The Blessing of the Sun

Olive Clarke

Description

Set in a landscape resembling the awesome Peak District, the wildcats reflect the tough beauty of the scenery. We soon meet Kahmet, the unlikely hero. It is said that God has no favourites: if He had, then who would qualify, since His standards must be immeasurably high? However, in Kahmet we might consider the possibility. Flawed as he is, his tentative trust in divine protection at his time of greatest need, his youthful wisdom as he tests his growing maturity, and his respect for those whose position warrants it, all point to deserved benevolent protection by an Ultimate Authority.
The invading tribe of wildcats display moments of horrific cruelty; the wily ways on both sides would tax the battle plans of any human army: the reader’s hope is always that good will indeed conquer evil.
As each cat has the opportunity to take centre stage, we see the world from their point of view, whether in battle-crazed fury, or the sweetest tenderness of helpless love.
At the climax of the story, all threads are pulled together and the reader has a glimpse of the Eternal, whereby the imperfect is completed, inequalities justified, and inadequacies resolved.

Sujets

• Tribal
• Philosophie et théologie
• Seasons
• Season
• Blessing
• Spirituality
• Religion
• Jack Blessing
• Tribu (ethnologie)

Informations

• Publié par: AuthorHouse UK
• Date de parution: 08 août 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781728374550
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

THE BLESSING OF THE SUN
 
 
 
 
 
 
OLIVE CLARKE
 
 
 
 
 

 
AuthorHouse™ UK
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Bloomington, IN 47403  USA
www.authorhouse.co.uk
Phone: UK TFN: 0800 0148641 (Toll Free inside the UK)
UK Local: (02) 0369 56322 ([phone] from outside the UK)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
© 2022 Olive Clarke. All rights reserved.
 
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.
 
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
 
Published by AuthorHouse 08/08/2022
 
ISBN: 978-1-7283-7454-3 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-7283-7455-0 (e)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
CONTENTS
Part 1 : Autumn Fruits
Chapter 1 : Introduction: The Beginning of the Fall
Chapter 2 : A Summons
Chapter 3 : The Quarrel
Chapter 4 : Full Moon
Chapter 5 : Heiday
Chapter 6 : Family matters
Chapter 7 : Just rewards
Chapter 8 : Sad tidings
Part 2 : Winter Threatens
Chapter 9 : Cold Comforts
Chapter 10 : The Moon Cat
Chapter 11 : Mapp and Mop’s Day
Chapter 12 : Heiday’s Quarry
Chapter 13 : Still Waters
Chapter 14 : Paper Promises
Chapter 15 : Captured and Ransomed.
Chapter 16 : Unpleasant Discoveries
Chapter 17 : Night Time
Part 3 : Winter Bites
Chapter 18 : A Dead-end
Chapter 19 : An Unlikely Ally
Chapter 20 : Victor Ludorum
Chapter 21 : Retribution
Chapter 22 : Home Truths
Chapter 23 : Sharing the Bounty
Chapter 24 : New Ways to Old Ends
Chapter 25 : Ladies in Waiting
Part 4 : The Storm Breaks
Chapter 26 : The Curtain Rises
Chapter 27 : A Public Disgrace
Chapter 28 : Fighting Talk
Chapter 29 : A Saving Grace
Chapter 30 : The Fall-Out
Chapter 31 : Separate Ways
Chapter 32 : Love Captured
Chapter 33 : Love Ransomed
Part 5 : Spring Fever
Chapter 34 : Into Summer
Chapter 35 : Under the Stars
Chapter 36 : Dawn Chorus
Chapter 37 : Talking Tactics
Chapter 38 : Tilting with the Enemy
Chapter 39 : Picking up the Pieces
Chapter 40 : A Reunion and Surrender
Chapter 41 : Councils of War
Part 6 : Cuckoo in the Nest
Chapter 42 : Storm clouds gather
Chapter 43 : Into the Crucible
Chapter 44 : A-Hunting We Will Go
Chapter 45 : Winner Takes All
Chapter 46 : A Friend in Need
Chapter 47 : An Awesome Discovery
Chapter 48 : Springing the Trap
Chapter 49 : Dark Secrets
Part 7 : Summer Shadows
Chapter 50 : Across Country
Chapter 51 : A Highway to Heaven
Chapter 52 : The Die is Cast
Chapter 53 : Together Again
Chapter 54 : A Gamble for Survival
Chapter 55 : A Generous Offer
Chapter 56 : A passport to Safety
Chapter 57 : An Ultimatum
Chapter 58 : Dark Doings
Part 8 : Harvest Home
Chapter 59 : The Road to Freedom
Chapter 60 : To Safer Ground
Chapter 61 : A Player’s Gambit
Chapter 62 : Poisoned Chalice
Chapter 63 : The Final Toll
Chapter 64 : Striking Out
Chapter 65 : Onward and Upward
Chapter 66 : The Water Cat
Chapter 67 : Journey’s End
PART ONE

