Apprentice Cat: Toby's Tale Book 1 (Master Cat Series)

by Virginia Ripple

“Young master Toby,” said the tortoiseshell cat, pausing, “How would you handle working with someone who holds you and everyone you hold dear in disdain?”

  The logs in the fire shifted, sending a shower of sparks onto the hearth. Toby watched them fall and fade away. He felt his hopes fade with the question. He’d challenged the very ideas many of his fellow hopefuls held dear, but he hadn’t needed to cooperate with any of those who thought he was beneath them. He thought back to his confrontation with Reginald and his groupies. That was certainly not about cooperation, just survival. Was that Master Meredith I saw, he wondered again.

  “I have to be honest,” Toby said. “I’m not sure what I would do.”

  M’festus looked smug. The orange tom felt his hopes slide further away. If the tuxedo tom was happy, it surely could mean nothing good. He turned toward the head master cat who leaned forward and stared at him with narrowed eyes.

  “I try to decide the best course of action before I say or do anything. I think I would do the same if I worked with someone who hated me. I would hope to gain their respect in the end or to at least avoid causing problems.”

  As the head master cat continued to watch Toby, the pen fell silent. The fire crackled and popped. The orange tom blinked, trying to thing of more to say but couldn’t.

  “Thank you for answering our questions, young master Toby,” Master Meredith said. “If you have nothing to add then you may go.”

  Toby dipped his head to each cat in turn. He was about to leap to the floor when Terence’s face flashed to mind. Did he dare?

  “Master Meredith,” said Toby. The head master cat turned toward him, eyes wide. The sheaf of papers she had been about to send back to her cluttered desk paused in mid-air.

  “Yes?”

  Toby took a deep breath to gather his courage. He was pretty sure what he was about to do, although not forbidden, was definitely frowned upon. Even so, if he didn’t say something now he knew he’d forever regret the missed opportunity.

  “I’d like to recommend a hopeful for loner in training status if he’s not chosen for a partnership,” he said in a rush. “His name is Terence. I’ve had a chance to get to know him well over the week and I know he would add fresh understanding to what we know.”

  “This is highly unusual, Toby,” said the head master cat, “but...”

  She gave the young tom a narrowed gaze that made him feel as if he had suddenly become a new object to be studied closer. With a satisfied nod, she flicked her tail to set the papers back in motion.

  “We will keep your recommendation in mind. You are dismissed.”

  Toby let out a sigh and gratefully leaped to the floor. As the door shut quietly behind him, he said a little prayer to whatever cat gods were listening that he and Terence would both be moving into the academy rooms come tomorrow.

  Toby watched the sunlight creep across the floor. Today was the day. Either he would be moving into permanent academy quarters or he would be among those waiting in the chill fall air for a coach. Sleep had been elusive. He’d managed to doze a little but that was all. He heard the soft pad of paw steps at the door.

  “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen,” came Lilith’s soft voice.

  The orange tom looked toward her. He’d expected another morning of being insulted by the black and white second year, but he wasn’t with the she-cat this time. The rest of the cats in the large room rose to their feet without so much as a stretch or a yawn. He glanced at Terence. The little gray and white cat held his head high, a look of determination in his eyes. Whatever thoughts he’d had during the long, sleepless night, Toby could see he’d come to a decision, though what that decision was he didn’t know.

  “As you know, today is the end of orientation. You will be allowed this morning to collect your belongings and move them to the outer room of the Commons. After the partnership ceremony, apprentice cats may return to move your belongings into your permanent quarters. All other hopefuls may...” Lilith looked around the room, ears at half-mast, whiskers clamped together.

  “All other hopefuls,” she continued, “may take their belongings to the Administration Building. The city coaches and House carriages will pick you up there to take you home. Everyone is welcomed to attend the celebration after the partnership ceremony. There will be a calling mirror set up in the outer room for those who need to arrange to be picked up at a later time so you can enjoy the celebration.”

  The second year stood in the doorway a little while longer. Toby tried not to shift in the awkward silence, tried not to wonder who would be staying and who would be leaving. The older cat turned quietly and left. Hopefuls began packing their belongings away. Toby glanced around his nest. There was nothing there that was his. He looked over to Terence. The gray and white tom stared back.

  “Wanna go get breakfast?”

  “Sure.”

  Together they trudged down the stairs to the dining room. Toby didn’t think it was possible, but the room was even more quiet than yesterday. He looked around to see only a pawful of cats scattered across the large room. A few were having hushed conversations.

  “It feels like we’re at a funeral,” whispered Terence.

  Toby nodded. It was a good description. He looked at his friend. Reflected in the young tom’s eyes Toby saw his own thoughts. A funeral for someone’s hopes and dreams. They just didn’t know whose yet. He looked away to the large windows. The bright spring colors made him feel worse.

  “That’s what I’m gonna do,” said Terence, “if I’m not chosen.”

  Toby stared at his friend in confusion. The gray cat motioned to the windows. They gazed out the window together. Try as he might, Toby still couldn’t figure out what his friend meant.

  “I’m goin’ to learn how to garden like that. Then I’ll set up shop somewhere and sell what I grow to the mages and apothecaries who can’t or just don’t wanna take the time to garden.”

  “That’s a great idea,” lied Toby.

  It wasn’t that it was a bad idea, really, but to his knowledge no cat had ever grown a garden. For that matter, Toby had never heard of a cat owning a business. Yet, hadn’t he himself told Master Meredith and the second years in his interview that he wanted to help cats like Terence find a way to make an honest living? Am I being hypocritical?

  “How do you plan on doing that?” he asked.

  “I don’t know that yet.”

  Toby’s ears flattened to half-mast, wrinkling his brow.

  “What I mean is I haven’t figured out all the details,” Terence said quickly. “The first thing I’m gonna do is try to get hired here as a grounds keeper. From there it’s just a matter of learning all I can learn.”

  The orange tom asked Terence about what he’d like to grow and where he’d like to start his business. They discussed Terence’s dream until it was time for lunch, walking around the campus to see what the academy grounds keepers were doing. Toby came away impressed. Terence had said he hadn’t figured out the details, but as far as he could tell the little tom had thought it out pretty well. His ideas sounded very creative to the orange tom and he thought again of the recommendation he’d made. Master Meredith had said they’d keep it in mind during their review. He hoped it made a difference.

  They were in the midst of a lively discussion of how to maintain the temperature in a greenhouse bubble when the deep sound of a bell resonated in the dining room. Conversations ceased as everyone’s attention focused on the brass colored dragon, about three times the size of the messenger Master Meredith had sent to Toby, hovering just inside the doors.

  “The head masters request the presence of all hopefuls in the Lesser Hall for the partnership ceremony,” called the messenger dragon in a voice that reminded Toby of the big bells in the church just beyond the amphitheater. The dragon bowed once and disappeared with
a loud pop.

  There was a moment of silence, then the room exploded into excited chatter. Cats streamed from the dining room across campus to the Lesser Hall. Toby sneaked a peek at the ceiling, almost expecting Master Meredith to be there. When the orange tom found a seat and turned back to the stage he found the head master cat perched on a tall stool next to a podium in deep discussion with Head Master Jalen. They looked as if they were still deciding the partnerings. Behind them were seated several master mages and master cats Toby assumed were academy instructors.

  The orange tom watched them with some fascination, wondering what they taught. Their expressions ranged from intent interest in the hopefuls filing in to complete boredom. As he studied each in turn, he realized there were two more cats on the stage than mages. At first he thought their partnered master mage might have been late, but then he noticed that neither one was seated near a chair as the others were. In fact, the stools they sat upon stood slightly apart from the others on the stage.

  The longer Toby watched the two cats, the more interesting they became. Although their posture said they were bored with what was going on, their measuring looks said differently. Their gazes swept over the cat hopefuls, never once landing on the humans in the next section. The charcoal gray tom reminded the young cat of his father. The older cat’s broad shoulders spoke of an amount of physical training the others on stage lacked. His father had taken time out of each day to practice fighting moves, as well as doing other physical feats to strengthen his muscles. He’d said that, as a loner, sometimes his missions required brute strength rather than magical finesse.

  He looked at the silver tabby she-cat seated beside the tom. While she wasn’t broad like the tom, she was no less athletic in build. Toby could easily imagine her running long distances without tiring and slashing and dodging with a quick grace others would envy. Loners? He was fascinated. He leaned over to draw Terence’s attention to the unusual cats.

  “If I can have your attention,” called Master Jalen.

  Toby sat back. The room fell quiet. Toby glanced toward the section of seats roped off for the newly chosen. Compared to the number of hopefuls gathered, the section seemed minuscule. Toby’s stomach felt like it had caterpillars wriggling around in it in some kind of mad dance. He looked back to the stage.

  “As your name is called, please take your seat as partners and remain until the ceremony is completed.”

  Toby held his breath and waited. Name after name was called. Toby closed his eyes and flattened his ears, the cat equivalent of crossing one’s fingers, and prayed to whatever cat god would listen that he would be chosen soon. The head master cat called his name. Toby nearly raced to the middle of the floor, facing the remaining humans. Who would it be? The chubby girl with the golden curls? Or perhaps the tall lad who, by the appearance of his ill-fitting clothes, looked like he’d put on a sudden growth spurt? Toby waited impatiently, tail tip twitching, scanning the humans.

  “Tarah Nichole,” called the head master mage.

  A tiny red-headed waif of a girl stepped forward from behind the tall boy. She looked hesitantly at the orange tabby and then back at the head master mage. It was quite apparent that this young lady did not think Toby was a fitting companion. Anxiety squeezed the blood from Toby’s heart. He turned his head to look at the head masters.

  Master Meredith was pointing at the list of humans with a delicate white paw and whispering something to Master Jalen. Try as he might, Toby could not decipher what the head master cat was saying. Master Jalen nodded gravely. Clearing his throat, he looked back at the young hopefuls patiently waiting in the center of the room.

  “I’m sorry, Tarah. It seems that my eyes were playing tricks on me,” he said with a gentle smile. “You are to be paired with Dulcinaya.”

  Toby watched a sleek chocolate point Siamese pace forward with measured steps. The young girl smiled. The tension in her tiny frame melted away as she curtsied to the elegant cat. Dulcinaya returned the curtsy with a little head bow. Toby watched them walk away. Like two genteel ladies, the human and cat walked to the newly chosen section and gracefully lowered themselves into their seats.

  The young girl had seemed so glad to be partnered with any cat other than him. He looked behind him at the cats waiting in hopes to be partnered, then at the group of humans left. Toby’s heart sank as reality dawned. His odds of being chosen were rapidly decreasing. He hunkered down and began to slowly back toward the rest of the waiting cats.

  “Toby, please do be still,” scolded Master Meredith.

  Toby froze. Turning her head back to her companion, she whispered something else as she continued to point to the list of humans. Master Jalen bent to read what his companion had been pointing at. Tapping the tip of his nose with a forefinger, he frowned as he read on. With a sharp nod, he looked up at the remaining hopefuls.

  “It appears we have only one partnering left. Before I call the final names, I want to encourage those of you here who will not be entering the academy this season to return in a year. At this present time, while you show potential, it is clear that you are not quite ready to be admitted to this school. We do, however, look forward to seeing you next fall.

  “Now, without further ado,” continued the head master mage, “the final partnering is Lorn Ribaldy and Toby.”

  Toby scanned the remaining humans. Which one was Lorn Ribaldy? There, at the end of the line, a young boy had his eyes scrunched closed and his fingers crossed at either side of his face. It was the human Toby had noticed at the partnerings lecture. As they made their way to the last open seats, Toby wondered if it would be the loners turn to announce their selections.

  “Congratulations to this year’s apprentices,” said Master Jalen.

  There was a smattering of polite applause. Toby looked at his friend. Although his whiskers were clamped tightly, he held his head high. The orange tom wanted to yowl at the unfairness. He looked at the two cats he suspected to be loner instructors. Without a backward glance they leaped to the stage floor and walked to the exit. His hopes crashed as he watched their tails disappear beyond the curtain.

  “We would like to extend an invitation to everyone to enjoy this evening’s celebration, which will be in the academy Ballroom. Thank you all for coming.”

  Toby didn’t think he’d be able to enjoy anything anytime soon. As the new apprentices were herded from the hall to collect their things and move them to their permanent quarters, he glanced one last time to his friend. The little gray cat was waiting patiently at the end of the line to leave the hall by the opposite exit. Toby knew the look of determination on the young tom’s face. He was going to put his plan into action. As the orange tom edged out the door he wished his friend luck.

  “Do you want to stop by the building you were staying at first or should we stop by mine first?”

  “What?” asked Toby, startled from his melancholic thoughts.

  He stared up at the boy he’d been trotting beside. He wasn’t very tall by human standards, though not short. He was neither muscular nor skinny. His brown hair was cut the same as many other humans Toby had seen. The boy’s eyes were nearly the same shade of brown as his hair. In short, the orange tom would say his apprentice mage was entirely unremarkable.

  “I asked if we should go to your building or mine first,” repeated the boy.

  “Sorry,” said Toby. “I didn’t bring anything.”

  “That’s probably just as well,” said the boy, turning toward the Common Building he’d stayed in. The partners walked on in silence. Toby’s thoughts flicked back to his friend. Stop it! Terence is a resourceful cat. He’ll be fine. The orange tom looked up at the young mage beside him. I’ve got other things to think about.

  Lorn’s shoulders drooped as he shuffled to a stop. The young man sighed, looked down at Toby for a moment, then looked back toward the Comm
on Building. The tom followed his gaze to a mound of luggage near the door. At first he wondered why the human hopefuls had piled their belongings together. Then he noticed each piece matched in color and design. As he studied the miniature mountain he found they were all embossed with a purple bird. He looked back at the mage.

  “My mother helped me pack,” Lorn said with a grimace.

  “Oh.”

  The partners stood considering how to move the numerous bags and trunks. It would take an entourage of servants to pack them from the Common Building to the Apprentice Quarters half-way across campus. Toby knew how to float objects, but he’d never attempted anything larger than a book roughly the same size as himself and only slightly heavier.

  “I don’t suppose you know how to float things,” he said.

  “Nothing bigger than a fountain pen... without it exploding, that is.”

  Fantastic. This day just gets better and better.

  “In that case I guess we carry what we can and see if we can find someone to help us with the rest.”

  Lorn hoisted two large satchels down from the top of the pile while Toby carefully pawed a medium-sized carry-all out from the edge. It was a little bigger than anything he’d managed to float before, but he thought he’d be able to manage it. He was in the process of concentrating on what he wanted to happen when he caught a better look at the purple bird he’d noticed before.

  “Is that a purple duck?” he asked, looking up at the young mage.

  “Yes,” Lorn answered, another sigh following. “Mother is very fond of the ridiculous thing. She’s had it embossed and embroidered and woven into everything we own. She wanted to have our horses branded with it, but Father drew the line at that.”

  “I’m not very familiar with human heraldry,” said Toby, doing his best to stifle a laugh. “What does it mean?”