Me: Aloha. A month of not updating, and this is what I have to show for it. The good news is my first semester of college is over. The bad news was that since I had finals, MLA essays, and projects due, I had zilch time to work on the fic. That and a trip to Hawaii for my brother's wedding really held me up for a while. Now that it's Christmas break, I will have plenty of time and start updating chapters regularly again, though I may have to scrap the whole 'I'll update every Friday' thing. I always seem to update a day or two late, but now we'll try our darndest to pump out enough fanfic to keep you guys from tearing us to shreds.
Sandy: Thanks to everyone who contributed names for the she-dog, but we've decided to stick with "Roary." And on a side note: Russian to English dictionaries SUCK.
Sheena: Yayz! I get to do the reviews!
Kai/hilary all the way: Eep! Put down the pan! Here's another chapter! Read it! DON'T KILL US!!
White Skull: Your wish is our command!
Jen-beyblade-fan: Like the frog prince? HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Don't tell Kai that!
Tala is the best: Awww, thank you!
Kais Devil: You'll just have to wait and see won't you. . . (snicker)
SchoolBoredom: Your questions will be answered this chapter!
Chibi-Kari: Awwww, Rei was being a little mean wasn't he. (grins) It sure was funny though.
Jani Rieme: Your welcome! Your ideas are great! In fact, I think we'll use it this chapter!! (cackles evilly)
Hutchy: You'll see! (winks)
Kawaii-Chibi-Kai's Lil Devil: Well, it isn't 'soon,' but at least we updated! (sweatdrops)
Bladechika: Wasn't it great? XD One of those things where you laugh as you write it, or read it in my case.
Kawari: If you liked it so far you're going to love this chapter.
Me: Hope to hear from all of you guys again, and sorry for the long wait! Mahalo! ("Thank you," to all of you non Hawaiian types out there XD)
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CAT TALES
Chapter Five:
Learning to Walk
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-From the forest?-
-Uh-huh. They say she was a feral that lived out there. No creature messes with a feral, that's for sure.-
Kai thought about this. Coldfire didn't seem like an ordinary stray, that much was obvious, but why would she decide to live in the city?
-Every creature knows about her, she's famous,- Roary continued. -She's afraid of nothing, that one.-
-She's tough, I'll give her that,- Kai said. It explained why Gutterfang and the other stray cats ran off so quickly when she showed up.
-Her eyes are so fierce. . . she scares me.-
The newly named Roary lowered her head. She and Kai had hung around the backyard all afternoon. Kai couldn't help but be amused by Roary's timid nature. She was so unlike anyone he knew. She hated conflict and wanted to do nothing but please, and she was overly sensitive about things. If she were human she'd be the polar opposite of Takao.
Kai suddenly heard the front door slam.
"Mom? Are you home?" Hiromi's voice called.
-I gotta go,- Kai said standing up. -Are you sure you don't want to stay here?-
-Yes,- Roary said quickly. -I have a place at the park where I usually sleep anyways.-
-Ok, but remember, don't come into the yard unless I call you and tell you it's safe.-
-Ok. Bye Kai!-
Kai watched Roary disappear through the fence just as the back door opened up behind him.
"Nikko! How'd you get out here? And where did your collar go?"
Kai ran up to her and meowed. He hadn't seen her all day, and, dare he think it, he wanted her to hold and pet him. For some reason he had an overwhelming need for attention. Hiromi didn't disappoint, and she scooped Nikko up into her arms and gave him a big hug. Kai sighed and snuggled closer to her warmth.
"Ick! You're all dirty again! Looks like I'll have to give you another bath," she carried Nikko inside, all the while talking to him. "The guys all asked about you today. Do you want to come with me to the dojo tomorrow? Too bad Kai hasn't shown up. . ." Nikko stiffened. "The guys said he had important business to take care of, but I feel like they're hiding something."
Hiromi set Kai in her bathtub and he pondered what she had said.
