Dolce's Story Chair - Jingles and the Homecoming Part 4

Dad: This was supposed to be a Christmas Story. Unfortunately, I have been very bad about delivering these stories. But then I found that the stories are less about Christmas and more about the power of love. I have given hints about what happens in the precursor to this story, Jingles and the Wishbringer. I had trouble finishing this story in the world of Jingles and the North Pole. Today, I read a story that let me know that what I write has a hope of being true. Please leave this blog and read this story A Meeting at the Bridge. I never saw this story before, but it is so close to what I had plotted for the Wishbringer storyline that it scared me. My ending was much happier (sort of), but far less reaffirming. One thing it did tell me was that Antonius, Dulcinea, Malachi and Elbereth are real, we just need to see the signs...

Welcome to the Story Chair

Jingles and The Homecoming (Part 4)


Jingles sat helplessly as Sammy and Tinker pulled tools and devices from every nook and cranny of their workbench. Some looked familiar but others looked strange and somewhat dangerous.

"You will need at least two of these." Sammy said as he placed two multifaceted crystal-looking snowflake globes on the table.

"Two?" Tinker asked. "Is that enough?"

"You're right." Sammy thought aloud. "I would take more of those and less of the Tinsel Security Rope."

"I would also add a second Fructose Thermogenerator Cake." Tinker added. "If you get caught in Alberta Clipper, you might need it."

"Good Point." Sammy replied as he took another small green and red circular cake from an upper shelf.

"Remember." Jingles interrupted. "I have to carry all this stuff"

Jingles, Sammy and Tinker looked at the large pile of gizmos, gadgets and North Pole tech that was sitting on the floor of the garage.

"I am not carrying any of that." Tanaraq stated sharply. "I am not a pack mule."

"OK." Sammy replied. "At a bare minimum, you need to take one Fructose Generator, two Star Sparklers, an Icing Sugar Escape Screen, and several Gingerbread Survival Cookies. Here are your goggles. Do not set off a Star Sparkler without wearing these. They will blind everything within twenty five feet for at least fifteen minutes."

"Trust me." Sangilak added. "Those things are bright."

"What else do I need?" Jingles asked.

Sammy looked at Tinker and then at Sangilak. He then sheepishly looked at Tanaraq.

"You will need these." Sammy held out two custom made leather harnesses. "These will help you ride... I mean accompany Sangilak and Tanaraq. Their gate is nothing like a Reindeer's. You are used to riding a North Pole Reindeer. Sangilak has a unique and a most aggressive pace to his stride."

"He means that I run without care to those apon my back." Sangilak said proudly.

"I will not wear that." Tanaraq snarled defiantly.

"Mate." Sangilak rubbed his nose against his mate's. "It is not degrading when one carries one's friends. We both sensed that there is a Greater Path to our quest otherwise we would not be here."

"Tanaraq." Sammy stated as he held out the harness. "This was created by our best leather makers and husbanders. They have maintained the leather works of Santa's sleigh for the last millenium. They build harnesses and binders that are weightless to the wearer and only respond to the purest of commands. They made these two just for you and Sangilak. They bear all the love that they had for the Wishbringer."

Tanaraq sniffed at the leather harnesses in Sammy's hands. She suddenly took a step backwards.

"What is it, my Mate?" Sangilak asked.

"The harness smells like..." Tanaraq paused. "It smells like a long joyous run on a frozen lake."

"It is part of the magic of the North Pole." Tinker smiled. "While you wear the harness, that is what it will feel like. A long joyous run on a frozen lake. You do not submit to wearing this harness. It is given as gift. A gift that the craftsmen have tried to build into every seam and stitch so that the wearer bears it with joy and hope."

"Very well." Tanaraq bowed her head. "You may bind me with this abomination."

Sammy pulled the harness over Tanaraq's head and secured it to her frame. He placed a kiss on her head.

"May all the gifts you bear reach their chosen destination." Sammy said softly. "May you bear them with love and true purpose. May they protect you as you protect them."

"What was that?" Tanaraq asked.

"It is a blessing we give to every creature that bears a burden or load from the North Pole." Sammy replied.

"We are ready." Sangilak stated fiercely. He felt the need to chase the Great Northern Wind.

Jingles pulled his green woolen coat tightly against his body and then he jumped onto the harness on Sangilak's back.

"We will be back as soon as we can." Jingles said as he tried to hold onto to Sangilak's back as the wolf jumped and circled excitedly.

"Godspeed." Santa said as he watched Jingles, Sangilak and Tanaraq sprint out of the Main Garage and away from the North Pole.

Santa stood proudly as he watched his friend cross the horizon. He felt a long lost presence at his feet and the presence of a beloved friend. Elbereth and Myrrh stood next to Santa as they too watched Jingles, Sangilak and Tanaraq leave the North Pole.

"Will they succeed?" Santa asked the two hidden beings.

"That is up to Tanaraq." Myrrh replied. "I gave my last breath to her. And though she does not know it, everything is up to her."

To be continued...

Thanks for snuggling with us, come back soon.

Dolce's Story Chair: Jingles and The Homecoming

Dad: It's been a while since I was here with my beloved furriends. I have missed each and every one of you. I would like to say that work took me away, but the real reason is that I still miss my beloved Magoo. Everytime I tried to write, I found myself thinking of him and missing him. Dolce and Baci have tried to fill his pawprints. I love them more than I can possibly say, but they are not Magoo. There is a hole that I do not believe will ever be filled. How can you ever replace a creature that was always there when you were sick? A furry nurse that believed by sheer force of will he could purge any illness from the room by simply pressing his body against yours.

For Magoo, I give you the next part of the story, Jingles and The Homecoming...

Welcome to the Story Chair

Jingles and The Homecoming (Part 3)

Everyone stood silently in the main garage at the North Pole. It had been many years since Myrrh had followed her True Path. Jingles moved towards Sangilak and Tanaraq.

"Myrrh is no longer amongst us." Jingles said softly. "Her name appearred on the Scrolls three years ago. She waits at Rainbow Bridge for her Beloved Human."

Sangilak looked at his mate, Tanaraq in disbelief.

"Sammy. Tinker." Sangilak pleaded to his old companions. "I bore you both with Myrrh south to the human settlement. I know your scent as well as hers. Believe me when I say that I bring news of Myrrh."

"That is not possible." Jingles replied. "Myrrh is gone."

"She is not gone!" Sangilak snarled. "I have found her scent. She is not gone!"

"Sangilak." Jingles stood his ground. "Myrrh passed three years ago as Humans count time. I saw her name on the Beloved Scroll myself. Elbereth told me the night she passed."

"But I caught her scent." Sangilak replied. "It was as if she was there. It was the only thing that prevented..."

"Prevented what?" Sammy stepped forward.

Tanaraq spoke first.

"We were on a Hunt." Tanaraq stated. "We were near a Human settlement. It has been a hard winter and wild prey has been difficult to find..."

There was a hesitation in Tanaraq's voice.

"Tanaraq." Santa placed his hand on her muscular shoulder. "You are a creature of the Wild, You bear no blame for your nature."

"Our Pack found easier prey near a Human settlement." Tanaraq continued. "We found a abandoned house that had easy prey for the Pack to hunt. We feasted easily at first,but the prey became less..."

"The Pack turned towards the lesser animals of the human settlement." Sangilak continued. "My Pack-Heir found the last remaining prey. Something made him hesitate. That is when I caught Myrrh's scent. There was three of your kind left, Jingles; and they bore Myrrh's scent. If she has been gone for three years, how could those three still bear her scent as though she was there."

"It appears the Wishbringer has one more gift to give." Santa said as he looked Tanaraq stright in the eyes. "What does your heart say that we must do next?"

Tanaraq looked at the Elves and Cats before her her. Her nose twitched and flared as she examined each of the creatures before her.

"Him." Tanaraq motioned towards Jingles. "He is the one. It is his Path."

"Jingles." Sangilak said. "She Who Must Be Obeyed has matched all pairs within the Pack. If she says it is you who must come with us then it is only you who can fufill this Hunt."

"Well that's that." Sammy brushed off his velvet vest. "We have to get Jingles ready for a a trip south. Thankfully, Tinker and I have been there before and we know exactly what he needs."

To be continued...

Thanks for snuggling with us, come back soon.

Dolce's Story Chair - Jingles and The Homecoming (Part 2)

Dad: I hope everyone is enjoying the Holiday season. So get all cuddled up on the Story Chair, have a cup of Hot Catmilk and a large catnip cookie, and let's rejoin Sangilak, his Pack Mate, and Nial as they arrived at the Main Garage.

Welcome to the Story Chair

Jingles and The Homecoming (Part 2)

Nial, Sangilak and She Who Must be Obeyed stood outside the main garage in front of a peculiarly arranged door. Like every door at the the North Pole where both Santa and the elfs entered, the doorway was actually a door within a door. There was one large door for Santa to use and a smaller door embedded inside for the elfs to use. Nial had opened the elf door and had started to walk inside. He did not realize that his two companions could not follow him through the smaller opening. He only noticed his error when he heard She Who Must Be Obeyed growling. Nial was stuck. He could not reach the gold door knob that Santa used.

“Do you think I could…” Nial stuttered and pointed sheepishly at Sangilak’s back.

