I thought it would be necessary for us to exit the woods in order to reach the battlefield however the rabbit was leading me farther into the forest. Just when I was about to ask if he was sure we were heading in the right direction, the rabbit stopped and said, “This is the entrance to the caverns. It is very dark in there so you need to stay close to me. When we exit the caverns we will have arrived at our destination.” After walking in darkness for about a half an hour between moist stalagmites and stalactites we finally reached the opening at the end of the caverns. As we approached, the opening seemed to be growing larger. Suddenly I realized why the route we took was a shortcut. Instead of walking uphill toward the top of the canyon, we had traveled directly through the rock and come out on the other side emerging about half way into the depths of the canyon. After exiting, I looked up to see the top of the canyon where I had stood with Niccolo. I then looked down. The canyon was even larger than I had realized. We walked out onto a large plateau and we could see from a distance a great hill. The rabbit said, “These are the plateaus.” I asked, “Is this the site that can be seen from the top of the canyon that appears as colorful waves?” The rabbit shook his head. “That’s farther down below. This area because of its inaccessibility is reserved for special military operations. Look there!” said the rabbit, pointing to some movement at the base of the hill. “That’s Hannibal. Do you see?” I squinted my eyes and saw a cat leading a large army towards the hill. From a distance I could only make out the color of his fur. It was white and golden brown. But as he approached I noticed more details. He had a strong build and was larger than the cats he was leading. He had a long sturdy body, long legs and a bushy tail. As the wind rustled his coat I could see that it consisted of a long, glossy, thick top layer and a wooly undercoat. Hannibal’s coat was thickest at the legs, chest and head and appeared to be water-repellant. I say this because all of the other animals following him had wet fur as if they were drenched with water but his coat looked dry. He advanced with straight posture. The rest of the animals hobbled along and although they appeared to be tired they seemed to receive inspiration to continue from their leader. Again I looked at Hannibal. His head was long with an over-all shape similar to an equilateral triangle. He had a strong chin, and a muzzle of medium length, with large ears wide at the base and high set. His ears, which had a tuft of hair at the ends, completed the extensions of the triangle formed by his head. The most significant detail about the general was his eyes. They were almond shaped and had a penetrating arctic blue color that were noticeable even from a great distance. Something about his eyes made me shudder. I quickly looked away. It was like trying to stare at the sun. Even after turning away I could still see those terrible eyes. They burned their way into my memory. The leader disappeared behind the hill but as I watched his army following him I noticed a huddled mass of soldiers carrying something. It looked like a large wooden box. “Could this be the secret weapon?” I wondered, as they disappeared behind the hill. I then noticed activity on the side of the hill facing us. Niccolo’s troops having been alerted began ascending the hill to meet Hannibal. A tidal wave of cats swiftly rushed up and over the hill. The echoing sound of bodies colliding reminded me of the crackling of a fire. After a few minutes of fighting something unexpected happened. Sudden bright flashes of light shimmered from behind the horizon. The rapid flow of Niccolo’s troops began to slow. As the animals reached the top of the hill and looked down at the flashes of light they tried to put on the brakes and turn back but it was too late. Momentum continued to drive them right over the top. I asked the rabbit, “What’s happening?” With a stunned face he suddenly turned toward the caverns and yelled, “Commander, Run!” We both darted into the cold darkness of the caverns and ran from an unknown danger. I looked back and could still see faint flashes of light glimmering. I stopped running and called to the rabbit, “Slow down!” I could hear my voice echoing and bouncing off the walls of the cavern. I then heard steps approaching me. “I’m right here sir,” said the rabbit. I asked, “What was that back there?” The rabbit responded, “Well sir, I want to say that it was the secret weapon. But the Marshal says there is no secret weapon. I honestly don’t know what it was, but the Marshal placed you in my care and I didn’t think it was safe for us to stick around and find out.” I said, “You’re probably right. Speak of this to no one until we can find out what’s going on. Is that clear?” He said, “Yes sir!” and although I couldn’t see him in the dark I imagined that he was saluting me. “We still need to talk about what we just witnessed. Where can you be reached?” I asked. The rabbit responded, “I live near the entrance to the caverns sir. If ever you need me I’m at your service.” After exiting the caverns I sent the rabbit on his way, again reminding him to speak to no one about what we had witnessed. I wanted to check on my friend Chauncey so I decided to pass by the area where he was being held. However to my surprise he was not there. The rope the dogs had used to tie him to the tree was still there but Chauncey was nowhere to be found. I then remembered what it was that I was planning on doing before Socrates summoned me. Truth and Justice had some questions to answer. As I approached the shelter I noticed that it was completely empty. I wondered where everyone was. I kept walking. “Was Fostoria evacuated while I was gone,” I thought. I headed