Completed [The Stone Gardens] The thing about cats

[Fallon]

6th Summer 513AV

Fallon liked reading. Or more correctly, she adored it. Out of all the things in the world the squire could possibly choose to do in order to pass the time the one thing she chose to do out of all of them was read. It allowed the flow of imagination to break out, to allow the thought process to emerge and experience and understand. Of course, there was one other thing Fallon enjoyed more than reading and that was writing. But on this occasion she had put down the notions of storytelling just for a little while and took up the chance to educate herself. It was much like how a wet stone kept a blade sharp; accept of course it was a book and a mind instead. Never the less it allowed it to grow sharp, precise and allowing the increase in intelligence. A skill that was just as important as knowing how to swing about a sword, for there were times that were words were more important than the simple actions of violence and sheer physical power. Knowing and learning allowed one to understand what was and was not the best course of action.

In the shadow of the stone gardens, beneath one of the low lying trees that crept around its edge - and so brought a tiny amount of green to the city – did Fallon perch herself upon the stones, with Orvin resting next to her, his large head resting upon his paws next to her. Her hand rested upon the top of his head, whilst the book rested on her lap. It was far from anything special, or more over it was just a collect of notes she had managed to gather over the years that she was reading. From ramblings of her younger self, to more present and darker times. Fingers turned the page over as she found her notes from Avanthal and read through them, eyes quickly darting over worn text and badly written passages about the holds. Her lip curled for a moment, before the page once more turned.

“Orvin,” she addressed the wolf. His ears twitched, and an eye turned to her looking at her with curiosity “I think we should make a move. What you think?” The wolf gave a sleepy yawn as Fallon leaned forward and allowed him to get up. Rising to her own feet, the squire tucked the book underneath her arm before looking down upon her furry companion, and clicked her fingers to grab his attention “Come on, let’s get back to the dormitories. And get my legs alive and moving. Sitting on the ground does get your legs numb...” She gave a wince and stamped her foot against the stone, before pushing off from her spot.
x

[Favik]

6th of Summer, 513 AV The Stone Gardens OOCSorry for the length... I started writing this while I was at work and it kinda just kept going and going and going... >.< Hidden in the shadows of one of the other trees on the other side of the garden, the little Kelvic kitten sat crouched, her tail swishing quietly from side to side. Other than the swish of her tail, the feline was perfectly still as her amber eyes watched a rather plump looking pigeon. The bird was bouncing from stone to stone, cooing away without a care in the world. What it was doing Favik didn't know, she wasn't a bird after all. As the bird turned away from her and started bouncing that way, the feline crept from her hiding spot. Her tiny paws were silent on the smooth round stones of the garden. Silence was the key, then speed when she got closer. The hunt would be a complete fail if the tasty treat heard her and took off before she got any closer. The pace was slow going, the feline freezing in place whenever the bird stopped then started again when it resumed doing its thing. Finally she was close enough, she could practically taste the bird in her mouth. Crouching down again, she repositioned herself so she could kick off with her rear legs. Her excitement at the pending catch had her leaping sooner than she should have. Kicking off the smooth round stone she was on, the feline stretched her tiny paws out, claws fully extended ready to hook into the pigeons plumage. The sudden burst of movement alerted the bird to Favik's presence though, and in a flourish of wings, the feline watched the bird take to the air. She watched it soar around above her head, sure that it was taunting and teasing her. Birds were so much more smug than rats. Look at us! Look at us! You can't get us, ha ha! Oh what joy it would be if the feline had wings. She'd be a terror then for sure! She'd be able to wipe the smirks right off the birds beaks, cause she was sure they were smirking down at her. Finally, Favik watched the bird perch in on of the trees and start preening itself. She'd show it! Don't take your attention off a cat that's hunting you! Lowering herself down to the ground, she darted into the shadows created by the tree. She could just barely see the fat pigeon through the branch's and it didn't seem to take notice of her most recent move. With a wiggle of her rear end, she launched herself upward into the tree. Her sharp needle like claws dug into the bark and she was able to lift herself higher and higher rather quickly. It wasn't a quiet climb though and the bird was ready when she got close again. It let out a loud coo coo sound and batted its wings at her before flying to a higher perch. The feline managed to stay clung to the tree throughout the short onslaught of wings and was soon after the bird again. It had to be teasing her now. It would wait until she was close then lazily climb higher and higher until Favik was near the top of the tree. Once there, the bird took to the air and just circled the tree. Crawling onto a dangerously thin branch that really shouldn't have been able to hold her weight, she glared at the bird while growling and trying to swat at it when it got too close to her. This went on for about a chime or two before the bird got tired of the game and flew off. Coward! Running from their fight! The feline sat there a little longer, her tail swishing angrily behind her. SNAP! Favik didn't have any time to think about what had made that sound as the branch she'd been perched on broke under her tiny weight. Both her and the broken limb fell, crashing through other branches, Favik yowling the whole way until she managed to get her claws into a thicker branch about 15 feet lower than where she'd started out. Half on and half hanging off, the kitten struggled to pull herself all the way onto the branch then let out another loud yowl as pain shot through her right shoulder. Feeling herself slip, she started kicking with her rear paws, hopping to get her claws hooked into the bark to pull herself up. After what felt like bells upon bells, she finally managed to get a rear paw on the branch and she was able to pull herself all the way up. The branch she'd landed on was a thicker one, easily able to hold her feline weight. Catching her breath, she looked to her shoulder where the pain was and saw a deep gash through the upper part of her shoulder. Looking upward, she found the cause. A previously broken branch, sharpened to a point was colored red with her blood and had a few tuffs of orange fur stuck to it. Letting out a helpless mew, she pulled herself closer to the trunk where the branch was thicker then proceeded to let out loud helpless mews in hopes to get someone's attention. She wasn't entirely sure the branch she was on now would hold her human weight, so she didn't want to change forms unless she really had to.

