Catheroes

by A. J. Chaudhury

  Junaki had a cloth wrapped around her stomach and she moved quite slow. I just gazed up at her. I had been pretty sure the other night that she would not survive.

  She came and sat next to me on the bed.

  “The other night,” I said, “I thought you would…”

  “I don’t die easy,” Junaki whispered.

  With some effort, I sat up. The next moment I was kissing her deeply, she kissed back. Tears rolled down the faces of both of us.

  “You said you probably had other girls in your life,” Junaki said with a small, but bright smile.

  “In my previous life perhaps,” I said, touching her forehead with mine and staring directly into her eyes, “but in this one it is only you. It shall be only you.”

  Abhat let out a cough.

  “Ahem, I hope you won’t forget to thank me,” he said with a grin.

  I frowned, not getting him.

  “He’s the one who saved you,” Junaki explained.

  “I don’t know how to thank you,” I said. If Abhat had not saved me, I would have died.

  “I saw that there was a big hole at a certain part of the wall around which there were many corpses of dogmen,” Abhat said. “I went out through that hole and then saw you being surrounded by the many dogmen. The moment you used that special spell of yours, I was almost blinded, it was of such a great intensity. I saw you lying unconscious and brought you to one of the homes of the villagers where they applied medications on you. Later on, once we had won and the remaining dogmen had fled we brought you to Jurim’s home. We didn’t really think you would survive, but you are a tough cat, and here you are talking to us.”

  Jurim’s home? I thought. So that explained why the place felt big and lavish.

  “Without you we would have lost,” Jurim said, and he looked quite humbled, “with your spell and the bombs you killed so many dogmen that we were able to fight the remaining dogmen and chase them away. And now, I must declare something. From today onwards I am no longer the chieftain.”

  Everybody present gasped. Even I was shocked. Why would Jurim say something like that?

  Jurim looked down.

  “Because of me being inefficient as a chieftain, so many lives were lost. Even my own nephew died. I can never forgive myself for that. I was lazy and thought the dogmen wouldn’t attack. I was so wrong. I shall leave this village, that is what I have decided. I shall become a hermit.”

  “What are you saying, Jurim?” Abhat said, “It’s not that you are a bad chieftain, you are just short of experience. In time you will become efficient.”

  Jurim raised a paw, his eyes closed. He seemed to have taken a final decision and he wouldn’t reconsider it.

  “From today on, Kitty shall be the new chieftain,” Jurim said, and now he stared directly at me, a meek smile on his face. I recalled the last time he had smiled it was in pure mockery. He had changed so much. Violence did change people. “Provided he accepts to be the chieftain.”

  A message popped up in my vision, and I couldn’t help but gape.

  Quest completed!

  You have saved the village of Duarga from the dogmen!

  You receive 20,000 gold!

  Your hidden reward is to become the chieftain of Duarga, provided you accept the offer.

  I looked from one cat to the other. I didn’t know what to say. I had never been a leader.

  “I… I don’t know,” I said.

  “Would you become the chieftain, Kitty?” Jurim asked me again.

  “I think Jurim is right,” Herim said, “Kitty saved our village and he nearly gave up his life for that. If he must become the chieftain, he deserves it.”

  I looked at Junaki. I wanted her opinion.

  “Make the decision that you would have made in your previous life,” she said to me. I shook my head.

  “I’ll make the decision that I want to make. The previous life doesn’t matter anymore.” The moment I had accepted Junaki, I had given up all attachments with my previous life. “And my decision is that you must decide whether I should become the chieftain.”

  Junaki gave me a determined look. Her stare a steady one.

  “Accept the offer,” she said firmly, “become the chieftain.”

  “Then it shall be so,” I said.

  ***

  Chapter 27

  The next few weeks breezed by rather quickly for me. Junaki and I became extensively involved with repairing all the damage that the attack of the dogmen had caused to the village. I promoted Abhat to be my advisor on all matters as he was the one who had first taken the warning seriously, and I relieved him of his guarding job.

  I asked the wall to be repaired and I buried all the corpses of the dogmen who had been killed at a good distance from the village, so that no disease would spread from the rotting corpses. No dogmen ever came to claim the corpses. As to the cats that had died I asked them to be buried inside the village itself, for they had given their lives to protect it. Jurim, the previous chieftain, left the village. He was determined to be a hermit, and he said he needed to wash his guilt.

  I made the guarding of the village stricter. New gates were made at strategic locations all around the village and guards were appointed at them such that all parts of the wall could be under watch at all times of the day and night.

  I figured the fire tree that we had found would come of great importance to us if a future attack occurred, so I appointed guards at the tree itself and claimed it for the cats. I wanted to grow more fire trees, but it seemed the fire tree bore seeds only once in ten years. As for Tali, the wizard from whom I had bought the swords, I told him that he had to either side with the cats, or he must leave that particular region forever, and if he was ever seen again he would be killed immediately.

  Tali chose the latter option. While it was regretful that we wouldn’t be able to buy swords from him, on the positive side he wouldn’t be able to sell swords to the dogmen either. Abhat told me that Tali would have tried to use his powers on me, but he had probably heard that I had killed scores of dogmen with my blast spell and he was frightened of me.

