CatFantastic

  Human-mommy laughed, too, and gave Grimalkin a pat. "Oh, I imagine feline folk have their own problems," she said.

  Wart burped, and went to sleep. Grimalkin, the only other being in the room with a good enough sense of smell to catch the awful-tang sneered. Neither of the humans could smell something that faint.

  But neither of them could have recognized very diluted fredesser anyway.

  Just as Human-tom thought the tiny fragments of the fusion starter were only bits of dirt tracked about by the cats when he swept it up a few ship-days later. (Luckily the only radioactive part was encased in shielding until it was activated.)

  Evil things can sometimes come in amazingly small packages.

  But as Wart, patrolling the ship, could have said, good things come in small packages, too.

  Even runt-small packages. Even Warts.

  Yellow Eyes

  by Marylois Dunn

  Cat entered the castle through the cat door built into the wall near the kitchen. The dogs also used the door … as did an assortment of mice, when there were no cats passing through. Scenting the various passers-through as he entered, Cat thought to himself that it would be better for the entire castle had they made the opening too small for the great hounds. A few cats in the house would have kept the varmint population to nothing. With the dogs coming and going, bringing their fleas and their filth and their aging bones with them, there was no way to control the intruders.

  He turned into the kitchen and sat under a table waiting for a handout. The cooks were like the dogs. They came and went. He did not know why or where and, frankly, did not care. There were usually one or two who would toss something under the table for him. Occasionally, he found a cook who would take time to discover his preferences, but at the present time, he did well to get a biscuit that was not too tough to chew.

  The alternative was to make his way to the top turret of the castle where the white cat ruled. She had cream for dinner every night. She had the best of the meat, liver, kidneys, and sweetbreads, chopped fine or sometimes lightly braised with butter. Other times, raw. Always tasty.

  The white cat was fond of him and generous. It rather hurt his pride, though, to make his way up those long stairs too often. He did not like to seem a beggar.

  Of course, he could always hunt, but rats and mice were such filthy things. More often than not, those which lived in the castle lived with or near the dogs and smelled like dogs. When he hunted, he went outside the walls of the keep where there were rabbits, and fat, sweet field mice.

  Today, however, the weather had turned foul; cold and wet and his rabbit hunting had gone sour. He came into the castle grumbling to himself and stopped off in the kitchen to see what might be offered. While he waited to be noticed, he attended to his toilet. He began at his shoulders and worked his way down, tonguing carefully until he had all four paws clean and was nearing the tip of his tail. He did this by turning himself almost double and putting one forepaw on his tail to hold it in place while he licked.

  An armored warrior came clanking into the kitchen, accompanied by four hounds who slavered and shook water all over the floor. They acknowledged Cat's presence but did not attempt to come under the table where he sat. None of them were fools.

  One small female lay down beside the table, watching Cat with her yellow eyes. Have they fed you? she asked.

  Not yet, Cat replied. How was your hunting?

  The hound picked at the burrs between her toes with her small front teeth. Not very goad, she said. When the rain began, it was hard to pick up a scent. Some of those stupid males went off after a wee little bunny. I knew it was useless, and I had a better trail. For which, I caught a lash across my flanks. If he were not the master, I would think him as stupid as those males.

  What were you hunting?

  Deer is what he said we were after. We came across some old tracks but nothing fresh. We have hunted too much too close to the castle. The game moves out. We should as well.

  I would have settled for a wee rabbit, Cat said.

  The yellow eyes looked at him mildly. Come with me sometime. I will chase one your way.

  Cat did not answer but thought he would have to be starving to hunt with a hound.

  The hound opened her mouth and panted with her tongue curled upward. Cat knew she was laughing at him.

  A scullery maid trotted past, kicked at the hound and said "Ho, there, Cat. Is that hound pestering you?" She gave the hound another boot and Cat saw it disappear into the great hall after the others. Strange, he thought. The hounds usually do not acknowledge more than my presence. This one seems almost feline. She does not look like the others either. Smaller. Lighter color. Leaner. Yellow eyes. Cat's eyes. Strange.