“That is demeaning.” She Who Must Be Obeyed growled. “No creature has ever climbed on the back of…”

Sangilak shook his head.

“I have had one of the creatures on my back before.” Sangilak admitted as he pointed his nose towards Nial. “And two cats.”

“You tell no one in the Pack of this.” She Who Must Be Obeyed snapped. “Not ever.”

She Who Must Be Obeyed turned her head away as she could not bear to watch Nial grab a tuft of Sangilak’s fur and clumsily pull himself up onto the wolf’s sturdy back. Nial balanced himself and then placed both his hands on the doorknob. Nial strained to turn the large doorknob that was the size of a dinner plate in his small hands. The doorknob slowly moved and Nial was suddenly rewarded with the sound of the latch sliding free. His relief was quickly replaced with dismay as he was pulled off Sangilak’s back and suddenly found himself hanging from the doorknob with his face pressed against the door.

“Enough of this.” She Who Must Be Obeyed stated and she moved towards the elf hanging by his hands from the doorknob. She gently supported Nial by the back of his vest and slowly lowered him to the ground.

“Please don’t do that again.”Nial shivered. “I think you are a fine wolf, but I really don’t like being that close to those teeth of yours.”

She Who Must Be Obeyed snorted back at Nial, who quickly turned and marched into the main garage.


Sangilak and his companion were amazed at the sights within the main garage. There large conveyors for bearing the toys from the Toy Sorting and Shipping departments running from almost every direction near the roof. Along the walls, there were various workbenches and diagrams of components of Santa’s sleigh.
In the center of the garage was a large round pedestal. On top of this pedestal, there was the most ornate red and gold sleigh.

Running back and forth from the workbenches and the sleigh were several elfs. They were carrying either parts or tools to the two workers obviously in charge of maintaining Santa’s Sleigh. Nial, Sangilak and She Who Must Be Obeyed could hear them discussing and debating over what should be done next and how it should be done.

“Sammy.” The sleek black coated Cat pointed to the exposed Candy Cane Drive Oscillators. “You have to use a right twist candy cane here. The left twist canes always come loose.”
“Tinker.” The elf wiped the sugar dust from him hands onto his leather apron. “These are right twist candy canes. You have put them in backwards.”
“Are you sure these are right twist?” Tinker asked not believing he would have put something in backwards.
“Yes.” Sammy stated. “The right twist candy canes are green. The left twist canes are red.”
Tinker looked down at the candy cane he had just installed. He scratched his ear with the wrench he held in his paw.
“Sammy.” Tinker pondered.
“What is the matter?” Sammy sighed.
“Shouldn’t we find someone who isn’t color-blind to pick the correct candy cane then?” Tinker smiled.
Sammy looked at the canes and realized that neither he nor Tinker would ever be able to tell them apart. He started to laugh. Tinker joined in and was soon rolling on his back in laughter.

Sammy and Tinker’s laughter caught the attention of three others working in the Garage, one was a large portly gentleman and other two were cats, a fluffy cat with brown fur and dark chocolate points and pure white paws and a white-mitted brown and black tabby. They all looked up from the navigation maps they spread out over a large oak table to see the source of the laughter. It was Santa who first spotted Nial and his two wolf companions.

“Now.” Santa said with a tinge of surprise. ”Who do we have here? I don’t get visitors like this very often.”

Jingles tapped Cookie on the shoulder and pointed towards the newly arrived guests. Sammy and Tinker ceased laughing at the sight of the two wolves.

“Sangilak!” Tinker cried out as he leapt from the sleigh and ran to his old friend’s side. Tinker rubbed against Sangilak’s foreleg and began purring fiercely.

“Tinker.” Sangilak gently nuzzled Tinker.

“Sammy.” Sangilak croaked out his old elf friend’s name as he suddenly found Sammy’s arms wrapped tightly about his neck.

“Cookie, Jingles.” Tinker chirped happily. “This is our friend, Sangilak. He’s the one who helped us get South that year.”

“And who is this lovely lady.” Santa asked as he regarded Sangilak’s companion.

“This is my mate, She Who Must Be Obeyed.” Snagilak said proudly.

“That is a mouthful.”Santa replied, as he studied the other wolf.

“May I call you Tanaraq?” Santa asked.”It means…”

“Granddaugher of the Tundra.” Sangilak bowed his head at the honour Santa gave his mate.

“Tanaraq.” She Who Must Be Obeyed said the name out loud. “It will work amongst these creatures.”

“But to you.” Tanaraq snapped at Sangilak. “Do not forget my Pack name.”

“Never.” Sangilak backed away slightly.

“What brings you to the North Pole, Sangilak?” Sammy asked.

“I caught scent of a familiar scent while on a Hunt.” Sangilak stated.”It seemed strange to be so far away from where I remembered it.”

“What was it?” Tinker asked.

“I bear tidings of the Wishbringer.” Sangilak replied. “The one you called Myrrh.”

Sammy, Jingles, Tinker and Cookie let out a surprised gasp.

To be continued...

Thanks for snuggling with us, come back soon.

Dolce's Story Chair - Jingles and the Homecoming (Part 1)

Dad: I hope you enjoyed yesterday's teaser. Like I hinted this story takes place a while after last year's story. Hopefully you enjoy. I promise this year's story will be a lot happier. But I promise that I will make you cry by the end.

So please help yourself to some catnip cookies, and large mug of Hot Catmilk and snuggle in on the Story Chair. you might have to push Baci over as he tends to hog the bed/chair/couch.

Welcome to the Story Chair

Jingles and The Homecoming (Part 1)

Sangilak and his pack mate warily approached the outskirts of the fabled town at the North Pole. Sangilak paused several times and sniffed at the crisp winter air. He vainly searched for some sign of his old friends. He looked at his mate and then he shook his massive triangular head negatively.

"I cannot sense them yet." Sangilak admitted.
"It has been a while." his mate replied. "Are you sure they still cry to our Moon?"
"I am certain." Sangilak replied. "These are strange lived creatures. They live many seasons past our own path."
"You mean my path." Sangilak's mate replied. "You have been our pack leader for many seasons. None of our elders remembers a time when you were not pack leader."
"It has been a long time." Sangilak remembered. "Maybe too long."
"The Pack is strong and healthy because of you." His mate snapped in annoyance. "Our cubs play and feed in safety for none dare challenge He Who Races The Moon. When your path ends, it ends. Until then we do not talk of too long."
"I am just baying at a False Moon." Sangilak nuzzled his mate. "Let's see if we can find someone to help us find Sammy and Tinker."
"Strange names, Sammy and Tinker." Sangilak's mate snorted.
"They are even stranger creatures." Sangilak snorted right back.

The two wolves steathfully made their way into the town. The snow covered plain gave way to snow dusted cobblestones and the northern stars were soon eclipsed by flickering lampposts and brilliant strings of Christmas lights. Sangilak's sheepishly regarded the lights as she was uncertain what to make of them.

"These bright things." Sangilak's mate stared. "What did you call them?"
"Lights." Sangilak responded.
"They are just like the ones our pack found." she added. "But these are..."
Sangilak's mate could not find the proper word in the Wolf-tongue.
"Working." Sangilak finshed her sentence. "These lights are working. It has been a very long time since I have seen them. Not since I was a puppy."
"You don't talk of your path before you found the Pack." Sangilak's mate stated.
"It is unimportant now. " Sangilak replied. "The Pack is my life. You are my life."

Sangilak lead his mate down a darkened alley. He could finally smell other creatures on the wind. Unfortunately, so could his mate.

"Sangilak." his mate snarled. "You lied. There is food here. I can smell it. It is different than our food back home, but it still smells like food. Come, I am hungry and I could use the thrill of the Hunt."

Sangilak swiftly turned.

"There is no food here!" Sangilak snarled with his massive canines bared so that his mate would not misunderstand his intent. "There are creatures here that will smell like food and will look like our food back home, but they are not to be hunted. Please heed my words. These are friends."

Sangilak's mate backed away.

"No hunt." she repeated. "Friends only."

The two wolves reached the end of the alleyway. There standing next to large wagon full of verdent green wreaths was a brightly dressed dressed figure with a small leather tool belt cinched around it's waist. The creature was looking up at the side of the building and thoughtfully massaging it's stubbleless chin.

"Friend." Sangilak's deep voice growled from the shadows of the alleyway as he strode out into the open. "I am looking for two creatures that you might know."

The elf on wreath maintenance turned ashen white and then stumbled backwards. He trembled as his eyes stared straight into the large golden eyes of the largest, actually the only wolf he had ever seen.

"Holly and Mistletoe!" the elf cried out. "Please don't eat me!"

"We are not here to hunt." Sangilak's mate moved to the elf's other side. "Besides, I don't think there is enough there for a cub let alone a Huntress."

"Stop." Sangilak snapped at his mate. He turned his head back to the trembling elf laying on the ground in front of him. "I am looking for two old friends, Sammy and Tinker. Where can we find them?"

"They would be in the main garage working on Santa's sleigh." the elf stammerred.

"Where would this main garage be?" Sangilak asked.

"It's next to the stables and across from the machine shop." the elf answered as he tried to still his chattering teeth.

"That's not helping."Sangliak mused.