'They lied for me,' he thought. 'But not very well. I need a cover story, better yet, maybe I can get one of them to write a note or something.'
He let Hiromi lift the front half of his body up and rinse him under the running faucet. He relaxed under the warm water, letting it wash away his stress. When he was clean, Hiromi plugged the bathtub and added some bubble bath liquid. Soon Kai was enveloped in the jasmine vanilla foam.
'Hhhhmmmmmm. . . this feels soooo nice. . .'
He didn't notice that Hiromi was gone until she returned with a change of pajamas.
'Huh. What's she doi. . . OH SWEET HOLY. . .!!'
He quickly turned around when Hiromi began peeling off her shirt.
'Oh no OH NO!! This is NOT happening! Bad! Very bad! I have to get out of here, NO! Can't turn around! Bad Kai, BAD KAI!!!'
The water rippled as Hiromi stepped into the bath.
'Ooooooooh man. What do I do? I can't turn around. And what if she finds out who I really am? I would never be able to face her.'
Kai felt himself being lifted up by a pair of hands.
"What's wrong Nikko? Don't you like the bubbles?"
'Oh, CRAP! I have to get outta here. . . !'
Kai suddenly wriggled from Hiromi's grasp and dove for the side of the bathtub, and at the same time tried not to look at her. He jumped over the side and ran out of the bathroom leaving a trail of soapy water behind him.
"Nikko! Get back here! You're getting suds everywhere!"
Hiromi eventually had to get a towel on and chase Kai down so she could dry him off and resume her bath.
"You're so weird," she chided as she toweled him off. "You act as if you're embarrassed to take a bath."
'You have no idea. . .' Kai thought to himself.
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That night didn't go much better for Kai. When he was awake, lying snuggled under Hiromi's arm, he worried about what would happen between him and Coldfire tomorrow, or rather, what she might do to him. When he finally fell asleep, he suffered from the same nightmare again. This time however he managed to get a better look at the woman's face, and it seemed hauntingly familiar to him, but he couldn't quite put his finger -or paw- on it. Thankfully the morning came quickly, and it promised to be another beautiful summer's day.
After a quick snack of dry cat food, Kai found himself sitting on the back patio waiting for Coldfire. The day was early, but it was already very warm outside. Bees buzzed from one flower to the next in Hiromi's mother's flower garden, a butterfly floated across the grass stopping for a moment in front of the watching blue cat, as if regarding him, before disappearing further into the garden, and the birds where flittering here and there singing high pitched little ditties. Kai had learned early on that birds were big time gossips, and their songs relayed the news they heard all over the neighborhood, possibly even the whole city.
-A little dog runs from his home late one night. . .-
-. . .Steals some food from a human, but lost it in a fight.-
-A big dog was beaten by a cat with a mane. . .-
-. . .One of Grappleclaw's captains lies dead down the lane.-
-She's dead! She's dead! One of His captains is dead!-
-Gone down below, where all cats should go!-
-A car smashed a squirrel down to the ground. . .-
-And now crows come a'feasting from all around.-
-An owl flew,- The bird then caught sight of Kai. -CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT! CAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!-
Soon the whole yard was filled with the screeches of birds. They fluttered all about staring at Kai with their beady eyes and screaming their warning cries. Kai flattened his ears and growled. He wished he could chase the birds, but he knew that as soon as he had taken a few steps forward he would fall flat on his snout. After a few minutes the birds became bored and started their gossipy songs again, though they kept a close eye on the blue cat sitting on the patio.
A few minutes later some birds began singing songs about him. . .
-Here, here sits a human in a cat's skin. . .-
-My, my what trouble he's now in!-
-A captain of Grappleclaw's nearly killed him twice. . .-
-Made friends with a dog who's terrified of mice!-
Kai got up, ready to pounce on the next bird that sang.
-Wait till His captains find,-
But the bird never finished his song. Another bird began to screech -CAAAAAAAAT!- but before the bird could turn his head, a flash of black and white darted out of nowhere and gleaming fangs severed his neck.
