Chapter 4- Makeover

"So, you're planning a bit of an uprising, huh Toran?" Xicro said as he walked next to Toran and Althea on the way to the feline city of Carthuse.

"Yes, my father is ill." Toran said softly, and the news stopped Xicro in his tracks.

"The king… is sick?" Xicro gasped in horror, looking to Toran with wide eyes.

"Yes, but I have not told anyone else. The only thing that will come of the news is more death and sorrow. The Tora kingdom is just acting as if everything is normal."

Althea heard the regal tone in his voice and glanced at him, her mind still not able to face the fact that Toran was actually royalty. She marveled at the strength and determination radiating from him, and wondered how she ever thought he could be anything but a prince.

"What?" Toran asked, noticing her stare. Althea blushed and looked down.

"I suppose I want to help you guys." She said, looking up to see Xicro smiling at her.

"Alright, but it's dangerous. We'll be in battles, people will die in front of you. You might even get really hurt." Toran said, looking down at Althea in pleasant surprise.

"I know, but this whole war is a load of shit. No one has the right to decide who lives and who dies."

Xicro ruffled her hair , "Well aren't you a little tabby cat?" he chuckled. "You can't walk around in those strange clothes though."

"I don't have any money, do you?" Toran looked over at Xicro.

"No, but I know someone who can help." The black panther smirked, his fangs flashing.

"This is it." Xicro stopped Toran and Althea in front of a large house.

"You're kidding… right? The lynx family? They're all insane." Toran said, looking up at the house warily.

"You'll see. Radica and I go way back." Xicro said, knocking on the door. A lynx humanus answered, her large tufted ears flipping back when she noticed Althea. She glanced at Xicro and smiled brightly.

"Xicro, how nice to see you!" She said happily, hugging him tightly.

"Nice to see you too." Xicro gasped as the air was squeezed out of him, and watched with amusement as Radica spotted Toran behind him.

"Oh!" She said, letting go of Xicro and curtsying to the prince.

"Please- don't do that. I can't stand bowing and curtsying." Toran said, looking uneasy.

"Sorry, you're majes-"

"Call me Toran."

"Alright." Radica smiled, and looked at Althea. "So who's this, Xicro?"

"This is Althea. She needs your help. Don't worry, she's good." Xicro said, putting a hand on Althea's shoulder.

Radica looked at her for a minute and nodded. "Alright then, come on in." She said, and motioned them to file into the house.

Once inside, Althea looked around at the silver and purple decorated room with wide eyes. "This place is great!" She said.

Radica looked at her in surprise and smiled sweetly. "Why thank you, dear. We must both have good taste." She chuckled. "So what did you boys want?" Radica looked at Toran and Xicro, who had both sat on a large cushioned couch.

"Althea needs a makeover. I thought you might want the opportunity to work on a human for a change." Xicro said, flinching when Radica let out a loud squeal of excitement and turned back around to Althea to examine her.

"You want a makeover? Oh we have so much work to do- up the stairs- go go go, these guys will be fine on their own." Radica said, pushing a very confused Althea up the stairs.

Toran looked at Xicro warily. "You sure it's ok to leave her alone with Radica?"

"Of course. Radica may seem hyper, but she's a good girl. I should know, I almost married her." Xicro said, watching the two scamper up the stairs in amusement.

Toran looked at Xicro in shock. "Serious? Why didn't you?"

Xicro's smile vanished and he looked to Toran with a nervous expression. "I'd rather not say yet. I'll tell you later, when you're more prepared to hear it."

Toran shook his head in confusion and slumped in the couch, trying to figure out what he had meant by that.

"I… I don't know. Are you sure they won't laugh at me?" Althea said nervously, sneaking a peek at Toran and Xicro, who were chatting downstairs.

"of course they won't dear. If they do, I'll rip their throats out." Radica snickered. Althea looked up at her in surprise, because she had sounded so serious when saying the threat. Radica only laughed and walked down the stairs. "Come on, dear. You can't hide up there forever."

"She's done?" Xicro looked up curiously, leaning forward to try and sneak a peak of her before she came down the stairs.

"Yep, she's all ready." Radica said, and went up the stairs to pull her down. Althea stumbled after her, then stood at the bottom of the stairs, clearing her throat uneasily.

She had her hair down, which flowed to the middle of her back in long waves. Her bright blue eyes were wide as she looked around, and her cheeks were pink from a blush of embarrassment. She wore a long blue and white dress with a blue tie at the waist.

"Very nice." Xicro said, standing up and walking over to Althea. He turned her in a circle and nodded in satisfaction. "You've done it again, Radica, I knew you could."

"Oh you're as sweet as always, Xicro." Radica said, her fur fluffing a bit in happiness. Toran looked up at Althea, his eyes wide. She looked beautiful- for a human, anyway. "You look good." He said, clearing his throat and looking away again.

"She looks better than good." Radica pouted, but sighed and rolled her eyes when Toran only shrugged. "So where are you boys heading to, anyway? Anywhere in particular?"

"After we make a little side stop for provisions we're heading for a meeting with Umou."

"Oh, you didn't tell me that." Xicro said, his eyebrow raised in interest. "Umou's the general of the avian division, isn't he?"

"yeah, he's been scouting the front lines of the human army lately. I'd like to see what size their force is, so that I can recruit as many or more than I need." Toran said, leaning his head back and sighing from the stress of leading an army in the war.

"Oh you're recruiting, are you? I'll come with you." Radica said, biting her lip in excitement. Toran looked up at her in annoyance.

"You can fight?" he asked doubtfully.

Radica scoffed and made a two quick movements with her arm, throwing needle-like blades into the wooden frame behind Toran, who was now pinned to the couch. Toran looked down in shock at the blades and tried to sit up, but stopped so he wouldn't rip his shirt any further.

"Does that satisfy his majesty?" Radica sneered sarcastically. Xicro was overtaken with laughter as Toran tried to find a way to get up without tearing his shirt. He finally managed to twist his arm enough to pull the blade out of the wood behind him, looking at the small slim weapon in interest.

"Very good. You'd be willing to come with us?" Toran looked up at Radica with a newfound respect.

"Of course. Anywhere Xicro goes I'll follow." Radica said with a purr, winking to Xicro.

"I believe you have a kitten following you, Xicro." Toran laughed as Xicro sighed. He looked to Radica with a warm smile, and shook his head with a chuckle. "Alright, I hope we haven't kept the general waiting for too long. I'd think he would be a very… short tempered eagle."

Toran laughed "you've never met him, have you?"

"No, why?" Xicro said curiously.

"He's a Haast Eagle. Short temper is the least of your worries with him."

"What's a Haast Eagle?" Althea walked over to Toran, sitting on the couch next to him.

"Umou is the last Haast Eagle- they're the largest bird humanus in the world. I'd say Umou's about… ten feet high, or so. I haven't seen him in a while though, so he may be taller." Toran shrugged.

Althea's eyes widened in shock. "Ten FEET? That's huge!"

"Yes, it is. He's a very good formidable enemy. The best general in the country."

"We shouldn't keep him waiting, then." Althea said nervously, standing up. "Let's get going."

Toran rolled his eyes but stood up as well. "You don't have to worry about him. I'm the prince, remember? He'll listen to me." He said, walking with the others out the door to meet Umou.