Dolce's Story Chair - The Littlest Guardian (Part 2)

Dolce (teleporting to Dad's side): Dad! Dad! Dad!
Dad: Dolce! What are you doing here?
Dolce: Did you hear the greatest news ever?
Dad: That Mu Shue, Lilly Lu and Isis were found safe and sound.
Dolce: Yeah. I was purrty worried about them.
Dad: So was I.
Baci (teleporting to Dad's side. He, of course misjudges and slides off the far side of the bed): Dad! Did you hear...Oh Dolce is already here.She must have told you already.
Dad (winks at Dolce): Told me what?
Baci: That Mu Shue, Lilly Lu and Isis are back with their Bean Mom.
Dad: That's great news, Baci.
Baci (sticks his tongue out at Dolce): Plllhhhht!
Dolce: Did you finish the story, Dad?
Dad: Actually, I did. What happened to Mu Shue helped me finish it. I did not know how to end the story, but then Mu Shue, Lilly Lu and Isis's rescue showed me the way.
Dolce: Hooray! I'll get the snacks and munchies for everybody.
Baci: I mix up the Hot Catmilk and chill the Tuna Jooses.
Dad: Well it looks like you two are definately ready. Let's call your brother and sister over and then we will open up Dolce's Story Chair for all our furriends to listen to the last part of "The Littlest Guardian"

