I know I said last week that I wasn’t going to be making a whole month out of these cats’n mice in Harley 6563, but the resulting protests in every major city ((And also Houston, which was kind of overkill, guys.)) have moved me to reconsider. But before I go on, I do warn you, the image of a cat playing a rebec above ((From much earlier in the MS.)) is false advertising. ((And only placed here so that I didn’t have to give the end of the story away when I post this to Facebook. Preview pictures are my bane.)) The fate of the Harley kittys is not so sanguine. Click on the ‘Read More’ below only if you are prepared for feline tragedy.
If you’ll remember, when last we left our grey stripey kitties, one was avenging the death and defenestration of his stripey kinsman. We rejoin the epic battle a few pages later, where we find the mice have elected a single champion to face down the kitty on the field of battle:
Click to enlarge, svp
For some reason, the grey cat has decided to use a new weapon, forgoing crossbow for longbow. Now, given my recent experience fighting Elizabeth’s longbows in Civ V, ((Seriously, if Sid Meier is right, longbows are a useful addition to your army even if you have modern artillery.)) I was wholly unprepared for the outcome of this battle. And that’s the last warning you get before I show you the end of our story:
You probably shouldn't click to enlarge. It'll just make it hurt more.
I call foul. There’s no way a mouse has the upper body strength to hurl a spear all the way across the margin into the poor kitty’s heart. But the illuminator and I do not see eye to eye. Alack, alay, etc. Do not ask for whom the grey cat plays his rebec. He plays for thee, sweet cat prince, he plays for thee.
But, I gotta admit, that grey striped kitty sure is cute as he begs for his life.