for the creek where I had given my speech. On entering the clearing I saw thousands of animals standing in long lines. At the end of the lines stood Truth and Justice’s goons. Upon being instructed, the animal at the beginning of the line would be directed into a tent where no doubt the Siamese twins were waiting. I decided to skip the line and demand a conference with the two. As I walked passed my comrades who were being purged I noticed they had an empty look in their eyes. The animals were no longer carefree and happy. However as they caught sight of me glimmers of hope appeared in their eyes and someone shouted, “Look! It’s the Commander!” They began applauding and some animals started to chant, “Great is Christopher! Ruler of Fostoria!” But before they could start in real earnest, some of the dogs that were overlooking the processing rushed towards the line and began barking furiously. Immediately the animals that were chanting and applauding were silenced. Then something strange happened. Noting that my arrival was the cause of the disturbance, one of the dogs rushed towards me. However before he got anywhere near me, with one accord about twenty animals broke away from the lines and intercepted him. They lifted him into the air and slammed him onto the ground knocking the air out of him. The animals seemed to act defensively without using any thought. It was a mere reflex. I looked around at the crowd and they all shared the same look on their faces. I knew that any one of them would have reacted in the same way had they been closer to the dog. Twenty animals were enough though. If more were required they would have been supplied. Their reaction reminded me of the response of the crowd that time when Hector was chasing the wild mouse. The whole crowd was united in the same mind just like right now. The animals were still on top of the dog as Justice emerged from one of the tents. The dogs yelping when he hit the ground must have alerted him. “What is the meaning of this? Release him at once!” commanded Justice. But the animals didn’t budge. They just looked to me. I nodded and said, “Release him,” and he was released. The animals that had come to my defense immediately went back to their places in line and they also went back to being terrified of the dogs. I thought, “They really don’t realize how powerful they are. Do they?” Justice approached me calmly and asked, “How did your field training go, Commander?” But I would not be distracted. I said, “I demand to know what is going on here. Why are all of the animals in line? I’ve heard you’ve been seizing property and arresting citizens without letting them know what they are being charged with? As the Commander, I demand to know where they are being held.” Justice stared at me with cold eyes but didn’t say anything. Angrily I said, “Did you hear what I just said? I demand answers! Where is Truth? We are going to hash this out right now!” Justice said, “Truth cannot be disturb
ed right now. He is in the middle of an interrogation. I understand you have some concerns about our methods because this is the first time you are witnessing a purge. But I assure you. We are the good guys.” I looked at him in disbelief. Justice continued, “You are more than welcome to sit in on an interrogation if you’d like.” I said, “I think I’ll do that.” But then Justice added, “Of course it will have to be later, because as I mentioned earlier the interrogation has already begun and it must not be interrupted. Truth’s work requires a great deal of concentration. But while he’s working lets take a walk and clear the air. You seem to have something you want to get off your chest.” Justice turned northward and walked away from me. Abruptly he looked back and asked, “Are you coming or not?” I ran to catch up. There was a great deal of tension in the air. Although I had called this meeting, I wasn’t sure of where to begin. Justice spoke first. “Christopher?” he said, for the first time using my name. “Imagine a cat who, out of no fault of his own was involved in an accident. Lets say he is set upon by falling rocks. Barely escaping with his life he moves out of the way only to have his tail trapped under a heavy boulder. For hours futilely he tries pushing the boulder off his crushed tail but it won’t budge. He then tries to pull his tail out from under the boulder. The extreme physical pain makes this option impossible. As the days pass he goes over in his mind all of the options he has in order to escape this predicament. His mind just keeps offering the same solutions that he has already tried. A week goes by. With dim eyes he notices that his tail is beginning to turn black and the sickness is attempting to overtake his healthy flesh. At this point something inside his head clicks. Faced with the reality of his situation a new idea leaps into his mind. He musters all the will he has left and he pulls with all his might until he feels something cracking. Ignoring the pain he proceeds to tear at his fleshy fetter with his teeth until he is freed.” I looked at Justice in shock. “Where is he going with this gruesome illustration?” As we walked I noticed we were approaching Fostoria’s northern border. “Where is he leading us?” I wondered. Justice continued, “The pain was excruciating but to the freed cat it was worth it. Why do you think that is?” I didn’t know what this illustration had to do with my grievances but I decided to humor him. I said, “I suppose he felt that he needed to escape in order to live. He was willing to sacrifice his tail and suffer extreme pain in order to accomplish this.” Justice nodded. “That’s right!” he said excitedly. “Surely you must know how that feels right Christopher. To have to suffer hardships temporarily in order to bring about lasting relief?” For some reason I thought