't believe you. "Some friend you are..." you say, a bit annoyed as you paid for a soda and Chris did the same for his candy bar. I should go back and see how they're doing...maybe Cacora's hatched...you thought as you headed home. Now where'd I put that amulet?

After finding the amulet in your junk drawer (and stopped feeling bad for throwing it in there), you slipped the leather cord around your neck and headed out for the edge of town. You figured the best way to get there was do what you did last time...go for a walk. After getting completely lost again, you sighed, looking around with a bit of confusion in your eyes. "Now...how in the world am I supposed to use this thing to get to Jennifer's cottage?" you grumbled, picking up the amulet and looking at the intricate designs carved into the shiny gold surface. Suddenly, it began to glow, and you jumped back in total shock as a bright beam of light darted out to your right. "I guess that's how..." you laughed, and took off in the direction of the beam.

It was just starting to become twilight again when a speck of light came into view. Grinning to yourself, you pushed on through that same ridge of bushes and stumbled, not onto the front lawn, but the back yard of Jennifer's property. Those same strange, glass encased torches went around the perimeter, giving light to a cobblestone path that started just a few feet from where you had appeared and wound it's way up to a quiet porch at the backside of the house. A beautiful flower garden had been planted on either side of the path, beginning at the porch's edge and stopping five feet from it's starting point. All kinds of flowers had been planted there...and while some where closing their petals for the night, others (particularly some huge white blossoms that scented the air with a delicate fragrance) were just starting to bloom.

On the left side of the path, after the garden ended, there was a fish pond made from strong stones. A waterfall tumbled down into the pool, constantly supplying the water with fresh oxygen for whatever fished that made their homes there. Sitting on the side of the pond was none other then Jennifer herself, laughing as she playfully splashed at...wait a minute! Could that be? No...that couldn't be...

Cacora had hatched into an Egyptis cub! And just like Jennifer said...it was
a foxlike creature with five tails and two sets of wings. Oh, it was a beautiful
thing. Two dark shades of purple made up most of it's body with two
stripes on it's rump that were a third, even darker purple. Completely
forgetting you had come unannounced, you walked forward, exclaiming
happily "Jennifer, it's beautiful!" Of course, your words scaredJennifer and
the hatched Cacora half out of their wits. The Egyptis cub turned and growled
at you, being very protective of it's owner until Jennifer patted it's head,
saying with a laugh. "It's ok, Browen. This is an old friend of mine..."

An apologetic smile lays on your face as you take a seat beside Jenn and...
Browen was the name now?...saying with your own laugh. "I'm sorry for
sneaking up on you like that, Jennifer ...I completely..." "It's ok...don't worry about it," she assures you, gently scratching Browen behind (his? her?) ears.

"I'm sure you remember Cacora," she grins, and Browen narrows a set of glowing yellow eyes at her, letting off an annoyed yip. Not Cacora anymore... you "hear" in your mind, and look with blinking eyes at the Egyptis. "Was...was that..." "Yep, that was him," Jennifer said, smiling proudly at her little cub.

"So it's a boy..." you comment, holding out your hand to Brown's black little nose as he crawled over to inspect you. Ok...you sure? Smells funny... were the cub's broken thoughts as he sniffed your fingers. "Yes Browen, I'm sure..." she chuckled to her pet, then smiled at you. "Yes...a little boy. A mischievous little kit," she grinned, giving a love-tug to one of the cub's tails. Browen turned to gently nip at her fingers before returning his attention to you, standing on your knees to sniff at your face. You had to bite your tongue to keep from laughing as he pressed a cold snout to your nose, then licked away the traces of lunch that lingered on your lips...ones only his sensitive senses could find. Tasty...ok now... he yipped before jumping down and curling up at Jennifer's feet. The little words got both you and Jennifer laughing, causing Browen to tilt his head curiously at you two. Silly.

After your laughter died down, you and Jennifer caught up on the times you had missed. She told you about the day Browen hatched...how she was sitting out front by the fire, just about this time, and he used his little claws to rip his way out of the cocoon.

"Why did you name him Browen?" you asked. No like Cacora...girl's name. came a smug reply from the cub. Jennifer smirked, scratching between his eyes...causing the kit to close the amber orbs and murr in delight. "Browen is my version of the name 'Bronwen,' which means 'dark and pure' in Welsh. I liked the meaning, but not the way it sounded, so I changed it a bit to my liking," she said. "Sounds like a good idea..." you replied, grinning at the now sleeping topic-of-talk.

That was when you remembered Jennifer telling you about the different tribes, and in a quieter voice, you asked "What tribe is he of?" Jennifer chuckled. "Tribe Twilight. That I should have guessed...his mother left him with me just around that time...and the few days before he hatched, he was most active at twilight, too. And no reason to lower your voice...Browen could sleep through a hurricane." You both started to laugh, that is until a very tired (and very annoyed) voice broke your mirth. Not...funny. were Browen's last thoughts before he completely dozed off. The two of you chuckled again as Jennifer stood, scooping the cub into her arms and walking down the path to her cottage, whispering over her shoulder "You'll stay again, of course..." then disappeared into the house. "Of course," you grin...and follow her inside.

The next morning, as you were getting ready to leave, you explained to Jennifer how no one believed you had been to visit them. "Well...we can't have that," she said with a frown, and promptly plunked a feather from Browen's wing. Pain! came the cub's sharp yelp as he sent a glare at his owner. "It'll grow back," she said after leaning to place a kiss on his nose, then gave the feather to you. "This will change their minds...and help you come back again," she said with a knowing smile. You smiled as well, taking the feather and thanking her for everything. With a wave, you returned home...and this time, no one laughed when you told them about the girl and her Egyptis in the forest...