It had taken Cirrin many trips to Earth with his new Guardian Angel strengthened wings to understand the strange half-run half-flight gait of the Guardian Angels. He know understood why his arms and legs seemed to be at odds as he raced towards the Boundary of Heaven and Earth. His wings were given by God and so they truly understood God's chosen purpose for Cirrin, but his legs were made to mimic a human's and so they did not always understand why they were driven in the direction laid out before them. Cirrin felt the conflict across his entire being. He knew his release would come once he cast himself into the Boundary.
A faint voice in his ears shook Cirrin from his reverie. A human was calling out. Cirrin closed his eyes and listened to the human's prayers. Cirrin stretched out his Guardian enforced wings and headed for Earth.
As soon as his angelic frame crossed over the Boundary, Cirrin felt himself fall to Earth. His wings pulled against his small frame and his body plummetted towards Earth. He felt his speed of descent and realized that his mission was not critical. God gave speed to his wings when necessary. He had returned to Earth in the past with the speed of a comet across the night sky when a Beloved One was in critical danger. And other times, he had drifted down to Earth like a leaf falls to the ground in the autumn.
Cirrin slowly drifted to the ground and found himself standing behind a stocky male tuxedo coloured cat. The cat turned his gaze from his intended prey to the small Cherub with the oversized wings.
"Shhh!" The tuxedo cat said softly. "There is a butter-flingy thingy that I have been tracking for the last while and I don't want you spooking him."
"I know." Cirrin smiled as he folded his wings tightly against his body and he crouched down on the ground next to the Tuxedo Male. "You have been stalking this Butterfly for the last six hours."
"I have almost caught it about seventy times." the Tuxedo boasted. "But it always seems to just flit away at the last minute."
"You have travelled quite a ways too." Cirrin stated.
"I have?" The Tuxedo took his gaze off the butterfly and took a look around the surrounding landscape.
The Tuxedo felt a moment of panic as he suddenly realized that he recognized not a single landmark within his feline vision.
"Where is Home?" the Tuxedo asked.
"I don't know." Cirrin replied. "I'm Cirrin, by the way."
"My name is ..." the Tuxedo paused.
"You do not need to tell me your True name." Cirrin reassured the Tuxedo. "Your Human-given name will work, since that is the name that lead me to you."
"My Human-Given Name?" the Tuxedo crinkled his whiskers. "They call me Dustmeister."
"Your Humans are worried about you." Cirrin replied. "You have been gone for much longer than you think chasing that silly little buttterfly. A call from your humans went out and I was chosen to answer it."
"So where is my home?" the Tuxedo named Dustmeister asked. "I don't recognize any of these sights or scents."
"I do not know the answer to that." Cirrin said slowly. "I am only here to watch over you. Your humans are worried about you and they asked for God to look out for you. I am God's messenger to you. I am here to watch over you and to protect you."
Cirrin stopped talking suddenly. Even Dustmeister could sense that Cirrin had left something unsaid.
"So do you think you can find your way home?" Cirrin changed the tone of the conversation.
"I live at the white house next to the flowery hedge with the tall trees and a long wooden box that I can poop in." Dustmeister replied.
"Is that house nearby?" Cirrin asked again.
"I think so." the Tuxedo stated as he sniffed and tested the air. "I think it is this way."
Cirrin walked with the Tuxedo and they talked about the Tuxedo's home with his two humans. Cirrin heard stories from the Tuxedo that where never meant to be shared beyond the four walls of his home. At least he lives in a passionate and loving home, Cirrin thought as the Tuxedo shared a tale of a late night venture into the the human's sleeping room. They walked along cottonwood hedges and colourful flower beds and finely manicured grass lawns.
"I used to poop in there." Dustmeister stated as he looked at a neatly landscaped flower bed with trimmed rose bushes and a a deep cedar bark cover. "Then the human Snarky McSnarkypants got mad and started throwing things at me."
"Maybe he did not want your poop." Cirrin replied.
"I don't think so." Dustmeister snapped. "My beans collected my pooped every day. They even put it into a bag; so obviously they think its valuable."
"Dustmeister, I don't think humans think that stuff is valuable." Cirrin countered. "By the way does anything else look familiar?'
"That's the hedge where my brother, Fudge, died." Dustmeister said matter of factly.
"Oh." Cirrin replied sadly. "I didn't know you lost your brother."
"Yeah. He ran across the road and a big metal thing hit him." Dustmeister replied. "Our bean was very upset. He cried when he found Fudge in the hedge. I remembering him saying that Fudge died across the street from his home."
Cirrin looked around the neighborhood. A house glowed faintly in his angelic vision. He reached down and gently turned the Tuxedo cat's head towards the white vinyl sided house with the grey shingled roof across the street from where they stood.
"Is that your house?" Cirrin asked.
"Yes!" Dustmeister shouted happily. "Yes! That is my house."
"Well then." Cirrin smiled. "Let's get you back to your humans."
As they walked carefully across the now-quiet suburban street, Cirrin felt another tug in his Guardian Wings. Since Dustmeister was safe, the prayers for another cat were calling him elsewhere. Cirrin walked the Tuxedo named Dustmeister across the street and stayed with him until he reached the small cat door.
"Dustmeister." Cirrin tried to sound authoritative and strong. "You need to be more careful when you are chasing the flutter-bys. Always remember where you are and where your home is."
"I will." Dustmeister replied sheepishly. "Thank you for showing me the way home."
"It is your Heavenly Fathers will." Cirrin said as his wings suddenly pulled him skyward.


Cirrin felt his upward journey slow as his new charge was revealed. He tucked his wings close to his body and he flew to another location on Earth. He circled over a small black female cat crouching in the shadows of a large bush. He closed his eyes and absorbed the details of the little female's situation. He softly landed behind her still hiden by the shadows of the bush.

