As we return to our story we have assembled around the altar Loki Dog, Sterling the Cat, Caff-Pow the Ferret and Todd the Ferret, who had put his little red turban back on, and was once again shedding shattered specks of diamond light over everything. Todd looked solemnly into each animal's eyes by turn and said "the altar is in order and pleasing to the ancestors. But...two things remain. The curse, and the sacrifice..." It was a solemn moment. All assembled understood the gravity of the situation. The terrible wrong done, and how important it was to try to right it. Todd looked up into Loki Dog's black and white face and asked "Will you please push the button?" Loki looked at him blankly for an instant then remembered the plan, the plan that they had been refining and rehearsing for days. At that moment her mouth was pretty dry so she said nothing, simply padded over to the stereo and pushed the "ON" button with her nose. That started the tape that had been selected for this part of the Ceremony. Suddenly the living room and kitchen were filled with a soft backdrop of sound, like a curtain being shaken out of its folds and displayed full length. It was a simple mix of primitive drums and an accompanying banging sound, like two large pieces of metal striking one another in a way that might have been trying to indicate some overall tune, but then again, maybe it wasn't. For all it's apparent simplicity there was something insistent about the music. The Cat's tail began to swish in time with the drums, and soon the Dog's did too. Caff-Pow noted that his was beginning to swish, too, so he simply tucked it beneath himself to avoid the distraction. Todd seemed to be too busy to be so easily distracted. And the Turtle up in her tank? Who knew, who knew. That one kept herself to herself. The three chickens remained silent by the warm current of air next to the pellet stove. Todd stood up on his back feet and took several steps that brought him right up to the edge of the altar, decorated with 'shinies' and other things pleasing to the ancestors. His front paws were folded respectfully up against his chest. He cleared his throat several times and tried to speak. Hesitantly at first, as if he might be asking for permission to do such a brash thing. But after a moment or two his voice took on an air of confidence. They were doing an important thing. They were trying to right a terrible wrong. Todd closed his eyes, and spoke-- "Oh, Man God... Oh great One, We have been sorely tried by your terrible Unknown Man Cub and my kind have been disrespected in their own Hammies and on the Great Giving Tree. Our Kits have been disrespected, Our Kits have been maligned and ill-treated by this one of your Cubs. O Man God, I beg that this that I ask for shall come to pass... That a cold wind shall blow and will not leave their hair to grow, and that all their Man-fur shall fall off and away, leaving them as bald as a newborn Man-Cub for the rest of their days. That they will know the coldness of no fur, the nakedness of no fur, the shame of no fur..that their fur shall never return. No fur on top. No fur down below. And that they shall know it as a punishment for their egregious violation of the Giving Tree, and of the United States Postal Service, and of every decent instinct that they should have been cautioned by." At just that moment something terrifying happened. Terrifying. Terrifying to companion animals and domestic livestock who have suffered every possible violation and unkindness at the Hand of Man over millena. The pen. The abattoir. Skinning. Branding. Dumping. Experiments. It is not easy to really scare an animal that has knowledge of Man. Place him in a state of watchfulness and mistrust, yes. But truly *frighten* him, after all these years? The end of the stick of incense slotted into the little hole atop the figurine of the seated Buddha burst into flame atop the altar. It was a broad orange flame that singed the air a good six inches high. Then it quickly faded down into an ember and a lazy curl of aromatic gray smoke lifted up toward the ceiling. It was actually a good half minute before Todd realized that his little red turban with the diamond brooch had fallen from his head and onto the floor. The Cat was apparently unconscious, and the Dog was trying to lick him awake with big, clumsy swipes of her pink tounge. Caff-Pow was down on the floor, seated upon one hip. One front paw held him in an upright position as he watched the thin thread of smoke rise, and the smell of jasmine filled the air. 'Pow looked over at Tina only to see that she had blown her ballast tanks and was now lying motionless on the bottom of her tank. 'Pow stretched back and around to look at the chickens . Three Bucks the Rooster sat as he had for most of the evening, but now he held the head of one wife beneath each of his wings. Todd, ignoring the turban at his feet folded his paws even more tightly against his chest (more for protection than supplication) and continued-- "Oh, Man-God... Part Seven Tomorrow Alexandra in MA [Posted in FML 7299]