Interview between Felesia and Kathleen
F: It’s so nice to
meet you Kathleen! Diane shared your novel Hiren’s Magical Adventure with us, and
Marra really enjoyed hearing about the tiger. Wait! I must tell Marra what
we’re talking about.
Marra: Bfff—Yeowl.
K: It’s lovely meeting you & Marra. I’m so glad Marra liked the story. She is
much bigger than I imagined. (looking cautiously
at Marra, who flicks her tail and stretches out her long graceful paws ) She
seems as though she’s trying to tell me something…or maybe she’s hungry?
F: (laughing) Marra says she’d like to meet your tiger and
see who’s bigger. Marra is the largest
panther on Drako and can’t believe a tiger could grow larger on Earth. I won’t tell her that tigers are really larger
than panthers if you don’t.
K: No, that secret is safe with me. Marra is very big and beautiful. But… she seems annoyed… (nervously glancing
at Marra)
F: (Marra butts
Felesia with her head and rubs against her leg.) Marra gets impatient when
humans talk too much. She’d rather hunt.
K: Oh… is that dangerous…for me?
F: Hold my hand and
I’ll help you share her mind. Don’t be
afraid. She had a big meal before you
arrived. See? Inside her mind we look at a couple of scrawny
humans staring back at us. Yes. I feel my tail twitching and my claws digging
into the grass. Marra is like a giant
housecat who likes to stretch and drag her claws through the turf. I’m sure the grass will grow back when the
dark moon comes out tonight.
K: I could feel my tail!
That was a strange experience. Well, I’m not afraid anymore. Whew!
Felesia, don’t you usually travel with a Mongoose?
F: Yes. Killer is sleeping inside my pack. I’ll let him out. (There’s loud chattering from the small mongoose.) He’s asking if you have fresh snake in your
picnic basket. It’s his favorite food,
but he’ll take a piece of raw fish.
K: Oh, sorry, I didn’t know.
I do have some sushi, would he like some?
F: Sushi? He’ll give it a try. (She giggles as the mongoose strips the rice
away from the fish and chatters for more.)
I’m sorry about the mess, he usually cleans up tidbits.
K: I also brought this salmon flavored cat food, in case
Marra was hungry. We wouldn’t want Marra to get hungry!
F: A can of salmon
would be fine, but we won’t tell him it’s really cat food.
K: I see that you and Killer are very close. How did this relationship come about?
F: I found Killer
tied to a post in a Gypsies’ camp. They
were using him for a snake show at the carnival. He’d catch a snake in no time, but the
handler yanked him away before he could kill it. He was very unhappy, so we raided the camp
and set him free.
K: That was so nice of you.
I don’t like when people try to use animals for entertainment purposes.
Oh, my goodness, what was that?
F: (Keening sounds
come from a branch above their heads.)
Arrow wants me to tell you that she was instrumental in Killer’s rescue. Arrow kept the Gypsies busy trying to capture
a “prized hawk” and they didn’t notice me sneak into the camp. Later Arrow and I enjoyed letting them chase
us through the woods. I’d duck behind a
tree and she’d fly out, making it appear I changed into a bird. Gypsies spread a rumor that I was a
shape-shifter, hoping someone could capture me and sell me to the carnival. That was before Flash arrived to protect us.
K: That sounds daring! You and Arrow took a lot of chances! How do Killer and Flash get along?
F: Killer and Flash
are best friends. When Flash was just
hatched, Killer brought snakes for her to eat.
K: Oh, that’s so sweet! Does Killer like to fly on Flash’s
back?
F: No, Killer doesn’t enjoy flying. He hides inside my pack until we’re safely on
the ground. Would you like to meet
Flash? (wind whips their hair as the
dragon lands.)
K: Nice to meet you, Flash.
My goodness you certainly know how to make an entrance. You are a
beautiful Dragon.
F: Flash never met a
human from Earth before. She asks if
it’s more fun flying inside an airplane than riding on a dragon’s back. Her friend Sparkle would love to give you a
ride if you stay on Drako a few more days.
Sparkle is sitting on the top of that cliff. She’s the one with streaks of color radiating
through her wings in a more flamboyant color pattern than the other dragons.
K: I’ve never had the pleasure of riding on a dragon’s
back. It sounds a bit scary… I have a
fear of heights… but it does sound like fun! Why does Sparkle keep changing
colors?
F: Colors ripple
through a dragon’s wings and I see the meaning inside my mind. The dragons have a complicated color
vocabulary but we’re learning to speak with them.
K: That’s fascinating. So are you able to communicate?
F: My new friends,
Shariel and Brandon, are training Shariel’s siblings to fly on dragons. Shariel speaks mentally with the dragons and
has the power of mind control. That
power enables her to share messages with Brandon, who is headblind. He plans to flash colored lights from a ship
to speak with dragons.
K: That’s brilliant.
So many exciting things going on her on Drako. I heard that there are plans for a royal
wedding. Is that true?
F: Jordan and I plan
to marry, but the Institute threatens to destroy Drako if my father and Dr.
Alexander don’t surrender. We can’t
allow that to happen. Our dragon air
force is the key to Donovan’s secret defense strategy. Please don’t tell the Earthlings from the
Institute about the dragon defense.
K: I would never tell the Earthlings anything to harm you or
your family. I will do anything I can to
help you.
F: I’d better leave. The dragons must practice flying in
formation. Yesterday they bumped into
each other and had to catch their riders before the humans hit the ground. The dragons thought it was a fun new game but
their riders objected to the free fall.
K: Oh, of course, I understand. Felesia, Perhaps I should delay my ride with
Sparkle until they get the hang of it… (fear of flying renewed)
Thank you so much for joining me for the picnic. It was so nice meeting all of you.
F: Ask Diane to send
us your next book about a tiger. Marra
loves those stories better than mushy romances.
Of course Marra also enjoys a good ghost story. Bye.
K: I will. Bye!
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