HALLOWEEN STORY TIME **CLAWS OF TERROR** A BRAND NEW BASIL AND THE B TEAM ADVENTURE FOR 2023 ~ CHAPTER ONE

Claws of Terror is an action-packed and immersive adventure that takes mew on a journey through a world of danger and excitement. With vivid and detailed descriptions of the intense battles and spine-tingling encounters, the story draws mew in, making mew feel as though mew are right there with The B Team, fighting for survival.

HANG ON TIGHT GUYS, THIS IS GOING TO BE ONE WILD NIGHT!!!

Claws of Terror

~ Chapter One ~

Twas All Hallows' Eve, and the mist rolled across the fields surrounding Mewton-Clawson. Now, rolling mist isn't something mew usually need to be concerned about, and in all honesty, it's usually furry therapeutic to watch. However, this was not a normal mist... this mist was something else entirely.

Earlier that day, The B Team had been preparing for our annual Halloween Pawty, and everypawdy was busy in the bunker.

The bunker had been decorated over a week ago for Amber's and Pandora's joint birthday pawty (and in all honesty, that pawty has been going all week on and off) so the only thing we had to do was get the food and drinks set up on the buffet table in the Nip Nirvana Lounge on Level 11. 

As we busied ourselves, well, everypawdy but Amber, as she said, she was too old to be carrying out such menial tasks. So the rest of us busied ourselves. Smooch and Humphrey were busy setting up the spooky mist machine with the added bonus of extra primo catnip being infused directly into the machine; catnip mist, whatever next! MOL

Fudge and Melvyn were getting the spooky playlist ready and at random intervals, Thriller kept blasting through the bunker tannoy system.

Posie and Snowie were putting the finishing touches to this year's Halloween costumes in the Repairs Room on Level 2, and Parsley, Pandora and I were doing one last security sweep of the village before nightfall.

"Basil," Parsley asked. "Did mew invite anypawdy extra to the pawty?"

I sighed. "I asked Chuffer, G.D., Solitaire, MadCat and Winston to join us, but after their torturous time in The Clockwurk Labyrinth, Halloween is the one holiday none of them will participate in, like ever. And they are staying on Level 8 with Horice, locked and barricaded in the biosphere."

"I can understand that," Pandora chipped in, in her odd, little foreign accent. "I wouldn't want to be reminded of all that creepy stuff if I were them either!"

Parsley nodded, then added. "So mew definitely didn't invite anypawdy else?"

I stopped and looked at him. "No, why?"

We were standing on the outskirts of Mewton-Clawson in the middle of a dew-laden field. The air was chill, and a damp breeze was ruffling my fur in all manner of ways I didn't like.

The church was just off in the distance, and Parsley was fixated on something in the field next to the church. He lifted his all-seeing binoculars and peered at the same spot again.

Pandora was transfixed too, and I flitted my gaze between them for a few moments, watching as they tensed up and teeth were bared.

'Oh fluff no!' I thought. 'What the fluffing fluff is about to happen now!'

Focussing in on what they were fixed on, I suddenly saw it. A thick, white mist was roiling and bubbling up from the ancient well in the field next to the church, and just as I was lifting up my own binoculars, a crow cawed ominously in the tree above us. "Jumpin' juniper berries!" I said, nearly dropping my binoculars. I looked up, and the crow was flapping its wings and hopping on the branch with much agitation. Its wing suddenly pointed back towards the centre of Mewton-Clawson, and I turned to see more mist emerging from the old dry stone sheep pen, which was used for escapee livestock many, many years ago.

Pandora spun around and saw the mist, "Basil, there's something apaw," she said worriedly and held out her paw to me, and I saw the Aethereal Magi sigil; an infinity sign surrounded by the five elements of fire, earth, water, metal and air which was branded on her paw and it was glowing bright red. (If mew aren't sure what an Aethereal Magi is, check out Chapter 11 and Chapter 12 in The Clockwurk Labyrinth).

I took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and nudged Parsley. He turned, looked at the glowing mark and spat. "Fluffing fluffer!"

Remembering what he'd just asked me a few minutes ago, "Why did mew ask if I'd invited anypawdy extra to the pawty?"

He pointed off towards Fuskerston on the right side of us and the woods that stood between the two villages. "Over there," he said. "There's a clowder of cats in raggy costumes."

I raised an eyebrow and stared at the precise location he was pointing at. 

"Where?"

"Right fluffing there!" Parsley replied, jabbing his paw.