"Plum Pudding and Figs!" The elf started to weep. "I am trying to help. Honestly, I am."

"I don't doubt you, friend." Sangilak replied. "I think I might need you to take me to this garage."

Sangilak's mate reached down with her powerful teeth and she lifted the quivering elf to his feet by the collar of his fleece-lined vest.

"Don't eat me. Don't eat me. Don't eat me." The elf repeated over and over as he found himself suddenly lifted to his feet.

"What is your name, friend?" Sangilak asked.

"I'm called Nial Hammertrue." The elf stuttered. "It was supposed to be Nail, but my pa was a terrible speller."

"Nial, I am... " Sangilak started to introducve himself, but puased midsentence. "I was called Sangilak once apon a time."

"The Sangilak?" The elf stood a little straigher and brushed the snow from his red breeches and green velvet vest. "I heard stories about a Sangilak from Sammy. Actually, it's the same story. he just tells it a lot.I do mean a lot."

Sangilak grimaced as he realized that the elf had overcome his fear of the two wolves and was now chattering and jabbering endlessly. He was about to interrupt Nial, when his mate growled and stepped towards the elf. Sangilak moved between his irritated mate and the elf.

"Nial." Sangilak blocked his mate from reaching the elf. "Let me introduce my mate. This is She Who Must be Obeyed."

"That is a strange name." The elf responded. He quickly stepped back as Sangilak's companion growled once more. "But wholey and believably appropriate."

"Let me guide you two to the main garage." Nial stated as he tried to regain his composure. "I would ask for you not to cause any problems, but I am pretty sure that two wolves walking down the main boulevard at the North Pole is going to create quite the commotion."

As Nial had expected, the sight of an elf leading two large and wild looking wolves down the main boulevard created quite the commotion. Elfs ducked into stores and quickly shuttered windows and doors behind them. Others jumped into snow backs or climbed up Christmas Trees and tried to hide themselves. Even more elfs ran in panic in any direction that took them away from Sangilak and his mate, She Who Must be Obeyed.

To be continued...

Thanks for snuggling with us, come back soon.

Dolce's Story Chair - Jingles and The Homecoming (Prelude)

Dad: To all our furriends, welcome back to the Story Chair. Dolce and Baci have been busy making sure the pillows have been fluffed properly, and Bella has overseen the preparation of the catnip cookies and hot catmilf. There are some leafy greens and carrot punch for our non-feline furriends.

Welcome to the Story Chair

Jingles and The Homecoming (Prelude)

Two great figures stood atop the wind swept snowdrift and looked down on the bustling town. A cold northern wind swirled and buffetted their thick furry coats. The larger of the two creatures turned to his smaller companion.
"Remember." The larger wolf growled seriously. "These are friends, not food."
"Friends. Not food." The smaller wolf replied, hesitantly.
"Mate." The larger wolf growled. "You promised that you would heed my path."
"I remember, my mate." the smaller wolf relaxed. "What do we do now that we have found this village."
"I need to find two friends." the larger wolf replied, as he leapt down the face of the snowdirft.
"Then what." the smaller wolf asked as she followed her packmate.
"I hope that they remember the name Sangilak." The male wolf replied as he raced towards the hidden northen town. "And a long lost sister."


To be continued...

Thanks for snuggling with us, come back soon.

Dolce's Story Chair - 2010 Story

Dad: I don't like to leave a story unfinished, but I am unable to finish (share) the ending of last year's story "Jingles and the Wishbringer".Don't get me wrong, it is finished, but the story took me to a place that Magoo's passing was too hard for me to share. I miss him...We all do in our house...We don't have anyone to remove the gift tags from all presents, forcing us to unwrap them to figure out what is what, and then rewrap them with more secure (ie cat-proof) labelling.

Baci: Are you done yet?

Dad: Baci...

Baci: Yes?

Dad: Be patient...

Baci: Does that involve Chick-hen?

Dad: If you are good, it can.

Baci: I'm patient. I'm the most patientest cat ever... Where's the Chick-hen? Sorry, being patient...

Dad: I couldn't finish last year's story. For that, I am very sorry. But then I thought about publishing the remainder, and I decided that is not what the Cat blogging world needed. I decided to cast the the reel of time forward, and let our blogging furriends find us sometime in the future or maybe even this year...Who knows...One can never predict when you are at the Story Chair...And your heart is open to Adventure, Hope, Love and the presence of Furry Mice.

Dolce's Purrthday!

Today our little Chatty Cathy Cat is 5 years old.



This was from when Dolce was just twelve weeks old. I originally posted it for her second birthday. Between you and me, this is what I see everytime I look at her.


She is still quite the little lady.

We love you, Beanie!

Dolce's Story Chair: Caught

Welcome to the Story Chair

Dad: The renovations to the story chair took a lot out of me and mom. But wouldn't you know it, just as we finished a small tiny voice called out to me. It said: I has a story. I has a tale of abandonment, love, and redemption.
Dolce: That is so lame.
Dad: That was mean, Dolce. So what should I say to introduce this story?
Dolce: That's easy... Lost, Beloved, Found. To our furriend, Wintergreen...
Dad: You win, Dolce. To our newest furriend, Wintergreen; an Angels of the Rainbow Bridge Story: Caught...



Angels of the Rainbow Bridge: Caught

In a human lap, in a relatively unknown place, a small little kitten snuggled down into the only human lap it had ever known. It closed it`s eyes and laid down with the fullest belly it ever had. A small sigh escaped its little mouth, and with the only sounds to mark it`s passing being the tick of a large clock on a wall and the soft sob of its human rescuer, the little stray kitten slipped peacefully away.

Two Angels appeared in the room and hovered over the still form of the kitten and the human that lovingly cradled its furry body. Antonius was as shocked to see Elbereth as she was to see him. Given their diverging chosen true purposes, they had never met at a scene such as this.

"Elbereth." Antonius was startled to see his beloved angelic sister. "What calls you to the passing of a Lost One?"
Elbereth looked at her angelic brother puzzledly.
"Dearest Antonius." Elbereth replied. "I am here for the passing of a Beloved One."
"I have followed this tiny soul." Antonius explained. "For the last two weeks, I have watched and waited to bring him home and release him from his abandoned existence amongst the humans."

"This human soul." Elbereth pointed to the human woman that sobbed quietly as she held the kitten so that she would not wake her household. "Has claimed this kitten as a Beloved One. I felt the pull to Earth only minutes ago. The Bond has been made."

"I can still see her, Elbereth" Antonius stated. "She is a Lost one; forsaken by humans."
"Her name is..." Elbereth paused as she had trouble sensing the name-bond between the human and the kitten. "Her name is Wintergreen. They also call her Winnie. She is not a Lost One; she is Beloved."

"It is most strange that we were both called to this kitten's passing." Antonius replied. "But I would never deny a creature the eternal love of a human. Please take Wintergreen to the Rainbow Bridge and let her wait for her newfound human companion."

Elbereth nodded her head to her brother, and then she outstretched her hand towards the human.
"I bind thee to thy friend..." Elbereth repeated the vow that she had spoken at every passing of a Beloved Pet.

The void appearred next to the human's heart, but no energy would transfer to the still kitten in her lap. Elbereth sighed and released her binding on the human.

"I am sorry, Antonius." Elbereth said sadly, "The kitten is indeed a Lost one; for the binding would not hold."

"It is I that is truly sorry." Antonius replied as he prepared to release the Lost One's soul from Earth and take it back to Heaven. "She deserved to be loved and to give love in return."

Antonius pulled two feathers from his wings and prepared to bind them onto the still kitten.
As he laid them onto the kitten's body, the two feathers turned grey and disappearred in a puff of faint dust.

"Since I saw your Bonding fail." Antonius stepped away from the human and the kitten. "I would have thought this frail creature was a Lost One; but it repels the angelic wings I would give it to ascend to Heaven."

In what seemed in Angelic terms to be forever, but to a human only a couple of heartbeats; Elbereth decided to try something different. She pulled two feathers from her wings and placed them on the kitten's body. They did not turn ashen and blow away as dust. She pulled a thread from the hem of her robe and she bound the wings, as Antonius always did, to the still form.

"Bear with me brother, my singing voice is not as practised as yours." Elbereth tried to remember the words of Antonius's song as he took each Lost One home.

As she sang the joyous words of love and peace, the two angelic feathers merged with the little kitten frame. As she finished, she noticed that the kitten's spirit has not separated from its earthly husk.

"What did I do wrong?" Elbereth asked Antonius, who wiped a tear from his cheek.
"Nothing." Antonius smiled. "It was perfect. You have tried my gift, let me try yours."

Antonius held out his held towards the human female.

"I bind thee to this creature." Antonius repeated Elbereth's vow, "I take this as a promise of your love and devotion for this creature. I take it it not so that you shall remember her, but so that she remembers you as she waits in a Meadow under the loving gaze of God."

A small blue orb formed out of the void that Elbereth had started to form over the human's heart. It floated to Antonius's hand; much to his and Elbereth's surprise. He held it over the kitten's body. It crackled and sparked and the lifeless angelic wings turned from white to a rainbowish hue that danced happily in the light.

The kitten's spirit separated from it's earthly body. It shone with the faint blue light of a Beloved One, but it bore the wings of a Lost One.

"What do we do know?" Elbereth asked.