  Then he did not have time to think about the hound. The scullery maid had brought a saucer of fresh milk and some tidbits of meat. They were cutting the roasted haunch for the dinner table and she had sneaked a few scraps for Cat's supper.

  After he had eaten and washed his whiskers, Cat made his way into the great hall where a fire burned fiercely on the large hearth. The sun was down and there was no light coming through the windows, but Cat leaped up on his favorite resting place anyway. Enough heat from the fire came across the room to keep him comfortable on the window ledge. He enjoyed curling on his pillow, paws tucked under his chest, watching the proceedings in the room from slitted eyes. No one noticed him there. He was as much a fixture as the window itself.

  The warrior, who ruled under the woman, was speaking. "There is something abroad these nights that I do not like. Have you not felt it, Claire?"

  "I feel the winter's approach. Nothing more."

  "Perhaps you should light your herbal fires and consult your crystals. Something is abroad. I feel it. The hounds feel it. Something unnatural."

  The woman laughed. "Unnatural? What seems unnatural to you, Ruger?"

  "The game has all left the vicinity. The dogs feel it. They do not turn their noses after the harts because there are none to find. If I do not take a party out to find what is creating this disturbance, we may eat rabbit for the rest of the winter. It is not a prospect I relish."

  "Nor I, my dear. I should have known it was your stomach which was disturbed. The weather is terrible right now. Allow me to consult my resources. Rest yourself and your men until the weather clears, and perhaps, by then I will be able to tell you what you are looking for."

  He took her hand and kissed it lightly.

  There were many people in the room; listening to the conversation between the master and mistress had kept most of them silent. When it was done, the chatter and laughter began again. Knights seeking ladies. Knights entertaining each other with lies of valorous deeds. Cat wondered what one of them would do if he actually saw a live dragon. His whiskers flattened against his cheeks in amusement.

  A moist nose came over the window sill and touched his own nose. Cat opened his eyes and sat up quickly. Oh, he said, seeing the yellow-eyed hound looking up at him. What do you want?

  That looks like a good place to watch without being noticed. Is there room enough for me?

  Certainly not. The ledge is little wider than I am. In fact, Cat craned his neck and studied the hound's size, I doubt you could fit up here alone.

  Too bad, the hound sighed and lay down below the window sill. The hounds are over there by the fire scratching fleas. Eating bones I would not bother to bury. They stink, you know.

  I know, Cat murmured not quite sure if the hound meant the bones or the other hounds. After a long silence Cat said, Why are you talking to me? Dogs never talk to me.

  Their loss, I expect. I don't know why. You seem like a sensible fellow. In my village dogs and cats were companions, not enemies. I do miss my home.

  I thought you looked different from the others. Where is your home?

  The hound sighed again. The village name was Timbaca, but I know that means nothing to you. It was a warm, sunny country and the game differed greatly from game here. I came o
ver much water in more than one boat. It was a long journey. The master bought me at a fair. He called me a leopard dog and said I would be a good breeder. So far, I have not taken one of those idiots to mate. If I have my choice, I won't, either. Ever.

  Cat, who had never seen more water than the stream which ran through the keep and who did not know what a boat was, found the hound's story interesting. A leopard hound. He had heard of leopards. They were giant cats with spots. Legends, really, like dragons; but he had heard the legends. No wonder the beast was different. If she were part leopard and part hound, no wonder she seemed brighter than the rest.

  Since you are not native to our countryside, I don't suppose you noticed anything strange. The master said it was "unnatural." Have you noticed anything unnatural. "

  Yellow Eyes panted thoughtfully. It is hard to say. Perhaps.

  Cat lay back down and tucked his paws.

  Yellow Eyes said, I've been here for several months. I'm familiar with most of the game the master hunts. While the other hounds were rabbit hunting, I cut a trail I recognized but not from around here. It reminded me of my home.