Coldfire calmly strolled over toward the gawking Kai carrying the dead bird amidst the horrified cries of the other living birds.
-THISTLE IS DEAD! THISTLE IS DEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAD!!-
-Some claim they're used to this morning rabble,- Coldfire grumbled as she dropped the dead bird between her front paws. -Not me though. All I can do is take out my anger on at least one of them. Hungry?-
-. . . No thanks.-
Kai watched in morbid fascination as Coldfire began ripping the feathers from the bird. She mumbled something about not having breakfast and quickly devoured the bird. When she finished, she gave her face a quick wash and stood up.
-Come with me,- she said bluntly.
She turned and started to walk. When Kai didn't move she stopped and glared at him.
-Well?- she snapped.
-I can't walk,- Kai stated.
Coldfire blinked. -Show me.-
Kai only had to take two paces before tripping. He looked up at Coldfire shyly, who had an expression of surprise and amusement.
-You're trying to walk like a dog,- she said, trying not to laugh. -What you're trying to do is walk by moving your right front paw and you left hind paw at the same time and vise versa. Cats walk by moving the front and hind paw on the same side at the same time. The hind paw should fall right where the front paw was. Stand up, I'll show you.-
Coldfire made Kai stand and walk beside her. The moment he fell into step he felt like he was walking on air. His legs and joints didn't hurt, he didn't trip, and the flowing movement felt so good he thought he do it all day. She then made him run properly around the yard, and showed him how to jump up and to use his tail as a balance.
-Now this is the most important thing you can learn,- said Coldfire as she and Kai sat in the peach tree. -If you ever fall from a high place such as this, you can twist your body in midair so you can land paws down. All you have to do is make sure the front half of your body gets turned around and the rest should follow. And never, EVER, hold your legs out straight. You can snap a limb in two that way. Bend at the joints to absorb the shock when you land. Understand?-
-I think so.-
-Good. Then jump. And don't forget to bend the legs.-
Kai leaped from his branch and landed gracefully on the soft grass. He held his tail and head high in triumph. For once his body was working the way he wanted it to. Coldfire landed next to him.
-Come, there is a place I want to show you.-
Kai wondered why they needed to go anywhere since he had learned what he wanted to learn, but he followed Coldfire over the fence and across the street. The sidewalk was crowded and they had to avoid being stepped on. Coldfire turned sharply into an alleyway.
-Where are we going?- asked Kai.
-Black Moon.-
-Where?-
-You'll see.-
Kai followed uneasily. Coldfire led him through dark alleys and storm drains, and over rotting fences. Kai nearly ran into her as she suddenly stopped.
-What it different about this place?- she asked him.
-What do you mean?-
-What is different about this area then the one we came from?-
Kai looked around. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, just a typical Japanese suburb.
-It seems all the same to me,- he answered honestly.
-Because you're only using your eyes,- she snapped. -There is so much more to the world than what any creature can see with their eyes, and they can often deceive you. Try following your nose and see what it tells you.-
-My nose?- Then it hit him. -The smell! There's something different about the smell here.-
-Good. If anything it's good you have a cat's nose, and not your human one. Your nose can give you much information that can be vital to your safety. A large tomcat rules this area of the city. What you smell is his trademark scent. Lucky for us he's not nearby, so we can pass through.-
Coldfire continued on her route with Kai following closely behind. She eventually stopped at a basement grate of a large red brick building.
-This is the Black Moon,- she said. -A safe haven for cats,- She pushed the grate open with a forepaw. -Go on. . .-
Kai looked hard into the inky darkness, thinking he saw some movement. He paused for a moment to gather some courage, and jumped in.
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Me: Not as long as some of my chapters, but I hope you like. Next time the plot thickens as Coldfire explains about the ruthless and deadly Grappleclaw, but what does this all have to do with Kai? Will he EVER find a way to be human again?