Chapter 11 - THE BEAST AWAKES

THE STORY OF ARPEGGIO AFTER SLY TURNED MATTERS TO CLOCK-LA CONTINUED:

The next morning, I awoke at 5:30. I yawned and stretched a wing, then I walked very sleepily out into the main area of the blimp, where I expected to be alone. I was nearly surprised to see Kara up and about, doing the same thing as I had left her doing the prievous night. She turned to look at me and smiled. "Oh! Hi, Peggie!"
"How long did you stay up last night?" I asked in wonder.
"Oh, about 3:00 AM." she said, as though it were no great thing.
"How early did you wake this morning?"
"Oh, about 4:00." Kara shrugged as she continued playing. She amazed me. How could anyone stay awake from 4:00 AM yesterday to 4:00 AM today with only an hour's rest? "It's really not all that hard, you know." Kara said suddenly, reading my thoughts...AGAIN...
Suddenly, Orville burst in through the doorway. "Mr. Arpeggio, Sir! Come quickly! The ice is nearly all melted and the bison's waking up as we speak!"
"Well, hurry along, then!" I said. "Get out of the way so we can see!"
Before I could tell what was happening, I was snatched up, dragged right over Orville, and was standing right in front of Bison. I looked up, feeling very dizzy. It was Kara. I could only WISH I was that fast. I shook the thoughts from my head and looked ahead of me. Feet. I looked farther up. Knees. I raised my head as far up as it could go.
I almost didn't want to look. I knew Jean-Bison. I remembered when he had first thawed out. Anger had shook his poor, old brain. He went on a rampage of anger and hate. As you probably well know, Jean-Bison was a bison older than one-hundred years of age, although he doesn't look it. Back in his younger days, he took a few risks in his mining and ended up freezing himself alive. Back when the KLAWW Gang was together, he was our importer and exporter of illeagal spice. But then Sly Cooper came along and ruined his trains, and well-you know the story. After Clockwerk was destroyed and most of the KLAWW Gang members were thrown in jail, well...we never quite learned what happened to him, but we DID know that Jean-Bison had froze again, and now...he had returned!
I stared up into his beady little eyes, but they did not return my gaze. He looked back and forth rapidly. "Where are they?!" he shouted, looking all around.
"Who?" Kara dared.
"The cute little baby penguins! I need to rescue them but-where are they?!" the bison answered, frantically moving about.
"'Cute little baby penguins'?!" Kara said, trying her best not to laugh.
Jean-Bison scowled at her. "You got somethin' to say, Kitty?"
I sighed. He still had his rough attitude. Bison heard that sigh. He looked down. "Hey! Arpeggio! It's been a while hasn't it? Or...wasn't it just the other day? I don't remember these things no more. How you been? And wow! Look at Neyla! She sure has changed!" Jean smiled at Kara.
Kara's eyes grew wide. "Oh, no! No, no, no, no, no! Let's get one thing strait, buddy. I am NOT Neyla! Don't EVER call me Neyla! If you ever FORGET that I'm not Neyla, you will PAY!"
"Oh, ok, little miss Neyla." Jean-Bison said, looking away.
He obvisouly wasn't paying any attention. If he were, he would have understood the first time. But then, Jean WAS quite a stubborn bison. Was he only pushing Kara's buttons? Well, either way, he would never, EVER, forget Kara's name after what went on a half a second afterward.

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