AUTUMN FRUITS
CHAPTER 1

Introduction: The Beginning of the Fall
Deep in the forest a shaft of September sun spotted the floor of bracken with its golden light. If autumn had shown kindness, then the summer of the plain had been superb in unrivalled magnificence. Food overflowed in such abundance that the prospect of hunger appeared as remote as the African Plain. Milky kernels of the oak peeped out from their leafy hide; their polished, bronzed cups veritable treasure chests of ripeness, and along the wayside, succulent berries jostled merrily amid the bramble’s thorns. Every dip and hedge overflowed with spectacle, as each vied with the other to produce an array of mouth-watering delights.
Here in the valley, lush pastures glowed green, even in the height of summer, their acreage well watered by mountain streams. Along rocky beds, water bubbled and tumbled in clear sparkling rivulets. It swirled over rocks, grey-green with moss and lichen, home to the nibbling armies of fish that grazed contentedly in shady pools. Dragonflies twitched, quivered and hovered above in sheer bravado, in celebration of the teeming life in the waters beneath them.
All the animals of the plain had echoed this abundance of life, and the tribe of feral cats to which Kahmet belonged was no exception. The excess of food had brought about an unusually high rate of survival among the kittens born that spring. Everywhere they bounded about in play, darting here and there in a zest for living, each new day bringing its heady round of discovery. Exasperated parents, aware that this time of play and plenty would give way to harder climes, taught the art of survival as best they could. It was a fruitless task in which their own endurance was tested to the limit: Hunger, the sharpest teacher of them all remained absent, and as a full belly proved no aid to concentration, lessons often went unheeded. As summer progressed, the kittens’ coats grew sleek around unusually fat little bodies; yes the year had truly been fruitful for them all.
Several homesteads dotted the valley, but the tribe scorned their comforts, resorting only in winter to the free booty to be found in the farmers’ hen house. Bounded by no other laws save their own, the creatures viewed the farmers’ guns with disdain that bordered upon recklessness. Only when a rifle shot announced the re-opening of hostilities, did these true free spirits of wit and claw keep their distance. The span of life was as unpredictable and changeable as the wind, and recognised as such. Living offered no gifts for the faint-hearted; its ebb and flow belonged to the strong and the brave. For the most part the cats were sanguine as to their fortune; but when food was scarce, and the weather harsh, the old and weaker members were sacrificed unceremoniously by the rest. Strength, power and respect forged allegiances with cunning and experience.
As with the rest of the year’s offspring; Kahmet had been born just as the last remnant of snow yielded to spring’s arrival. There had been five in his litter, two males and three females. His father Big Paw was a huge, fighting tom whose uncertain temper and heroic exploits had earned him a name to be reckoned with. Many females cast a languishing gaze in his direction, yet he kept to a single mate. Her name was Hedgerow, and for several seasons now she had delighted him by producing strong, healthy kittens. Big Paw had no wish to be out-numbered, for he had seen many a good ‘tom’ wasted trying to keep skittish females under control. No, Hedgerow would do for him at present, besides which she came from superior lineage, and was the very essence of gentleness and good breeding.
“I have the first and the best,” he would argue when challenged; and in his usual blunt manner had summed up the situation to perfection. It had been a love match the minute the two had set eyes on one another, and from that moment Hedgerow devoted her life solely to Big Paw and their family. She had no intention whatsoever of sharing her mate with any other female, and to that end concentrated all her energies upon keeping him happy. The pair and their offspring were luckier than most, for the wariness and respect in which Big Paw was held by the rest of the tribe ensured that they had no need to scratch an existence from the lesser pastures.
As Warrior Captain responsible for the Tribe’s centre flank of defences, Big Paw demanded and enjoyed a good deal of deference and influence in general. A natural warrior, it was his duty to initiate the young bloods into the skills and arts of battle, and he delighted in the opportunity to show off his prowess. He would tell stories to the young kittens of blood-curdling attacks and long summer sorties; scaring them so much out of their wits that they ran and buried themselves into their mother’s fur from terror. His cry was law, and many a luckless youngster rued the day he fell foul of his wrath. Hedgerow was gentler of nature; her father was Wise Eye, a healer and scholar to whom the members of the tribe turned to settle their many disputes over territory and mates.
“Hush,” she would say, as the kittens in fear and trembling nuzzled into her long fur for comfort. “There will be time enough for them to know the cruelty of fang and claw. Let them for now enjoy their comfort, it will be short enough.”
Big Paw sulked: to him battle was a way of life, a trusty aide to his ambitions that earned him respect among other toms. However it was the law of the tribe that while suckling, the rearing of the kittens belonged firmly with the mother. Besides Hedgerow’s claws were sharp, and she was not above finding his nose with them when her cry was over-looked. In this however rested the difference between the two. Hedgerow carried the gift of vision and intellect handed down by her forebears. Big Paw, too impatient to gain his ends by reason, found muscular strength the quicker solution to problems big or small. Hedgerow’s family had shaken their heads over the pairing, but in Big