I apologize for this huge delay in updating my story. I promise that I will finish this story as soon as possible. This is not an abandoned story, Se Pounce-a-lot still has a lot more pouncing on his to-do list!
This chapter is NOT beta-read yet, so please don't let a few spelling or grammar errors make you miss the essential. I promise that I'll publish the corrected version as soon as I'll have it beta-readed.
The Territory
Ser Pounce-a-lot was sitting peacefully, curled like a ball, on a small woolen carpet in Anders's room. Over the last two months, he had lived well, his new friend had treated him nicely. Life was good!
He had traveled with the Warden party every day, hidden in Anders's sack. They had traveled a lot, to many places, they had fought all kinds of things: darkspawn, abominations, bandits. He was very proud of Anders, his human mage friend. The man could freeze things, throw fireballs! Ser-Pounce-a-lot was very impressed by him. He got up from the carpet and walked slowly towards the bed where his human friend was sleeping. Anders was a kind man, who took care of his feline friend. As Ser-Pounce-a-lot watched his friend sleeping, he started to purr happily. He could not understand this strange human schedule! Why were they sleeping at night? Cats don't sleep at night. It was a strange thing for him, a very strange thing. He watched Anders sleeping for a few more moments, then he walked towards the door, quickly jumped on the latch, opening it, and left the room.
Over the last two months, Ser-Pounce-a-lot had made the Keep his territory. He smelled each corner of the Keep again, checking if his male scent was still present. Then, Ser-Pounce-a-lot walked slowly towards the kitchen. As he reached the kitchen, he stopped for a moment and looked curiously at the big obstacle that was blocking the kitchen's door. There was a small harry human passed out on the floor, right in front of the door, blocking the entrance. He decided to ignore the dwarf and quickly pounced over him, then he started to carefully check all the corners of the kitchen. Some corners needed refreshment, so he turned and marked them quickly. Then, he walked to the passed out human and smelled him. The human stunk of a very annoying scent that reminded him of a place he had visited some time ago: a brewery. A very disturbing scent that was covering his feline male scent. So he did what he would normally do in that situation: he walked slowly towards the human's boots and he marked them. After he had checked again that the whole territory had been marked properly, the feline Warden left the kitchen proudly.
Next morning, Anders placed his feline friend into his traveling sack, as usual. He walked outside the Keep where the other Wardens were waiting for him. Ser-Pounce-a-lot took his head out of the sack and looked curiously at the other humans that were waiting for Anders in the Keep's yard. There was a small harry human dressed in metal clothes, a black haired human man dressed in leather clothes, a tall human woman in shining metal clothes, a small human woman with pointed ears, dressed summary, in some small leather clothes, a very pale human, stinking of dead meat and a small human woman with many marks on her face.
"I think we are all now. Let's go!" ordered the woman dressed in shining metal clothes.
Everyone obeyed the order and the party left the Keep. Ser-Pounce-a-lot thought that it was time for a small nap, so he curled like a ball inside Anders's sack. But as he heard some noise, he got his head out of the sack. His curiosity could not let him sleep. It was the small harry human.
That small stinky human had a lot of hair on his face. He had four tails, but not on his back, as cats do, he had them on his face! The small human was walking in Anders's direction, holding a big ax on his shoulder. He was walking strangely, dangling almost falling; the way he managed to carry that big ax on his shoulder in his condition was a big mystery! He heard the small human talking, so he pricked up his ears.
"And people talk about me stinking up the joint!¹" said the little harry human.
"What are you on about, now?¹" asked Anders.
"Cat piss! Little kitty there makes me want to vomit!¹" answered the little human in an angry tone.
Ser Pounce-a-lot growled as he looked angrily at the harry dwarf. 'At least I don't smell like a brewery, you harry little human!' hissed the cat in Oghren's direction.
Anders smiled then looked at his angry feline friend. "Don't listen to him, Ser Pounce-a-lot! You smell just fine.¹ "
"Meow!¹" answered Ser-Pounce-a-lot calming down. 'Thank you, my human friend.' Then he decided to forget the small incident and got inside the sack for a little nap. But as he curled in a ball position again, he heard another voice coming from behind Anders. He got his head out of the sack and saw a black haired man wearing leather clothes walking close to Anders.
Ser-Pounce-a-lot did not know much about that blacked haired man. He heard the other humans calling him Nate. He was a very good archer. He had saved Anders's life many times with his quick arrows. For that reason, Ser-Pounce-a-lot had a lot of respect for the black haired man.