"We take her home." Antonius replied with smile as he bent down to pick up the kitten.

Antonius gasped as he hand passed right through the tiny angelic kitten. Elbereth tried and her hands also passed right through the kitten's body.

"It took us both to free her, but now neither of us can take her home to heaven." Elbereth stood dumbfounded.

"You cannot take her home." Another angelic voice sounded from behind the two Angels. This one was was younger and softer.
Antonius and Elbereth turned and saw their Seraphim cousin, Cirrin, standing behind them. He had grown bigger since he had been tasked as a Guardian Angel. His wings were larger and stronger, although still smaller than Elbereth's and Antonius's wings.

"This is now up to me." Cirrin stepped forward. "I have tried to keep this one safe. I even thought that pushing it out in front of that car might give it a fighting chance for a longer life."

He placed one hand on the kitten's body and the other on it's newly freed angelic spirit.

"Wintergreen." Cirrin said softly and sadly. "I am your Guardian Angel. I am here to protect you. And when all else fails, I am to take you Home."

With that, there was a bright flash of light.

Antonius, Elbereth and Cirrin, holding Wintergreen in his arms, suddenly stood at the meadowside edge of the Rainbow Bridge.

Antonius knew what he was supposed to do. He took Wintergreen from Cirrin and for the first time in his entire existence, he walked onto the Rainbow Bridge. As he expected, his sister, Dulcinea, met him at the halfway point.

"This creature cannot cross yet." Dulcinea said."It's Beloved Human has not yet arrived to cross to Heaven with her."

"Dulcinea," Antonius replied. "I have one more burden for you to bear. This kitten is both a Lost One and a Beloved One. Like you, she is caught between the Rainbow Bridge and Heaven. Will you take care of Winnie until her human comes for her?"

Dulcinea reached out her arms and took Winnie into her grasp.

"We shall both wait here." Dulcinea said with a wide smile as she petted a softly purring kitten whose wings fluttered happily. "I will hold this little one as a special trust between me and her human."
　
　
There are rumours from Those Who Have Gone Before that there is a tiny kitten that runs and plays on the Rainbow Bridge and greets every human and their friends as they cross into Heaven and that she sleeps lovingly nestled in the embrace of an Angel, as she waits patiently for her own Beloved Human.





The End

Thanks for snuggling with us, come back soon.

Dolce's Story Chair: Renovations are complete

Dad: When I started telling stories here at Dolce's Story Chair, I envisioned a large chair that of all us could sit and enjoy some stories that I had thought up. I used to put a really bad picture of a red chair on the blog to signify that this was a Story Chair moment...

I'm sorry. It was pretty lame.

Then my furry inspirations decided to help me out...

Welcome to the Story Chair

Dad: This is a place to tell stories! See the long puffy pillow! See the comfortable blankets for laying on! See the two kitty belly's that cry out for cuddling!




THE STORY GOES HERE...







The ending credits just like a big fancy movie...
Thanks for snuggling with us, come back soon.

Dad: So what do you think?

Dolce`s Story Chaiir: A Bridge to be Crossed

Dad: I promise to complete "Jingle and The Wishbringer" but stuff happened and I want to tell another story.
Dolce: I brought catnip cookies.
Baci: I has the leafy greens.
Bella and Chloe: We have the Niptinis and Meowgaritas for the adult cats on the left arm of the Story Chair.
Dad: I don't think my stories are that bad...
Bella: They're not. We are serving singles for now...
Chloe: If the plot line drags too much, we may jump to doubles.
Dad: Girls are so mean...
Baci: Just tell the story. I can see that Magoo has already arrived and is sitting next the feathers. Oooh! Fevvvvers!
Dad (nodding to Magoo): Before Baci attacks the feathers, here is A Bridge to be Crossed...



Summer is supposed to be at time of growth; a time when all things apon the Earth are trying thrive. It is a time when flowers bloom and birds fill their nests and the air is filled with scent of potential that has not yet been fufilled. This current summer had a potential that no one in the McCoy family was anticipating or yearning for it fufill; their beloved matriarch of eighty-two years was slowly slipping from this earth and reaching for the next.

Around the beloved mother, grandmother and great grandmother stood three generations. Each was called to bear witness to passing of a beloved member of their family.

Off in the corner hovered two angelic beings; one was darkly robed and had wings that glistened with the colours of the night, the other was simply robed with wings of purest white.

"Are you ready, dearest sister" the darkly winged being asked his companion.
"Yes." The other angel replied as she pulled a small glowing ball of energy from beneath her robes.

The dark robed angel hovered over the bed of the elderly human. He pressed his fingertips onto her forehead. The woman's eyes widened as she beheld something that she could not share with her family. The angel and the elderly woman smiled at each other and they both waited patiently.

"Now me know, beloved of God." the dark robed angel softly spoke, "I am the Angel of Death. I have come to release you of all your earthly burdens. I come not to destroy but to give everlasting peace. Will you accept my gift?"

The elderly woman gave a faint gasp and then her body laid peacefully still.

The Angel of Death looked to his companion and nodded.

The other Angel held out the glowing orb of energy and placed in onto the elderly woman's chest.

"By your vow." the Angel sang. "I bind thee to your promise."

The orb crackled and flashed. A small piece broke off and hovered in the air over the woman's body. The remaining portion elongated until it covered the elderly woman's entire body. A final electic snap separated the woman's physical from her spiritual being.

There before the two Angels stood an human female. She was now longer cowed by the ravages of time of her earthly existence.

"What happened? the woman asked.

"It was your time." the dark robed Angel replied. "I no longer have claim apon you. What you must do next is up to my sister, Elbereth."

The Angel of Death bowed to his sister and then he disappeared into the ether. The woman looked at the other Angel.

"Are you to decide my fate?" the woman asked.

"Oh No!" Elbereth replied, "You decided your own fate. I am here to remind you of a promise you made. Actually a promise you made several times over the course of your life here on Earth."

Elbereth pulled the small remaining orb from the air and placed it in the bewildered woman's hands.

"This is yours." Elbereth stated. "You will need it to call your friends."

"My friends?" the woman asked incredulously.

"Yes." Elbereth replied, "Each time one of God's creatures that you took into to your heart passed from the Earth, I visited you. Each time, I took a small piece of you spirit and gave it to them. It caused that ache you felt as you watched each one slip from the Earth. I told each of your beloved ones that what I took was not so that you remembered them but so that they would remember you. Now that you have also passed, it is time for you to call your beloved ones back to you. Will you follow me?"

The woman was stunned at the small orb that hoverd over her trembling palms. She could not find any words. She nodded affirmatively. Elbereth smiled and placed her hand on the woman's shoulder.

In a heartbeat, they both stood at the edge of a vast meadow. As far as the human eye could see, there were animals running and playing amongst the multitude of flowers.

"Cast your orb onto the ground." Elbereth instructed.

The woman looked warily at the ground then to the small orb in her hands and then back to ground. She could sense all of the spirits of her beloved pets as she held the orb. Her relunctance to toss that feeling onto the ground was noticable.

"Remember." Elbereth said, "I took this from you not so that you would remember your friends but so that they would remember you. Cast it onto the ground! Let them know you are here!"

The woman did not cast the orb onto the ground; it more or less rolled off her paralyzed fingertips and dropped to the ground.

As it hit, the orb dissipated into a faint blue wave that rolled across the vast meadow of the Rainbow Bridge. Every creature stirred as the wave washed over them; but unless they were bound to this human, they went back to their playing and cavorting amongst the flowers and the grass.

Four creatures did not return to their playing. Their ears perked up and their noses twitched with excitement. The first to respond was a small little beagle who was missing one ear and had a scar apon his right foreleg. He suddenly bayed at the smell that blasted into his nose. The two cats that were regarding the new sensation with a stern dignified resolve suddenly remembered days of snuggling and catnip treats and chicken pieces. A long flopped eared bunny sniffed at the air and thought of leafy greens and playing on a large well kept lawn.

The woman felt the presence of her beloved friend and she ran across the meadow to meet them. The beagle jumped and yapped happily at her. The cats rubbed and entwined themselves around her legs. The bunny sat and patienty waited for her to pick him up and cuddle him as she had done so many years ago.

Elbereth smiled and she gave the bunny in the woman's arms a loving scratch behind the ears.

"Beloved friend." Elbereth smiled to the woman as an angelic tear slid down her cheek. "The Bridge is open to you. Cross with your friends and be content forever."

"Thank you." the woman cried as she and her companions stepped onto the first shimmering stones of the Rainbow Bridge.

"My thanks to you." Elbereth replied, "It always warms my heart to see a human cross with their beloveds."

As she watched the woman cross the Rainbow Bridge with her beloved pets, Elbereth felt a large furry body rub against her robe. She looked down at smiled at the large grey cat that was butting his head against her leg and purring feverishly.

"Yes, Magoo." Elbereth smiled, "We can go and listen to a story."

