[Critique Group 1] Leonard'scomments on Cleora's June sub.

[tuchyner5 at aol.com]

Well, it gets curiouser and curiouser.  Why did you give Sitting one of your names. 




 


Is sitting stubborn? Are you stubborn. 




 


Who is grasshopper in the normal world? 




 


Is Sitting going to become Sly Duck, who happensto be a protector of avians. 




 


Anyway, we have a new character to consider in thewhole scheme of things. 




 


Howver, it seems to be having a clarrifying effectrather than complicating the story further. 




 


Things do seem to be making more sense.  I’m enjoying the whole story. 




 


I suspect that Sitting will start being moreaggressive and confident of herself.  




 


You have given her a firmer hold on her place andpower. She’s not going to let them kick her around anymore.  




 


Sitting will not be sitting the rest of the sagaout. The passive Duck is on the rise. Tune in same time, same station. Goodwriting. 




 



 


Dread Demonplaced Grasshopper in the carrier and strapped it on Sitting's head. 




 



 


Sitting drew herhead back into the cage and immediately rammed it against the top of the cage.She felt a sharp pain as the carrier dug into her scalp, but didn't collapseand crush Grasshopper, as expected. Stunned, she shook her head to clear it.She repeated the act. Again, the carrier was undamaged. She shook her headviolently trying to throw Grasshopper out. Nothing. Dread She tried banging herbill against the floor, but Grasshopper didn’t fall out. An attempt to scrapeit off against the bar failed as well. No matter what, It remained securelyfastened. Finally, exhausted, she rested her bill on the floor of the cage.




 


Dread Demon satcalmly. Waiting, his arms crossed over his chest.




 


There was a tapat the door, and stalker stepped in. Dread Demon looked around. Seeing thegrave look on Stalker's face, he nodded, and rose.




 


“I'll leave youtwo to work it out,” He said, and turned to follow Stalker out the door.




 


“Is that it?”Grasshopper asked.




 


“No,” saidSitting. “As soon as I get my bill on you, you are lunch.”




 


Grasshopperraised the windshield. ‘Can you hear me?’ he thought.




 


“Get your filthy,lying, traitor, thoughts out of my mind,” Sitting demanded.




 


‘Did you knowthat it is impossible to lie telepathically?’ Grasshopper thought.




 


“So?” quackedSitting.




 


‘If I tell yousomething telepathically, you will be able to tell if it is a lie,’ thoughtGrasshopper.




 


Sittingconsidered this.




 


‘Why do you thinkI'm a traitor?’ thought Grasshopper.




 


“I heard you backat the castle. I wasn't asleep. I heard everything,” she said.




 


Grasshopper wassilent for a moment. “What did you hear?”




 


“I heard you andDread Demon talking about disabling the protections, so the enemy could stealthe resources.”




 


“That was so hisfriends could retrieve the resources from the province that was about todissolve.”




 


“What do you meandissolve?”




 


Grasshoppergroaned. “There is so much you don't understand.”




 


“Yeh, really?And, why is that?” Sitting started swishing her head back and forth trying toshake Grasshopper out of the carrier.




 


“Stop that!”shouted Grasshopper. “You have got to be the most stupid, pigheaded,aggravating, stubborn,...,” he paused unable to think of more adjectives. “duckI've ever met,” Grasshopper shouted. “After all we've been through together,how can you think I'm a traitor. Did it ever occur to you that you didn't heareverything? That maybe you don't know everything?” Grasshopper braced himselfin the carrier to ride out the storm. Finally, Sitting, dizzy and exhausted,settled down and stretched her neck out in front of her.




 


‘I am not atraitor,’ thought Grasshopper at Sitting. ‘Dread Demon is our friend. He sentstalker to find us. He is the leader of an alliance. He wants to help.’




 


Sittingconsidered this. “Why can't I throw you out of the carrier, or crush it? Youwent flying out every time I so much as breathed hard before.”




 


“Dred Demon hadone of his weapons makers reinforce it. It is a hard shell material coveredwith the leaf like piece it was made of originally. He also put a harness in itso I'm more secure. The magical windshield and visor are attached to the shellwith clips. It is more sturdy now and won't break as easily. Want to try outthe invisibility?”




 


Sitting thoughtfor a while. “No,” she said finally. “How do I know I can trust you and thisDread Demon? How do I know you are not both on the side of the enemy?”




 


‘Are you alive?’Grasshopper thought at Sitting?




 


‘Yes,’ shethought back.




 


‘If we were theenemy, why did we not kill you when we got the chance?’




 


‘You want to keepme alive to surrender,’ she thought back. She stuck her head between the barsand started trying to pull the carrier off. The strap tightened around herthroat. Coughing, she continued to pull.




 


‘How long are yougoing to keep this up?’ Grasshopper thought at her.




 


‘Until I get youoff and have you for lunch,’ she thought back.




 


‘Did you know youare one of the most stupid, irritating, stubborn, frustrating...’ Grasshopperthought.



This sounds like a love scene.




 


“You said thatalready,” Sitting said as she continued trying to pull the carrier off.




 


“Stop it,already!” shouted Grasshopper. “Just listen to me. If we were going to bringyou back to make you surrender, why bring you all the way to Dread Demon'scastle?” reasoned Grasshopper.




 


Her head andthroat sore, Sitting sat back and stretched her neck out in front of her again.“Okay, why should I believe you?”



