I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Attn: Nicole)

[Shere Khan]

Four business days have passed since Shere Khan met Ms. Briar Rose in Epcot City's dull recreational area, the park. But it was more than a rote meeting with an uninteresting stranger; Briar Rose was a truly gifted singer, and, though the tiger was ashamed to admit it, he was charmed by a human's voice.

After four days of work, Shere Khan couldn't bear it. He had to hear that voice again, this time in the privacy of his office. On this day, he had arranged his schedule to grant him personal time on his command. All he needed was her.

Shere Khan pressed a button on his ludicrously expensive desk, which transmitted a signal to the collars of the Twin Fangs. This told Si and Am that their master wished to see them promptly.

Fortunately, the tiger was more than fond of the cats, and he was patient enough to wait for them. His elbows rested on the top of his desk, his prominent chin resting on the top of his hands. The black pupils in his half-closed yellow eyes stared ahead, expecting to catch sight of the felines any moment.

[The Twin Fangs]

Cats weren't really known for their haste in replying to the summons of other creatures, but as Si and Am both had a definite measure of respect for Shere Khan, they had stopped in the midst of tormenting Khan's hapless assistant Jack Rabbit and reported to his office.

Each sister hoped that his call held the promise of a new assignment for them. There was nothing that each enjoyed more then causing havoc and framing people for their crimes -- to them, chaos and anarchy was a"fun" game. They padded into the spacious room side by side with a kind of sinuous grace and ease, each cat mirroring the other with their lean limbs and glittering sapphire eyes. They halted before Kahn's desk, tilting their heads to glance up at him.

"Shere Khan is wishing to see us?" Both asked at at the same time.

[Shere Khan]

There were definitely Khan Industries employees who disliked the Twin Fangs for one reason or another. They were such suck-ups to Mr. Khan, they tormented them, and so on. True, some workers in the Tower may have liked the cats, or didn't care, but in truth, Shere Khan had the highest opinion of the Twin Fangs, and they were among the few creatures whom Shere Khan treated with respect. He wouldn't have been afraid to punish them if necessary, but he never had a reason to.

The tiger watched as the cats pad to his desk with their distinctly refined walk. He smirked at the twins' query, and answered with his sultry, deep voice. "He is."

Following a short pause, his smirk faded, his mouth reverting back to its usual indifferent form. He tapped the top of his expensive desk with his left hand (paw), indicating that the Twin Fangs were allowed to jump onto the surface to be closer to his face. Of course, Khan forbids the cats from scratching at his furniture, but he trusted them enough to sit on the pricey desk.

"I have a job for you two."

[The Twin Fangs]

At his signal, Si and Am leaped on top of Kahn's immaculate desk as lightly and gracefully as dancers. They came to sit on either side of the great tiger.

"It is always being pleasure to serve Shere Kahn." Si commented with a grin.

When the words "I have a job for you two" left Kahn's mouth, the Twin Fangs' ears perked up, signaling their interest, and their tails curled up in a question. It looked like today was looking up for the both of them. They waited to hear what he had to say.

[Shere Khan]

After a pause, Shere Khan turned in his chair and faced the window. His tower was exceptionally tall; when the tiger looked down on Epcot City below, the people barely resembled the tiniest of ants, and he could clearly see hundreds of rooftops. But his yellow eyes trailed up until he could see Epcot Park, a green oasis in the sprawling desert of a city. He couldn't say for sure, but he had a strong hunch that she was in there today.

With the back of his chair facing the Twin Fangs, Shere Khan spoke up. "There is a young woman, whom I met four days ago. She had a... remarkable voice. I wish to hear her sing again, here in my office, at her earliest convenience. See to it that her earliest convenience is today."

The tiger turned to face the cats, one sitting at his left, the other to his right. His face was more serious than before, even if slightly. "I want you to find her, and bring her here. I advise you to start looking in the park. She seems to enjoy spending her time there." He leaned forward in his seat and rested his elbows on the desk, so he could bring his face closer to the felines. He took turns looking at them as he gave his order. "Her name is Briar Rose. She is human, and I surmise not a day older than eighteen. She has flowing, golden hair, lips like a rose, and delicate eyes behind her spectacles. Though you will know her by her voice. It truly is remarkable."

