Game copy provided by Frank West, The City of Games.
Glad you decided to come along! Seems those cat stories of mine sparked your interest, huh? Well, here we are, on the Isle of Cats. As you may see from the ships at anchor, we are not alone, there are other adventurers around, in search for cats, riches, and fame. Better stay close to me, observing and learning from my actions. I will guide you step-by-step. This will be a full hands-on-the-job training day!
It is dawn. Time to wake up!
I know, from years of experience, what will soon happen: cats will come from their hideouts and will take to the fields on both sides of the island, in equal numbers. It seems as if they are drawn by us, foreigners, venturing into this island, as they always show up in pair numbers, twice as cats on each side as there are explorers on the journey. Which is intriguing, but fortunate, as there will thus be cats enough for everyone to rescue.
Look! There they are! A Hissnipper and a Mhoxxite looking straight at us, a Garmin on the right, a Teruvian stretching down the hill, and another Teruvian by his side, and there are some more in the background. A wonderful sight, ain’t it?
Yes, I know the impact of this first encounter with the cats colour … but now stop gazing! We need to pay attention and think quickly, as we will only be able to catch one of them at a time, two at most, before carrying them onto the ship, emptying our baskets, and coming back for a new pick. In the meantime, the fields will be left fully open for others to make their catches. We therefore need to devise a strategy, to start making our own choices. Which one will we be picking first, today? The green Crystal Garmin?
Sure, we will go to the hills, but we still have some prior work to do. I have already told you these are elusive beasts, that we will be needing fish to lure them, and big baskets to carry them away onto the ship.
First things first! And the first thing for the day, in fact, in every day, will be fishing. Not an expert fisherman, you say? Not to be a problem! Cats are smart, and they must have chosen this island for good reason: there happens to be plenty of fish around, making for easy catches. There will be no rush, no competition, no hardships in finding fresh fish.
We will stick to getting twenty fresh fish every day. No less, no more. Don’t ask me why, it just seems the right amount to carry. It will prove enough, both for cats and for our own meals. Should there be some spare fish, by the end of the day, we will store it overnight, to be of use for tomorrow. Cats won’t turn them down.
So, twenty fresh fish it is!
Yes, yes … we will get to the hills. But before, we must sit here around this circle, with the other adventurers, and share some plans for the day. Well, we will not disclose all of them, as they still are competitors.
The day will go by fast, and will be of no use considering more than seven exploration steps. Why? Time runs. And there seem to be some magic numbers around: cats in pairs, doubling the people, twenty fish, seven steps … This is a strange isle.
Here is how this works: firstly, consider the seven moves you may make today; choose two of them and pass the remaining five to the one sitting on your left; in doing so, receive five possibilities from the one on sitting on your right; choose two more; repeat and, again, choose another two; and a final one. In the end we will still have seven options, but not the same from the start.
There will be baskets, walking boots, lessons, treasures, rare cats, fish, and some tricks at stake. This is tricky, but if we do it well, we will improve our chances for a good day. Of course, all expect to do the same, and in the end we may all be able to rescue some more cats!
Then, it is time for planning, as each step will take time and effort, and we must also eat! So, we will carefully choose what we will be doing for the day, always counting the fish in our stock, making sure we will have enough to later lure some cats.
Therefore, it may be wise not to go for too many steps each day, balancing exploration with cat rescuing. Think we will only keep these four for today. What do you think? Ok, and there goes three, plus one, and plus another one, making five fish in total. Not bad. Still fish enough for the kittens.
No, this is not yet the time to head for the fields: it is study time.
You see, there may be lessons to learn, each day. If you remember well what I have told you, some days ago, there will be lessons to be shared with no one, for our eyes only, and there will be lessons to be shared, by reading them aloud, so that they can be of use for anyone.
Such lessons, written by the old ones, tell us a bit more about our own village, our own people, revealing what they value most. Thus, they will be a precious guide for our journey, if we want to have a warm homecoming welcome. Need to make the right choices along the way!
Ok, we are almost ready to run up that hill!
Let’s count these baskets and put them to good use. Keep in mind that some baskets are sturdy and may be reused. Unfortunately, we only brought one of those in the ship … it may be worthwhile to try to make some more!
In the meantime, we will resort to baskets that will be used only once, as these ancient cats have claws, and do not fancy the ride! And we may even assemble makeshift baskets, one from two broken ones.
Remember: one cat, one basket.
