{"id":258,"date":"2014-11-05T08:00:01","date_gmt":"2014-11-05T14:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stupefyingstoriesshowcase.com\/?p=258"},"modified":"2017-03-12T16:09:48","modified_gmt":"2017-03-12T21:09:48","slug":"fiction-habeas-felis-by-julie-frost-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/stupefyingstoriesshowcase.com\/?p=258","title":{"rendered":"Fiction: “Habeas Felis” by Julie Frost (Part 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"

[Part 1]<\/a>
\n\"habeasfelis2\"<\/a>D<\/span>ani woke with an unfamiliar weight on her hip,<\/strong> and she was reaching for her knife before she quite knew what was happening. \u201cOf course,\u201d a familiar voice said. \u201cKill first, ask questions once it\u2019s too late.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMoggie,\u201d Dani said. She could have kissed the cat, but didn\u2019t, of course. \u201cYou came back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moggie flattened one ear. \u201cThere are things<\/em> on this mountain. Things that think a morsel like me is a tasty treat.\u201d A soft hiss. \u201cI\u2019m safer with you. Unfortunately.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe could have told you that,\u201d Gris said without moving. He was wrapped up with his back to the dying fire. \u201cHad you bothered to ask.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, now I know, don\u2019t I? Don\u2019t make a fuss.\u201d She hopped off Dani\u2019s hip and stepped over to Mac. \u201cHe\u2019s a mess, and no mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNash is apparently more canny than we gave him credit for.\u201d Dani was shamefaced. She was supposed to be the planner, the smart one, and she\u2019d let poor Mac walk right into a bloody ambush. \u201cHe\u2019s also a brute.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat he is, Dani, but it\u2019s not your fault.\u201d Mac sat up, and by the gods, he looked terrible. The bruises on his face had bloomed overnight, and he moved carefully, like he was sore all over. Well, he likely was, but he waved a hand. \u201cBe all right. Best we get an early start.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou speak truth.\u201d They broke camp and mounted up, Moggie riding on Dani\u2019s shoulder rather than in the crate since she\u2019d finally found wisdom. They set an easy pace to spare the horses; the mountain was steep, and the track narrow.<\/p>\n

Their first sign of trouble was a sudden ghastly roar that flattened saplings behind them and spooked the horses, who nearly bolted before they could get them under control. Squealing and rearing, rims of their eyes showing white, they wouldn\u2019t be calmed. Moggie dug her claws into Dani\u2019s shoulder and hung grimly on. \u201cSomething that sounded very like that tried to eat me last night,\u201d the cat informed her. \u201cIt was large and craggy and oh, there it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seven feet tall if it was an inch and built like the stone that made it, the mountain troll burst onto the trail, spread its arms wide, and roared again, shaking an obsidian cudgel. \u201cOh dear,\u201d Dani said as the horses panicked once more.<\/p>\n

Gris leaped from his horse, tossing the reins to Dani with a manic grin. She caught them automatically as he advanced toward the troll, drawing his sword from the scabbard on his back and swinging it. \u201cI\u2019ll have a new trophy on my wall, Dani, just you wait,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cGris, are you mad, come back here this instant!\u201d But there was no talking him down when he got like this, not with that berserker gleam in his eye, and Dani despaired. What would a sword do against. . . that<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Dani couldn\u2019t actually control two horses at once, and when the mountain troll roared yet again, her mount reared, bucked, and threw her from its back to land in a thorny bush. It bolted up the trail, delivering a kick to Mac\u2019s horse in passing. He was none too steady in the saddle due to his injuries, and he was tossed unceremoniously into a different but no less thorny bush. Moggie darted up a tree and stopped on a branch well above the fray, puffed up and hissing, her tail flicking.<\/p>\n

The troll lumbered forward and made a clumsy swing at Gris\u2019s head. He ducked under it almost casually and took a giant swing himself, and Dani\u2019s eyes widened when the troll\u2019s arm came off at the elbow. The sword had cut stone as if it were no more solid than fog. \u201cGlad I paid to get the good<\/em> enchantment!\u201d Gris shouted merrily, swinging again as the troll roared in surprised agony and backpedaled from an opponent it had woefully underestimated.<\/p>\n