The tiger used the 'index finger' of his paws (both of them) to give an encouraging, gentle stroke on the twins head. He was very careful to give both of them an equal amount of attention, because he didn't want either to feel petty jealousy.

"I understand that this is an unusual task, but I have faith in the both of you. Simply find her and bring her back. Use whatever method of persuasion necessary, but do not harm her."

The tiger, finished with his order, pulled back his paws and sat upright in his chair, returning to a more businesslike demeanor. "Go. And do not disappoint me." With nothing more to say, he turned his chair and once again looked outside the window.

[The Twin Fangs]

Silently, the Twin Fangs watched as Shere Khan swiveled in his chair to face his window and stare at the panoramic view of the city it offered. Duel expressions of surprise crossed over the siblings' angular features as Khan explained why he had called them there. He wanted them to find a girl... to sing for him? It was rather unusual.

However, when the mighty tiger turned back around, Si and Am's visages resumed intent, pragmatic appearances. They nodded as they took in his orders the way a sponge absorbs water. The sisters did not break eye contact when Khan leaned forward to stare at them with his serious yellow gaze, though a moment longer and they actually might have had to glance away from him.

Si and Am allowed themselves to enjoy the head-stroking that Kahn gave them before arising. Respectfully, they bowed their heads to him. "As you command."

With that, they leaped off the desk and existed through the cat flap that had been installed for their convenience.

[Sunshine]

***

Shere Khan's prediction was accurate. Even if the Twin Fangs had no preconceived ideas to go by, they would have recognized the siren of Epcot Park if they heard it. The beautiful soprano filled the air with infectious warmth. Even otherwise gruff city folk smiled when they heard the melodious voice as they walked through the park. If following the voice to its owner wasn't enough, then the considerable gathering of people (which consisted mostly parents and their children) near the center of the park warranted inspection.

Briar Rose, lovely as ever, was singing in the park. She was never one to showboat, and she didn't intend to show off today. But nevertheless, she drew a crowd. Her voice, coupled with her attractive body, made her popular with many of the park-goers. In fact, one young man even brought his guitar and supplied instrumentation to Rose's vocals. As she sang, she encouraged people to dance, and she was successful in getting the listeners to dance along.

This was her favorite thing to do in Eyvindria: sing and bring joy to people's hearts. She was happy that, even in a corrupted and problematic city like this, there were good, beautiful, wonderful people whose passion burned in an oft-dangerous place.

[The Twin Fangs]

"Girl must be very good to have Mr. Kahn wanting to hear sing." Si commented to Am, who nodded in agreement. They strutted side by side through the park as if it was their own personal playground. Anyone who saw them mistook them as being ordinary albeit rather regal-looking cats. Indeed, several times, a few pedestrians, including an elderly woman, attempted to coax them to come over with the promise of food or a head scratch. As tempting as the thought of a snack break was, they could not allow anything to distract hem on their hunt.

It didn't take the cats long to locate their target in the center of the park. It was the distinctive voice that their ears caught first. It was accompanied by the gentle notes of a guitar. They paused for a moment to take it in, heads cocked slightly to side and somewhat amazed expressions on their masked faces. Her was beautiful, just as Shere Kahn had said... but was it truly the girl they sought? Allowing their ears to lead them closer to the source of the incredible sound, the Twin Fangs noticed a gathering of park goers, a large number of whom were parents and their children, dancing along to the song.

Sure enough, just as their leader described, the singer at the center of the jamboree had soft lavender eyes that could be glimpsed even behind her black-rimmed glasses, golden-blonde hair, and lovely red lips. Not wanting to have a pack of brats tugging on their delicate tails, the cats hung back for now, waiting and watching the merriment from the safety of a tree branch.