[Fallon]

It was perhaps only due to dumb luck that Fallon hears the insistent yowling of the cat within the tree. If it could even be called luck, the squire was only half way across the garden when she thought she had dropped something and sent her hands racing to her pockets before finding all her belongings were present. If it was for not that mere tick of doubt she would of have left the scene without a second thought. Her head turned to the source of the sound, eyes narrowing down as she looked upon the thin narrow branches of the spindly trees that hugged the edge of the stone gardens. Taking careful steps around, with Orvin leading slightly on.
“Damned cat must be making the noise,” the girl muttered as she looked the trees up and down. They may have been tall, but they were indeed thin and narrow the branches small, and in the opinion of the squire she doubted they could support the weight of a lot of things. Small animals and birds perhaps, but anything else she was sceptical of.

She traced her way along the low trees, the yowling of the cat growing louder by the moment. The source was obviously nearby though, hidden behind branches and trees. Her hands rested on her hips as she searched for a few more chimes. Standing beneath the culprit tree the squire looked up between the branches and up at the cat. It was a tiny thing what she could see, fixated upon making noise. For attention or for the sake of it she did not know, cats were a mystery to her after all. Then again so was most animals, she only knew Orvin well enough through trial and error and spending large quantities of time with him. It was how she learned if something was or was not wrong. This cat though was little more than stray nothing more nothing less. And so she stood there, observing the creature as it hovered around the centre of the tree, inquisitive eyes and its noise making.

Is it stuck? she titled her head to one side as she looked up at it. Orvin on the meanwhile paced around the tree, a firm paw pressing against it before he sniffed around the base and yapped loudly.
“Orvin, sit!” she addressed the wolf with a scowl, a hand firmly pressing against his back. He looked a bit insulted for a moment and then obeyed, with his head turned away and a snort showing his opinion. She shook her head before looking back up the cat “Damn agile things, how the petch did it get up there?”
x

[Favik]