  I even sent a warning note to the villages of Dogmen that were not far from Duarga never again to attack. I did this using pigeons, and since the pigeons returned alive, I understood that the dogmen were scared of me and accepted the warning. I told them that if ever they thought of attacking Duarga again, they could just take a look at the mass grave that was located on the way to Duarga which had all the corpses of their fellow kind. I however assured them that they needn’t expect me to attack them, as long as they didn’t think of harming Duarga.

  The best thing about doing all this besides the good feeling it brought was that I was able to level up not once but twice. Even Junaki levelled up, for some of the plans such as creating the new gates were her ideas.

  Once everything was done however, the bug of impatience began to bite me. There was not much I could do now, except eat, sleep and enjoy quality time with Junaki. The villagers would occasionally bring little problems, such as disputes between neighbours, which wasn’t very hard to solve.

  As the days passed and became monotonous, I began to think more and more about the original aim with which I had left the glade where I had taken rebirth. Besides, I had been told after making the wish back at the river of milk so many days ago that I would regain my memory. So would that wish ever be fulfilled?

  As much as I tried to be happy with my current life and not be bothered with my previous life, I couldn’t help it. Occasionally fragments of memory from my past life would come to haunt me and I also recalled the man I had seen in the orb that I was fated to meet. Junaki recognised the turbulence that my soul and mind were suffering, and she tried to console me saying that eventually I would regain my memory. But I did not want to regain my memory any more. I feared the girl I had seen from my past life. I had never told about her to Junaki. I did not want to meet her myself, perhaps if I met her I would be forever filled with guilt for ac
cepting Junaki.

  And then one day, something happened that was bound to change my life forever. After a long while I received a new quest.

  It happened one evening, as I was relaxing, watching Junaki as she created a painting. Apparently painting had been a much loved hobby of hers back when she had been a child, but due to her father she hadn’t been able to practice the art much in recent times.

  Junaki was hiding the painting from me. I felt at the end of the patience. Junaki looked quite serious as she used the paints on the canvas.

  “Come on,” I said, “show it to me.”

  Junaki shook her head. She wasn’t in a very happy mood. Usually she would smile when she painted, today no smile kissed her lips. If anything, there was fear in her eyes. I stood up and approached her. Junaki was so lost in her work that she failed to see me coming. I got behind her and saw the painting. My heart skipped a beat.

  The painting was of me.

  Me in a form that I would never want myself to be again. I was wearing the tail of the dogman around my neck. The sword I carried was bathed in blood, so was my fur.

  “Junaki,” I said. I felt my heart sink.

  Only now did she realise that I was looking at the painting. She let out a gasp as she turned at me. Her eyes were brimming with tears. She suddenly stood up from the stool she had been sitting on and hugged me, letting out a sob.

  “Please don’t ever become like that again,” she said to me in between tears. I recalled that I had visited Junaki in my violent form when she had been lying injured. “I saw you become so again in my dream yesterday night. The dogmen are evil, and sometimes you will be in situations where you must kill them… But you needn’t become this.”

  I rubbed her head and held her cheeks in my hands, looking into her eyes.

  “I promise you, I never will become so again,” I told her.

  Just then there was a shout at the gate of my house. A servant opened the gate, and in came one of the cats whom I had earlier assigned earlier in the day to dig a lake in the village. I had thought I would visit them at night, just before they retire. I knew the cat by his name. Darek. He was well muscled, and mostly passed his time doing manual labour for others. Presently, he was drenched in sweat and I reckoned he had come running. His expression was as though he had seen something ghastly.

  “What is it?” I asked, as Junaki let go of me.

  “We found a statue,” Darek said, panting.

  “A statue?” I asked with a frown.

  Darek extend his arm wide.

  “It’s very big, and—” he paused momentarily as though he didn’t want to say anything more, “— and it can speak. It is asking for you, since you are the chieftain.”

  “A speaking statue?” Junaki said in awe, standing beside me.

  “Yes,” Darek said, “the other diggers were scared and sent me to get you.”

  Junaki and I didn’t waste any time in going to the site where I had asked the lake to be dug. There was quite a crowd gathered there, diggers and non-diggers alike. Even children had come and they looked scared.

  The crowd parted, letting me and Junaki go through, so that we could see what lay in the giant hole in the ground.

  It was a giant metal statue of a dogman. There was a big hole on the left side of the statue’s chest.

  “Can it speak?” I asked Herim, who happened to be the cat standing nearby.

  Herim nodded, grimly.

  “It says it will spell doom on our village.”

  “I am the chieftain,” I said aloud to the statue. “I have come. What do you have to say to me?” For a moment, I thought the statue wouldn’t speak. But then it did and the people gasped, some children even let out shrill cries of fear. The statue didn’t open its mouth at all, but its voice was loud and reverberating.

  “I am Rupasur,” the statue said, and there was a chilling vibe to its voice, “I have been sleeping here since before this village was established, and I shall spell doom on your village. Every single one of you shall die.”

