The Java hut was the next best thing to Home. It was warm and cozy, full of sweet smells, and wonderful things to drink. Its owner prided herself in coming up with new and better tasting confections and other wonderful edibles including her famous bagels of every size, shape, and flavor to please every pallet. She even served a confection so sweet, as to delight the youngest members of the tribe, while it would cause the teeth of any adult to ache.

The three women, and the child entered taking comfortable seats, near a window.

"Hey Queenie!" A cheery voice came from across the room. "I got a new recipe that I want you to--" "What in the name of the Crystal Caves is that bird doing in my hut?"

Corde advance across the room carrying a tray of bagels and, a special treat for the Princess Marissa. She had a scowl on her youthful face, as she glared at the Merlin perched on the back of the Little Princess's chair.

Morning Star chitterd her nervousness, and Princess Marissa sent soothing thoughts to the Merlin.

"Now Corde if you will let me explain--" stared Falcon

"Falcon, I might have known. It was bad enough that you gave that pup of yours one of my over done bagels to teeth on...."

"Now Corde, it worked out well, he stopped chewing on the furniture, and it’s still his favorite toy."

Falcon smiled

"Well, what about that rabbit you gave Rissa as a pet. It got loose under the Hut and after a few months I was up to my Amazon a-- "

"Corde." The Queen scowled at the Hut owner.

"A---- A---, oh, leathers in bunnies." "Someone even suggested I make rabbit stew. " She stooped, and remembers the look of horror on the faces of the children. A pair of brown bunny eyes, and a wriggley nose. "Awww

Falcon, come on."

"Look Corde, Shadow solved your rabbit problem, he chases all the rabbits out from under the Java Hut--"

"And right under mine--" came a voice.

"Hey Tink." Falcon smiled at the new arrival.

"Excuse me everyone, Cyan something’s up with Avalanche."

The Queens face changed, from amusement to great concern. "What is it?" she asked

"Well he just smacked Abyss in the nose, he isn't eating, though he acts hungry." "That and he is slobbering all over the place." The young Amazon shifts from foot to foot, she hates bringing bad news to the Queen.

"All right Tinka," Falcon breaks in," go to the Hospital and get my bag. Meet me at the cats compound." I will need Abyss removed from the area, he will be easier to deal with than Avalanche right now." See that an isolation cage is readied in the Hospital just in case"

With a nod to the Queen, Tinka runs off to do as Falcon requested.

"Let me help" Marissa tugs at the Animal healers leathers.

Falcon kneels before the child. Taking her by the shoulders, and looking her in the eyes, Falcon explains.

"Little Princess, I need you to take Morning Star to the flight cage, and stay there with her." "She has seen so much that I'm sure she will need you to calm her.' "Can you do this for me?'

"But Falcon I want to help." Princess Marissa whispers, disappointment in her eyes.

"Little Princess, this is a help, you are in charge of this little patient till I return. She has yet to be in the flight cage and the newness may scare her. It is up to you to keep her calm."

Princess Marissa 's face grows serious as she thinks about this new and important job, She was in charge of a patient, just like an apprentice. She was given the job of apprentice. With a big smile on her face, she nods her acceptance.

"Good." answers Falcon, and looks to the Princess Vicky, "If you would go with her Princess, and help her with the door to the cage?"

"Of course", Princess Vicky answers, smiling.

Falcon turns to Cyan, "My Queen, I must go to the healers hut for some herbs, I shall meet you at the cats compound"

The Queen nods and all depart, leaving Corde with a tray of bagels, and no one to eat them.

"People come and go so quickly here. "She giggles and heads back into the warm kitchen.

Falcon enters the healers hut. "Ashana!" she calls

A young woman comes from a back room. "May I help you?" she inquires.

"I'm looking for Ashana, I need some herbs." Falcon smiles at the woman.

"Ashana is out right now , I'm one of her apprentices, my name is Chakras, what herbs do you need perhaps I can help."

"My name is Falcon, one of the Queens big cats is sick and I need some catnip to sedate him."

Nodding the apprentice healer goes into the back room, she returns with a bottle of liquid.

"This is an infusion of catnip we put a few drops into the children’s tea when their stomach hurts. Mix this in some thing and see if you can get, which cat is it?" Chakras asks as she hands the bottle to Falcon.

"Avalanche." Is Falcons reply.