  A creature like yourself? Cat asked.

  Yellow Eyes sat up to look into Cat's eyes. Oh, no. We called it "the leaf-ear. " The humans called them "tembo." Did I not know there are none here, I would have thought the track I found belongs to a leaf-ear.

  I do not know leaf-ear or tembo. Cat said. Can you eat it?

  Not in ten years, Yellow Eyes panted, laughing. The leaf-ears are huge. Tall as the beams in this room. Taller than the keep's gate. It is so tall and wide it could not pass through the Horse Door in the donjon.

  Cat's eyes widened. It was hard to imagine anything so large it could not pass through those tall, massive double doors. An animal? Cat questioned.

  There were herds of them in my homeland, like herds of cattle or deer here. It has a distinctive paw print and its scent is unmistakable. At first I thought I was only wishing, but the track was clear, pad after pad. I was beginning to course it when the master called me back and lashed me for not following with the hounds.

  He did not see the track?

  It was a grassy flat. Humans seem neither to see nor scent as well as we do.

  No, Cat agreed. They have many weaknesses. Those are two of the obvious ones.

  Both of them were absorbed in conversation and did not notice that the woman, Claire, was coming their way. "Get out. Get away from my cat, you filthy hound." She struck at the dog and Yellow Eyes slunk away and hid herself in the pack near the fireplace.

  The woman stroked Cat and murmured nonsense words to him, while he preened and purred under her touch. It was, he thought, a small price to pay for comfort. If only the woman considered his stomach as thoughtfully as she did that of White Cat. Him, she left to hunt for himself. Ah, well. He raised and rubbed his head against her.

  "Oh, you are such a love," she said.

  "Would you fondled me as warmly as you do that beast," Ruger's voice was brittle and cold. "Come, I have a gift for you."

  "This cat is a favorite of mine. Do keep your hounds away from him." She gave Cat a last pat and put her hand on the man's arm, allowing him to lead her from the room.

  Cat sank back onto the pillow and began to wash. The woman's hands smelled of stale grease and sour wine. Another failing of humans was that they seldom washed.

  When he was clean enough, Cat leaped down, making his way around the edges of the room to the hearth near the pack of hounds. They were gnawing at the bones tossed from the table and gave him little more than a glance and a snarl. Yellow Eyes came close and Cat asked, Do you know where the tower room is?

  Where the woman makes her spells? Yes. I know.

  Meet me there when all is quiet. I want you to tell someone else about the beast that is larger than the Horse Doors.

  Remember. I did not see it. What if I was mistaken about the track? I have no reason to believe there are any leaf-ears in this part of the world.

  This one is wise in all things. She will know if it is wishing only, or a real thing. Cat looked around at the dogs to see that there were none paying attention to them before he stood and slowly strolled away.

  He spent some time in the kitchen where it was warm and full of good smells. Cat allowed the house to quiet down before he made his way up to the tower room. The door was open a crack and he slipped in and looked around.

  White Cat watched him from her fur covered bed, which she sometimes shared with the mistress. Ho, Cat. What brings you up to the tower to see me? What scheme are you hatching now?

  He leaped up on the bed and greeted her with a lick. You know perfectly well it has not been that long since I have been up here to see you. It seems to me that I brought a live field mouse for your entertainment and a snack. Was that a scheme?

  Her whiskers flattened against her cheeks and she gave him a lick. You are right, of course. You know I have a suspicious nature.

  They talked of inconsequential things until Cat heard Yellow Eyes' toenails on the stone steps outside the room. She stuck her head in the door and White Cat sat up, every hair on end. How dare you come in here? Be gone!

  Cat said, Now, now. This is a new friend of mine who has a strange story to tell. The master feels there are unnatural forces working around the castle and this hound may have something to say about them. Will you listen?

  White Cat sat down, but her fur did not entirely smooth down. Cat, you do make strange friends. Come in then, hound. Tell your tale.