6th of Summer, 513 AV The Stone Gardens Favik was in pain, the gash in her shoulder made putting weight on that paw painful and she couldn't lift that limb very high. But both of her shoulders and chest area were hurting for another reason also. For how far she'd fallen and then catching herself on the branch, the strain on her shoulders was now making itself known while she was sure her chest was going to be bruised an ugly purple when she returned to her human form. Laura wasn't going to be happy. She'd fuss over the child, maybe give her a few more rules so that she could restrict the feline's movements somehow. Maybe she'd just stay in the tree... Then she'd get a sharp twinge of pain and she knew she had to find a way down. “Orvin, sit!” Favik hadn't been sure if anyone else was actually in the garden at the time, or if she'd been there alone and in turn her cries for help were useless. But the voice at the base of the tree she was in had her looking down. Her mews changed from loud yowling into more of a pleading mew as she started to fidget on her little branch. She was still pretty high up and she could see now that the thin branches wouldn't support the human's weight, or her own if she shifted. She had to get lower somehow. She paced back and forth on her small space on the branch, having a bit of limp to her movement as she was trying not to put a lot of weight on her injured limb. She scanned the length of the tree below her. She usually didn't have any problems with trees. Climb up, come racing down... But her fall had shaken her now. She found another branch that she guessed would be able to hold her weight, but it was about four feet down and on the other side of the trunk. Figuring she didn't have a choice, she crouched low, focusing on the target branch. She wouldn't be able to climb down with her injured leg, it wouldn't support her weight. She jumped, her rear legs kicking her off her safe little ledge. She fell, watching the branch she was aiming for rise higher and higher up to meet her. Hoping this would work, she hooked her good paw into the bark, her needle like claws scraping through the tree before they hooked and the momentum of her fall and the sudden stop again had her small body swinging to the side toward the other side of the tree. When she figured she was right above the branch, her rear paws latched onto the trunk, stopping her movement where she was. Trying to peek under her, she saw the branch, about a foot below her. With her front paw still wrapped around the tree, she took a deep breath and retracted her claws. With nothing holding her upper half to the tree, she felt herself starting to lean backwards. Kicking off a little with her back paws, she leveled herself out and landed on the branch with a small thump, all four limps falling to either side of the branch. The impact jarred her shoulder and the pain from the growing bruise on her chest made her head fog over with pain and all she could do then was mew quietly in pain. That really hadn't been that good of an idea, and she was now regretting it... Though now the feline was only about five feet above Fallon's head.

[Fallon]

Fallon watched the cat sheepishly look down, a yowl and panic escaping as all became clear to Fallon. The creature was obviously stuck up there, having stupidly climbed too high and now suffering the consequences. The girl pursed her lips, her hands resting in her pockets whilst the book was tucked under her arm. For awhile she watched it brave a slow descent before once more stopping and flopping onto a lower branch. She swallowed down a snigger – unaware of the injuries the cat carried – before shaking her head at the quiet mewing. Orvin worked his way round, bringing himself up onto his rear legs ears pricked forward and his eyes bright as his other paws pushed against the tree.
“Orvin! What did I tell you?” Fallon groaned and firmly reached up and pressed his head down “Behave yourself.” She was not rough with him, but she was firm enough to make him finally behave himself, and so the wolf began stalking his way around the tree, looking up intently at the creature It seemed, she finally decided after observing the cat to her satisfaction that it was perhaps in need for help. Of course, there were a few issues with her trying to help.

The first thing was how to gain an extra five feet of height. Although she perhaps considered it possible to scale a tree, she had a strong gut feeling that it would not be able to take her weight. The other was that there was a good possibility the cat would not enjoy being manhandled by a relatively clumsy squire. She rubbed at her jaw. There was also a good chance that the cat would not understand a think she said, so there was no point in reaching out and getting it to jump down. Plus it did not look in any condition to do anything other than lie there.

And then there was that.

She knew what she could so, but there was always the risk with it. Someone may see, someone may know. There was indeed eyes everywhere, people who were watching, who may tell the knights and reveal who she was. There was always someone. The squire quickly looked about her, eyes scanning the gardens checking for potential others who may have been about and could be observing. As far as she could tell there was no one else, no other observing eyes to judge and see her display. Swallowing she turned her eyes up to the cat before speaking in a calm tone “Stay where you are. Just… don’t squirm!”

