Fading Echoes

This scene is called “The Clean Den” because that will be the most striking thing about the tent from the cats’ perspective. The tent has been set up like a little mini veterinarian’s office in the woods. There is a small examination table, bright lights, and a cart filled with medical equipment, bandages, and useful drugs. It will smell strongly of antiseptics and the humans will do everything possible to keep dirt and other contaminants from the forest out of the tent.

While the cats are looking around, the doctors will be examining a cat. If possible, that cat should be a character the players have met before—either one of the captured player cats or Burr—just to give the scene a little more drama. If the cat is awake, it will be yowling angrily whenever the Twolegs poke and prod him or her.

Any cat that has the Herb Lore Knack may attempt a Ponder Check (using that Knack if the player so desires). If the Check total is 5 or higher, the cat notices some vaguely familiar scents mixed in with the antiseptics. If the total is 8 or higher, the cat realizes that some of the things in this den are similar to healing herbs that a medicine cat uses. If the total is 12 or higher, the cat is able to pick out a specific medicine smell and equate it to a specific healing herb.

Allow the cats to poke around for as long as the players remain interested. However, if they try anything particularly outlandish, there is a chance that the Twolegs will notice them.

What Happens Next: If the Narrator thinks the cats make it easy for the Twolegs to notice them, continue with 12.

If the cats decide to attack the Twolegs in hopes of freeing their friend, continue with 18.

If the cats return to the outer camp area, continue with 11 but do not refresh the chips again. (That only happens the first time the cats go through scene 11.)

If the cats decide to explore the Supply Van, continue with 16.

If the cats decide to explore the Transport Van, continue with 17.

16. A Sleeping Monster

Read Aloud: “The monster continues to sleep, despite the fact that the Twolegs keep coming over and trying to wake it up.”

Narrator Tips: In this scene the cats can examine the Supply Van and watch as the humans come and go, taking things from the van and occasionally depositing bags of garbage generated by the work happening in the Medical Tent.

The Twolegs aren’t doing anything special in this part of the camp, which makes it a good place for the players’ cats to hide and catch their breath after being chased. This also may be the first time the cats have ever had the opportunity to examine a Twoleg monster. The fact that it is so soundly asleep should allow them to be bolder than they usually would be around such a beast. If the players decide their cats want to take this opportunity, be creative in your descriptions. Try to describe the various shapes and parts of the van as they would appear to a cat and encourage an air of mystery and wonder.

This examination is interrupted periodically as the Twolegs come back and try to wake up the monster. (As the Narrator, you know they’re really just getting supplies from the van.) Have the cats make Ponder Checks as they watch this. If the Check total is 6 or higher, the cats realize that the Twolegs are performing specific actions in order to get the monster to react in certain ways.

What Happens Next: If the cats want to keep examining the monster, this is the end of the chapter. Pass the adventure to the next Narrator and tell him or her to continue with 19.

If the cats return to the outer camp area, continue with 11 but do not refresh the chips again. (That only happens the first time the cats go through scene 11.)

If the cats decide to explore the Medical Tent, continue with 15.

If the cats decide to explore the Transport Van, continue with 17.

17. A Wall of Dens

Read Aloud: “Like the other monster, this one appears to be sleeping, but the Twolegs do not seem to be trying nearly as hard to wake it up.”

Narrator Tips: In this scene the cats can examine the Transport Van and watch as the humans occasionally carry over a sedated cat from the Medical Tent and put it into a cage inside the van. When the cats can see the inside of the van, they see a huge wall of metal dens (like those they saw in the early scenes in this adventure), many of which have cats inside them.

This may be the first time the cats have ever been this close to a Twoleg monster, but the fact that it is so soundly asleep should allow them to be bolder than they usually would be around such a beast. As the cats examine the situation, be creative in your descriptions. Try to describe the various shapes and parts of the van as they would appear to a cat and encourage an air of mystery and wonder.