"What are we hunting?" Cirrin asked softly.
"Shoosh!" the female cat hissed. "There is a tasty little sparrow sitting on that branch. It could be a tasty little snack for both of us if you don't make too much noise."
"Sorry. I will try to be quiet." Cirrin gave his wings a stretch to their full extent and then snapped them sharply against his body.
The little sparrow was suddenly spooked and took off into the light blue shy.
"You did that on purpose." The little black female accused. "You warned him."
"Dearest Fresia." Cirrin said. "You do not need to hunt. Your humans provide you with plenty of food."
"Eating food is different than hunting food." Fresia replied.
"No." Cirrin replied. "Food is food. Only take what you need, leave the rest for tomorrow."
Fresia hesitated as she heard Cirrin recite one of the Rules.
"How do you know the Rules?" Fresia asked.
"I know the being who wrote the Rules." Cirrin replied. "But it is getting late and you need to get home."
"I will, but I want to show you one of my best hunting spots." Fresia replied.
Cirrin suddenly realized why he was called to the side of this young female cat. She was starting to map out her territory and was getting ready to start attracting her future mates. A natural call was staring to build within her. One that would lead to greater dangers to both her and any future mates. Somewhere there was a human who understood this and she had prayed that God would keep this little female cat safe.
"Why don't you stay inside where it is safe?" Cirrin asked Freesia.
"It's comfortable and all that." Fresia stated."But I need some excitement, some fun in my life."
"And so you darted out the door when your humans weren't looking." Cirrin finished Fresia's story. "Well they are very worried about you."
"I be home as soon as I am done exploring." Fresia explained. "There is a great herb garden across the wide hard hot plain that I have to show you."
Cirrin tensed as he recognized the feline description of a human road.
"No." Cirrin tried to distract Fresia. "I don't need to see the herb garden. Maybe we could convince your humans to grow you your own herb garden."
"I don't think so." Fresia pondered Cirrin's suggestion. "They might start it but it would soon die from neglect. Most of the plants in the house have suffered that fate."
Cirrin's Guardian Angel feathers began to stiffen and flex. Whatever danger had called him here was growing stronger and stronger.
"Come." Fresia called to Cirrin. "The best catnip is just over there."
Fresia started across the road with Cirrin following right behind her. His wings began to instinctively fold over top his shoulders as they formed the Guardian Angel position. His wings covered the small black female cat; although she was oblivious to their presense so near to her body. Cirrin knew that danger was nearby.

Cirrin saw the bright lights as they approached Freesia. Once again his True Purpose called out to him; Watch, Protect, and when all else fails, Take them Home. Cirrin dropped his cherubic hand and touched Fresia on the shoulder. There was a flash of light. Cirrin and Fresia found themselves on the far side of the road.
"See." Fresia said. "I told you there would be no problem."
"Fresia." Cirrin said softly. "Instead of you showing me your favourite herb garden, can I show you mine? It is very beautiful. And it is far prettier than anything on Earth. Maybe instead of trying to find your humans, you can wait there for them to find you."
"How will my humans find me?" Fresia was confused.
"Don't worry." Cirrin replied softly and reasurredly. "My sister, Elbereth, can explain it so much better than I can."
As the path in front of Cirrin and Fresia began to fade into a darkening mist, Cirrin took one glance back at the still lifeless body that now laid in the center of the road. An overwhelming wave of grief struck Cirrin. His Guardian Angel feathers stiffened and glowed with an eternal blaze of of hope and love. Cirrin found a surge of hope as he watched Fresia cross over to the vast meadow this side of the Rainbow Bridge. This is what a True Purpose meant; Strength when all purpose is gone, Hope when all strength is gone, and Love when all Hope is gone. Cirrin sighed. He watched as Fresia began exploring the vast meadow of the Rainbow Bridge.

Suddenly Cirrin was tossed upwards like a leaf in the wind. He tried to stretch out his wings but they were held tight against his body by the sheer urgency of the Earthly summons. Never before had Cirrin felt such a Call to Earth. He fell more than flew to Earth. Such was the speed of his journey, Cirrin could not even see the clouds part before his path. He sliced through the roof of the burning apartment building before he could even attempt to open his wings to slow his descent.
Cirrin barely managed to open his wings at the last moment as he landed forcefully in the shadows of a human closet. The sudden downward blast of wind banished the smoke that had begun to accumulate in the enclosed space. Cirrin was stunned by the force of the Call that had brought him to Earth. He had answered the calls of multiple humans before; usually two or more people who had lost a beloved pet. This was different. This was the call of hundreds of humans; all for the same three creatures. The same three creatures that now huddled under the protective tent of Cirrin's wings. Their prayers had given strength of speed and of conviction to Cirrin's flight.
"I am Cirrin." Cirrin pronounced to the three terrified bodies that huddled together beneath his wings. "Be still and know that you are loved."
"I am Isis." A siamese female wheezed and coughed through the smoke."This is my brother, Mu Shue and this is my sister, Lilly Lu."
"It is my greatest honour to meet the three of you." Cirrin smiled as he unfurled his wings to their fullest. "I am here to watch over you and to protect you. Do not fear."
"I'm not skeered." Isis stated. "But I fear for my brother and my sister for they have both been feeling poorly. Lilly Lu had just come home from the V-E-T and she was just starting to feel better."
"Are you okay, Lilly Lu?" Cirrin inquired. Silently, he worried about having to help her cross over in front of her family.
"I'll be okay." Lilly Lu said softly. "Is Mu Shue okay? He has problems that will be direly affected by this smoke."
Cirrin reached down and touched the sole male cat now under his protection. Although the male was currently breathing okay, Cirrin could sense the stress beginning to build in the male cat. Cirrin fears for the oldest female were now replaced by his concern for the male cat. The battering of wind and water on the structure warned Cirrin that a rescue was not forthcoming immediately. Cirrin tried to think of something to reassure the three cats huddling under the protective canopy of his wings.
Cirrin began to hum the song that he learned from Malachi; the song that Antonius sang to the Lost Ones when he readied them to return to Heaven. The three cats slowly settled down. Cirrin suddenly stopped as he realized what he had done. The three cats, on hearing Antonius's Song of Heaven, had begun to let go of their lives on Earth. Cirrin panicked and tried to remember the other song Malachi had taught him. Slowly the words came to him and Cirrin began the soft song that Antonius used to bind the kitten souls from Heaven to their earthly forms. The three cats began to stir, but their breathing was far too shallow and slow for Cirrin's liking. Cirrin felt the continuing strength of the prayers that had called him to Earth. The sheer power and volume brought tears to his eyes. His tears flowed over the three cowering forms.
"Brother Cirrin!" Several angelic voices called out over the human din of the firefighters and police. "Brother Cirrin!"
"I am in here!" Cirrin called out. "I am in here!"
"You are safe." Cirrin weeped softly to the three still forms underneath his wings."My brothers will help me see you safely to your human."
Cirrin watched as a human opened the closet door and found the three cats huddled in the closet. Cirrin stepped back and watched as the human guided the cats into a carrier. Just above the human, a Guardian Angel hovered. His wings were pressed up against the structure and prevented it from collapsing down onto the human. Cirrin followed the human as she hauled the carrier with his three feline charges out of the building. As Cirrin hovered over her shoulder, he noticed that the entire hallway was lined with Guardian Angels. Each was supporting a section of the charred and fire-weakened ceiling.
A tear came to Cirrin's eye as the carrier with the three cats was handed from one human to another. Isis, Lilly Lu and Mu Shue were safely back with their human. Cirrin felt an angelic hand settle on his right shoulder. Cirrin looked up. He saw the stern face of the Guardian Angel who had first summoned him to protect Ceasar. There on the Guardian Angel's cheek was the faint damp trace of a tear.
"You have done well, Cirrin." the Guardian Angel. "Never before have we been summoned for such a call. Not only were the humans praying for the felines in your care but also for the other humans who were looking for them. It gives me hope. Not just for those who prayed for such a simple miracle, but for all humans who might be able to learn from this. You actions have also caused us to reconsider whether or not cherubs can withstand the strain of a True Purpose. Just as my wing feathers granted you the means to find your True Purpose, so shall yours enable other cherubs to help you watch over and protect the lesser beings of the Earth. Spread your vision of hope and newfound wisdom, Cirrin. The creatures of the Earth need you."

The End

For Mu Shu, Lilly Lu and Isis who surely found their Guardian Angel this weekend.