[Sunshine]

After the song was over, the crowd applauded both the teenage siren, as well as her new friend, the guitarist. The golden-haired singer bowed modestly, while the guitarist did the more informal 'salute-wave' gesture to the audience. The positive reception was no surprise to Briar Rose; everyone loved her singing. She politely declined any change offered to her (the guitarist, on the other hand, was happy to accept), and instead thanked them for their positive response to the music.

She remained standing in place even as most of the crowd dispersed and went their separate way. Event he guitarist had to leave, and Briar Rose chose to do the same. She started to walk, conveniently approaching below the tree branch upon which the Twin Fangs sat.

[The Twin Fangs]

As the girl made her way over to the tree where the Twin Fangs were hidden, the cats continued to follow her movements. The Twin Fangs wished that they had a little more information about their target. They could have spent a little while longer following and observing her, but Mr. Khan had distinctly told Si and Am that he wanted this human at Khan Towers that day. If they didn't act fast enough, then they could loose her, and neither sister wanted to return home empty-handed (or in their cases, emptypawed).

A seed of an idea already germinating in their minds, the sisters descended down the tree, on the far side where the approaching blonde couldn't see them. One odd thing about Si and Am was that it seemed as thought they had the ability to silently communicate between one another. Both had the same scheme in mind, and gave one another knowing looks as they waited for the girl to draw closer. Thankfully, by then that intrusive audience that had gathered to hear the girl had mostly drifted away.

Yowling and meowing loudly, Si and Am suddenly rushed out onto the path while the girl was still several feet way from them, running around in circles and putting on a great show of being distressed. Hopefully their target was an animal lover.

[Sunshine]

Briar Rose stopped instantly and looked down at the two felines. They looked completely identical to each other. Were they identical twins? The resemblance they shared was uncanny! But there was no time for that. Briar Rose, a natural lover and supporter of animals, stepped closer to the cats and spoke to them, her tone a worried one.

"Excuse me! Are you two all right? What's the matter?" She didn't quite know if the cats were fighting, or if they were scared. She intended to know. Of course, she didn't expect the cats to actually talk, as they appeared more domestic, and not one of the many humanlike Animals in the city.

[The Twin Fangs]

Instead of responding to Briar Rose's inquiries, the Twin Fangs suddenly darted away from her as though frightened, scampering towards a shady walking trail nearby and continuing to meow plaintively as they went.

The area they were in was still far too open for their tastes. It was a great deal more preferable for them to lure her someplace more private where they could speak to her -- something they didn't like to do in public. Not many people outside of Khan Tower were aware of the fact that the cats could actually talk, and Si and Am liked to use that to their advantage. They would also prefer not to be seen with the girl if possible. They didn't want any connections to her disappearance.

Coming to a mound of boulders that lay off to the side of the trail, the Fangs agilely clambered atop the rocks and turned to peer down at the singer. The same thought was on both their minds as they observed her.

"Yes... take the bait, girl..."

[Sunshine]

Briar Rose blinked in surprise when the cats suddenly darted away, as if they were frightened by something. Were they afraid of her? The compassionate teenager wouldn't have blamed them if they were scared of her, though she wondered what, exactly, about her could possibly evoke fear. Was it her glasses?

The blonde decided to follow the cats, just to check on them. She decided to not leave them until she was certain that they were safe. She hated the idea of domestic animals being abused or harmed, and so she wanted to make sure if the nearly identical felines were all right. She started her way in the trail, which was considerably shadier than where she had just come from. There were a lot of trees, the foliage shielding a considerable amount of the sun from the trail and ground. Of course, it was still perfectly visible; it was, after all, still early in the afternoon.

"Hello?" she asked sweetly. She looked around, looking for the two cats. "Are you here? You can trust me. I won't hurt you! I just want to know if you're all right. I was worried about you two." Her feminine voice was like the coo of a dove. She locked her hands together and rested them on her chest, as she stopped just in front of several boulders clustered together, off the side of the trail. She didn't think to look up on top of the boulders, but instead continued to look on the ground surrounding her. Her back was turned to the cats, though one couldn't see her back; her flowing, radiant hair covered her entire back.