The rest of the arm came off at the shoulder this time, and the troll looked comically like it had an urgent appointment elsewhere it had just remembered. It turned tail and lumbered off at a tangent to the track, and Gris stood disappointed for a moment before sheathing his sword. Dani and Mac just stared, open-mouthed. \u201cWhat?\u201d Gris asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m quite glad your sword\u2019s enchanted and all, old chap, but couldn\u2019t you have said something?\u201d Mac said, extricating himself with difficulty from his bush. \u201cI thought you\u2019d gone and committed suicide.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs did I,\u201d Dani said. Her bush had formed an untoward attachment to her hair, which had come loose from its braid in the excitement and was tangled quite badly in the branches. \u201cA little help, boys?\u201d<\/p>\n

They rushed over and helped her up, but the bush adamantly refused to let go of her (admittedly long and impractical) tresses. She finally gave a sigh. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing for it. Mac, lend me your knife, there\u2019s a good fellow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDani, don\u2019t\u2014\u201d he started, but she plucked it from his belt and cut her hair free. He looked distressed. \u201cWe could\u2019ve untangled it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd taken far more time than we have to spare. It\u2019ll grow back, luv. Now.\u201d Dani gave him the knife back. \u201cLet\u2019s find our horses, shall we? I wouldn\u2019t like to be without our supplies on this journey. You can come down now, Moggie.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grumbling, she did so, and Dani had her sit on her other shoulder, since she\u2019d clawed her fairly well and Dani was sure she was bleeding. But if poor Mac could smile through his injuries, she wasn\u2019t going to complain about a few scratches. Her lips tightened when she looked at him. The fall from the horse hadn\u2019t done him any favors. \u201cWe may have to walk the rest of the way, Mac.\u201d<\/p>\n

He shrugged with his good shoulder. \u201cI\u2019ll try not to slow us down too much.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dani pointed at him with a glare. \u201cIf it gets too difficult, you are to say something and we\u2019ll stop and rest. I mean it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, Mum. Can we start off now?\u201d<\/p>\n

She dipped into the bag at her belt, thankfully still attached, and handed him a small paper envelope filled with white powder. \u201cTry that first.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019d kept hold of his canteen, and he tipped the powder into his mouth, made a disgusted face, and took several long draughts of water. \u201cGood gods, that\u2019s bitterly foul<\/em>, Dani. What is it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWillow bark extract. You can thank me later.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI might, if I can ever get this taste out of my mouth. Eugh.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019ll take the edge off the pain, Mac, and make you move easier,\u201d Dani said over her shoulder, setting off up the trail. \u201cYou can\u2019t blame me for taking you at your word when you said you didn\u2019t want to slow us down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSuppose not,\u201d he muttered, but the lines around his eyes and lips eased after a few minutes, and he looked considerably less like he would keel over at any second.<\/p>\n

Dani mulled a new plan while they walked. \u201cHere, Moggie, what think you of an infiltration job?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m listening,\u201d she said warily.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe swap attempt went badly because they expected one of us to come along and were ready for that. What if\u2014\u201d Dani was still formulating while she talked. \u201cWhat if you go in by yourself and tell them you\u2019ve defected? Two cats are better than one, from their point of view, right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want me to join up with them? What good does that do you?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause then you can talk Thomas into joining us. Once he does, you can slip away and leave them without a cat at all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her whiskers bristled, and she slitted her eyes in a pleased manner. \u201cIt\u2019s sneaky. I like it. You\u2019d make a good cat yourself, Dani.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dani took it as the compliment it was, coming from her. \u201cThank you, Moggie, I\u2019m sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe question, of course, is how I get from here to them without being eaten by the denizens of this horrid forest.\u201d She bared a fang. \u201cAs much as I\u2019d like to help out, I\u2019m not willing to die for the cause.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll take you,\u201d Gris said. \u201cLike to see anything try\u2019n eat me. I\u2019ll stop once we\u2019re within shouting distance, and you can climb a tree and go the rest of the way overhead. How\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019ll do,\u201d she decided, and that was when they turned on a switchback and found their horses grazing in a little meadow off to the side of the track. The animals whinnied with pleasure, and Mac huffed a relieved sigh.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll go on, and you can catch us up, Gris,\u201d Dani said. \u201cThe farther ahead we are, the better I\u2019ll feel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moggie leaped from Dani\u2019s shoulder to his, and they went off. \u201cYou really think it\u2019ll work?\u201d Mac asked once they were out of earshot.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s the last chance we have, is what I think,\u201d Dani answered. \u201cI hope our Moggie can pull it off.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI suppose we\u2019ll find out. Good luck to her, I say.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a4<\/p>\n