  Yellow Eyes told again about the village to the south and about the great herds of leaf-ears there. She told about finding the track where none should have been. Cat said you were wise. You would know whether this was a true thing or only a wish of my mind. She sat down beside the bed and waited for White Cat to speak.

  I am flattered by Cat's confidence. I cannot know, from what little you tell, whether or not this is a true thing. How would a leaf-ear come here? What do they do? Are they good for anything? Do men ride them, or plow them or use them for beasts of burden?

  On, no. They are too fierce for that. I have never seen a tame one. They are wild and they break down the village walls, sometimes the very houses. Occasionally, one is killed. The meat is good to eat. That is the only use I know.

  It seems unlikely then that anyone would bring one here by boat or by magic. What would be the purpose?

  Could an enemy have brought one here to break down the castle walls? Cat asked.

  There are easier ways to make war than with strange animals. It seems to me that you need more information. Dog, could you find the track again and, perhaps, follow it?

  Yellow Eyes licked her front paws thoughtfully. I think so. The track seemed fresh, and the dampness of the night will make the scent stronger. If I go now, will the master be angry?

  Cat said, If you go now, who will know? Are you afraid to go alone?

  The dog sat up. No. I am faster than anything in these woods. I have nothing to fear except the master, and if I go now and return before dawn, he will not know.

  Yellow Eyes trotted quickly to the door, looked back over her shoulder at the two cats, and then without another word, slipped out of their sight.

  The White Cat asked, Will she really go?

  I think so, Cat said. She seems different from most hounds. Braver.

  They heard footsteps on the stairs and Cat jumped quickly from the bed and slipped under it to watch without being seen.

  Claire came into the room. She cooed over White Cat for a minute or two and then went to the table where she worked her spells. She pulled a large stone bowl to the edge of the table and filled it with herbs from leather bags and wooden boxes. With a stone and flint, she struck a spark and breathed on it until a small flame set the dried weeds to flame. Aromatic smoke filled the room, turning its air to blue haze.

  Cat watched while she pulled a white leather pouch from her sleeve. From it she took a red crystal the size of a hen's egg and held it to the li
ght, turning it slowly to study its facets.

  "Power," she said. "I feel your power. Where do you come from? What is your story? Such beauty! Such power! How could anyone trade you for a horse, even a good horse? They must not have known what they had."

  The red crystal seemed to glow with inner fire. As she turned it, flashes of red light, bright as fresh blood, stabbed the dark corners of the room.

  Cat drew back deeper into the darkness under the bed. He knew it was a spell, and he wished White Cat was under the bed with him so she could explain the process and, perhaps, tell him what has happening.

  As the fire burned itself out, the woman put the crystal away and came over to the bed, which creaked as she lay down. Cat could hear her talking to White Cat. "How much of what you see do you understand, my pretty Puss? What could you tell me if you could talk? I wish I knew. There is so much mystery in your eyes. I know there is intelligence there as well. Could you tell me about the giant I see stalking about our castle? Perhaps it is a dragon. I have never seen one and I'm not eager to see one now, but there is something out there. It is from the east. The crystals tell me that much. Come here by magic so strong, I do not know if I can counter it. I wish I could talk to my Sisters to the south. They could tell me what to do. We must think, Puss. We must think."

  The room grew silent. After awhile, Cat slipped out and down the stairs to wait by the door for Yellow Eyes' return.

  The kitchen came to life early. Fires were lit. The morning meal was being distributed to the people of the castle as they made their way to the great hall. Cat wished someone would put one of those bowls under the table for him.

  He was considering his own emptiness when Yellow Eyes dragged through the cat door, saw him and dropped down beside him, panting with weariness. Well? Cat said, impatient at her silence.

  Yellow Eyes said, When I can make the climb, let's go to the tower. I don't want to tell it twice."

  Cat switched his tail irritably. After all, it was he, not White Cat, who had waited the long night in the cold, drafty hall for Yellow Eyes' return.