Strangers in the dark

I’m not sure how I could feel any more scared than I already did. My body was burning from the razor thin cuts and Finn was screaming as the half woman - half insect creatures pulled at us. With a roar, the tiger jumped into the cloud of flying creatures. It started biting and swiping with its large paws, quickly eating and bisecting the bugs. It was almost like a small cat playing, but far larger and more ferocious. The creatures seemed to be in a panic at the entrance of this heavyweight predator. They tried to put up some fight at first, but the tiger was too fast, too strong, and too perfect in its accuracy and execution of its attacks. Their number dwindled quickly, and with less than a handful left, they fled out of some dim exit in the cave-like structure we were in. The tiger, seemingly satisfied, occupied itself with licking the guts of its enemies off its paws, picking some off the ground. Its tongue making a gory, gravelly rasping noise

I now got a better look at the creature. It was a large cat for sure but the coloring was off. It was a patchwork calico of orange and black, with a distinct white heart shaped pattern on its chest. I wondered what it was. It was far bigger than any bobcat or even leopard I’d seen at the zoo. It caught my gaze, turned to me, and leaped. I curled up into a ball knowing this was to be the end. Yet, in mid air the creature changed, shrunk, and contorted. Lightly landing in front of me from a 30ft standing leap was a delicate girl with mottled red and black hair, orange eyes, and…um…cat ears.

“What are you looking at? I get sent to find Old Man MacCairill and instead I save your stupid face. Now he’s nowhere to be found and now I’m meow in trouble. So much trouble you couldn’t believe. Gods for such a know it all you would have thought he’d leave a note to where he’s going. Can’t foresee his own reincarnation could he? Course if he’s reborn who knows now: deer, hawk, hmm maybe a fish. Me-ow wouldn’t that be good. Speaking of, you aren’t going to eat that?”

She and I looked down the remains of the creature I had grabbed by chance. Before I could reply she grabbed my hand in one smooth action and forced all of it into my mouth. I choked but there was only one direction that was going. I could only describe the taste and texture like spoiled shrimp and grasshoppers, shell and all. I barely croaked, “*Cough-gh* w-why?” She snapped, “Well of course you would eat it. It’s your right.” “Right?” I said. “Right!” she musically replied. Confused, I decided to ask the obvious question, “You’re a cat?”

“I’m Grial, not at all pleased to save you.” she chided. “Well I’m appreciative of the help.” She snapped back, “No, I’m not here to help you whatsoever. If it wasn’t for that poor child I wouldn’t have been summoned and I’d be snug at home on my master’s lap by now.” “Summoned?” I asked, “I didn’t summon you.” “Oh yes you did, anywhere a child is in need; a Cah-Seith will be indeed, get it!?” The cat girl pointed to her head as if she was pushing the lesson straight into her brain, as if I should do the same. “Well it was unfortunate for you to come across Un-Seelie here of all places. This used to be the home of Old Man Mac Cairill but these pixes of all things have turned this into an evil den.” “Pixies?” I sputtered. “I know right!? Harmless little goody-two-shoe twits normally but what happened to turn them evil–meow? Were they full of envy–oh you know how pixes are–but what would those twits do with a little wisdom. Not that they don’t need it. Or did something else even more sinister corrupt them–meow.” She prattled on as she cocked her head side to side like a cat, her verbal tic growing more exaggerated with her mood.

I checked Finn as this went on and to my comfort he seemed to be safe and uninjured. Re-adjusting him on my hip, he got a look at the strange person in front of us and let out a happy squeal. She stopped mid thought and said, “Well there’s someone with some manners.” She made a face at the baby and Finn excitedly reached out with unsteady arms and a gummy smile. She collected herself and said “Well that’s enough nonsense.” and turned away. Stifling a smart retort to that I said, “Wait how do we get back?” “Get back?” she quipped, “Well the only way to get in stupid.” As if it was that obvious. “Wait! Aren’t you going to help guide us? What about other cats!?” She haughtily looked over her shoulder, “I’m not here to help you, and you’re lucky I’m a guardian. Most Cah-Seith are not and they would do nasty things to you for calling them ‘cat’. Or just for fun. And I hate to see children be harmed.” Realizing I had one last card to play I said, “The baby needs to eat, which way is it to civilization?” Tired of talking to me she replied, “When you leave here go east.” She then leaped away, transforming again into a great cat, and disappeared into the darkness again with another great bound.

Not knowing what else to do, I walked in the direction she disappeared. Clearly Finn and I were no longer in the grassy meadow we stopped at before. The stone room we were in before was lit by some unknown source, and now I stumbled through a dark and damp, but mostly straight stone hallway. Eventually I walked into a dead end, but with my attenuated senses I could tell there was light leaking through the wall. I searched and pushed for what seemed like forever. I yelled, “Just open!” then felt and heard the rumble of a landslide. I cradled Finn, but nothing happened. There was another loud *click*, then a rumble as the wall in front of us slid away and there was the light of outside.