Guardian Cats and the Lost Books of Alexandria

Chapter 45: Tough guys

Caffeina went back to the others to report her failure.

“Where’s Cicero?” she asked. “And Marco? Where’s he?” No one seemed to be in charge.

“I’m going back out,” she said. “I don’t know where, but I’ll keep looking until I find someone. Anybody else want to come?”

Tweezer moved to join her.

“Oh! What a pity.” A voice from the ground stopped them in their tracks. “Looks like your precious library is burning.” Sting was planted squarely under the tree, along with Tank, Crimmany and some out-of-towners.

“Hey scabs! I’m talking to you!”

“Scram, creep,” yelled Tweezer.

“Oh, you must be the tough guy, huh?” accused Sting.

“What kind of tough guy hides in a tree?” asked Tank.

“In case you didn’t notice, the books are burning,” said Sting. “You gonna sit and watch? What a bunch of losers.”

Tweezer climbed farther down the tree. “I’m not going to take this,” he muttered under his breath.

“Don’t go!” Caffeina whispered. “They’ll kill you!”

There was a cracking sound inside as the table, where the fire had started, split and crashed to the floor.

“I love a good fire. Don’t you?” Sting said to Tank. The other raccoons were milling restlessly about, looking in the windows.

“Hey, Sting!” yelled one of the newcomers. “I thought you said we were gonna have a good fight tonight. There’s nobody here to fight with.”

“Yeah, you’re right. They’re a bunch of nobodies.”

“Scaredy cats. That’s what they are.”

“I know what’ll get ‘em down,” taunted Sting. “Here, kitty, kitty. I have something special for you.”

Sting went over to the bushes and yanked on the leash that Polo was tied to. “I got your ratty little pet here. Come and get 'em!”

Sting yanked Polo by his collar and held him up, squirming and strangling. Polo tried to squeal but nothing came out.

Tweezer took a flying leap off the branch. In one fell swoop, he grabbed the leash with his teeth and jerked it out of Sting’s paw. The startled raccoon had no time to act and Polo, with the leash dragging behind him like a long tail, ran as far and as fast as he could.