about my near death experience with the pain in my gut. “My time was up. I had accepted it but Jeffery Chambers did something. He made me endure suffering but as a result of the suffering I was made stronger. Is this cat trying to tell me that the purge is going to make Fostoria’s citizens stronger? Is that his point? That is preposterous!” I looked at him suspiciously and gradually responded, “Yes. I have suffered hardships.” “And are you a better cat today for having had to endure these hardships?” he asked. I pondered seriously and then asserted, “I could have done without the suffering. Admittedly I’m wiser than I was before but if someone would have just shown me the way I… You’re shaking your head. You don’t believe me?” Justice replied, “I believe that you are sincere in your ideas but sincerity is not enough. You have to understand the inner workings of the mind. Suffering is a necessary tool to effectively train the mind. Without it there would be chaos because without restraint the mind is dangerous. Perverse thoughts lead to unrestrained actions. Unrestrained actions in turn could result in anarchy.” He peered at me sincerely but at the same time I could tell he was trying to read my expression. Convinced that I didn’t agree with his worldview Justice finally blurted out, “Fine! I see that you don’t believe me.” He sighed heavily. “I warned the Marshal that he should have listened to Socrates. It’s obvious that you are not ready for any of this just as Socrates warned. But Marshal Niccolo says he sees something in you.” Justice shrugged. “Well it can’t be helped now. In my opinion you are not ready to see what I’m about to show you but there is no more time. Truth and I can’t be expected to execute a successful purge of a territory and at the same time baby-sit its new ruler.” I followed Justice through the woods to a clearing, which faced the border of Lumpenproletaria.
Standing at the border in the shadows was a solitary figure. “This is the threshold guardian,” Justice said. “He will show you the true nature of the raw product making up our current society. Again I just want to reiterate that I don’t believe you are ready for this reality. That being said, if after seeing the inner workings of Lumpenproletaria you still fail to understand what we’re trying to accomplish I don’t think you will ever understand.” Justice abruptly turned and walked back into the forest leaving me with the threshold guardian.
Chapter 6 - I sit on a man’s back, choking him and making him carry me, and yet assure myself and others that I am very sorry for him and wish to ease his lot by all possible means – except by getting off his back - Leo Tolstoy
A cat that looked about my age suddenly stepped out of the shadows. “So, you are the one that’s been creating all of the buzz in Lumpenproletaria,” said the cat. I asked, “Are you the threshold guardian?” He rolled his eyes. “Follow me,” he commanded and turned back into the shadows. I quickly caught up with him. I was a little confused because I was told that Lumpenproletaria was a neutral territory yet the impression that Justice had left me with was that this guide was working for Socrates. I decided to inquire. “Excuse me sir, but …” “Let me ask you a question,” he abruptly interjected. “Are you a true believer? In animalism I mean. Its all right you can speak freely. In Lumpenproletaria you are not held accountable for what you say.” I was taken aback by his forwardness. “Yes,” I replied. “I believe that once all animals wake up and realize that we all belong to the same species we will be able to work together for lasting peace.” The threshold guardian stopped in his tracks and looked me in the eyes. There was a brief pause then he burst into laughter. He was actually laughing right in my face. He laughed so hard he began choking. He coughed violently then exclaimed, “You’re pulling my leg. You’re not serious are you?” I looked at him in bewilderment trying to wrap my mind around what was happening. Suddenly his expression hardened. “You are serious. Well I don’t want to be the one to crush your dream but that’s exactly what it is. A dream.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “So you don’t believe in the equality of all animals? You are a speciest spy!” I accused pointing my paw at him threateningly. He responded aggressively, “Hey! I’m no speciest! Their ideology is even more absurd than ours. But at least they are not hypocrites.” “What did he mean by that remark?” I wondered. He continued, “And save your threats. There is nothing more the Union can do to me. I’m already in the worst place on earth.” “So he considers his assignment as a punishment,” I thought. “Look,” he continued. “I’m not trying to shake your faith or anything. I just…” “Then don’t!” I interrupted. “Please. Just do your job. Show me the foundations of society.” I hope you’ll pardon this outburst. You see I wasn’t ready at that time to even entertain doubts about animalism. Even though things were not running as smoothly as I had imagined they would, I was still invested in the idea of equality for all. The threshold guardian stood for a moment as if considering something then looked at me and said, “As you wish Commander.” As the cat walked on, his entire demeanor changed. His posture improved. His gait became regimented and gave the impression that he was a disciplined soldier with a high regard for duty. As we walked I began noticing my surroundings. There were vines and branches that cast dark shadows all around us. Thick brush along the Lumpenproletariat border also made it difficult to penetrate into the interior. All of a sudden my guide pushed aside some vines and rays of light beamed into my eyes. Some dust was also swept up into my face. “May I present…” he announced, “the foundations of s
ociety.”
