This is a story well known to those who know it well.  A tale of fear, and shame, and mighty heroes on a quest to right a terrible wrong.  And as such tales sometimes do, it starts on a hot summer afternoon, with the sun beating down and making the bees and butterflies drowsy, and the cats comfortably warm...

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The garden is neutral space for the local cats, with a flat-roofed shed that makes a good place to sit and survey the surrounding area.  The roof is accessible from the top of a nearby fence, and there are usually at least a few cats laying about up there, discussing important cat business.

Today, the last day of a blazing hot June, is no exception.  The conversation has been largely concerned with rumours of Boggins, with occasional diversions into the deteriorating mouse population in the nearby fields, and whether or not these new-fangled red dots are all they're cracked up to be as a form of entertainment.

Mister Pig, Dreamcatcher to his friends, is the last to arrive this day, and sits at the furthest corner of the roof.  Even the most oblivious of those present can sense that something is troubling him.

Miss Cuddles was laying near the edge of the roof and although it might look like she had been dozing, she had perfected the knack of watching everything around her through semi-closed eyes, so was aware of Dreamcatcher and his mood.

Her human had gone out for a daily swim at the local health club, so the nice weather made it a good day to socialise with her friends.  With a yawn and a stretch, she rose gracefully from where she was sprawled and meandered over to Dreamcatcher, butting him gently in the side with her head, before laying down next to him, her front legs crossed like a very proper cat!

"What's the matter Dreamcatcher?  I've heard it said that a problem shared is a problem halved and, I figure with all of us we could get better odds than that."  As she waited for Dreamcatcher to respond, Miss Cuddles began licking her paws ... it was never an inappropriate time for self-grooming, at least to her mind!

"Hello there, Mister Pig. What does seem to be the problem?" Bones Fleabag crept up around the cat, stepping gently around Miss Cuddles to take a rather close look at his face, contorting his body as needed.

It was a little rare for Sunny to be out in the daylight. Normally, he slept all day while the boy was at school. However, the summer was different. The family had recently gone to visit the grandmother, so Sunny had been lazing about the neighborhood all week catching up with the other cats. He was just telling the story about the time he caught a cardinal on the wing when Mister Pig arrived looking dejected. He listened to what was the matter.

Sir Percy Higgleton III (all right, Higgles, then, since he's surrounded by philistines!) lazily opens an eye by half.

"Yes, do let us know," he says with a yawn. "A problem shared is a problem halved, as they say."
This message was last edited by the player at 05:22, Wed 23 Sept 2020.