"I can't see a thing," I replied. "Only trees. Pandora, can mew see anything?"

She spun around and looked, then gulped. "I see dead cats."

"What?" I asked.

"They are definitely dead," she replied with a shiver. "And it looks like they've seen us!"

Lifting my binoculars, I looked again, and fluff me. I saw them. About thirty of them, stumbling around in the shadows of the trees. And even more emerging from the woods.

Note to self, get some glasses stat!

There was also heavy white mist was creeping from the wood, at ground level and heading our way in a rather disconcerting manner. 'This is not good,' I thought. 'Like seriously, NOT GOOD!'

The crow cawed again. Its screeching sent shivers down my spine. This time, it flapped its wing towards the field to the left of us; a small brook meandered along the far side of the field, and it too, was oozing thick white mist that was puthering over the ground, tumbling towards us. 

I spun around looking at all the sources and realised that this mist wasn't natural. (Yes, I know I'm a bit late to the game, but if I'm honest, I've had a lot of catnip this week, blame Amber and Pandora's pawty!) Anyhoo, it suddenly dawned on me that the mist was springing up at compass points, and this was some hinky hoodoo kind of vibe.

"Something must be drawing the mist," I said. "Where is the centre point for all four sources?" 

Parsley and Pandora stared at me like I'd grown another head.

"What?" I asked with mild frustration.

"Mew seriously have had far too much nip this week, Basil!" Pandora chided. "And did mew try Humphrey's new blend, the Total Wipeout yesterday?"

I cast my mind back and tried to remember last night. I just nodded because I actually couldn't remember a thing.

Pandora looked at Parsley and said. "Mew owe me £10 dude!"

"That explains it!" Parsley said. "Dude, mew seriously have to stop trying all the nip mixes. They're messing with your mind!"

"Pay up!" Pandora demanded.

Parsley harrumphed and pulled a crisp £10 note out of his rucksack and passed it to Pandora. "Thank mew furry much!" she grinned, stuffing it in a side pocket on her utility belt.

"Mew bet on me?" I said, with utter incredulity. 

"Yep," they both said in unison and laughed.

'Fluffing fluff, I'd better not have any more of Humphrey's catnip!' I thought. 'It's severely impairing my Basildom!"

Dragging my mind back to our predicament, I asked again. "So where exactly is the centre point?"

Pandora gave me quite a withering glance and pointed at the ground, "Right here commander, this is the centre point."

"But there's nothing here," I declared, as if that made it all ok.

But sadly, I'd spoken too soon.

The ground began to shake and quiver beneath our paws, and Parsley grabbed me, dragging me back towards the village, with Pandora leading the way.

Once we'd jumped the fence and reached the road, we turned to see what was happening. The ground was still shaking, and we looked at the spot we'd just evacuated to see the ground rupture and a stone circle emerge from the earth. Nothing as fancy as Stone Henge, more like the Avebury Circle, but with a lot fewer stones. 

Nevertheless, there was now a henge in Mewton-Clawson, and it was quite impressive; some of the outer stones were at least ten feet tall, and a secondary smaller inner circle pushed through the earth and stood at about five feet tall.

A deafening crack boomed through the sky as a blinding flash burst like a fireworks display at the centre of the circle.

I turned to Parsley, "Dude, this is bad, real bad."

He nodded, and Pandora said. "Basil look, there's a figure walking out of the circle!"

Darkness had descended, and the only light was from the rising full moon as I watched the tall figure stride towards us, with a large cat bringing up the rear.

"Basil, dude, we need to do something," Parsley murmured. "I only have a taser on me, and I think we need something a little more robust!"

"Parsley, don't panic," I whispered back. "We've got a Pandora, one of the most powerful magical cats in the world."

"True," he replied, relaxing just a smidge.

"Pandora," I hissed. "What's the plan?"

Pandora watched the figure approaching, and she said through gritted fangs, "Hold the line!"

**AND CUT**

Guys, we are sorry to cut it there, but we know mew don't have much time to read a saga today.

If mew would like to read Chapter 2, let us know in the comments, as we've got a feeling this is going to evolve into quite the story. (And one that isn't written yet! MOL) However, if mew want to see where it goes, we'll gladly continue a chapter a week, but that is up to mew.

And if mew want to read last years Terrifying Tale, click here for a one post story, and don't forget to check out yesterdays brand new Crafting with Cats post, and we'll be back tomorrow with some more Midweek News.

In the meantime...

Wing Commander Basil & The B Team 

Click Here to go to Chapter 2

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