\u201cBe careful of traps,\u201d Moggie warned. \u201cNash isn\u2019t playing about.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI saw Mac\u2019s face, didn\u2019t I?\u201d Gris said grimly. \u201cThey won\u2019t catch me flat-footed.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey didn\u2019t catch him flat-footed either. But catch him they did.\u201d Moggie shivered at the memory.<\/p>\n

\u201cMac\u2019s a lot of things, but a fighter ain\u2019t one of \u2018em unless he gets \u2018round behind you. Then look out.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey got behind him instead, and then held him while they beat him. Three-to-one odds, Gris.\u201d Moggie eyed him, assessing his height and girth. \u201cThough it\u2019d be more like two to one, against a great fellow like you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gris smiled with all his teeth. It wasn\u2019t a pretty expression. \u201cNash will regret doing Mac like that. Maybe not on this jaunt. But later.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moggie didn\u2019t doubt it. Her little band was quite loyal, one to the other, and they were good folk, despite her unwillingness to be in this situation. Perhaps, she thought, she\u2019d go home with one of them once it was over. If they lived through it.<\/p>\n

Gris might have been built like a bear, but he moved like a wolf, skirting the trail rather than keeping to it. Nash\u2019s party had set more traps, but he avoided them all, even finding the bird before it could cry a warning and putting an arrow through it. He grunted with satisfaction. \u201cThey\u2019re moving slow. Too busy trapping their backtrail to go forward very fast.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s to the good,\u201d Moggie said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAye, so long as we don\u2019t get so far ahead that you can\u2019t find us again.\u201d He glided to a stop on a hillock overlooking the trail. \u201cThere they are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her tail lashed. \u201cThey\u2019ve got Thomas in a cage even though he\u2019s perfectly willing. Nasty buggers, I\u2019ll be glad to see them lose.\u201d She hopped from his shoulder and rubbed against his ankle. \u201cI\u2019ll meet them ahead on the track and tell them I\u2019ve defected.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThank ye, puss.\u201d He reached down and scratched her chin. \u201cBut be careful, right? Nash is a nasty piece o\u2019work and his friends are no better. If it looks like they\u2019ll be hurtin\u2019 you, you run. We\u2019ll think o\u2019something else.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMrr, no worries. I\u2019d like that lot to try<\/em> to out-think a cat. Their brains would soon leak out their ears.\u201d<\/p>\n

She set out through the underbrush until she was well in front of Nash\u2019s party. Then she sat primly on the trail, tail wrapped \u2018round her feet, to wait their coming, ears flicking back and forth, listening for other dangers. It wouldn\u2019t do to be eaten by a goblin before they found her, after all.<\/p>\n

They turned the corner and stopped short when they saw her. Nash drew his sword and looked suspiciously into the forest. \u201cWhat\u2019re you doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI could see which way the wind blew, couldn\u2019t I?\u201d Moggie asked. \u201cI\u2019ve got a better chance with you lot than with that inept bunch. You laid a right proper beating on Mac.\u201d The poor little sod<\/em>, she didn\u2019t say. \u201cHe can barely move; they\u2019ll be stalled for days waiting for him to heal.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nash curled his lip. \u201cThat\u2019s good news. Not that they had a chance to begin with, but no sense letting them get ahead if we don\u2019t have to, eh, boys?\u201d His companions let out \u201churr hurr hurrs\u201d in response, and Moggie determined that she would give them a good clawing when she got the chance, see if she didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

