Myst Vale was the warmest place on Dezolis. He hadn't been able to figure out if this was because it was built over an underground magma lake or if the Musk Cats were even more powerful psychics than he imagined and were keeping it warm using the same methods Espers used for personal protection. Very little research had been done on Musk Cat culture because they had a habit of scratching your eyes out if they suspected you were experimenting on them. The warmth was a mercy for Lutz, whose power was exhausted again from the teleportation, the sudden threat of the cold of Dezolis and the strain on his mind. The memories of this place, some of them unclear, some not even ones that could logically be his own, were interfering with his control over himself.
As his conjured light pierced the darkness, he also disturbed a roost of Dezolis Owls. He hadn't even realised the dangerous predators were there. Birds of prey almost as large as himself, their powerful talons and beak could even tear through his magic barrier if he wasn't careful. He jumped back, reinforcing his barrier, then threw a Nazan technique at them, trying to knock them off balance with the ethereal gale storm. He used the distraction to run to the mouth of the small passageway leading off from the cavern. It would be harder for the owls to surround him there.
Something ran out of the passageway, darting beneath his feet and tripping him up. The small shape then yowled and jumped into the air, a spiky yellow blur. It landed on the head of the first owl and proceeded to try and claw its face off. The bird screeched and desperately tried to shake its attacker off. More shapes were emerging from the passage now. Pouncing and slashing furiously with their claws, they soon forced the owls to retreat.
Hunt your own birds, meow, these are ours.
Lutz blinked. Five pairs of green eyes were staring up at him. One of them tapped him on the leg with his paw, then turned to the others and made a chirruping noise.
Oh, its one of the Old Man's friends, meow. I'm sorry we were rude, meow, we didn't recognise you. All humans look the same to us. What can we do for you, meow?
I'm afraid its rather complicated, Lutz communicated.
The cats led him through the winding passages into their dwelling chambers, deep inside enough to be defensible against the owls and other predators. All the way through the dimly lit corridors, small yellow cats played, slept or stared at each other in that conspiratorial way cats did. They seemed unconcerned at his presence. Only a few of them even bothered looking at him.
Their main chamber was full of psychic chatter. The senior cats had formed a council and were arguing about some matter of the running of the Vale. They sat in order of height level in to determine their hierarchy, except that they were still constantly arguing over their relative positions. In the centre of the chamber, on a raised pillar, a huge, ancient cat lay on a velvet cushion. He was one of only two Musk Cats in the Vale to have grown their wings, as Myau had done. Ignoring the irritated looks of the councillors, the cats of the hunting party stepped forwards and stared directly up at the cat on the dais.
Old Man, they said, Wake up, meow, we have a guest from the outside world for you.
The old cat opened one eye, then stretched and yawned.
How curious, he said, A human with two minds. Which one of you am I supposed to talk to, meow?
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Why would you say you're going insane, meow? Both your personalities look perfectly sane to me.
And I say we can't go ahead until we've done all the relevant paperwork, meow!
You're only saying that because you're the only one of us who can get the top off the ink bottle!
QUIET! The force of the Old Man's will threw two of the feline bureaucrats off their perches and shocked the entire room into silence, As I was saying, meow, I don't see what the problem is.
What the problem is? I'm not even in my own body, meow... the Old Man gave him a funny look. When he realised what he had done wrong, Lutz blushed, I don't have half my own memories and there's someone else fighting me for control of my own mind. Someone with inferior mental strength.
That's no way to talk about your primary personality, meow.
I don't think you understand. I don't know how it is for cats but this isn't natural for an Esper. I don't understand what's happening to me and I can't control it. Lutz felt himself grow angry. He hated himself for being weak, uninformed and vulnerable. It would be extremely rude to lose his temper with the leader of the Musk Cats, who might even genuinely be more powerful thanhim for all he understood about cats.
Have you tried talking to the other mind about it, meow?
What? We can't talk! If he's in control, I'm not there! Besides, he's utterly clueless!
I know that man, meow, he's not that bad really. A little insensitive. He must be at least a little competent if he's selected as the host for Lutz. That's if you really are Lutz, meow, added the cat, The Wider Memories say you're Lutz but that's in the distant past, so I can't see it very clearly any more.
Do your 'Wider Memories' say what exactly has happened to me?
Hm? I suppose they could do, meow, if a Musk Cat was there at the time. Was a Musk Cat there at the time?
I have no idea. I don't remember a thing.
If you don't remember anything about what happened its hard for me to know exactly what to search for but I'll give it a go, meow.
The Old Man's eyes closed. Although it appeared as if he had fallen asleep again, Lutz's trained eyes saw his aura flare up from a soft yellow glow to a golden blaze. He was channelling a massive amount of energy. Lutz closed his eyes as well. Soon, his mind was filled with images of the world as seen through the eyes of various cats. There were some of Myau's memories in there. Lutz dismissed these as too far back in time. The memories fast-forwarded to the time when the cats were stuck on the Skure Space Station. Eventually the cats migrated to Dezolis and retreated into the caverns to escape from the cold. A few of them ended up in the Esper Mansion by following passages that were too small for Espers to fit through, hence ones they didn't expect to have to guard.
Then an unexpected turning led one of them into Lutz's cryochamber.