Dolce's Story Chair: A Bridge to Be Crossed

Dolce: Dad!Dad!Dad!
Baci: Dad!Dad!Dad!
Dad: Dolce!Baci! Please take it easy!
Dolce: We asked Mom where you were and she said that you were at the Story Chair and we should let her sleep.
Dad: Well you found me.
Baci: Are you going to tell a story.
Dad: I have one in mind, Magoo`s visit reminded me of someone I have forgotten.
Dolce: Who is that. A fearsome heroic cat who rights all wrongs.
Dad: No, Dolce.
Baci: How about a young male cat who makes all the ladies swoon.
Dolce: Why would Dad write about Scout.
Baci: I meant me.
Dolce: Oh, a fantasy story.
Baci: Dad!!!
Dad: Baci, Dolce is just teasing you. Right Dolce.
Dolce: Yeah. Sure. Scout is 5 years old now. That is a mature male cat... Yeeroowww!
Dad: You are both fixed.
Dolce: I know. I`m fixed here in this place and Scout is fixed in his place. And we can`t unfix ourselves to meet someplace like Los Vegas.
Baci: I don`t think that Fixed means that.
Dad: I`m changing the subject. A furriend just lost a Bean that very special to them.
Baci: They don`t know where their bean is. That`s very careless.
Dolce: Dad means that they went to the Rainbow Bridge.
Dad: You are sort of right, Dolce. When we beans leave this earth we don`t go to the Bridge, we stop and pick up all the furriends who left before us and then we go to Heaven.
Baci: You`re not going to do that for us are you, Dad.
Dad: I made a promise so that I could talk to Magoo one more time. So, no. You will wait for your mom.
Baci: But you`re my Bean. You and I will cross the Bridge together.
Dad: No, my beloved. Your heart belongs to my heart; my wife. Now come here and sit on the Story Chair. See those those feathers on the far right corner. Those are Magoo`s message to us. As we sit here and tell stories, all of our furriends who are still at the Bridge can come and sit and listen and laugh and cry with us here at the Story Chair.
Dolce: Can we play and laugh and wrestle with them.
Dad: My first thought, Dolce, is no for they are no longer part of this world. But...
Dolce: What is but. It usually means something nasty from Baci that can clear a room.
Baci: Dad!
Dad: Sorry Baci, Dolce`s right. Back to what we were discussing...whatever is possible is up to whoever comes to the Story Chair. If they want to play and cavort with their furriends, that is up to them. This is a place I have created in my mind where I have decided that furriends can come and visit and where miracles are as common as a honked horn during rush hour traffic and wishes are simply difficult action plans, and the Impossible is the to-do list for R&D.
Baci: Okay. Where are we going, Dad.
Dad: We are going to find a Bean who is at the beginning of the last great adventure...
Dolce: Do we know this Bean.
Dad: Of course! It is all of us, sooner or later...




P.S. This is dedicated to my grandma, Margaret. The first crazy cat lady I ever knew. And the one who taught me how to make chocolate brownies and whose dinner bun recipe I still use twenty years later.

We has a sad

A furriend of ours had to rush off to the Rainbow Bridge yesterday.

Ceili

Her purrson blogged at Vancouver's Yeowtown. for a while. I know she hadn't posted in a while, but she is hurting very furry much. Please let her know she and Ceili are in your purrayers.

A faint voice at Dolce's Story Chair

Dad: I thought the Story Chair was bad before but this is so much worse. It is my fault I know, I couldn't find the right path for my story. And then...

Dad: And then my most beloved boy became an angel...


Dad: I loved this story. It was what I loved doing... Make you laugh, make you tense with expectation, make you cry, but always make you believe that in the end all would work out. But it didn't work out that way... Magoo was supposed to have the sniffles, a cough, a small chest congestion...instead we watched as he slipped away after the Vet's needle did it's humanitarian work. My beloved Magoo. I miss you.


One lonely night as I sat at the base of Dolce' Story Chair locked into to deep bout of melancoly, the air began to swirl and twist and fold upon itself until I no longer believed that I was at the ragged story chair that I had envisioned for my furriends in the Catblogosphere.













Magoo: I know this place. It's Dolce's Story Chair. It's been a while since I've been here.
Elbereth: Of course you do, Beloved one. This was the place your human created in his mind to bring you and all your furriends together. He wanted to bring joy to all those who would hear his words.
Magoo: I was in meadow playing with all my furriends just waiting for him and my mom to show up.
Elbereth: We cannot let you rest, Beloved Magoo. We have a request for you to make...
Your human visits the Story Chair he created in your sisfurs name from time to time but he does not call his furriends to hear his words nor does he share the joy that God has given his voice.
Magoo: What can I do?
Elbereth: Talk to your human one last time. Tell him to continue his stories for they give not only hope to him but to others as well.





Magoo: Dad...
Dad: Magoo?
Magoo: I have but a short time...
Elbereth: Cease, Magoo. Your human cannot hear your words until the Price is paid...

I looked at Magoo's shimmering form and at the glowing Angelic body before me..,

Magoo: The price I pay is that I shall not...

Dad(interrupting): The price I pay is that I shall not cross with any of my beloved ones. They shall all cross the Rainbow Bridge with my one and only beloved, my wife. None shall wait in the meadow of the Rainbow Bridge for me. From the breath I take at this moment to the breath that ends my life on this Earth, all creatures I love or have loved or will love shall cross the bridge without me.

Elbereth: The price is paid. Do you understand the covenant you have made?
Dad: I will pass from the Earth without anyone to accompany me. Even if I pass before my own earth-bound angel,my Wife.
Elbereth: Yes that is your pledge...

Dad: Magoo... We miss you so much.
Magoo: I miss you so much too. I have so many furriends here that it hurts. We talk about our humans and how much fun and love we had back in our old lives on Earth.
Dad: Have you shared the names of the humans that helped your dad along the way?
Magoo: The Angels know all the names of the humans that do what they can.
Dad: What do I do now?
Magoo: Remain true.
Dad: Pardon me, but what the hell does that mean?
Magoo: I was at the campsite at the fire when you retold the story of Jingles...
Dad: Please don't go.
Magoo: Dad, you are the Storyteller. I have spoken your name across the vast Rainbow Bridge Meadow. I will see you across the Rainbow Bridge.
Dad: Good bye, Magoo.
Magoo: Continue the stories, Storyteller...The magic in this chair can still bring us back to sit and listen and laugh. Even though we cannot touch you and let you know... Look to the corner of the Story Chair.. There are two Angelic feathers. All who have Come Before can fnd this place now...
Dad: There is a condition isn't there?
Elbereth: There always is; only when there are stories told and your loved ones are present, can your furriends cross the thresold between Heaven and Earth.
Dad: My furriends?
Elbereh: The Storyteller is wise. You told me that all cats you love or have loved or will love are covered by your vow. Your heart is vast. I have watched you cry tears over animals that you have never held or cuddled or even known. All creatures are bound by the stories their kind tells; from the Wolf that cries to the half-shapened moon to the frogs that croak at each sunset. Each talks of hope, contentment and love. Not much difference from that to a blog broadcast across the Internet...


Dad: I will be back...

My father gave me a mental kick

I talked to my dad tonight. I tried so hard not to get emotional like he had taught me as all men should be. Then he played the out all men have.. "Well, your mother..."

Listen and know this to be a truth, if your father ever says "Well, your mother...", he is trying to express something that is a repressed maleism. I have never told him this, but my father is my protractor, my straight edge, my compass. With him, I have been able to plot every path through my life. Not all have been happy or prosperous, but I have always ended up on the right side of right.

He told me tonight that my mom said that my story in "We are the Kitties, And We Writed You This Book." might be the guidance I and my family needs.

Damn him for being right. Here is the story that reminded me why Magoo was in my life and why I am a better person for knowing him.



Of Memory and Loss

Before I went to sleep, I decided that the next morning I would go and get a pet. I was not sure if it would be a dog or cat or bird or something else. All I knew was that I needed, no, wanted to share my life with another creature that would accept my friendship and affection.

As I slept, I fell into a deep dream.

There before me sat the most beautiful creature, neither male nor female. To either side of this wonderous creature, there were two indentical waterfalls with deep clear pools at their base. From each waterfall, the most crystal blue water cascaded down. I was entranced. Never before had I seen seen such beauty, such serentity.

Wordlessly, the creature motioned for me to come towards the pools at the base of the waterfalls. I noticed that at each pool, there was a small silver cup attached to a fine silver chain.
"Dip thy finger into the pool and taste." the creature said as it gestured to the pool to its left.

I did as instructed. As the clear cool liquid touched my tongue, my stomach clenched with pain and my heart pounded fiercely within my chest. A hollowness rang throughout my being that I feared I would never recover from.

"This is the Pool of Loss." the creature said and then it motioned to the other pool of water. "Dip thy finger into the pool and taste."

Warily, I drew my forefinger through the water of the other pool of water. As my finger touched my tongue, a joy so deep and pure touched my soul. A wave of happiness and wonder drowned the pangs of sorrow and loss the first pool had caused.

"This is the Pool of Memory." the creature said. "If you take one of God's creatures into your heart, you must be prepared to drink from both pools. Do you accept this as your covenant, your bond with one of God's creatures?"

Silently I nodded yes.

"Then drink from each pool." The creature instructed as it motioned towards the silver cups at the sides of the pools."For now they will bear no taste, but in time you will discover how much you have partaken of each."

The very next day, I went and found a kitten at a local pound. It was the smallest one of the litter and it was the one who seemed to need me the most.