\u201cTwo cats are better than one, yes?\u201d Moggie said. \u201cSo long as you don\u2019t expect me to ride in a bloody cage, I\u2019m your puss.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, then, hop aboard and welcome, I\u2019m sure.\u201d Nash smiled, and his expression was far less nice than Gris\u2019s had been. \u201cIt\u2019s in the bag now, fellows. Let\u2019s get a move on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShould we still be laying traps on our backtrail?\u201d one of his friends asked. He had watery eyes and a weak chin he tried unsuccessfully to hide with a beard; Moggie thought of him as Minion One.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s wait a bit. They\u2019ll probably try to take their cat back somehow, so we can give them a false sense of security, and then hit them with two or three things at once.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thomas was caged on the pack pony at the rear, and Moggie jumped onto the phlegmatic creature and settled on a sack of supplies after kneading it into submission. Thomas bristled his whiskers and slitted his eyes at her. \u201cGlad you\u2019ve seen sense, girl,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019ll be cushy, you\u2019ll see.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSays the cat in a cage,\u201d she snorted, pitching her voice so the humans couldn\u2019t hear. \u201cI can\u2019t believe you\u2019re going with these horrid people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you\u2019ve abandoned yours for mine, haven\u2019t you?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cActually, I haven\u2019t.\u201d She cast a glance forward, but Nash and his minions were occupied telling lewd jokes. \u201cI\u2019m here to get you out so you can join up with my group. They, at least, won\u2019t make you stay in a cage.\u201d One of her ears twitched backward. \u201cDidn\u2019t they start with four?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey had some troll trouble and ended up riding hell for leather up the trail. The trolls took the hindmost.\u201d Thomas licked a paw uneasily. \u201cWe heard him screaming for a bit, and then it stopped. Nash said there was nothing for it but to go on.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDid he.\u201d It wasn\u2019t a question. \u201cI\u2019ll tell you this much, Thomas, my group would never have left one of their own like that. It\u2019s really not supposed to be the done thing among humans, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t know, now, would I?\u201d He looked a little wistful. \u201cAre they kind, your humans? I\u2019ve not seen much of that, in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve come to an accord, they and I, and they\u2019re kinder than this bunch, I can tell you that much. Once this is done with, I\u2019d rather like to go home with one of them. Perhaps more, if Dani would ever notice that Mac is madly in love with her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow d\u2019you know that?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI can smell it on him, can\u2019t I? If he doesn\u2019t say something soon, the daft little bugger, then I will. Cats are far more straightforward about such matters than humans.\u201d She butted her head on the wooden cage slats. \u201cWhat do you say, Thomas, will you come with us? I can get you out of there, and we\u2019ll go off together. You don\u2019t owe these bastards anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s in it for you?\u201d he asked. \u201cBecause I know you, Moggie, and you wouldn\u2019t be here if you didn\u2019t have some sort of angle.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to be with the dragon, and I don\u2019t. I\u2019ve also come to rather like my little set of humans and don\u2019t want to leave them in the lurch.\u201d She rolled her shoulders. \u201cSo they\u2019ll put you with the dragon and take me back to the village. Do us a favor, Thomas, and yourself one while you\u2019re at it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou make a good argument, Moggie. If you\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the horses chose that moment to stop short and back up several steps, snorting and tossing its head. \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong with you, you idiot beast?\u201d Nash said impatiently, kicking its sides. \u201cWe have places to be and no time for foolishness.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moggie stood up, poofing her tail. \u201cThe only fool here is Nash, if he won\u2019t listen to his horse. This, right here, is what I\u2019m talking about, Thomas.\u201d She pawed at the cage latch, as one of the other horses reared, letting out an alarmed whinny.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s got into them?\u201d Minion Two asked, trying and failing to get control of the animal. A roar answered him from the forest, and his face drained of color.<\/p>\n

\u201cTrolls,\u201d Moggie said. The latch, damn it, was being recalcitrant. A high-pitched ki-yi-yi<\/em> came from the other side of the trail. \u201cAnd goblins. We\u2019re caught in the middle. This is the best day ever.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thomas\u2019s tail flipped, and his ears flattened against his head. \u201cCome on, Moggie, I don\u2019t want to be trapped in here. . .\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDoing my best,\u201d she said between her eyeteeth. \u201cThere!\u201d The door popped open, and Thomas leaped out just as the pack pony whirled and bolted back down the trail.<\/p>\n

\u201cHere, what are you\u2014\u201d Nash didn\u2019t get to finish his sentence; a mountain troll lumbered out of the trees and aimed its cudgel at his horse\u2019s head. The horse, being a sensible beast, dodged sideways, kicked, and fled after the pack pony. Nash barely kept his seat.<\/p>\n