At this point, it’s been established that  you can’t lie tellapathically. So why doesn’t Grasshopper point that out?




 


“You can't haveheard everything. If you had, you would understand what's going on,” saidGrasshopper.




 


The door handleturned, and Dread Demon walked in. “I see you tried to get the carrier off.Look, you rubbed your feathers off and your neck is all red,” said Dred Demon.“Why are you doing that?”




 


“She thinks weare helping the enemy,” said Grasshopper.




 


“I can understandwhy she would be confused,” said Dread Demon. “You just sit quietly, and I'llexplain what's been going on, and how I think I can help.”




 


Sitting sat withher head stretched out, and said nothing.




 


“She thinks wetook the resources from Hades Legions,” said Grasshopper.




 


“I disabled theprotections on the province that was about to dissolve, and sent messages tothe thieves and attackers in Hades Legions letting them know it was open sothey could get the resources,” said Dread Demon.




 


“I don't believeyou,” mumbled Sitting.




 


Dread Demonreached for one of the scrolls laying on the table. He unrolled it and held itup so Sitting could see it.




 


It was a copy ofthe news from the kingdom of Hades Legions. Itlisted several attempts to take resources from Aeosil, the province whereStalker captured her. Then, there were lines showing attempts were succeeding.




 


She recognizedthe province names as being from her kingdom. Then, the last line was “Alas,the once proud province of Aeosil has collapsedand lies in ruins.”




 


“You helped themkill one of my provinces,” she accused. “All the people I thought were myfriends are really traitors, too.” she exclaimed.




 


“No,” said DreadDemon. “The province was about to die. The ruler had abandoned it. After 3days, a province dies if there is no one there to take care of it. The samething will happen to The Chrystal Pond If you don't get back soon.” 




 


Sittings gizzardclinched. Could this be true? 




 


Dread Demoncontinued, “I know all this is new and confusing. I know you are stilluncertain that you want to get involved. I want to help. You see, I've beenwatching this war between Hades Legions and Silent Enigma. The truth is, HadesLegions is holding its own in the war, but Silent Enigma appears to have someexternal help. Every time someone from your kingdom makes an attack, a provincefrom a kingdom outside the war attacks them while their troops are away. Then aprovince from Silent Enigma attacks them again. I consider this dishonorable. Iam the leader of a powerful alliance. What we do is try to help kingdoms likeyours fight kingdoms like Silent Enigma. We will not interfere other than tokeep outsiders from ganging up on you. We will just make it so that whateveryou decide to do, it is because it is what you want to do, not because you werebullied into it.”




 


Dread Demonshowed her the figures he had compiled from the scrolls Stalker brought back,and information he had gathered on his own.




 


At the start ofthe trouble, Hades legions had been larger than Silent Enigma. During the war, herkingdom had captured 2,866 acres and lost 3,611 acres. 686 of those acres wentto outside attackers.




 


“I don't have anyway to track resources, but based on my analysis, The war would be even withoutthe outside interference. I have already sent a message to the king of SilentEnigma telling him I know what he’s doing, and warning him that I will declarewar on his kingdom if he doesn't stop. But, I wanted to be sure you are alrightwith me interfering. If you would rather handle this yourself, I’ll back off.Either way, what Silent Enigma is doing is dishonorable, and when their warwith you is over, I and my allies will force them into a war to teach them tofight fair.: Sitting raised her head abruptly at that. “No, I'm not going tohave multiple kingdoms attacking them the way they are doing you. My allieswill take on anyone that tries to help them. They will have to deal with me bythemselves.”




 


“I don'tunderstand,” said sitting. “Why are you doing this?”




 


“The Land of Legends is an old and respected land.Or, at least it was until some evil despicable groups began to move in and takeover some of the weaker kingdoms. Some of us larger, established kingdoms haveformed alliances to drive those people out, or at least stop them fromprofiting unfairly from others.”




 


“So, what do youneed from me?” asked Sitting.




 


“I would like usto be allies.”




 


“What does thatmean?”




 


“I will help youthis time. Then, maybe some time in the future, I might have a similar problemwith another kingdom, and you will come to my aid.”



This sounds a little like the maffia.




 


“Oh,” saidSitting. “I just have one little province. How could I help you against a wholekingdom.”




 


“Not you byyourself,” said Dread Demon. “You and your kingdom.”




 


“Oh,” saidSitting, :I think I would have to talk to the others in the kingdom beforemaking that kind of commitment.”




 


“I understand,”said Dread Demon. “If you are willing, I will help you now, and then what everyour kingdom decides will be ok.”




 


Sitting's headwas swimming. It was a lot to take in.




 


“I don't mean topressure you, but if you are going to decide to do this, you need to get backto The Crystal Pond before its time is up, or it will collapse the same asAeosil.”




 


“How is myprovince doing?” she asked.




 


“I sent spies togather information on it earlier. It is being hit pretty hard. Your kingdommates are supporting you, as promised, but it needs you at the helm.” He smiledat her confidently. “If you are going to stay, and see this matter through, Iwill send warnings to the other provinces that are interfering, with yourpermission. And, there is one other thing I need to make you aware of.”




 


To be continued…




 


_______________________________________________



Group1 mailinglist



Group1 at bluegrasspals.com



http://bluegrasspals.com/mailman




 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://bluegrasspals.com/pipermail/group1/attachments/20190628/58937b35/attachment-0001.html>