  “Why? What have we done?” I asked. The sight of the statue sent a chill down my spine. But I didn’t let my fear seep into my voice and kept it bold instead. I couldn’t afford to appear afraid in front of my villagers.

  “You have broken my sleep,” Rupasur said, and suddenly a hint of sadness came to its voice, “and you have reminded me of my heart, which lies so far away from me.”

  “Wouldn’t you be satisfied if we bury you again?” I said, “You could resume sleeping again.”

  “No, I shall never be able to sleep again,” the giant said, “until I get my heart back.”

  “Where is your heart?”

  “Far away, many miles from here, at a place called Zuinpur,” Rupasur replied.

  “Would you be satisfied if your heart is brought back?” I asked.

  It was a moment before the giant replied. He seemed to be thinking something.

  “Yes. But only someone of power can handle my heart.”

  “I am the chieftain,” I said, “I am someone with power.”

  “Then bring me my heart. Within a period of twenty one days, no more.”

  A quest message appeared in my vision. I gasped. It was the message a part of my mind had been waiting for a very long time.

  New quest available!

  Find the Rupasur’s heart.

  Rewards: 100% memory of your previous life.

  I didn’t know if I should accept it. I glanced at Junaki. I looked at the people. If I regained my memory I had a chance of losing Junaki and be forever filled with guilt. If I didn’t go on the quest, the vile statue would wreck havoc on the villagers.

  “What happened?” Rupasur said, “Do you accept the offer? I promise not to harm anybody in the period of twenty one days. However if you do not bring me my heart, everyone in this village shall pay.”

  Rupasur meant those words. He was a statue of metal and yet he was speaking. I was pretty sure the statue had many other tricks up his sleeve that could potentially wipe out the entire village of Duarga.

  I exhaled. My heart was heavy. But it was a decision I must make.

  “Yes,” I said, “I will bring back your heart.”

  The quest message in my vision immediately got accepted. I gulped.

  ***

  Chapter 28

  I left for Zuinpur that very night. Junaki wanted to come with me but I stopped her. I told her she was more needed in the village. Together with Abhat she had to look after the problems of the villagers. The statue gave me the directions to Zuinpur, and I embarked on the journey alone. I took food and water supplies with me in my bag.

  In ten days, journeying through the wilderness, I reached the town of Zuinpur. Even as I reached it, the future looked quite bleak. I needed to find the heart of the giant within a single day. If I failed and took longer time, I wouldn’t be able to reach Duarga within the Rupasur’s time limit of twenty one days. The only information Rupasur had given me about his heart was that it spherical, and had intricate symbols of dogmen in it.

  I approached the guards at the gate. The town of Zuinpur was surrounded by a very high wall of stone. There was also a dirty old lady cat sitting near the gate, wearing tattered robes. She was carrying an old staff with an orb at its top. The guards didn’t seem to mind her and she was mumbling something to herself.

  “What is your purpose of visiting Zuinpur,” the guards asked me, they held up their swords at me, meaning they were ready to kill me if I forced my way past them. I was a cat like them, but I was an outsider all the same.

  “I need to visit somebody,” I said, the acute realisation that I had forgotten to dream up any practical purpose for visiting the town unsettling me.

  “Whom?” the guards asked with a hard glare. “Tell us their name, and their relation with you.”

  I gulped. Telling names of imaginary friends would probably not help in this. I decided it was best to go with the truth.

  “I am Kitty, the chieftai
n of the village of Duarga,” I said, so that the guards acquired an amused look. I reckoned they found my name amusing. I kept my face hard. “I need to speak with whoever rules this town.”

  “Well,” the guards said, not letting go of his amused expression, “technically the person to whom this town belonged died a while back, and it is his written rules that govern our town, which is a part of his old kingdom.”

  “There must be someone of power in this city,” I insisted.

  “Well, there is the mayor,” the guards said, “but he is a busy man. He has no time to speak to villagers.”

  I took offence in those words, and glared hard at the guards. I was about to pull out my sword, when the female cat in rags began to mutter things under her breath like she had gone made. Even the guards looked at her. Her eyes however were fixed at me. Large eyes that almost seemed to pop out from the sockets. She seemed to be filled with awe. She stood up supporting herself with her staff and approached me.

  She reached me, and she opened her mouth. Her breath was foul. She spoke three words.

  “Is it you?” she said.

  I exchanged glances with the guards who seemed as taken with the lady’s behaviour as me.

  “Do you recognise him?” one of the guards who had a longer neck asked the lady.

  “It’s me, Riya,” the lady said. I had to stop my breath to avoid her foul stench, “do you not remember me.”

  Something strange happened hearing her name. Deep down in some mysterious corner of my mind, her name echoed from the past, and I was the one speaking it.

  “It is him!” Riya declared, clapping her paws. Her staff fell onto the ground. I saw that there were intricate shapes of dogmen carved on the orb of the staff. The realisation struck me hard. The orb was the heart of the statue Rupasur.

  I bent and picked up the staff and scrutinised the orb holding it near my eyes. It had got to be it. Meanwhile, Riya began dancing about in utmost happiness, the guards giving her uneasy looks.