Chakras laughs softly, "Figures he is such a big baby." The Queen spoils them both so." "If you warm some goats milk, put a little honey in it to entice his sweet tooth." Chakras hands Falcon a jar. "It’s a honey cone, thought you might need it."

"Thank-you," Falcon smiles and starts off to the big cats compound.

"So that’s the new addition to the tribe. " The apprentice healer says softly. Shaking her head, she goes in back to finish the inventory she started.

The large white tiger paces around his compound, saliva running from his massive jaws, obviously in a bad mood.

The Queen croons soft words to try to calm him , but to no avail. He snarls at the group Amazon archers, who stand arrows trained on the Big Cat in defense of their Queen.

Falcon arrives at the compound and retrieves her bag from Tinka. "How long has he been like this?" she asks.

"He was a little grumpy yesterday, but he wasn't drooling till today. Got any ideas Falcon?"

"Did he eat yesterday?" she asked the young Amazon

"Sort of. He didn’t finish and sorta grumped around, like he always does when the Queen is real busy, and doesn’t visit him and Abyss. We just figured that was what was bothering him. But this morning he was drooling, and he really smacked Abyss. I don't know who was more shocked, Abyss or me."

"Tinka, send someone for a large bowl of warm goats milk, and bring it out to me.

Tinka signals another Amazon over, and gives her Falcons instructions. Then stands and waits, like the others assembled, she hopes that Falcon can fix, whatever is wrong with the Queens Big Cat.

The healer walks slowly into the compound and the tiger growls softly at her. "What's wrong big fella?" she croons.

"Careful Falcon, the Queen says softly, he really is in a bad mood, and the arrows don't help." The Queen glares at the archers, who shift in slight discomfort, but keep their arrows trained on the tiger, in defense of their beloved Queen.

Falcon lowers herself to the ground and watches the Big Cat pace. He goes to his food bowl, tries to eat, snarls and goes back to pacing. One side of his massive jaws is swollen, Falcon notes. Soon the requested bowl of warm milk is brought. Falcon measures the dose of catnip into the milk, then adds honey, stirring it till the honey, and catnip is well mixed.

The smell of the milk soon draws the cat’s attention, and he advances on the healer and the bowl. Falcon backs away and just watches.

Avalanche sniffs at the mixture, tastes is and then lays down to lap up the warm liquid food.

Soon he finishes it and gives a soft-contented sigh and a large burp. Which causes a small titter of amusement from the assembled crowd.

Minutes pass, and slowly the tiger begins to roll around much like a very big kitten, the catnip has made him very mellow. Queen Cyan pulls the massive head into her lap as she sits on the ground. Softly she croons to him as she scratches his ears.

"Poor baby, let Falcon look at you, she will make you better."

Falcon kneels, with her bag, beside the now sedated cat. He permits her to pull back his lips and uncover his very large teeth. It is then that Falcon sees what all the trouble is.

See my Queen, Falcon starts, something is lodged between these two teeth, it is causing an infection in his jaw. "No wonder he's in a bad mood, right now chewing must be very painful."

"Falcon what will you do?" the Queen asked

"Well I am going to try to remove it now, I would rather not have to put him under, as like his smaller cousins that can cause problems."

Falcon removes a small vial and cotton swabs from her bag. "This will numb the area, she explains as she swabs the infected area, I hope enough to let me remove whatever it is that is causing the problem." She then takes a probe and an unusual looking pair of pliers from the bag. "Now my Queen if you will just hold the upper lip back, that’s good"

Falcon works quickly, but it seems that the offending object is not going to come out easily. Suddenly with a smack cracking sound the object is removed. But the sound and movement startle the tiger who rises quickly with a loud snarl.

Suddenly there is rapid movement by several people. The archers draw to fire on the growling animal, while the Animal healer and the Queen throw themselves over the big cat. The archers can't fire or they may hit one of the women.

The Queen begins shouting. "He is fine, he’s not going to hurt anyone! Put those arrows down!"

"But Cyan." stutters the assistant captain of the guard.

"I said put them down, your upsetting him even more by your actions!"

Slowly the archers lowered their bows. Queen Cyan and Falcon removed themselves from over the big Cat, who chose that moment to trip the Queen and start licking her face.

"Avalanche stop that." the Queen laughed at her Big Kittens attention.