"You seem rather attached to that cat, Anders.¹" said the black haired man.
"It's more that he is rather attached to me. Isn't that right, Ser Pounce-a-lot?¹" replied Anders.
"(Meow!)¹" 'I never thought this could be possible, but you are my family now, my human friend.' purred Ser-Pounce-a-lot happily.
"Isn't that name a little... ridiculous?¹" asked the man in an ironical tone.
"What do you think I should call him? Frederick?¹" replied Anders intrigued.
'No, no. Frederick sounds so... human. I think Ser-Pounce-a-lot was a brilliant choice. It's noble and it sounds... well... it's just perfect for a proud and independent feline like myself!' purred Ser-Pounce-a-lot.
The black haired man sighted. "There are worse names, I suppose...¹"
"Meow!" 'And I'm also so good at this pouncing thing! Yes, the name definitely fits me well. ' purred Ser-Pounce-a-lot, then he decided to get inside the sack and take a nap no matter what.
After a few minutes of sleep, Ser-Pounce-a-lot woke up suddenly. There was a lot of noise outside. The humans were battling somebody... or something. He stayed still for a few moments, then his curiosity won and he decided he should take his head out of the sack to watch the fight. It was a dangerous thing to do, as he was frightened, but his feline curiosity was too strong.
The humans were fighting darkspawn. Many of them. They were surrounded, but they were fighting bravely. The tall warrior woman wearing metal clothes was holding a big sword and was fighting an ogre, close to Anders. On her left, the paled human warrior was fighting a darkspawn emissary. Anders and the small mage woman were casting healing spells on the warriors. Behind Anders, the black haired man was shooting arrows towards the darkspawn crowd. The small humans, the harry one and the woman with tattoos on her face, were also behind Anders, fighting a crowd of darkspawn. They seemed outnumbered and there were many other darkspawn coming from all the directions. Suddenly, one of the darkspawn jumped behind Anders. But as he tried to stab the mage with a dagger, he got startled by a little tabby creature that pounced out of the mage's sack and ran into a bush. The shock made the darkspawn lose his balance and fall on his back. He was immediately decapitated by the pale warrior that was fighting close to Anders. After a few more minutes of fighting, the Wardens managed to kill all the darkspawn and win the battle.
Anders got closer to the bush where a scared tabby cat was hidden.
"Come Ser-Pounce-a-lot. It is over. Are you hurt, little fellow?" asked the mage in a worried tone.
"Meow!"'I'm fine. Damn that ugly creature! It scared me to dead! Next time one of this ugly creatures tries to kill me, I'll get my claws out and scratch it well!' meowed the cat as it slowly got out of the bush.
Anders checked his little fellow for injuries. Fortunately, the cat was not hurt, only badly scarred.
"Thanks, Justice." said Anders to the pale human warrior.
"You're welcome." answered the warrior.
Ser-Pounce-a-lot looked curiously at the big warrior that smelled like dead meat. He heard the others say that he was a spirit, trapped inside a dead man's body. That was a little... freaky and unhealthy. Another human mystery that he could not understand.
"I see that your feline companion remains with you.¹" said the Spirit.
"He seems happy enough. Isn't that right, Ser Pounce-a-lot?¹" replied the mage.
"Meow!¹" 'Well... yes, I'm happy. Although I think I could use a bowl or two of milk after this bad experience.'
"To enslave another creature does not seem just.¹" stated the Spirit in a harsh tone.
"He's not a slave! He's a friend. And he's also a cat.¹" answered Anders in a defensive tone.
"A cat that lacks freedom.¹" said the Spirit harshly.
'Hey! You're so wrong, Spirit! I'm not a slave, I'm a proud and independent feline! I like this human mage, that's why I consider him my friend!' hissed the cat in Justice's direction.
Anders sighted deeply. "Just ignore him, Ser Pounce-a-lot. They don't have pets in the Fade, apparently.¹"
"Meow!¹" 'Apparently not. And who is he to judge you for having a feline companion? Ah... spirits!' meowed Ser-Pounce-a-lot angrily.
Justice left the mage and his friend and walked towards the tall woman wearing metal clothes. Anders started to pet his feline friend, which was purring happily. The little dwarf woman approached the mage and his cat. Ser Pounce-a-lot studied her curiously. She had some interesting marks on her face. Why was her face painted? It was another human mystery that his feline mind could not understand. She got closer to Ser-Pounce-a-lot and started to pet him too.
