Accidental Kitten Acquisition

“You’re a freaking werewolf!” 

She’s not sure why she’s so upset, but she’s boiling inside. Had her hands not been full of frightened kitten, she’d have punched him in the chest.

“A where-what? Never heard of them. I’m a shapeshifter. All the men in my family are.”

“So you transform into a… a… bear…cat…thing?” she sputters, and he has the nerve to look offended. 

“A maelruk. A noble beast.”

“Meel-ruk?”

“Close enough, I guess.”

“Why didn’t you tell me? You scared me half to death. I thought you were lying somewhere. Injured.” She swallows hard. “Maybe dead.”

“Sorry about that. It’s not something I usually bring up, and I guess part of me assumed you knew. It’s what the Arakiba family is known for.” He shrugs and her desire to punch him grows. “Besides, I didn’t want to scare you. You kept talking about this monster that terrified you, and if you knew it was me in my other form... Didn’t want you to freak out and run away.”

“Oh.” Diane supposes his reasoning makes sense. It also explains why he was so relaxed about the monster being at the lake. It was just that… “But it wasn’t you. I’m sure.”

“What do you mean, not me?”

“There are similarities, but also differences. It’s bigger, the fur is darker, the teeth and claws are longer. Much longer…” She shudders at the recollection.

“You were upset. You must have exaggerated things in your mind. It happens to the best of us.”

“No. I’m certain. The body was similar, and the ears… but no. You’re not the monster from the alley.”

“That’s just not possible.” He frowns, his expression reminding her of this morning when he’d been reading his soulbook. So worried, almost angry, shaking his head. “It can’t be. You remember it wrong.”

She’s not. She’s sure she’s not. But this isn’t the time to pressure him about whatever it is he’s hiding. Or the fact that he didn’t trust her enough to tell her.

“Perhaps,” she says instead. “Shall we continue?”

“We should.” He sighs and looks at the two white bodies with regret. “Let’s bury the Whispering Spirits first, though. They deserve as much.”

“That’s what the locals call them? They do look a bit ghostly. But so beautiful.”

“They are very special. And so rare they’re almost mythical.” He gets up and squares his shoulders. “I’ll change again, it’ll be faster and easier.”

In his bear-cat, no, his maelruk shape, Aster quickly digs a deep, wide hole. His powerful front paws easily push dirt and grass out of the way. Surprisingly gently, he nudges the bodies inside the grave, pushes the dirt back, covering them before he shimmers back into human form.

“Should we, I don’t know… say something?” she asks. "Do something?"

“If you like. Though I don’t think their spirits care much for human words.”

That’s probably true, but Diane gathers some flowers anyway and places them on the grave. The kitten watches her every move, then limps toward the grave. Sitting on the upturned soil, it wails, a sound so heartbreaking that Diane’s eyes fill with tears.

“Rest well,” she mumbles. “We’ll take care of your little one. She’ll be safe with us.”

As if the kitten understands her words, it lets out one last wail, then half limps, half bounces back to her, climbs up her clothes, and buries its face in her neck again. Aster nods,

“You’re right. The cub is much too young to survive on its own. And it seems to have taken a liking to you.”

“It does, doesn’t it?” She smiles, sadly, nuzzling the soft fur. “I just wish…”

“I know. But we did all we could.”

“You’re right. At least we saved one of them.” The kitten purrs next to her neck, and for a moment she feels better. Lighter. Happier. She’s always wanted a pet, but considering her long working hours, it had always seemed unfair to get one. While this little one might not count as a pet, exactly, having it close was oddly comforting. She glances at the grave, “Should we leave?”

“We should. And, as much as I hate to admit it, my annoying cousin was right. We need to hurry.” Aster brushes the dirt off his hands, glancing up at the sun. “Let’s go. We need to move a lot faster than we have so far. If the wall has been breached, we must let my father know. This is serious.”

“Hurry? Just to be clear here. You’re not carrying me. I don’t care how short my legs are, I’m not going for a piggyback ride.”

He laughs at that. A welcome break from the tense mood, but the scowl she gives him is only part playful. He's not carrying her. No matter how fast he can run.

“Don’t worry. Even if Hector meant it literally, I hope we can find an alternative." Still laughing he turns to leave. "Come on.”

“Wait. What about the bears? Are they infected? Do we need to burn them?” She hopes not. That’d take one giant bonfire and several hours. At least.

“Perhaps in the early stages of the curse. So early that its mark is still hidden under the fur.” He scratches his shoulder absentmindedly, then combs his fingers through his hair. “It’s hard to say since they’re extremely aggressive by nature. We’ll ask the next village we reach to deal with it.”