Fish, check! Basket, check! Walking boots, check! Now we just have to decide whether we walk, or we try to outrun our journey mates, so to make the first pick. Tighten your boots, for they are the key to positioning!
Just don’t forget: you will probably not have the stamina to outrun everyone, everyday. Better find out the right pace, to make the best of the five days on the isle.
Those cats on the path to the mountain, you say? They are always watching us! Each one of them kind of adopts a different adventurer, and they are always there, in sync with our running position onto the fields. The purple one adopted us, and you see, we will be making the second pick of the day. Not that you will get an advantage, nor for the matter, any disadvantage, for rescuing Vandermills, the cats of the family of our watcher. It is what it is, a constant reminder.
The long-awaited moment has arrived!
Focus on the baskets. One basket for each cat. Two baskets, two cats, but usually one at a time. No, forget the Hissnipper on the left, or the Teruvian on the right. A basket can carry a single cat, whichever the family. Leave the cat sketches for your notebook, as a memory to be remembered.
Observe the fields again, the cats remaining on each side, the fish in our stock, the cats already on board, the time to go and come, and then … make your pick!
Thtat's right, cats on the right field always seem to be hungrier, and they will not come for less than five fish … perhaps because it is steeper, and they usually take longer to get to the bay. A bit more than the three fish required for those on the left side. Something to remember when planning, which cats to rescue first.
Good catch, a Mhoxxite. Not that hard, right? If you have the fish, you will have a cat in the basket in no time. As simple as that!
Upon catching a cat, we must head on to the ship and release him on board. Now, that is not a straightforward thing to do, for there are many things to think about. These are shape-shifting creatures, and they may require different space on the deck, even roaming across different compartments. Above all, don’t forget the lessons learnt.
Consider the Mhoxxite we just caught. Will he better go near the ones already on board, enlarging their family, or stay on his own? Will we choose to completely fill in the moon starboard compartment, keeping the ship tidy? Will he find for us a matching treasure map? Will he rather expel some of the rats? Will we leave him by the ship’s rail, where he may look back, one more time, at the isle.
All this takes time to ponder, and while we make the come-and-go journey, the other adventurers will be giving a go of their own at cat rescuing.
Now that we have rescued some cats, and the growing shadows signal the ending of the day, it is still time for a final move, attempting to find treasures or, maybe even, those fascinating Oshax.
And, again, we will give some consideration on how to distribute the cargo on board. Maybe we will use treasures to fill in some empty spots, among the laying cats, or to completely fill in some of the ship’s compartments, or even to terminate some of the remaining rats!
Throughout the day we made use of our bag of tricks, to get the upper hand: getting extra fish, a brand-new basket to use all the way throughout the journey, some more treasures. We may as well become more creative when releasing cats on board.
There is a whole range of things that may help us fulfil our mission. But beware, the other adventurers will, for sure, also resort to tricks of their own!
As darkness creeps in, all cats turn into that same greyish tone, becoming indistinct, as they vanish from the fields, not to ever be seen again. This day has come to an end and the fields on both sides of the island are now empty. You may be sure that tomorrow, as the sun brightens the island once again, a flurry of cats, of different cats, will take once more to the fields.
And this is it, one full day on the Isle of Cats! Quite an experience, right?
After the fifth day, the scouts will spot the black sails of Vesh Darkhand ships. You do not want to meet such a fleet on open sea, neither be surrounded in the island. It will then be time to leave.
There is not anything else you can do: the mission has come to an end. You may well rest and admire the now more colourful fleet sailing home.
Well, no doubt there will still be some rats on board, making the trip back home on their own right, having survived the growing numbers of cats, and the heavy treasures scattered on the deck.
Upon returning, safe and sound, it is then time to settle the scores.
As you well know by now, this was not just about rescuing cats, or reuniting the largest cat families. That will help in the end, no doubt about it, but the journey was also made of shared and private lessons, treasures, expertise on deck management, and rat termination!
All this matters, if you are to be hailed as the greatest cat rescuer and treasurer hunter!
I can tell from your eyes that you will be back soon to the island, or to similar islands, so great is the appeal, and so uncertain is the outcome. And you will be returning with the same or with other explorers, in family, or even alone. Well, never entirely alone, since you will find out your sister made it on board, and she makes for a redoubtable opponent.
I will now rest, before a new adventure, already waiting for me down the line. Meanwhile, I can’t stop imagining how all this should look from a cat’s perspective, high up on the hill, scouting the ocean beyond the cove, for sails, ships, and men…
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