Follow the Cat

I only realized that Khepri was with me when I made it to the other side of the pit, headed down the tunnel that led outside.

I stopped. “This is a dangerous job. You don’t have to come with me. ”

“Oh, yes, I do, ” Khepri said calmly. “Miu’s going to look after Kenamon, and I’m going to look after you. ”

He was smaller than my paw, and he was going to look after me? Ridiculous, of course, but I couldn’t shake him.

“I’m sticking with you, ” he kept saying, and since I couldn’t pry him off my ear, we continued down the tunnel together.

Truth to tell, I was glad he was there with me, especially when we slipped from the tunnel into Bek’s tomb. (Just as Khepri had predicted, there were some loose blocks by the ledge where I’d felt the “breath of

Anubis. ” Bek had pushed them back so that he could crawl through. ) “Do you see any jackals? ” I asked as we peered out of the tomb.

“I only see stars, ” Khepri said. “Wow, they sure are bright out here in the desert. ”

“They are. ” Then I looked down to the east and saw Set Ma’at aglow with tiny lights.

“See that? ” I said to Khepri. “They’re awake, even though it’s the middle of the night. Something’s going on. ”

“Maybe they’re searching for Kenamon, ” Khepri suggested.

“Probably for the wrong reason, ” I said.

“It’s a good thing they’ve got us to set them straight. ” Khepri settled himself more firmly between my ears. “Let’s go, Ra! ”

Ears and eyes on the alert for jackals, I clambered down the cliffs. When we reached the bottom and no jackals had appeared, I felt more confident. I picked up the pace as I crossed the desert sands. Ahead of us, Set Ma’at shone brightly.

“So what’s the plan? ” Khepri asked.

“It’s simple. I get someone to follow me back to the tomb. ” “Who? ” Khepri wanted to know.

“The Scribe, maybe—”

“But he thinks you’re a stray, ” Khepri pointed out. “He’ll just shoo you away. ”

Hmmm…I hadn’t thought this part through. But Khepri was probably worrying over nothing. He often does that.

“It will work out, ” I said. “If need be, I’ll tackle the Vizier when he comes to get me. He’ll be here first thing in the morning. ” “What if he isn’t? ” Khepri said.

“He won’t have a choice. Pharaoh must have figured things out by now, and he’ll be furious with the Vizier for bringing back an imposter. ” “Unless Pharaoh thinks the imposter is you, ” Khepri said.

“He wouldn’t, ” I said. “You said so yourself, Khepri. There’s no cat like me. ”

“Well, I know that, and you know that. But the humans are more easily fooled than we are—”

“Not Pharaoh, ” I insisted. “We have a special bond. He’ll send the Vizier for me. And the Vizier will be in big trouble for mistreating me, so he’ll have to do what I want. I’ll lead him to the boy. ”

“If you say so, ” Khepri said doubtfully.

He didn’t argue after that. But he didn’t have to. As I padded through the dark toward the walls of Set Ma’at, tiny doubts pricked at me. What if Khepri was right? What if Pharaoh had accepted the imposter? I’d seen enough to know that, for many humans, all cats were alike. Maybe Pharaoh, at heart, thought one cat was as good as another. Maybe the special bond between us wasn’t really so special after all…

“Ra? ” Khepri clutched at my ear. “There’s someone on our trail. ”

“Anooooooooooooooooobis! ”

The howl came from close behind us. I bounded forward as fast as my paws would take me.

“Jackals! ” On the top of my head, Khepri was rotating and shrieking.

“Two of them. No, three…four…”

“Counting doesn’t help! ” I yowled.

I thought I’d been running fast. Now I discovered I could go faster. But so could the jackals. As I streaked toward the village gates, their baying came closer and closer.

“Ra, the gates are closed! ” Khepri yelled in my ear.

“Then I’ll climb straight up the wall! ” My shriek echoed across the sands, so loud everyone in the village must have heard it.

I heard a familiar shout. Or was it just that my senses were failing me? I had never run so fast in my life, and my whole body was pounding from the effort.

The village gates began to open, ever so slightly.

Could it be? I wondered.

“Faster, Ra! ” Khepri begged.

I didn’t think faster was possible, but then a jackal nipped at my tail.

“Anooooooooooooooooobis! ”

I yowled and darted through the tiny gap in the gates. They slammed behind me, locking the jackals out. With Khepri holding tight, I ran to the man with the familiar shout…

“Oh, Ra! ” Pharaoh raised me in his arms. “Praise the gods, you’re safe. ”

As a crowd gathered, I heard Khepri’s stunned voice in my ear. “Pharaoh recognized you, Ra. Even without your collar, and with the mud and grit in your fur, he recognized you. ”

“Of course he did. ” I aimed for a lofty, confident tone, but I was too relieved to sound anything but delighted. “I told you: Pharaoh and I have a special bond. I never doubted it. ” Well, not really.

Pharaoh stroked my cheeks and fed me chunks of spiced ibex from his very own hand. “Forgive me, Ra. I was so busy yesterday that I didn’t realize till midnight that the Vizier brought back the wrong cat. ”

“O Ruler of Rulers. ” The Vizier’s voice floated up from the ground, where he was lying flat by Pharaoh’s feet. “I abase myself. ” Cradling me in his arms, Pharaoh took a step away.

“I’ll bet he won’t be Vizier for very long, ” Khepri whispered to me.

“Let’s hope not. ” I gulped down another morsel of ibex.

“I came to Set Ma’at to search for you myself, ” Pharaoh told me. “I turned the whole village upside down—and then I heard you out in the desert. ” He hoisted me up, so that we were eye-to-eye. “What on earth were you doing out there? ”

I almost choked on my ibex. In the excitement of the moment, I’d nearly forgotten about Kenamon. I leaped from Pharaoh’s arms and ran to the gate. “Catch him! ” the Scribe cried, and the crowd began to chase after me.

“Stop! ” At the sound of Pharaoh’s deep voice, everyone froze. “Let him be. ”

Pharaoh strode up to me. “What is it, Ra? It must be something important, if you’re willing to brave the jackals again. ” He stared down at me, his dark eyes thoughtful, and then gave orders to his guards:

“Open the gates. Bring your torches. And follow that cat! ”

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