I watched it grow and play and I revelled in the smallest joy it brought to me. But then without warning, it was taken from me in a way most sudden and cruel.

Once again I felt the pangs I had felt in my dream when I tasted the waters of the Pool of Loss. Only this time, I thought the pain would never leave. Then, I remembered the taste of the waters from the Pool of Memory. Slowly the pain of Loss began to subside, and was replaced with the joy of Memory.

Now I realized that I had drank more from the Pool of Loss than the Pool of Memory in my dream. But now I knew that the Pool of Memory brought more than enough comfort to offset the pain the Pool of Loss could cause.

I now bear the knowledge that each time I open my heart to one of God's creatures, I drink from the Pool of Memory and the Pool of Loss. How much I partake depends on each creature and that, in the end, the power of Memory is so much more powerful than the power of Loss.

How we are doing

Before he left us, Magoo gave a final MREOW. The Vet said that it was special. He gave his last breath as his heart stopped to say goodbye to us.

How are we doing?

This song says it all.

Everytime we see his picture we cry...

Heaven has a new Angel

At 8:08pm Mountain Daylight Time, Magoo Smith peacefully passed away while his Mom, Dad and Grandma placed kisses upon his furry head.

Magoo Smith 1996-2010

I was here.
I mattered.
I was loved.
I am eternal.

Magoo is feeling poorly

Magoo is not feeling very well. He collapsed as Grandma was getting his breakfast ready. He has to go see Dr.Nick. We are very worried.

Update: 5:20pm
This morning at 10:00am, my wife and I went to the Vet and met up with Grandma. Magoo was already in the incubator getting oxygen when we arrived. He was clearly in distress. His gums had turned blue which meant he wasn't able to take in enough oxygen on his own. The Vet said that she could not tell whether the problem was with his lungs or with his heart. But the most worrisome thing was that his heartbeat was so faint she could not hear it through her stethoscope. We had two choices: release him to the Bridge then and there or try to stabilize him. We choose to try and stabilize him.

We took him to the Emergency Vet Clinic. They also tried to hear his heart but his breathing was so labored it wasn't possible. They sedated him in hopes that once he relaxed they might be able to figure out what is going wrong. When we left him, he was receiving oxygen in a special cage as his heart and lungs are not doing what they are supposed to.

I made the mistake once before thinking that Smudge was ready to leave for the Bridge. I don't want to do the same thing again, but I am very scared that Magoo will not be with us very much longer. My wife is devastated as Magoo is her baby.

I am a coward as I am praying for Magoo to make the hardest decision ever for us.

Dolce's Story Chair - Jingles and the Wishbringer (Part 4)

Dolce: Dad.
Dad: Yes, Dolce.
Dolce: Do you have something to say to my furriends.
Dad: Merry Christmas? Happy Holidays?
Dolce: No! You promised a story. A full story no interruptions this year!
Dad: Dolce. Do you know what life is?
Dolce: Of course I do. What is it for Beans?
Dad: Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.
Dolce: Oh.
Dad: I am sorry. I didn't give your story the attention it deserved.
Dolce: You should be.
Baci: Chicken! Chicken! Chicken! Chicken! Chicken! and Ham!
Dad: Was that Baci?
Dolce: Just ignore him. Please. Just Ignore him.
Dad: The reason your story has been delayed, paused, stopped, interrupted is that sometimes your bean's brain writes more than a simple blog can contain. This years story grew a bit larger than intended. So I had to sit back and refocus the story. The story I would tell you and Baci as you curled up beside me next to our fireplace with your mom and grandma baking gingerbread in the kitchen.
Baci: Is there chicken in Gingerbread?
Dolce: No, stoopid brother. Otherwise it would be called Chickenbread.
Baci: Ooohmm! Chickenbread!
Dolce: Baci! You're drooling again on the Story Chair.
Dad: Before Dolce and Baci start arguing again, let me start the much delayed four chapter of ...


Jingles and the Wishbringer

Sammy, Tinker and Myrrh rode for many days on Sangilak's warm furry back. Myrrh even found herself falling asleep curled into a tight little ball in Sammy's lap. Tinker rode for the most part, but he also ran along Sangilak's side. He ran until his shorter legs could no longer keep up with the lanky Husky and then he jumped back up onto Sangilak's back and curled up next to his sister, Myrrh. Sammy sat upright and took in the sights and sounds of the forest and meadows they passsed through.
Sammy found the scenery quite beautiful. Although he was getting a little homesick for his warm fire and freshly baked cookies and hot chocolate from the Workshop cafeteria. He shifted his weight on Sangilak's back as he felt a twinge grow in his lower legs. Sammy looked down at Sangilak's back. There was something different about Sangilak.
"Are you doing okay, Sangilak?" Sammy asked as he shuffled his weight around.
"I feel fine." Sangilak replied. "I have not had this good of a run in a long time. Why do you ask?"
"It feels different back here." Sammy stated as he tried to move his tail bone off of the Husky's spine. "Are you getting taller and thinner?"
"I don't think so." Sangilak mused. "But I have never ran this long this far before."
Sammy nodded quietly and he went back to admiring the scenery and gently petting the two cats curled up asleep in his lap.
The strange foursome headed south for another week and a bit. The days had grown darker and darker a little bit at a time.
"I hope that Jingles is okay." Tinker said as he scampered next to Sangilak.
"I w..." Myrhh started to speak, but quickly caught herself. "I hope that everyone at the North Pole is okay too."
Sangilak turned his head to look at Myrrh. His brow furrowed slightly.
"They will be okay." Sammy stated. "As long as Jingles keeps the TiDE from going out, the North Pole will be on a different time than the rest of us."
"What about Christmas?" Tinker asked. "What if we don't find the problem by then?"
"We have until Christmas Eve. We can slow time or speed it up but we cannot go backwards. It is the same technology that permits Santa to visit all the children who believe in one night." Sammy said. "Once the TiDE is allowed to go out, the North Pole will race to match up with us. To them it will be as if nothing happened. Santa will get on his sleigh and will make his rounds like he does every year."
"That all sounds very complex." Sangilak said.
Tinker looked up at Sangilak. The great Husky's voice sounded a bit deeper and had more of an edge than it had when they first met. Tinker noticed that Sangilak was also looking more like the wolves that had nearly captured them in the forest. Tinker hopped up onto Sangilak's back.
"Sammy." Tinker tried to whisper so that Myrrh and Sangilak could not hear him. "I think Sangilak is changing."
"Yes, he is." Sammy whispered back. "I don't know how. I didn't hear Myrrh make a wish and when I asked her she said she has not made a wish."
"Should we be worried?" Tinker asked.
"I don't know." Sammy replied. "No matter what his exterior, Sangilak's heart is true. He has done nothing to deserve our fear."
"Okay." Tinker replied as he hopped back down to run in the light snow.
Neither Tinker nor Sammy noticed the penetrating stare Sangilak gave each of them.

Soon the foursome found themselves at the edge of a large human city at the dawn of the darkest day of the year. Sangilak stopped a good distance from the edge of the city.
"This is as far as I can take you." Sangilak stated. "I cannot go into the city with you."
"Why not?" Tinker asked as he leapt off of the Husky's back, "We can cover so much more distance with you."
"Although I was once a trusted friend of humans. " Sangilak replied, "I will no longer be welcome within their midst as a free creature."
"Why not?" Myrrh asked as she dropped to the ground and sat beside Sammy and Tinker.
"Because of you." Sangilak stated as he turned his great blue eyes firmly on Myrrh. "I never told you how I found you in the woods. While I was wandering in the Forest after being abandoned, I felt a voice calling me. I then caught your scent on the Great Northern Wind. It was like a brilliant blue ribbon floating through the trees. You called me, Myrrh. The Wishbringer called and I answered."
"No I didn't." Myrrh stammered as she shuffled her gaze from Tinker to Sammy and back again. "I promised them I wouldn't."
"Are you sure?" Sammy asked. "Back in the forest, when we were all cold and tired, you didn't make a little wish?"
"I'm sorry." Myrrh said softly. "I didn't say it out loud, but I did wish that we didn't have to walk anymore."
Sammy frowned slightly.
"I think that you not only brought our friend Sangilak to our rescue." Sammy mused, "But I think you also brought the wolves. One way or another, that night in the forest, we weren't going to have to walk anymore."
"I'm sorry." Myrrh started to sob.
"Don't cry, Myrrh." Sangilak nudged the cat with his great nose. "Once I found out that you are the Wishbringer, I have been making a wish everyday."
"What wish would that be, Sangilak?" Tinker asked.
"I have long been part of two worlds, but never belonging to either." Sangilak replied sadly. "Abandoned by humans, untrusted by wolves. My wish was to belong to one or the other. I thought that by taking you to the human world, I could once again live and be loved amongst humans."
"But instead, You're becoming a wolf." Tinker finished Sangilak's thought. "I thought you were looking more and more wilder."
"I made a wish." Sangilak said, "And the Wishbringer answered. I must go now. You only have a short way to travel to reach the human city."
"We would have never made it this far without you, Sangilak." Sammy said.
"If you hadn't come along." Myrrh purred and rubbed her body against Sangilak's long right foreleg. "We would still be far far away."
"You have granted me my heart's desire, Wishbringer." Sangilak lifted his head and he sang out his first true wolf cry. Sangilak lowered his head gave Myrrh a playful nudge and then gave her right cheek a big slobery lick. "I have named you to the Winds, Wishbringer. You and your friends. None who listen to the Wind will harm you. Ever. That is my gift to you."
"Take care, Sangilak." Sammy said sadly.
"You too, my Friends." Sangilak replied.
"One more thing, the scent of something terrible floats on the winds from over there." Sangilak motioned to a group of human houses. "It blows with the colour of danger and of Shadow. Maybe that is the source of your misery."