"You seem fascinated with Ser Pounce-a-lot.¹" said Anders.
"Meow!¹" 'Hm... I think my feline charm still works well. I like having more human fans.' purred the cat happily.
"We don't have cats in Orzammar. Well, maybe some nobles have them, if they buy them from a surface merchant.¹" answered the dwarf woman.
"Everyone needs a pet.¹" said Anders, smiling.
"Well, I had a nug once. For about an hour. Before my uncle slaughtered him and ate him.¹"
'Ouch!' meowed the cat.
"Gather your things and let's leave this place at once. We'll burn the dead bodies when we return." ordered the tall warrior woman.
The party immediately left the valley full of dead darkspawn.
Anders petted Ser-Pounce-a-lot for a few more seconds, then he placed the cat back into his sack. Ser-Pounce-a-lot got his head out of the sack and looked curiously at the other traveling companions. That strange woman, the elf mage, was walking next to Anders.
"My fireballs are bigger than yours.¹" said the elf woman.
"It's not the size that counts, Velanna.¹" answered Anders.
"Did they tell you that in your Circle? They were trying not to hurt your feelings.¹" replied Velanna in an ironical tone.
"The Circle lied to me? Andraste's sword, my world is falling apart! I have been unmanned!¹" said Anders.
Ser Pounce-a-lot watched the elf woman curiously. She was another mystery to him, always grumpy, she didn't seem to like anybody. She was a mage, like his human friend... but she was different from Anders. Much different.
And then there was the tall warrior human female. The one everyone was following, the one that was always giving orders. The Commander... the alpha female. Ser Pounce-a-lot watched the Commander smiling a little after she heard Anders's and Velanna's conversation. She looked tough... but Ser-Pounce-a-lot sensed the suffering from inside her heart. She was a strong and beautiful human female. Over the last two months since he had joined the Warden's party, Ser-Pounce-a-lot had noticed that Anders had a crush on the Commander. But she seemed broken, always so sad.
Ser-Pounce-a-lot saw the Commander searching for something in her sack. She smiled as she found the thing that she had searched for.
"I found this sometime ago. I think you would find it useful. Here you go, Anders." said the Commander as she handed Anders a small collar belt.
"For me? Thanks..." answered Anders very surprised.
"It's for your feline friend." continued the Commander.
"Oh, a cat collar belt! Thanks so much, Commander! I'll put it on Ser-Pounce-a-lot immediately." said Anders in an enthusiastic tone.
"You're welcome, Anders." replied the Commander as she watched Anders putting Ser-Pounce-a-lot the collar belt on.
"You think she likes me, Ser Pounce-a-lot? She's still in love with him... that bastard that broke her heart." whispered Anders in Ser-Pounce-a-lot's ear.
"Meow!" 'Well... females are... complicated. But I think you should give it a try, my human friend.' meowed Ser-Pounce-a-lot.
"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
It was already dark when the Warden party returned to the Keep after they had fought four more darkspawn parties. Ser-Pounce-a-lot pounced out of Anders's sack and immediately started to inspect the Keep's yard for his territorial marks. But he was very surprised to find three cats waiting for him in a darker corner of the Keep. It was Blacky the Ripper and his two companions, Tiger and Beauty.
"Look at him... he's got a collar belt! He's a 'pet'!" meowed the big black tomcat.
"Meow! Pet! He's a pet! He's got a master!' meowed the tigerish cat.
"Hello to you too, Blacky." answered Ser-Pounce-a-lot. "No, not a master. I've got a human friend... a powerful mage." meowed Ser-Pounce-a-lot raising his head proudly.
"Hey, Dirt Sack, you look different... you're a tabby?" asked the black cat in a mocking tone.
"What's the matter, Dirt Sack, did your master wash you?" meowed the tigerish cat.
"Ha ha ha! His master washed him!" laughed the female piebald cat.
"No, he did not!" answered Ser-Pounce-a-lot in a defensive tone. "I've already told that he's a mage... a powerful one. He can spit fire, throw light-bolts, freeze people... that sort of dangerous things... He also knows a... "flea treatment" spell. That's right, Flee Bag, no more fleeeeas!"
"He can spit fire? I... I hate fire!" said the tigerish, scared.
"Really? No more fleas?" asked the piebald cat.
