When Cats go a courting
Merle looked ahead for a moment, slightly
dismayed by that fact she couldn't participate in the festival but she
needed to get her priorities in order. 'I should've been there with Lord
Van and Hitomi' she chided to herself and continued on walking until nightfall.
Long after the moon had risen high and the a chorus of crickets was the
only noise besides her breathing. Merle had an odd feeling that she had
left something important behind in the village but, she had her nail file
and clothes... the only two items she'd been with the entire time she had
been roaming.
Off in the distance her cat eyes detected
a large object moving around, moving silently she crept behind a tree and
sized up the figure. A worthy opponent she thought, in the dark she could
tell it was taller than her, but by how much she wasn't sure of exactly.
It was well built and probably would beat her if it attacked and moved
as silently as she did. Smiling to herself she knew her advantage. She
was smaller therefore quicker and quieter, she smiled in spite of herself
at this clever idea and snuck to the left, paying attention to the ground
so she didn't step on twig or leaf. She held her breath when she passed
by the figure and kept thinking in her head "you can't see me...you can't
see me..." Successfully she passed by the creature and breathed a sigh
in relief... a bit too audibly. The creature behind her heard the noise
and came quickly in her direction. Cursing at herself for a moment she
leapt forward and sprinted hoping that she was too fast for the creature.
She weaved in and out of the trees zooming off in different directions.
She heard the creature edge closer and closer and she frantically turned
to the right and onto a straight drop down a canyon. Merle screamed and
frantically turned around grabbing for the closet object. She claws raked
the stone but, she started slipping down the side. All of a sudden something
strong grabbed her wrist and pulled her forward. Merle felt herself being
pulled up to level ground and looked behind her for a moment. At last she
climbed onto the level ground and sat there for a moment, wiping away the
tears from her eyes.
A large hand was place on her shoulder
and a deep voice asked,
"Are you all right?"
Merle jerked up in surprise and turned around. It was weird, she knew it was going to be Garr, but no other clues than his voice was given to her. She quickly dismissed the thought and turned her attention on to him.
"y..yes..." she stuttered then her eyes narrowed, and her pupils became smaller, "what are you doing here?" she asked, almost in an accusing voice. He stepped back quickly at the sudden assault,
"hey, I was just making sure you were alright, could've died just now...you realize that right?" Garr said sarcastically
"well, I know who to thank, if it weren't for you chasing me I wouldn't of been that situation now would I?!" she retorted and turned her back to him, her tail dangerously lashing from side to side. After a few moments of silence she softly asked, "what were you doing here anyhow... isn't that festival thing tonight?" Garr looked aside and drew in a deep breath,
"well it was but, Chent told me you were out on a walk and you might not come back in enough time so I went looking for you. It wasn't dusk till I actually saw you but, then somehow I lost you until just now when you saw me and I ran after you trying to get your attention...and well you know the rest."
"So you missed the festival? I'm sorry..."
"I'm not" he said flatly
"what?" Merle asked in confusion, "I thought you probably would have wanted to go."
He shrugged and smiled, "It doesn't matter
now. I tend to not linger on the past, sorry." His eyes stared straight
into hers for a moment, their gazes were locked for a split second then
broke. Coughing nervously he changed the subject,
"so where you going?"
"back to Fanelia" Merle stated, "Lord Van and Hitomi's wedding is less than a week away so I have to move quickly"
"oh" he said quietly. A few more moments of awkward quiet passed, Merle was about to leave till, Garr spoke;
"you don't have a boyfriend do you?"
"What?!" Merle asked, completely thrown off by the question then answered, "um, no... why?"
"I was just curious" Garr said innocently
"I might of been a problem if you had"
Merle was getting impatient, Garr was
making no sense and she simply had to find out why!
"what are you talking about?!!" she said exasperated.
His eyebrows knitted together studying
her face for a moment,
"you really don't know do you? Didn't
Chent explain the rules?"
"Know what? Tell me??" she pleaded.
"okay, in the beginning of the festival
both the girls and guys go into the forest at the same time but, eventually
they lose sight of the opposite sex. Just like I lost sight of you around
dusk. Then eventually everyone one gets lost from each other till your
alone, just like you and I both were. Then, or as tradition explains, the
next person of the opposite sex you see is your soul mate."
Merle looked blankly off in the distance
for a moment trying to make sense of what all had just happened.
"so I guess that makes us .s..soul mates?" she said softly.
"Is everything okay?" he softly asked.
"Yes and no," she explained, " yes because,
I think I already knew that, ever since the first day I met you, something
told me there was something special about you, and It just felt...right...
being with you, like now." Merle looked up into his eyes, "But, I can't
just stay here. I have to go back to Fanelia, I have to be at Lord Van's
wedding..." she softly explained. Still smiling Garr reached down and held
Merle's hand, "if you want to go to Fanelia that's fine with me, as long
as I can go with you." Merle then threw herself into his embrace, and was
content to just be with him right then.
~
Later on they found a large Oak tree,
Garr sat down and leaned on it and Merle fell asleep against with his arm
around her. When they woke up they started off for Fanelia.
~Sorry that the ending of this little side
chapter is kinda abrupt but, I might write something later on about Merle's
past! Hope you liked this!