The minions followed on, and the cats dug their claws into the supplies on the pony and hung on for dear life. \u201cHad Nash not been so impatient,\u201d Moggie said, \u201che would have been told before he left the mayor\u2019s office that goblins and trolls were battling each other along this trail.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhich is why your group took the other track, though it\u2019s longer,\u201d Thomas gasped. \u201cVery wise of them, I\u2019d say.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cVery wise indeed, if this is the second time you\u2019ve been beset by multiple trolls. We only had the one, and Gris put paid to it handily enough.\u201d The pony took a turn at high speed, and she dug her claws deeper. \u201cI think we\u2019ve outrun them, though. What say you, Thomas? Are you with me?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThink well on your answer,\u201d Nash said, riding along beside with his sword in his hand. \u201cBecause this traitorous little wretch isn\u2019t long for this world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moggie spit out a curse and leaped just as he swung his blade. She thought she was clear, but a sudden sharp pain halfway down her tail told her that she hadn\u2019t escaped unscathed. Hissing, she scampered into the underbrush, and thence up a tree, high enough that no human could reach her. Nash and his minions jumped from the horses, as did Thomas, who dashed off in the other direction.<\/p>\n

Nash was beside himself with fury, spitting much like a cat himself. \u201cYou, catch Thomas. You, come with me, and we\u2019ll find the other one.\u201d They tromped after her, making as much noise as the trolls, she thought, crouching on the thick branch high above their heads.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhere are you?\u201d Nash roared.<\/p>\n

Like she was going to tell him. The end of her tail burned, and she caught it under a paw and examined it with rage. The sword had cut it right in half, and the end bled freely. Wincing, she licked at it while they went past below. Humans rarely looked up, and so long as she stayed quiet, they would probably continue to look for her on the ground. Once they\u2019d given up, she\u2019d make her way back to her own humans.<\/p>\n

She hoped that Thomas was all right. Nash and his minions thrashed through the forest, beating about with their swords, but they eventually gave up and left without finding either cat, Moggie was relieved to see. She hoped spitefully that they\u2019d dulled their blades enough for them to be completely bloody useless in their next troll encounter.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d started across the branch to the next tree when a soft \u201chst\u201d made her look over. Thomas bristled his whiskers at her. \u201cI trust you know a shortcut to your people,\u201d he said, \u201cbecause I\u2019m completely lost.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis way. Stay in the trees. There\u2019s things in this forest that\u2019d eat you as soon as look at you. Sooner, really.\u201d She led him through the branches, but it still took most of the night to find Dani\u2019s group. They had a blazing fire going, though, and once she saw that, she jumped down from the tree and ran into the camp, meowing.<\/p>\n

\u201cMoggie, what on earth\u2014 Your tail!\u201d Dani exclaimed, scooping her up. \u201cThose bloody barbarians.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey caught me talking to Thomas.\u201d Moggie buried her face in the crook of Dani\u2019s elbow. \u201cThey\u2019d\u2019ve killed me if I\u2019d been slower.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBastards.\u201d Mac had been sharpening a wicked-looking dagger, but he stood up and came over to give Moggie a petting. \u201cIs Thomas all right?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI came with her,\u201d Thomas said, stepping into the light thrown by the fire. \u201cBecause to hell with them, if they\u2019re that way. It was just wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me doctor that,\u201d Dani said. \u201cAnd then you can have some nice rabbit, both of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat would be lovely,\u201d Moggie said faintly. And it was good to be able to relax after the stress of being a small animal in a forest filled with large predators, good to be here among her people<\/em>, good to be cared for and cared about.<\/p>\n

She\u2019d never known what it was like to have that, and an involuntary purr escaped her throat.<\/p>\n

…to be concluded…<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

\"JulieFrost2\"<\/a>JULIE FROST<\/strong> writes short SFF and lives in Utah with her family and a collection of anteaters and Oaxacan carvings. She whines about writing, a lot, at http:\/\/agilebrit.livejournal.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[Part 1] Dani woke with an unfamiliar weight on her hip, and she was reaching for her knife before she quite knew what was happening. \u201cOf course,\u201d a familiar voice said. \u201cKill first, ask questions once it\u2019s too late.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":260,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[18,19,6],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/stupefyingstoriesshowcase.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/stupefyingstoriesshowcase.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/stupefyingstoriesshowcase.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stupefyingstoriesshowcase.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stupefyingstoriesshowcase.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=258"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/stupefyingstoriesshowcase.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":309,"href":"http:\/\/stupefyingstoriesshowcase.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258\/revisions\/309"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stupefyingstoriesshowcase.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/260"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/stupefyingstoriesshowcase.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stupefyingstoriesshowcase.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stupefyingstoriesshowcase.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}