Sammy, Myrrh and Tinker watched as Sangilak trotted away from them. Sangilak paused at a small break in the tree line. The three companions sat and listened to Sangilak's mournful wolf song as their departing friend tried out his new found voice. A soft stillness deadened the winter air. Then, in the distance another mournful cry answered Sangilak's question.
"Friends!" Sangilak had cried out. "I bear news!"
"Come friend!" the far off voices had replied. "Tell us your tidings!"
"The Wishbringer has come." Sangilak replied joyfully to the newly risen full moon.

"Angels, We have heard on High." Sammy hummed as he wiped a tear from his cheek.
"What is that?" Myrrh asked.
"Just another thing humans got wrong." Sammy smiled as he coaxed his two furry friends onwards.

Sammy, Tinker and Myrrh headed to the collection of houses that Sangilak had pointed out before his departure. It was a small cul-de-sac of ten houses. Nine of which were brightly decorated. One of the ten had a sparse string of white christmas lights upon its rain gutters. This was a house that was trying to be in the holiday spirit, but Sammy could sense that there was no hope or happiness behind the yellow glow of the house's decoration.

Sammy pursed his lips thoughtfully. Sangilak had steered them to the the right house. This is where he, Tinker and the Wishbringer needed to be.






To be continued....

Dolce Story Chair - Jingles and the Wishbringer (Part 3)

Dad: Dolce, Where are you?
Dolce: I'm here.
Dad: Why are you so tired today?
Dolce: Scout didn't transport home until he absolutely had to.
Dad: Were you up past your bed time?
Dolce: Just a little bit.Scout's brother Shaggy has a request; he can sit on your lap while you tell the story tonight?
Dad: As long as he knows that whoever is on my lap has the responsibility of turning the pages of the story for me.
Dolce: Shaggy is pretty smart; he can do that no problem.
Dad: When then, I guess I have a page turner for tonight's chapter. So let's all get comfortable and remember that we left off with Sammy, Tinker and Myrrh leaving the North Pole to find out what was happening in the human world...


Jingles and The Wishbringer


Sammy, Tinker and Myrrh walked steadily south. They only stopped for a few short hours at a time to grab a short nap in a quickly dug snow den. Tinker and Myrrh pressed their bodies against Sammy's to help keep him warm. Overhead the Aurora Borealis danced and flickered even during the day.

After trekking for many days, Sammy suddenly held up his mitted hand and brought the little group to a stop. He looked around and then he fished a strange pair of glasses from his backpack. The glasses had what appearred to be several snowflakes stacked on top of each for lenses. Sammy placed the glasses on his head and then adjusted the snowflake lenses on each side.
"What is it, Sammy?" Tinker asked.
"We are at the Last Marker." Sammy said as he pointed to something off to the group's right side. "We are now officially outside of the North Pole. The only way we can get back is if Jingles sends someone for us."
Tinker and Myrrh were suddenly frightened. They had not been in the human world since they were rescued from that cardboard box on Christmas Eve a year ago.
"Well all we have now is our wits, some North Pole engineering and Myrrh's gift." Sammy stated confidently. "if anyone can find out what is going wrong, it's us three."

Once again the three travellers began marching south and soon they began to see sporatic signs of human activity, but no towns or cities could yet be seen.

During their trek through a thick pine forest, Tinker suddenly bounded up to Sammy's side.
"Sammy." Tinker said in a low voice."I think there is something behind us."
"I know." Sammy replied. "It has been following us for the last couple of hours. I think it caught our scent as we crossed that last frozen river."
"Is it dangerous?" Tinker asked as he nervously looked backwards.
"I don't know." Sammy said. "It seems to be fairly large by cat and Elf standards and it is gaining on us."

Sammy and Tinker tried to get Myrrh to hurry up but she was having trouble moving through the deep snow. Whatever was behind the three friends was making great gains on them. Sammy thought he caught a glimpse of a furry dark body several times. He was somewhat worried that whatever it was it might mistake an Elf and two cats for a midday meal. He pulled a Snowstar Sparkler from his pack; it would not hurt the creature behind them, but hopefully it would scare it off if necessary.
"My paws are getting cold." Myrrh complained. "And this snow is sticking to my fur."
"Just a little farther, Myrrh." Sammy coaxed her on. "Then we will find some shelter for the night. I might even be able to get a little fire going to warm us all up."
"Oh."Myrrh sighed. "I would love a fire. I wi..."
"Myrrh!" Tinker shouted. "You can't say those words here in the human world. We don't know what might happen."
"But I'm getting cold." Myrrh snapped back.
"I'm sorry, Myrrh." Sammy apologized. "We will find a place where we can settle in for the night."
"Is it safe?" Tinker whispered to Sammy.

"I don't know." Sammy said softly, "But if we don't get your sister into shelter soon, she is going to make a wish. I have no idea what would happen afterwards. What if she wishes for warmth and then her wish melts all the snow?"
"We need to find her shelter right away." Tinker agreed.

They increased their pace over Myrrh's objections. Sammy kept reassuring her that there was shelter just up ahead just to keep her putting one paw in front of the other. Sammy and Tinker were so focussed on keeping Myrrh distracted that they failed to notice the dark shadowy forms that had stealthfully crept up and were now tracking the three friends on either side.
Sammy, Tinker and Myrrh came into a small clearing that had tall pines trees all around. The air was still and seemed to be a little warmer. Sammy stopped and looked around.
"I think that we should be able to stop here and get a small fire going." Sammy said as he laid his pack down on the snow covered ground.
"That's sounds good." Tinker said, "I'm getting a little cold, too."
"A fire would be wonderful." Myrrh said excitedly.

"I'm afraid we can't let you do that." A deep menacing growl sounded from the edge of the clearing. "You see my friends and I do not like fire."
Sammy's hand slipped into his pocket and he tightly gripped the Snowstar Sparkler as he watched four large wolves step from the cover of the trees.
"I have not seen your kind before." The largest wolf snarled as he slowly circled around Sammy, Tinker and Myrrh. "No matter. I am sure you will taste just fine."
"I want the fancy dressed one." Another wolf sneered as it crept closer to Sammy.
"You will wait your turn!" The largest wolf turned and viciously snapped at the other wolf who retreated quickly with a loud whimper.

The four wolves slowly moved towards Sammy, Tinker and Myrrh with their sharp pointy teeth bared and deep ferocious snarls emanating from their throats.
"I think if there was ever time for a wish it is now, Myrrh." Sammy said as he pulled the Snowstar Sparkler from his pocket.
"I can't." Myrrh cowered next to Tinker who was puffed up and hissing. "I'm too scared."
"Then get ready to climb a tree." Sammy said as he pulled the tinsel plug on the sparkler.
The sparkler in his hand began to pulse with a brilliant blue light. It grew brighter and brighter until it was painful to the eyes. The wolves pulled back slightly. The sound of something popping and crackling started to come from the heart of the sparkler. The wolves pulled back even farther, but there was still no clear path to one of the tall trees to provide safety from the hungry wolves.

Without warning, another large furry form bounded into the clearing and plowed fearlessly into the side of the largest wolf. The wolf was bowled over onto it side and it snapped helplessly at the new arrival, a large Husky with a thick white ruff and balck and silver sides. Sammy noticed that the Husky had the worn and tattered remanants of a harness around it's neck and on its side. It was the biggest Husky Sammy had ever seen. If not not for the harness, he would have mistaken it for another wolf.
"Whatever you were going to do, I suggest you do it?" the Husky barked.
Sammy tossed the sparkler into the air where it exploded with hundreds or brilliant blue and silver snowlflakes. The wolves yipped and whined and scattered from the clearing.
"Thank you." Sammy said.
"You had better climb on." the Husky said urgently. "These wolves will quickly recover their courage."
Sammy climbed up and was followed swiftly by Myrrh and Tinker.
"What is your name, friend?" Tinker asked and he sat in front of Sammy with Myrrh pressed tightly against him.
"Once I was called Sangilak." the Husky replied.
"Strongest of All." Sammy translated from the northern human tongue.
"Yes. That is what they called me." the Husky said. "Now hang on, I'm not known for my smooth gait."
"What are you known for, Sangilak?" Myrrh asked.
"I can run faster and farther than the Great Northern Wind blows." Sangilak said as he he bolted for the cover of the trees just as the four wolves overcame their shock and fear of Sammy's sparkler.

Through the trees, Sangilak ran with Sammy, Tinker and Myrrh on his back. Sammy held tightly to the old harness and Tinker and Myrrh held tightly on to him. The four wolves were in hot pursuit. They could hear their barking and snarling right behind them. Sammy even thought he could feel their hot breath on the back of his neck.

Sangilak had been well named and he lived up to his boast. He ran as though the Great Northern wind had lifted his mighty paws from the snow. Soon the wolves' cries began to fall away. Thanks to their new friend, they were safe. Sangilak ran true to his word, and he did not stop until they were safe.

"What brings you three here?" Sangilak asked as he slowed to a gentle walk. "It is obvious that you are not creatures of the woods."
"You two are housecats if my nose remembers correctly." Sangilak said to Tinker and Myrrh. His nose twitched as he sniffed the air about Sammy. "Your scent I don't remember. I do not hink I have come across your kind before."
"He's an Elf." Myrrh said as she balaned herself on Sangilak's broad shoulders."Elf?" Sagnilak repeated. "I have not heard that word before. But you smell friendly enough. Once again, i ask what brings you three here?"

Sammy told Sangilak about what was happening at the North Pole and what he and the two cats were searching for.

"Well, if you want to find a source of misery and hopelessness." Sangilka sighed, "Then it is humans you are looking for. There is a large human city a ways south of here. I will take you."
"Thank you, Sangilak." Sammy said.
"Don't thank me too soon." Sangilak laughed. "Especially after you have been riding my back for several days."

Sangilak found his strength again and he resumed his long striding pace southwards to the human city.

To be continued...

Dolce's Story Chair - Jingles and the Wishbringer (Part 2)

Dolce: Dad, our furriends are arriving! Time to start the second part of the story!
Dad: I'm coming, Dolce.
Dolce: What's taking you so long?
Dad: Maybe, if you helped around the house.
Dolce: I do help out. You bring my mousies from under the sofa, and I puts them right back.
Dad: That's not the help I was thinking of.
Dolce: If you think I am going anywhere near the Sucky Monster, you are on kitty crack.
Dad: Dolce.
Dolce: Yes, Dad?
Dad: Let's start the story...
Dolce: Okay, I am going over there to cuddle with Scout.
Dad: Okay, You do that. Now let me see where were we... That's right... Jingles had just been given a cryptic message. So here it tonight's chapter of...

Jingles and The Wishbringer - Part 2

Jingles and Tinker strolled along Marizpan Lane. Jingles was clearly upset. His tail twitched from side to side and he jumped at every unexpected noise. Tinker looked at his adopted brother and worried that Jingles was hiding something bad from him and his sisters. Jingles had been this way for nearly three weeks.
"Is there something wrong, Jingles." Tinker asked.
"No," Jingles replied quickly. He paused and then continued. "Yes. The Elfish Builder's Guild has noted some very peculiar failings in some of the buildings at the edge of the town."
"What do you mean peculiar?" Tinker sounded out the strange new word.
"A bunny hatch freshly built suddenly collapsed." Jingles stated. "And then a Sled Shop crumbled to the ground."
"Was anyone hurt?" Tinker asked.
"Luckily not." Jingles sighed, "But Mrs. Hopsalot and her fifteen children were just outside in their winter garden when it happened. It was far too close of a call for Santa."
"Why are we going there?" Tinker asked. "Wouldn't the Guild be the best ones to figure out want went wrong?"
"They are already there." Jingles turned his head and looked at the younger black kitten. "They are stumped. There is no sign of rot or weakness in either of the structures. They asked for the North Pole's resident engineering genius to come take a look."
"Genius?" Tinker blushed. "I'm flattered."
"Don't get too goofy."Jingles countered, "Or I'll tell your sisters, Myrrh and Cookie."
"Don't please." Tinker begged, "They will tease me mercilessly."
"Yup." Jingles agreed, "That's what sisters do."
Jingles and Tinker spent the rest of the day and all of the next with the Elfish Builders Guild going over the Sled Shop and Mrs. Hopsalot's hutch. Tinker talked a long time with the Elves. He sniffed the wood and the bricks and he paced about each site. Tinker and the Elfs were unable to fathom why the two buildings had collapsed. Both of the structures had simply ceased to hold together and had fallen apart where they stood. Tinker and the Elfs would have spent more time at the two sites, but then word came that another building had also suddenly collapsed.
In the four weeks that passed since the first collapse, eight more structures at the North Pole mysteriously fell to the ground. Soon, everyone at the North Pole was very worried. Rumours began to prop up in the Hot Chocolates Houses and Cookie Shacks around town. Some elfs were whispering that the Magic of Christmas was starting to falter. Santa himself was beginning to get worried.
Jingles, Sammy and Tinker were busy working on Santa's sleigh when Myrrh and Cookie entered the shop. They were each carrying a small basket of breakfast cookies, one basket was for Sammy and the other for Jingles and Tinker. Sammy fetched five mugs from his work bench and poured each of them a draft of Hot Chocolate. As they sat on Santa's sleigh and munched on the cookies and sipped their hot chocolate, Sammy looked at the cats and smiled.
"You four are quite the crew." Sammy Sleighmaster smiled. "It's like you have been here forever."
"I love it here." Cookie sighed. "All the wonderful smells and food."
"I like all the stuff to play with and fix." Tinker said over a mouthful of cookie.
"I wish that every cat could be as happy as we are here." Myrrh stated.
The hackles on the back of Jingles' next stood up and he dropped his cookie onto the floor of the sleigh. He did not know why but something told him to send Cookie away. Something terrible was about to happen.
"Cookie." Jingles said forcefully. "I need you to go and find out from Santa the pattern of the building collapses in Old Town."
"Wouldn't Tinker understand that better than me?" Cookie asked with a scrunch of her nose.
"Please, Cookie." Jingles pleaded. "Just do it."
Cookie shrugged her shoulders and then she bounded off the sleigh and headed to Santa's office to do what Jingles had asked. Jingles watched as Cookie disappearred out of the mechanical shop.
"Sammy." Jingles turned to the Elf in charge of keeping Santa's sleigh running. "Maybe the problem is with the Time Displacement Engine."
Sammy smiled and nodded to Tinker.
"Jingles." Sammy said. "I see you have reading up on your Licorice String Theory. Now if you could just grasp Einstein's Sugar Snowflake Theorems."
"I w..." Myrrh started to speak.
"Myrrh, please hold that thought." Jingles held his paw up to interrupt Myrrh.
"Sammy, maybe you should cycle it a bit." Jingles said as he gave Tinker a wink. "That should work right, Tinker?"
"Uhhh." Tinker stammered, as what Jingles was saying made no sense. "Sure, Give the TiDE a cycle."
"Okay." Sammy said as he turned a small sugar cookie shaped dial on the Time Displacement Engine. "Get ready we are going to freeze things for a second."
As soon as the dial turned, Jingles, Tinker, Myrrh and Sammy dropped out the time stream of the North Pole and returned to the same time as the human world. There was a slight whirr as the countdown clock started to run.
"Sorry to interrupt you, Myrrh." Jingles said. "What were you going to say?"
"I wish we could fix this." Myrrh said with a slightly petulant pout.
Jingles let out a faint gasp. Sammy and Tinker felt something in the air change. They could no longer hear the whirr of the TiDE's countdown clock.
"Shades of Evergreen." Sammy exclaimed, "What just happened?"
Jingles told Sammy, Tinker, and Myrhh about Elbereth's visit two months ago and about the message she gave him.
"I believe that you are the Wishbringer." Jingles said solemnly to Myrrh. "I knew it as soon as I heard you say 'I wish'."
"But why did you send Cookie away." Tinker asked.
"Whenever Myrhh and her were around together, I felt like something terrible was going to happen." Jingles said, "That is why I have been so..."
"Grumpy" Tinker added.
"Yes, Grumpy, the last few weeks." Jingles admitted. "Elbererth's message has been in the back of my mind everyday since. Then today when Myrrh said that she wished that all cats could be as happy as we are here, it became clear to me. Myrrh`s wishes have no power at the North Pole, because the North Pole is one gigantic wish full of hope and joy. It`s like a single rain drop in an ocean. But in the human world..."
"Her wishes would be like a rainstorm in the middle of a drought.`Sammy stated.
"Hope and Joy have faded somewhere in the human world enough to cause the problems here at the North Pole." Jingles said. "You three have to go and find out what is wrong and then fix it. Can you do that?"
"Why can't you come with us?" Tinker asked.
"Because someone has to stay and watch the TiDE." Sammy realized, "The TiDe will keep the North Pole safe, until we get back. But if it resets with no one here, then the others will have no way to get back to the North Pole."
"I will stay here."Jingles nodded."You three need to get provisions and then head south to the human world. Find the source of the lost hope and joy. Once you find it, turn on an emergency beacon. Once I see the signal here on the sleigh, I will reset the TiDE and I will come get you. Snowdrift should be able to make the trip alone."
"Sammy and Tinker, you need to watch over Myrrh." Jingles continued,"Some unscrupulous human might try and take advantage of her power. Myrrh, let no one know what you can do. I have a feeling that the magic will find you without you trying to find it."
Sammy, Myrrh and Tinker climbed down from the sleigh and began scurry about Sammy's workshop to find provisions and clothing for the long trek south. Soon they were ready to go. They stood in front of the open service bay of Santa's sleigh and stared at Jingles.
"Go, I will be here when you get back." Jingles commanded, and as he watched his adopted family start to walk out of the workshop, he called out. "Just remember, I can't do this forever."
"Jingles!" Tinker called back to his brother over his shoulder. "Me fix!"