The Last Hunt

My sister BabyCat wrote this after what was to be CLAW's last hunt. It was her last hunt, as she crossed the Rainbow Bridge only a few weeks later. I think it expresses a lot of the feelings that we have about the closing of CLAW. The sadness, the camaraderie, the sweet memories of times we will never forget. I have set it down here just as she left it, including her little note at the bottom to her furriend, Buddee. Purrs, Daenida Elowin, Princess in Catuary

The Last Hunt

The teams were all lined up at the starting line waiting for the hunt to begin. You could feel the excitement in the air as one pawed the ground and another sharpened her claws in anticipation. But there was something else in the air also. A feeling of melancholy, of sadness, seemed to hang over the crowd, and more than one cat was seen wiping a tear from his eye. For this would be the very last hunt.

Team members hugged one another, and captains shouted last minute instructions. Teams shouted words of encouragement to each other. Then suddenly "BANG!", the gun went off and cats raced across the starting line, intent on the hunt. Each team went in its own direction, following a plan, using its own strategy. The Hunter's Paw split up, some going towards the University and others racing towards the groups hall and the Theatre.

First BabyCat ran toward the University. Most of the class rooms were empty except fur a few night classes. LOL. What fun she had attending classes. How many cats she had met in these halls. She grabbed the few hidden fishing lures and raced off. Before long she was deep in the hallways of CLAW looking for lures. BabyCat raced through rooms where the guilds and societies were housed. Banners of each group, old and new, hung in a long hallway, and beneath each were lists of all the members. Rooms were filled with odds and ends that members used fur the activities. BabyCat picked through some of the items, and found a few more lures, which she tossed in her basket, then continued on her way.

As she walked along looking for fishing lures, she came to the Older section of the palace. She opened a door and found herself in the garden by the pool. And there was the nap room. Ah. BabyCat sat down fur a minute, and watched the funny fishes swimming. She had spent many a pleasant moment here. She wandered on into the rock garden, and found the door to the kitchen. Oh, yum. She went in and looked in the fridge. She would make a quick snack before she went on.

Munching on a sandwich, she walked on and came to the Hall of Honor, which she entered. She stopped and ran her paw over the names engraved there. Chazot, and Sassy Poisson, Niklos and Murph. Oh, and Charlie and Frisky Tat were on the list several times. And down near the bottom was her name. She remembered how very excited she had been to finally get her name on the wall. She still couldn't quite believe it. She found a lure hidden behind a column, and went on down another hall, a thoughtful look on her furry face.

Then she came to the Meowing-In Room. It was here that she had bowed before Queen Midnight and pledged her life and loyalty to CLAW and to the spirit of CLAW. She could still remember the feeling she had, of awe, and reverence and accomplishment. She would always be a CLAW cat. As she wandered through the rest of the rooms, she could hardly believe that this would be the very last hunt. She dashed a tear from her eye as she thought of all the good times, the parties, the wonderful furriends.

Finally she came to the Rainbow Chapel. She knew she wouldn't find any lures hidden there, but she went in anyway, and wandered through the headstones until she came to a bench where she sat down and let herself have a good cry. She thought of all her furriends who had already crossed the Rainbow Bridge, and she wondered what would happen to those that were left in the months to come. Finally she got up and moved on. The hunt must be finished. She couldn't let her team down. She picked up the last few lures that she saw and headed back toward the finish line.

Her spirit, and the spirit of CLAW which she carried in her heart, was with her. She still had many things to do. Finish her doctorate, and help with the final parties. She was busy helping kitties with outfits fur the Beach Party, and also helping on the lovely quilt which would be presented to Queen Midnight and her family at the Awards ceremony.

As BabyCat neared the finish line, she noticed other cats and teams coming in, standing around near the finish line. She finally reached the group, the last cat to return. A great cheer went up, and every cat joined paws with another cat, and together all of the teams walked across the finish line as the cats in the stadium cheered and yelled.

Afterwards there was a huge party at the Hunter's Paw Lodge, and the teams each hung their banners in the new awards room. They all knew that the spirit of CLAW would live on in their hearts forever, and that no matter what happened, they would all remain furriends.

Purrs, BabyCat

Mews, Dear Buddee, just a rough draft. BabyCat

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