PROLOGUE
It will never cease to amaze him.
The roar of great engines. The screeching sirens. The glow of neon. The way the street lights twinkle and shine, much like the stars above.
Stars...
That is what they call them, right?
Stars.
There are no stars where he is from. In Limbo Town there is only a ceiling of rock. It seemed absurd to imagine that there was anything more than that beyond his walls of stone. That there are great big balls of burning gas and fire, like millions of candles flickering in a great big sky, as far as the eye can see.
He lifts his pale blue hand to the sky and examines it against the heavens above.
This world is so strange. Blue Rafters is full of such terrifying wonders and beautiful discoveries. So much to see and explore. Bright lights and vivid colors. Amazing sights and exploding sounds. And the tastes. Oh the tastes! Such sweet and sticky flavorful cakes of light. Chocolate and raspberry. Vanilla and marzipan. Toffee apples. Cupcakes. Lollipops. Candy hearts… He can never get enough of the sugary concoctions. His stomach growls just thinking about them.
That is why he is here, after all. To explore. And not just exploration of the sugary sweets, but to see and experience all the wonders this great land has to offer.
From coast to coast and beyond, he has traveled this world among many others, learning the cultures and its people's vast ways of life, but still, there will always be something about Gotham City that makes him feel like no other. That makes him feel at home. There's nothing like it. Only here can he ever feel this way. So lost and yet at peace. Watching this world from above as it spins around him. It makes him feel alive.
It's hard to imagine that it's been over five years now since he first set foot upon Blue Rafter's surface. So much has happened since then.
He was merely a boy then, so naive to this great big world of wonder. So easily swayed and betrayed. Now nearly a man, he's older and wiser, seeing the world through different eyes and yet still so very much in awe to all its wonders. There is still so much to see and learn. So much more to explore. Behind every door, a new adventure awaits. Excitement grips his chest as he looks out over the city, hoping that this feeling will never fade.
Klarion and his draaga-cat, Teekl, stand above Gotham, watching as cars pass from the rooftops above.
Everything seems so small from up here. Like fast little ants in a great big jar. Zooming in and out of intersections. Rushing about their lives. Klarion laughs as he watches them go. The lights from their great engine machines create streams of electricity along their wake. Yellow and white. Red and green. Stop lights and turn signals. Blinking and flashing. So pretty. It's almost hypnotizing.
Transfixed by the lights and sounds, he hardly hears the footsteps behind him. Quiet and feather-light, padding across the wet rooftop. Running right towards him. Startled, Klarion leaps behind the nearest gargoyle to hide.
The unknown danger quickly approaches and stops several feet away from his location. Klarion takes a deep breath and readies himself to attack, should he need to.
After several tense moments of nothing but silence, Klarion lets out a shallow sigh of relief. He must be hidden well. Perhaps his assailant cannot find him.
Mustering his courage, he peaks around the corner to catch a glimpse of his would-be-attacker.
He's shocked by what he finds.
A girl?!
Klarion's cheeks grow hot in embarrassment from hiding from a girl. And not just any sort of girl, but a mortal girl at that.
He's a self-proclaimed former Lord of Chaos. A witch boy whose powers are so astounding that even the other witch folk seem ill at ease around him. Truly a master at his craft. Surely he need not fear some simple human girl.
Slowly he peaks around the corner to catch a better glimpse of her.
The girl approaches the edge of the roof and takes a seat, letting her long, slender legs dangle dangerously off the side.
She's dressed head to toe in shiny, black leather, tightly wrapped around her curvy body much like a second skin. Sleek and glossy like wet, black glass. So smooth, it begs to be touched.
A long whip wraps around her waist and hangs at her side, much like a tail. Atop her head, an over-sized pair of goggles and two pointed ears stand at attention, giving her the appearance of a cat.
The witch boy can't help but scoff.
This isn't the first time he's come into contact with the masked avengers of Blue Rafters. For the life of him, he can't quite seem to understand why it's socially acceptable for these people to go about dressed as they are, and yet people still mock and snicker at him. Life's so unfair.
She doesn't seem to be aware of his presence as she gazes out across the horizon. Perhaps it would be best if he were to just leave her be. No need having a confrontation. After all, meeting up with these masked folk in the past has always spelled trouble.
Silently, he instructs his familiar to come along, but notices that Teekl is no longer at his side. Frantically, Klarion searches all around him only to find his cat inching closer to the cat girl.
"Teekl." Klarion whispers sternly, but the orange tabby does not obey. Instead, he saunters across the rooftop and nonchalantly jumps up to the ledge where the cat girl is sitting.
Klarion balls his hands into fists and stomps his foot as silently as humanly possible. Inside his mind he is screaming and shouting, trying to get the attention of his less than obedient pet and friend.
"DAMMIT, TEEKLE!" Klarion shouts telepathically to his familiar, creating a link between their minds. "I KNOW you can HEAR me! Now you get back here THIS instant or I'll be forced to come get you! I MEAN it!"
Teekl glances over his shoulder as if to snub the witch boy. Klarion's eyes narrow.
This isn't the first time his less-than-loyal familiar and friend has run away from him, but it is sure to be the last. He'll see to that.
Klarion had thought the worst of Teekl's coupling was over. That his restlessness and utter need to find a mate had been satiated and that things could finally calm down and go back to normal. Wasn't his last rampage throughout the streets of Gotham on Valentine's night enough? Can't he just leave good enough alone? What is he planning on doing to this cat girl? Will he rip her heart out too?
"Don't... Don't you dare, Teekl."
He can practically feel Teekl grinning inside as the unruly cat closes in on the girl and rubs his furry head along her side.
The Catgirl nearly jumps out of her skin. With slight apprehension, she looks down at her side to find who or whatever had touched her.
She can't help but laugh in relief and embarrassment as she looks down to find an orange tabby with the most peculiar markings staring up at her with his brilliant green eyes. A tiny mew escapes his whiskered lips, as if to say 'hello'.
"Hey there, handsome." The Catgirl giggles as she motions for the tabby to come closer. "You scared me! Not that I'm a scaredy cat or anything..."
She places her gloved hand atop his head and scratches behind his ears, making him purr madly.
No longer paying any mind to his master's persistent shouting, Teekl hops into the girl's lap and nuzzles her hand, begging for more.
Klarion can't help but jump back, startled at the sensation as he closes the link between his and his cat's minds, ceasing their mutual bond.
It felt far too pleasant, overwhelming even, as the girl raked her fingers through Teekl's fur. He can still recall the sensation. Feel her fingers along his scalp. In his hair. On his skin. Klarion shudders as a spike of electricity runs down his spine.
This time Teekl's gone too far. His coupling must come to an end. Right now.
Unaware of the witch boy hiding in the shadows, Catgirl continues to pet and love on Teekl.
The tabby gets up on his hind legs and places his paws on her chest as he nuzzles her neck. His rough, sandpapery tongue glides across her cheek and she giggles as he purrs.
"Well... Aren't you the affectionate one?" Catgirl purrs as she scoops Teekl up in her hands and places him down on the ledge beside her. Getting to her feet, she stretches out her muscles and scans the rooftops before her. Unfurling her whip, she gets ready to pounce.
"Well, looks like I should be moving on. Never safe to stay in the same place for long, y'know... See ya later, lover boy."
With a wink and the blow of a kiss, Catgirl falls backwards off the roofs edge. Flipping into a swan dive, she plummets towards the earth before cracking her whip and swinging safely into the night.
"Good. I thought she would never leave." Klarion grunts as he steps out of the shadows towards his wayward cat. "I think that I shall teach you a lesson for your insubordination. Now, come along… LOVER BOY!"
Teekl doesn't move, nor does he respond to his master's taunting. Instead, he gazes out across the rooftops like a love sick puppy. Klarion rolls his eyes as he approaches his cat.
"You didn't really think that you could have MATED with her, did you? She is not really a cat, you know. She is a human girl. And an awfully strange one at that, dressed the way she is..." Klarion trails off for a moment before a wicked grin begins to creep along his pale blue face. "Can you imagine what would happen if you HAD coupled with her? You two would make the most HORRID offspring!"
Klarion holds his knees as he shakes with laughter. Teekl, on the other hand, is less than amused. Instead, he continues to quietly scan the rooftops, patiently waiting for any sign of his lovely cat lady.
"Now come along, Teekl. Let us go seek shelter." Klarion instructs, no longer laughing, but still sporting a devilish smirk.
This time Teekl obeys, although rather dishearteningly, and the two wayward wanderers disappear into the night.
For anyone curious about the story's image. You can check it out in full at my DeviantArt page!