Now, I wasn’t sure what I would see in Lumpenproletaria. From the build up of expectation however, I was anticipating something shocking. Nevertheless nothing could have prepared me for what I saw. I raised my eyes and looked out upon a barren wasteland. The vegetation stopped at the frontier. At first everything looked deserted, then I saw some movement. An emaciated dog with almost all of his fur missing came limping across our path. His exposed pink skin glistened in the sun. He looked in our direction but his bloodshot eyes had no glimmer. There was no sign that he recognized any of his surroundings. He appeared to be crushed by misery. He hobbled past us in no apparent direction. “What happened to him?” I wondered. We continued on and came across a large rabbit that was ferociously barking at a cat in a tree just out of his reach. The cat had a look of terror as if he felt the rabbit could swallow him whole. Just then a pack of stray dogs ran past, chasing each other playfully. After sniffing each other cautiously the rabbit joined the pack and they ran off together barking loudly. I glanced over at the threshold guardian inquisitively. He appeared to not notice my glance and walked on without saying a word. We walked past tar pits, which had piles of bones stacked up along the edges. The bones varied in size. Some could have belonged to a bear while others must have belonged to chipmunks or squirrels. What caught my attention at the time was the sheer number of them scattered along the shore of the pits. It was obvious they were being hauled into the pits because some of them were covered in tar and submerged in the pit while the other half was exposed. I remember wondering at the time how deep the pits were and if they were in fact full of bones. We walked through the tar pits and came across a large plaza full of animals of all species. Most of them looked sick. As we walked we had to step over the dead and dying animals, which were sprawled out on the ground indiscriminately. The smell of decay was overwhelming. This was too much to take. I had to know how these animals ended up in these conditions. I looked over at the threshold guardian and he just glared at me with an expression that said, “You didn’t want to hear what I had to say before. Told me to do my job. Now you want answers huh?” We obviously started off on the wrong foot so I tried to win over my guide. I said, “Conditions here sure are different than Fostoria.” And I smiled good-naturedly. “Yeah well, things were not always like this,” he responded. “At one time Lumpenproletaria was one of the richest areas around in terms of produce and vegetation. The animals thrived here. At least that is what I’m told. Its hard to believe looking at the place now.” “What happened?” I asked. “We happened,” he replied sardonically. “I mean domestication happened. When the first domesticated animals arrived in this area it was full of wild animals and they had their own wild laws and traditions. Some of these practices seemed barbaric to the settlers. For example there were some animals that used to eat other animals. The founders of society couldn’t have citizens eating one another so the practice was outlawed. Many of these species couldn’t adapt to the new laws so they either broke the law and suffered the consequences or they died off of malnutrition. Whole species became extinct which threw off the ecosystem. The species that survived the changes didn’t have it much easier. Succeeding generations found it easier to follow the rules since they didn’t have anything to compare it to. However they felt something was missing from their lives. They had sharp teeth for tearing flesh but only ate vegetables. They had heightened senses for hunting other animals but only used them for sniffing out mushrooms and gathering nuts and berries. Although they survived, gradually a feeling of alienation began to develop among them. The domesticated newcomers initially showed great interest in the savage breeds. They tried to educate them teaching economics and social studies but the attempts were unsuccessful. The wild animals didn’t understand for example why they now needed to accumulate more food than they could eat in order to trade it for currency, which in turn could be traded for other goods. “What is the point of all of this?” they would say. “If nature provides enough for everyone’s needs free of charge, why bother with economics?” Dismayed with the lack of appreciation displayed by the savages the domesticated breeds lost all interest in them. They were allowed to manage their own territories however they saw fit, with the exception of the barbaric practices I mentioned earlier. However the damage to the ecosystem made it impossible for them to recover stability. Certain diseases started appearing that eradicated even more species. Diseases started infiltrating the borders of domestication, which prompted the rulers of the domesticated lands to become more involved with the lives of those in Lumpenproleteria. This involvement eventually evolved into what you see today. Because they were seen as inferiors their land was stripped of its resources and the animals were used as slave labor.
Breed The Secret Design To Maintain Racial Inequality Among The Despised Classes Page 9
