– Oh no! Two already! Only one more left!
Now he walked very carefully. But it was hot, the firewood was heavy – sweat poured into his eyes. He wiped his forehead with his sleeve – and slipped off a bridge. Splash – right into the stream.
– That’s it! I’m dead! – he moaned, and fell asleep right there, on the firewood.
Just then, a farmer came by with a cart. One wheel got stuck in the mud. He saw the giant lying nearby.
– Hey, help push the cart!
– I’m dead… – groaned Alangazar. – That was my third fall. I’m done for…
– Don’t be ridiculous! Get up and push!
– No, I’m a corpse… I can’t…
The farmer lost patience and whipped him.
Alangazar twitched his foot. Another smack – he lifted his head. Third strike – he stood up!
– Whoa! – he gasped. – I… I came back to life?! Thank you! You’ve revived me! That’s a magical whip!
– Yeah, yeah… Keep it if you want, – sighed the farmer.
Alangazar gleefully brought the whip home. Wrapped it in cloth, hid it under the bed.
– What are you hiding? – Victoria asked.
– This whip… With it, I can come back to life anytime!
The Story of Captain Cat – a Sloth with the Mind of a General
Puss in Boots was fluffy, striped, and always on duty. Well, technically on a pillow – because most of the time, he could be found sleeping on the strategy map in the command tent.
But the moment someone said,
"Training is canceled!"
he would open one eye and purr:
"Hmm… Nonsense. Too obvious a trap."
He knew every trail, trick, and tactic within three fields’ radius. Some say he once won a battle without even leaving his chair – he simply sent a squad to the right spot and placed a donut on the map as bait.
The Cat was a genius of stillness. He believed you should lie down and think thoroughly before rushing into anything. His favorite saying:
"A good idea comes… when you’re almost asleep."
Everyone wondered how he always knew where the enemy would be, when it would rain, or when the donuts would burn. He’d just say:
"I feel it with my whiskers. And I’ve got good hearing. Especially when someone says the word ‘snack.’"
He didn’t like yelling. He could convince a soldier to go on a recon mission as if they were heading to a picnic. Even mighty Alangazar once said:
"If the Cat asks – I go. He rarely asks, but he’s always right."
Cinderella loved his short, spot-on reports. One day she asked: