Prelude to Adventure

[Kitten King]

WANTED Seasoned traveler who knows the area. Must be willing to venture into potentially dangerous territory. Apply at Academy Library. Ask for Shayla. Pay negotiated upon acceptance.

A tan hand reached out and pulled the note from the tack, removing it from the board. Gold eyes peered out from beneath a hood, squinting at the text. Hmm. The figure tacked the notice back up, as if to leave, but instead continued to stare at it. It was removed again.

“...I don’t know about this,” she murmured, eyes tracing over the fancy lettering and the words ‘Academy Library’. At her ankles, a small black cat rose to his feet, stretched out, and spread his leathery wings to flutter up to her shoulder. He glanced at the paper himself before reaching out a paw and patting his companion on the cheek.

“I’m telling you, it’ll be a good idea.” His voice had a rumbling undercurrent to it, and though there was a human-like intelligence behind the words, something about it was clearly feline. “Traveling in a group is always safer, and besides,” he fluttered his wings, shifting where he sat on her shoulder. His voice got a little quieter, and his tone softened a bit. “We’re broke. Can’t get much of anywhere on empty pockets.” He was straight to the point, even when he was trying to be gentle - and somehow, he was always right.

“...we could use the money...” Reluctant though she was, as far as the cat was concerned, things were settled. He flapped his way back to the ground and padded off in the direction of the library. He turned around to look at her, the tuft at the end of his long tail flicking. The young woman rolled her eyes, sighed, and followed.

She still wasn’t sure it was a good idea.

[Silver]

The world has changed. Even now, trouble is brewing in the Eastern Mountains. Mithras metal workers are seeking to expand to the base of the massive range, sure that the ore must be plentiful there. However, this peaceful and necessary act was met with rage and hostility by the unfortunate Dragon occupants. Even though the mine would not encroach upon the living area of any of the mountain’s inhabitants, the area is being fiercely guarded. There are even certain individuals who have reported being threatened with bodily harm unless they were to leave immediately. Tensions between the Dragons and the people of Mithras have never been higher, and this new development is a public relations disaster between our two...

“I told you no one would show up.”

A head of strawberry-blonde hair immediately shot up, and pink eyes locked on icy blue. A large house cat with silver fur and an incredibly bushy tail jumped onto the table and sat on the paper, blocking her view. The girl sighed and leaned back in her chair, letting her eyes wander up to the ceiling before she closed them languidly. “Things are looking bad... Maybe we should wait a bit before leaving, just until things calm down.”

“Things aren’t going to get any calmer...” The cat mumbled, arching his back and yawning loudly. “I would be surprised if this didn’t escalate into a full scale war soon.”

“I hope it doesn’t.” The girl replied nervously, standing up and fiddling with the tips of her hair as she paced back and forth in front of the colossal glass window. Below her, the streets of Mithras were as busy as ever, and the morning bazaar was now in full swing. This would mark the tenth day since she had put her flyer up, and still nothing. If she wanted to leave this year she really couldn’t afford to wait much longer. She wanted there to be plenty of time before winter.

“It will. Humans and Dragons don’t really have anything better to do than kill each other. On the bright side, at least we won’t be here.”

[Kitten King]

At the front of the library, there was the jingle of a bell as the young woman pushed her way inside. The cat was back at her ankles, his eyes following the same path as hers as she looked around, admiring all the books and tomes that were around. She’d always prefer the old, handwritten ones, which she’d studied the most - they were simply more unique. She paused at the front desk, which was abandoned. It didn’t surprise her. Probably off putting books away somewhere... but her sharp eyes zeroed in on the girl at the table, silver cat beside her, and she moved in that direction.

“Hi,” she said as she approached, a smile on her half-hooded face. “I’m looking for Shayla, I think it was?” She’d tugged her hood back halfway already, just to seem a little more personable (even though she kind of wasn’t), and she hoped that was enough. She stuck out a little bit, with her desert cloak and her cat at her ankles, but not as much as she expected. It seemed that people from all over gathered here, after all. Melting pot of the world indeed. “I’m interested in taking up the guide position that was posted.”

[Silver]

Shayla looked up suddenly, surprised that someone was talking directly to her. She had heard the bells, but normally the academy students came in to get the books they needed and left without saying a word to her.

“Y-you’re here for the position?” She questioned, a bit too quickly as she stood up and nearly knocked her chair over. “Oh! Sorry!” She cried, placing her hands on it to steady herself. Halcy sighed and rolled his eyes, jumping down to the ground and looking up at the hooded girl intently.

“Well, I’m Shayla.” She finally managed to get out after smoothing her wrinkled tunic and adjusting her glasses. She noticed a bit of flowering in the girls hair, and the presence of the feline at her feet immediately confirmed her suspicions that she was a Dryad. That was rather interesting, normally they didn’t venture this far. In the meantime, Halcy began to slowly circle the hooded girl, sniffing at her curiously. She wasn’t perfect, but she would do.

“So you saw my add? I’m so glad! I was starting to get worried that someone had taken it down... And then with all of the problems going on in the mountains right now, I thought that no one would even consider it! It is so important, though, and I’m glad someone finally showed up. I don’t have much, but I promise I’ll pay you well!” She chattered quickly, speaking almost too fast to understand. Halcy bounded back towards her and sat on his haunches at her feet, hissing loudly at her. She immediately fell silent and her cheeks flushed a pale rose. “S-sorry... I’m probably talking your ear off.”

Halcy nodded in approval as she slowed her speech to a reasonable pace. Where would she be without him?

“So, you’re here about the job. Since you’re the only applicant, that means you’re hired! I just hope you aren’t a psycho murderer.” She laughed awkwardly, fiddling with the tips of her hair as she shifted her weight from leg to leg nervously. Halcy visibly groaned and put a paw over his eyes. This was painful to watch.

[Kitten King]

She raised an eyebrow a bit, thoroughly surprised at what she was looking at. This was the girl who was looking for a guide around the Eastern Mountains? She wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting but it wasn’t this. Poor girl probably had no idea what she was getting into... she wouldn’t be surprised if this entire expedition didn’t last long, but it was what it was.

“Nice to meet you, Shayla - I’m Mika.” She held out a gloved hand, trying her best to be friendly. She was a fish out of water when it came to true social interaction in any culture, but here especially, she had no idea what she was doing right or wrong. There was the flutter of wings, and Xan sprang up to her shoulder, meowing loudly. “This is my Min, Xanthur,” she said, motioning to him with a tilt of her head. “He’s part of the package.”

“Now,” Mika held up a finger from one hand, making sure she had the girl’s attention. “It’s very kind of you to offer the job to me outright, but it’s important to me that you know one thing first - I’m no expert. I’ve been in the mountains and the general surrounding area a couple times, so I know it fairly well, but I don’t know everything. If that’s the kind of expertise you are looking for, I’m afraid I won’t be the best for the job.

“However, if you’re just looking for someone to get you up and around there without getting killed, I can probably do that for you.” She threw the ‘probably’ in casually, but she wasn’t going to lie - it was dangerous for anyone to traverse those mountains right now. Even someone like her. It was important the girl knew.

[Silver]

Shayla nodded as the girl, Mika, spoke. She really hadn’t been expecting someone who was completely familiar with the area, and to be honest she was pretty sure that there were no such people anyways. After all, the Dragons were very territorial and it was dangerous for travelers to linger too long. However, she knew that the Eastern mountains would be as good of a place as any to begin her search.

“I understand. Thank you for being honest.” She knew that Mika could have lied and told her anything she wanted to hear, but she didn’t. She was starting to like her already. These days, it was harder and harder to find those who valued honesty above coin. “I know it is dangerous, but this is something I have to do.”

Halcy mewed approvingly and jumped once more onto the table to peer out the window. The sun had just reached its pinnacle in the sky, and they would need to go and buy supplies for the journey. If all went well, there was no reason they couldn’t leave first thing in the morning. The longer they waited, the worse the situation would get.

“I can give you half of your payment now, and the rest when the expedition is completed. I was thinking 40 silver opecs. Is that fair?”

[Kitten King]

“Sounds fair to me,” Mika replied with a nod of her own. She ignored the fact that Xan was patting her on the cheek and hissing the world ‘haggle!’ into her ear - it really was a good price, considering that the mountains was where they were going again anyway. Easy money, no need to look the gift horse in the mouth. Her eyes followed the same path as the silver cat’s, looking at where the sun rested in the sky. “When will we be leaving?” If they wanted to, they could probably make it out by morning. They’d just have to get supplies at the markets, a good night’s rest, and they’d be set.

Exasperated with his companion’s lack of bartering skill, Xan leapt down to the table and left the two girls to talk about the upcoming journey. He washed his paw, swiping it over his whiskers once. She only listened half the time, and it really kinked his tail because of course he knew what he was talking about! Ah, well. He fluttered his wings a bit, then stood up and meowed at the other feline. Legs straight, back relaxed, tail up - the basic feline “hi”. His amber eyes looked expectant, waiting for a response of some kind.

[Silver]

Shayla smiled in delight, hardly able to contain her excitement. That was easier than she thought! She was worried the girl was going to ask for more, which would have been unfortunate because she had offered all she had. Despite a bit stashed away for supplies she might need on her journey, everything was going to Mika.

“Well, I figure we can leave in the morning... If you’re okay with that of course!” She chimed nervously, looking to Halcy for support. He was paying little attention to her however, instead being laser focused on the winged feline before him. Uh oh...

“M-meow?” He replied, trying his best to mimic the meows he had heard street cats make to one another upon greeting. He wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do, so he sat on his haunches and tilted his head to the side.

“Here is your advance payment, you should be able to use it to buy supplies. We can meet at the station at sunrise. There is a train that will take us to the edge of Mithras, but we will have to walk from there. From that point on, it’s all up to you to keep us on track and alive!” She laughed nervously once more, taking her glasses off and then putting them back on again compulsively. Everything was happening so suddenly, but they couldn’t really afford to wait any longer.

[Kitten King]

This girl was a little bizarre, but Mika wasn’t one to judge. She wasn’t the epitome of normal herself. This trip would certainly be... interesting. That much was for sure.

“Thank you,” she said, taking the payment from Shayla. She had to admit, it was a relief to feel the money in her hands. They’d been running dangerously low lately, and she hadn’t been sure what to do. That was why she’d been looking for work in the first place. “The station at sunrise - I’ll be there.”

Meanwhile, Xan was tilting his head, squinting at this strange cat. That wasn’t even a normal meow, it was all... stressed and weird. Could’ve just been nervous, but he wasn’t sure what the other cat had reason to be nervous about. He sat down, staring, before raising a paw and hovering it near the other cat, ready to bat at his ears.

“Xan.” Mika's voice was sharp and Xan whipped his head around, glaring at her. She stared right back, and Xan lowered his paw with reluctance. Still, he narrowed his eyes, not so sure about this other cat.

“Weirdo...” he muttered under his breath.

[Silver]

Shayla nodded in excitement as Mika took her advance payment. Well, that was it! With that, she had officially accepted the position. “Oh, one more thing!” She called just as the other girl was about to leave the building. “Don’t forget to buy a ticket!”

Halcy recoiled as the other cat lifted his paw in what seemed to be a threatening manner. He bared his teeth instinctively and let out a long, low rumble from deep in his throat. It sounded vaguely feline, but was definitely an odd noise to say the least. He was quite relieved when the girl called him away and began to leave. He had never actually been in a so-called ‘cat fight’ before, and he really had no desire to engage in the experience now. He just hoped that on the journey he would be able to keep his distance from the creature.

“Well!” Shayla sighed, sitting back down at the table and reaching down to ruffle the top of Halcy’s head roughly. The latter immediately hissed and recoiled, obviously annoyed at her actions. Shayla didn’t seem to notice in the slightest. “She seemed nice, don’t you think?”

“I don’t like her cat...” Halcy mumbled, jumping down and bounding off through aisles of books.

[Kitten King]

The rest of the day passed quickly. Mika bulked up on supplies, from food to emergency materials, and by the end of shopping she felt like she was lugging half the market back with her. As evening closed, she sat on the tiny cot in the inn, heavy cloak off her shoulders and gloves removed, sewing up the hole in her trusty pack. Xan was grooming himself, as any cat should, before he paused and looked up at her, blinking.

“...you’re worried,” he observed. She attempted to ignore him, focusing on not stabbing herself with a needle. Skilled seamstress she certainly was not... “You know that doesn’t work on me.” Mika sighed as he fluttered over to her lap, placing a paw on her knee. “It’s why I’m here.”

“I know, I know,” she mumbled. “Doesn’t mean I have to like it.” She poked hurriedly at the bag with frustration, and proceeded to stab herself with the needle.

“Look, the way I see it,” he meowed, tapping her knee to keep her attention. “It can’t get any worse. We’re already-”

“I know!” A silence fell between the two of them. Mika fiddled with the bag a little more, Xan washed a paw. Eventually she sighed, setting the fix aside and looking at her Min. “...I just don’t do well with people.”

“We don’t do well with people,” he corrected softly. “It's okay. We’ve never done this before.”

“So much could go wrong, and I... I just-”

“What?”

“...nothing.” She stared at him, and he stared back, unblinking. She didn’t want to say it - but she didn’t need to. He knew what she knew.

“...Not everyone hates you.”

“Yeah. I know.”

“We know.”

“...we know.” She fell asleep with him cuddled to her chest that night, like he always was.

Sometimes she forgot she wasn’t alone.

______________________________________________________________________

“We’re gonna be late again!” He yowled in her ear as she practically ran her way down the streets of Mithras.

“We will not! We’ll be right on time!”

“We still need to buy a ticket!”

“We will be fine!” They arrived, panting, with just enough time to buy a ticket and find out where Shayla was. Mika was glad there was practically no one else there - it meant no lines. She was displeased to find out that there was an additional fee for Xan, which she felt was all kinds of racist but she didn’t have time to bother with stupid humans and their stupid fees.

“It does kind of make sense?” Xan was saying as they left to ticket area to find Shayla.

“It does not, you take up no space!” She would’ve stuck to grumbling about this all day, if it wasn’t for the fact that she’d need to put on a happy face for the journey. No one pays for grumpy guides, after all...

[Silver]

Shayla had been waiting at the train station since well before dawn. The reason was, well, that she didn’t have anything better to do in the mornings. Besides, she was starting to worry that she had made a mistake by giving the girl such a large part of her payment in advance. What if she decided to bolt? What if she decided to show up, steal the rest, and leave? Maybe dawn wasn’t such a good time to meet... After all, the early morning train had almost no one around. If she decided to kill her and dispose of the body, there would be no witnesses.

“Are you getting paranoid again?” Halcy grumbled, snapping her out of her morbid fantasy. She laughed nervously and shook her head, but was met with a knowing look in those icy blue eyes. “Not that I care. By all means, worry yourself to death. It would sure make my life easier.”

“The train is leaving soon...” She muttered, looking down at her pocketwatch fidgeting with the chain nervously. “What if she doesn’t show up?”

“Then we leave without her.”

“What!? You mean by ourselves?”

“Did I stutter?”

“Are you trying to get me killed?”

“Wouldn’t be a bad idea.”

[Kitten King]

It wasn’t too long before Mika spotted her. She had just enough time to catch her breath before she was close enough to the other girl to call out a greeting.

“Hey,” she said, keeping her pace until she’d reached Shayla’s side. “See you haven’t changed your mind.” She smiled, a little bit forced, but she was good at putting on a fake face. “Good to have you.” Xan landed at her feet, staring at Halcy again. Rgh, but Mika was right - he shouldn’t focus on it. Instead he moved on to washing his paw and rubbing his face and trying to do basically anything but focus on it. Weirdo...

“Sorry I’m cutting it a little close,” Mika continued on. “Haven’t had a full bag in awhile, weighed me down more than I thought.” She shifted the weight of it on her back as she spoke, and it was... partly true. The bag did slow her down, but it would’ve also helped if she’d gotten up on time to begin with. Ugh. She really didn’t do schedules.

[Silver]

Shayla was too excited over the fact that Mika had shown up to complain about the fact she was a little bit late. “Don’t worry about it!” She cried, motioning for the girl to follow her onto the platform. “Technically we have assigned seats on the ticket, but no one is ever on the early train anyways, so we can sit wherever we want.”

Halcy stared at Xan for a moment, his eyes narrowing menacingly. He wasn’t sure about this other member of their group. He got the bad feeling he was on to him, and the way looked at him made Halcy sense that he might be on to him... He would just have to figure out a way to take care of him.

Shayla made her way onto the train, turning back to make sure that Mika was following her. “Is this your first time on a train?” She asked, finally settling herself into a seat next to one of the windows.

[Kitten King]

Mika nodded, following Shayla onto the train and peering around. It was... interesting. She didn’t really trust these giant hunks of gear and metal, though. If she was going to go fast, she’d much rather be on a horse any day of the week. Even then, she really preferred to stand on her own too feet more than anything else.

“No,” Mika replied to Shayla’s question as they picked their seats and sat down. She peered out the window for a moment, looking thoughtful. “I was on one once, when I was much younger. They were even newer, then, and I remember we were lucky to be able to ride one. Can’t for the life of me remember why we were there, though...”

“It was Dad!” Xan replied, fluttering up onto the seat and sprawling in her lap. “Visiting some friend of his family, yeah?” Mika paused again, thinking about it. That... sounded right? It had been so long, and she had such a hard time remembering anything to do with him, for some reason. She’d just been too little, she guessed...