Cinderella and Alangazar - страница 5

Just then, a farmer came by with a cart. One wheel got stuck in the mud. He saw the giant lying nearby.

– Hey, help push the cart!

– I’m dead… – groaned Alangazar. – That was my third fall. I’m done for…

– Don’t be ridiculous! Get up and push!

– No, I’m a corpse… I can’t…

The farmer lost patience and whipped him.

Alangazar twitched his foot. Another smack – he lifted his head. Third strike – he stood up!

– Whoa! – he gasped. – I… I came back to life?! Thank you! You’ve revived me! That’s a magical whip!

– Yeah, yeah… Keep it if you want, – sighed the farmer.

Alangazar gleefully brought the whip home. Wrapped it in cloth, hid it under the bed.

– What are you hiding? – Victoria asked.

– This whip… With it, I can come back to life anytime!

The Story of Captain Cat – a Sloth with the Mind of a General

Puss in Boots was fluffy, striped, and always on duty. Well, technically on a pillow – because most of the time, he could be found sleeping on the strategy map in the command tent.

But the moment someone said,

"Training is canceled!"

he would open one eye and purr:

"Hmm… Nonsense. Too obvious a trap."

He knew every trail, trick, and tactic within three fields’ radius. Some say he once won a battle without even leaving his chair – he simply sent a squad to the right spot and placed a donut on the map as bait.

The Cat was a genius of stillness. He believed you should lie down and think thoroughly before rushing into anything. His favorite saying:

"A good idea comes… when you’re almost asleep."

Everyone wondered how he always knew where the enemy would be, when it would rain, or when the donuts would burn. He’d just say:

"I feel it with my whiskers. And I’ve got good hearing. Especially when someone says the word ‘snack.’"

He didn’t like yelling. He could convince a soldier to go on a recon mission as if they were heading to a picnic. Even mighty Alangazar once said:

"If the Cat asks – I go. He rarely asks, but he’s always right."

Cinderella loved his short, spot-on reports. One day she asked:

"Why are you always so calm?"

Without even opening his eyes, he replied:

"I just know everything’s going to plan… as long as the map is under me."

The Story of the Bear Cook – Whose Pots Even Obey

No army can last without food. And Cinderella’s troop was well-fed and happy – because the kitchen was ruled by Masha, a mighty bear in a flowered apron and a hat decorated with spoons instead of feathers.

Masha didn’t just make porridge – she ran culinary discipline. No one dared sneak a bun without permission. Anyone who tried got The Glare – and it was filled with stuffing.

Every morning, she greeted the troops with:

"No breakfast – no marching!

And absolutely no coffee on an empty stomach, kittens!"

Her signature dish? Jelly-filled donuts. So soft and delicious, even Fox agreed to do morning stretches afterward. Though he usually tried to bargain:

"Maybe you could just throw me a donut, and I’ll catch it mid-air? That’s almost exercise!"

She’d squint:

"Maybe you could go marching, and then I’ll reward you with a donut?"

And so they lived.

But one day – disaster struck. All the jam berries were gone! Someone had eaten the entire stock.

She roared like a trumpet:

"No jam?! HOW?! It’ll be… just bread! Just plain bread!"

Right away, Quickpaw rustled into the bushes, Alangazar grabbed a basket, and even the Cat went sniffing berry trails. Two hours later, the whole unit returned with buckets full of raspberries, strawberries, and something blue – thankfully edible.