"Hey, wake up!"

The small cat moaned, opened his eyes. Slowly, he rolled over so he could glare at the female calico with a look of pure annoyance. She sat there, washed and fed, looking down at him with a sweet look splayed across her features.

"Why are you happy?" he asked, pushing himself up so that he was leaning heavily on his haunches. "It's before dawn. You're not allowed to be happy when the sun isn't up yet."

"There's always a reason to be happy."

"Not in the morning, Dauhieh," he insisted. He started washing himself, forcing the rebellious, dark grey fur down.

"I've got something that'll make you happy," Dauhieh informed him, turning to leave.

"And what would that be?"

"Well, I'haach, it just so happens that Chraih got some sausage this morning."

I'haach abruptly stopped his washing and looked up, his ears perking slightly. "Bratwurst?"

"Bratwurst," she confirmed, leaving him.

His whiskers went forward, and he returned to his tabby fur, forcing it down as quickly as possible. One of the few things he liked about mornings was breakfast, and breakfast in his den was what kept him going every day.

He finished, then hopped off the end of the small bed to the slightly dirty carpet below. Crossing the sun washed dusty fabric, he headed out the door which led straight to a short staircase. As he went, he felt along the mental pathways that connected him to his team. Each one felt stable and unthreatened, so he ran down the last few steps and focused the rest of his attention on the meal that was soon to come.

Pushing through the slightly open door at the foot of the steps, I'haach stepped into the butcher's shop proper. He made his way padding slowly behind the counter in to where his ehif stood, wrapping up fresh meat in brown paper. A quick cast around confirmed that Dauhieh was already enjoying a large piece of sausage in the corner with a very light marmalade tabby. The second looked up and nodded at him as I'haach walked in, then returned to his sausage.

He walked over to his ehif, rubbing up against his ankle. "Good morning, Chraih," he greeted him in ailurn.

Chraih looked down, and his bright eyes lit up. "Hey, there's my boy!" he exclaimed, bending down to rub I'haach's neck, right at the base. "Big purr, there, eh puss?"

"Oh please, you know I can't resist that," I'haach protested, feeling the deep purrs in his throat.

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Chraih told him, reaching up to the counter. "You want your breakfast, don't you?"

"In the name of Queen Iau, yes!"

The hand came back down holding half of a bratwurst sausage down, just out of I'haach's reach. Although he already knew it wouldn't work, I'haach stood up on his haunches in a very unbalanced manner and swiped at the sausage futilely. He tried again, then fell backwards after losing his balance.

"You realise that this could be considered torture?" I'haach asked picking himself up and trying one last time before simply sitting down.

Chraih laughed a bit, then dropped the sausage down to I'haach. I'haach, for his part, grabbed the sausage in his mouth as it fell, and walked over to the other two cats.

The marmalade was laughing softly under his breath. "You shouldn't let him manipulate you like that. You're really losing my respect."

"Are you kidding?" Dauhieh asked, laughing at him. "If he cared what people think of him, then he'd be both in a different profession, and a different den probably, so he wouldn't have to put up with you."

"She's got a point, Mano," I'haach told him, then busied himself with tearing away at the sausage in front of him.

"Whatever you say," Mano told him. "I'm just saying that it's getting tough to defend the territory on my end of the work."

"Your end of the work?" Dauhieh and I'haach both said at the same time. Their whiskers were so far forward, they could have fallen off.

"All you do is play hauissh all day!" Dauhieh laughed.

"Oh, come now," Mano looked to I'haach for defence. "You know what I'm talking about!"

"Nope."

"You're a tom! You must've been busy with hauissh in at least one of your lives!"

"Nope. Too busy with wizardry."

"In every life?"

"Yes. And I'm too busy with eating right now to speak much more."

"What, is food all that matters to you?"

"Food and wizardry, and if one gets interrupted, I'll shred the ears of those responsible," I'haach informed him, accentuating the point by raking at the sausage with his claws. Taking the point, Mano turned his attention back to Dauhieh.

"But anyways, what are you doing at the metro today?"

"The usual stuff," Dauhieh told him, looking amusedly between the two toms.

I'haach sighed. "Diagnostics."

"Diagnostics," Dauhieh hissed in pleasure. "It's been too long since I last had to do them."

I'haach rolled his eyes as he ripped another piece off of the sausage. Fortunately, during the recent event during which all of the interstellar wizards past the age of latency, he'd been too young for it to affect him. His distinguished partner, however, had lost her ability to gate, and since the situation was resolved the day before, Dauhieh had been totally obsessed with the idea of getting back into the game.

"Myself and Sihm, however," I'haach said finally, "could do without diagnostics for a life or two." I'haach stopped to think for a moment, then said to Someone neither of the other two knew was listening, Well, she could do without them for a life or two, but I'd be fine for one life.

"Either way," Dauhieh continued, "please finish that bratwurst, because I want to get out there!"

"Fine!" I'haach yelled out, and swallowed the last of his sausage. "We'll see you later Mano."

"Whatever you say, I'haach," he said, then breathed breaths with him. "Hunt's luck."

"Luck, Mano."

The two cats made their ways out from behind the counter, and walked out into the street.