“Great. Then let’s go.”

They take off at a brisk pace, walking for what feels like hours before Aster decides it’s time for a break. By then, Diane’s arms are definitely getting tired from holding the kitten, and it’s with relief that she takes a seat on a large rock. The kitten promptly jumps down to explore, still not putting any weight on the injured leg, but otherwise in good spirits. Smiling, she watches it clumsily stalk a couple of big, colorful beetles while she’s opening her bag.

Using another big and fairly flat rock as a makeshift table, she unpacks their lunch, handing the meat to Aster and keeping the pie and bread for herself.

“Come here, you,” she calls, and the kitten obediently trots back to her. After sniffing her food, it turns with a disdainful flick of its tails and looks pleadingly at Aster instead. Meow, it squeaks, placing a paw on his leg.

“Guess we’re all hungry. Right, little one?” Aster cuts a slice of meat, holding it out, and the kitten snatches it out of his hand. One slice turns into several. Finally, the kitten yawns and, after bumping its head affectionately against Diane’s leg, it crawls inside her open backpack, curls up, and promptly falls asleep.

Once they’ve eaten, Aster shoulders her bag. He’s troubled, that much is obvious, both from the hurried pace he sets and the short, curt answers he gives to her attempts at chatting. Not that her mood is much better. She’s used to seeing deaths. Accidents. Injuries. Diseases. Still, everything she’s witnessed these last days has affected her more than she thought.

As if that isn’t enough, the long days of walking are also taking their toll on her, and her legs are getting heavier with each step. Focusing on the thought of a hot bath and a soft bed, she grits her teeth and keeps going. Aster had mentioned that they’d reach an actual city today.

By the time they reach the town, it’s already dark. The kitten has woken up and is curiously peeking out from the top of the bag. It's a pleasant place, two-story houses lining clean streets lit by tall torches. Despite the hour, quite a few people are out and about. Aster stops an armoured guard and speaks briefly with him.

The guard points them to what seems to be a main street. The many shops and taverns are closed, but Aster leads the way to a small bench.

“You’re tired. Wait here while I make the arrangements.”

“Okay. I’ll admit that it’ll be nice to rest my feet for a bit.”

“I won’t be long.” He hands her the bag and is gone. 

True to his word, he’s back soon enough, accompanied by a middle-aged man in a tall hat.

“I really appreciate this,” Aster says and a golden coin changes hands. “I apologize for the urgency and the late hour.”

“No problem. We’re happy to help.” The man pockets the coin, then gives Aster a worried look. “I hope your family is well. The news coming from your area is troublesome to say the least.”

“I believe they are. And we should be able to turn the tide soon.”

“If the ancients will it,” the man mumbles, then straightens up. “You just wait here, everything will be ready shortly.”

“Thank you.”

The man scurries away and Diane turns to Aster, puzzled.

“I thought you were finding us rooms for the night.” And a bath and a hot meal.

“Even better. Just you wait and see.”

He’s back to his smug self, which is a huge relief even though she’s still a little upset with him. To keep occupied, she scratches the kitten behind its oversized ears and feeds it the last of the meat. The last treat has just been swallowed when a sound approaches. Clip-clop, clip-clop. Horses?

It turns out to be not horses, but huge gray elk, pulling a small enclosed, four-wheeled carrier. A young man in a heavy coat is perched on the box seat, waving at them.

“Ready to go?” he asks, and Aster nods. 

"We are."

The inside of the carriage is cozy, with padded seats on both sides. A large covered basket sits on one of them, so they take their seat on the other side. Diane barely has time to put her aching feet up before they start to move.

“More efficient than a hotel, for sure. Good thinking.”

“Yes, we’re lucky they were available. We should reach the nearest Wing-gate tomorrow. Ancients willing, we’ll be able to catch another ride from there.”

A wing-gate? Some sort of airport?

“You should try to get some sleep. Both of you.” He gives the kitten a long look as it’s enthusiastically exploring the small space, and Diane smiles. The anger and shock from earlier have faded and she’s more relaxed. And sleepy.

“You should sleep too. We’re all tired.”

“True.” With a deep sigh Aster leans back, eyes closed, and she picks the kitten up, trying to make it settle on her lap. It complains loudly.

Meow. Meow.

Diane looks into the small, whiskered face and the huge amber eyes.

“Meow, meow to you too. Maybe I’ll call you that. Or, Mow Mow… No, I know. Momo.”

Meow. A soft paw touches her chin and she smiles. The last tension melting away.

“Momo it is then.”

Seemingly pleased with the choice, Momo curls up in her lap and promptly falls asleep. Again.