"My Queen, started Falcon, I'm afraid that I must insist that Avalanche be kept to himself for the next few days. Either here or in the Hospital confinement cage."

"Why is that?" the Queen inquired as she wrestled with the still drugged and very playful tiger."

"His jaw is infected and I would like to feed him only soft gruel and chopped fine meats till I'm sure that he is healed. Also to keep him from hurting his mouth more while playing with Abyss. I also have to put antibiotics in his food and don't need the other cat getting into them."

"Well, I could keep him in my hut…" the Queen started.

"You do and I am not coming over at all." Stated Saran, whom all knew was afraid of the Queens large pets.

'My Queen, I must insist on this, for just two days if the jaw is healed, then the two cats can be put together again."

"Falcon they have been together since they were cubs, both of them were orphaned at the same time, I bottled fed them together." Queen Cyan was a little upset at thinking of the two cats being separated.

"The alternative my Queen is cages side by side, so that they can see one another." Falcon explained.

The big cat chose that moment to try to chew on a chunk of meat from his bowl and howled in pain.

"As you can see my Queen, he will try to eat, or chew anything he can. I don't want the site to get worse. In the Hospital I can control what he eats, thereby making sure he heals quickly."

The Queen sighs "Alright Falcon as you wish, as you are fond of saying, it will be done." Signaling two of her handlers the Queen issues orders that Avalanche be moved to the Hospital as quickly as possible.

It had been three weeks now, and still the little Merlin would not fly. Falcon was in the Hospital stables checking on a mare who was due to drop a foal at any time. As she exited the stall Queen Cyan came in.

"Falcon how is the mare doing?" She inquired

Falcon dropped to one knee as was her custom in the presence of the Queen. "She is well, my Queen, the foal seems to be in a good position, and I expect the time to be soon."

"This is to be the first born to the Island, in the past we sent any mares to an outworld farm to drop the foals." "Then return them here." "But since we have added to the Hospital farm I felt it was about time we had them here."

"I only have the mare here my Queen because she was so young when Shatan covered her." "I want to make sure that both mare and foal are well." "Since this is her first, she is being monitored, so that when the time comes, she will not be alone" "That and, well I promised Princess Marissa that as soon as it was born I would call her to see the new foal."

"Falcon, you spoil her almost as much as her mother." the Queen laughed. "Now how is that little Merlin doing, has she flown yet?

'No my Queen, she still refused to try the wing." "I know it pains her to use it, but she must, or she will never fly"

"Well then, what will you do?" The Queen asked.

Unnoticed be either of them Princess Marissa comes into the stable, she hides when she hears her name mentioned.

"Well I have already begun, I have not fed her since yesterday, she is very hungry, I hope that by holding out on her food, it may give her a reason to fly." "She needs a reason, this may be it."

The Little Princess, moved quickly and quietly from the stables, she did not like to think of the little Merlin being hungry.

So she decided that she would try to see if she could talk the Merlin into trying to fly, and she sets out to do just that.

The next morning shone bright, the entire village was all in a buzz, tonight was a celebration, it was the beginning of summer. The children were let out of school early so that the older ones could help set the tables and make ready the bonfire. The younger children were given smaller tasks, to teach then to lend aid to the community.

It was after noon when Falcon made her rounds of the animals in the Hospital. It was then she noticed the chair in front of the Merlin's cage, the empty cage. Just then Saran comes into the room.

"Have you seen Marissa?" she inquires.

"Not since last evening, she had dinner in the community hut. But now it seems that she was here, and she seems to have taken the little Merlin from her cage."

At that moment a small form hurtled into the room through an open window. Landing on the floor the little Merlin lays a small leather glove in her talons. Falcon picks up the panting bird and rushes to a nearby exam room.

Saran picks up the small glove, and follows the Healer.

The Queen, her two Princesses, and the other council members had been in a meeting all morning and a good part of the afternoon. She was just about to call the meeting to an end when Falcon burst into the room past the guards. Her face white, Falcon falls to her face before the Royal dais.

"Falcon what is the meaning of this?" the Queen frowns, no one was permitted into the council chamber without permission.

Falcon raises herself to her knees. "Please forgive me my Queen, but---- Princess Marissa is missing and I fear she may be hurt." Falcon holds up a child size falconers glove, it is blood stained.

Part III