"Ha, such LIES!" hissed Blacky. "Now, I'm going to show you who the boss is! Prepare yourself to be ripped apart, Dirt Sack!" hissed the big black cat as he arched his back, raised his fur, and turned sideways.
"We'll see about who's going to rip who apart, Fat Sack!" hissed Ser-Pounce-a-lot as he arched his back and raised his fur too, almost doubling his size. He took his claws out, lowered its ears and made a threatening bawl.
The two tomcats roared at each other for a few moments, then the black cat attacked Ser-Pounce-a-lot and scratched his left ear.
"I'm going to turn you into dog food, Dirt Sack!" hissed the big black cat.
"You're welcome to try, Fatty!" hissed Ser-Pounce-a-lot back. Then, he attacked Blacky and scratched his left ear too.
The other two cats, the tigerish and the piebald, watched as the two tomcats were fighting each other. The big black cat gathered all his strength and ran in Ser-Pounce-a-lot's direction like a raged animal. But as he was about to bite Ser-Pounce-a-lot's tail, the tabby feline pounced on Blacky's head, made a double turn jump and got behind the big black cat. The black cat looked surprised at the fast tabby cat. When did he become so fast? He had defeated Ser-Pounce-a-lot two months ago. He had bit his tail badly and had won the fight using that dirty trick. Suddenly, Blacky felt an extreme pain that almost paralyzed his whole body. He looked surprised behind him and saw Ser-Pounce-a-lot biting his tail.
"Ouch!" meowed Blacky. "It hurts so badly!"
"Now we're even." meowed Ser-Pounce-a-lot. "Run back to your territory. If I ever see you again in my Keep, I'll bite your ears badly too."
"I'll never come here. I promise!" meowed the scared black cat as he ran away, followed by the tigerish one.
The piebald female smiled seductively.
"Well, well. Look who's stronger now. Nice fight, Handsome!" she said in a husky voice. "Visit me... next mating season, Sugar!" she said as she moved seductively closer to him.
"Oh... sure, Hotty!" said Ser-Pounce-a-lot in a husky voice, as he gazed at the piebald beauty who left the Keep, heading for the village.
"~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
Ser-Pounce-a-lot started his nightly round through the Keep, inspecting all the corners, as usual. He finally arrived at the kitchen and was surprised to find the harry little human there, this time sitting at a table and awaken.
"Cat..." whispered the drunken dwarf as he noticed the proud feline entering the kitchen.
'Ugly creature with four tails...' meowed Ser-Pounce-a-lot.
"You stink... you pissed on my boots, cat!" yelled the smelly dwarf.
'Oh, like you smell better! Brewery!' hissed the cat. 'This is my territory. That's the way I mark it... using my urine.'
"Hey, don't you hiss at me, you little nug!" threaten the little human.
"I don't know what a nug is, but it doesn't sound nice at all... I've already told you that I'm a proud feline..." the cat raised his right paw and took an attacking position, with his claws already out.
"What? You want to fight me? Just try it... you'll make a delicious nug stew!" said Oghren as he slowly got up, lifted his big ax and prepared to attack the cat.
Suddenly, the cat pounced on Oghren's head and startled him. His action made the dwarf lose his balance and he fell on his back, hitting the floor; he immediately passed out.
" Meow!" said Ser-Pounce-a-lot. 'Ha! You're not so though, aren't you? Now, let's mark my territory again...' hissed the cat as he urinated on Oghren's boots.
'Well... no heart feelings. I'll catch you a mouse too... as a gift of peace. You'll have a big fat mouse in your favorite boot by the end of the day, you harry little human.' thought the cat as it walked away from the passed out dwarf.
Next day, Oghren decided to change his boots, because they were smelling badly. But as he tried to put on another pair, he saw something moving inside his left boot. It was a small living creature: a scared dizzy mouse. At the sight of the small rodent, the dwarf screamed. After some howls of rage that had broken a few windows, the dwarf started to destroy the furniture from his room, as he tried to kill the poor mouse with his giant ax.
Somewhere in the Keep, on a soft woolen carpet, a cat was sleeping peacefully and innocently. He heard the dwarf's angry howls and decided to ignore them. He covered his ears with his paws and continued to sleep peacefully.
A/N: ¹ These dialogue lines are the same as the original character banters from DA-Awakening.
Please let me know your thoughts. Please review. Thanks for reading this chapter.
Next chapter will be available soon, in less than a week, I hope.