It was then that the girl reached into herself, reaching down deep into herself and pulling at her Djed. She planted both her feet firmly on the ground, solidifying her stance as she inhaled deeply and focused herself. She felt her nerves prickle as the Djed worked its way down her arms, the hairs on her arm raising as she wiggled the fingers in her pockets and took in the air. Her eyes once more darted about the stone gardens, as the gentle loosening of her arms. She felt her arms grow heavy, the muscles sagging as they relaxed and her focus returned to her manipulation. The astral arms trembled briefly in their skins, before they pulled away from the flesh, weaving their ways free before hovering out, ethereal snake like limbs hovering besides her.

“Keep watch Orvin. Let out a yap if…” she drifted off, he knew the drill after all. Eyes drifting up to the cat she extended up her projected hands to the cat, invisible fingers ready to pick the cat up. It may of have been high up for someone to reach, but with projection it was no strain at all. She doubted the cat would be too heavy for her to lift with her magic, and she should – she hoped – to remain unknown to many. Gently fingers wrapped around the cat as she inhaled deeply through her mouth and focused on gently lifting the creature “Now don’t move… a muscle…”
x

[Favik]

6th of Summer, 513 AV The Stone Gardens Favik had no idea what the girl was doing down below her or even if she was in the process of trying to help her. She had her eyes closed as she fought the foggy sensation she now had in her head. Her shoulder felt like it was on fire while her chest felt like someone had beat her with the flat end of a sword until her chest caved in. She didn't want to move any more. If the girl didn't help her she'd just stay the night in the tree. Perhaps she'd roll in her sleep and fall the rest of the way to the ground. It would hurt, sure, but she'd shift down there and once someone saw the bruised and bloody human looking girl, naked, they would help. “Orvin! What did I tell you? Behave yourself.” The sound of the female's voice wormed its way into her ears, warming a spot in her chest. She was still here! She hadn't left after she watched her very ungraceful fall to the lower branch. Maybe she really was going to help her. She was going to have to think of a way to repay the woman if she succeeded. Perhaps she liked mice? Nah, so far Favik hadn't had any luck in finding any other human that liked mice or rats as much as herself. Orvin... Who was that? An animal she guessed. Maybe he would. Maybe if she told Laura what the woman did, Laura would give her a free grooming at the bath house? Nah, her mother wasn't that high up to be making deals like that. Maybe Favik could give her a free grooming. Go to the bath house with her and scrub and rub her down like one of the actual groomers, but do it for free as a repayment? She knew most of the moves from helping her mother work. She'd have to ask the girl what she wanted... She might just very well surprise feline and accept the mice! “Stay where you are. Just… don’t squirm!” Favik cracked her eyes open a little. Squirm? Her? Nah... She didn't even want to breath right now. If only she could survive without breathing. Just lay there, completely still. Oh, if she was weightless that would be awesome too. That would mean no more weight resting on the ugly bruise she was sure she had. It was silent down below her for awhile and for a moment, Favik though that the girl had run off to find some help. That she didn't want her to move for fear she fell out of the tree the rest of the way. If that were the case, Favik didn't really care. Maybe most of the fog would be gone out of her head by the time she came back, though, would she then have to repay the other person too? She heard the woman again, she was still there and she'd just given Orvin another command. Why did he need to keep watch? Her eyes shot wide open as she felt something wrap around her. It was gentle and it felt like hands, but she could still hear the woman from down below. “Now don’t move… a muscle…” Of course that made her nervous. What was she doing? Was she going to drop her? Don't move a muscle... Ouch, she moved a little. She went completely limp in the invisible hold while her tail tucked up between her rear legs. How bad she wanted to tense up, curl herself into a little ball, flick her tail around, meow out in distress... She was so confused as to what was happening and her heart was racing because of it, but she did her best at staying still. Only occasionally having a twitch here or there in her limbs as the woman lifted her up and out of the tree with invisible arms.

[Fallon]

Fallon focused herself, feeling the ethereal hands wrap around the form of the cat. Gently they lifted the creature, raising it only slightly so it was free of the branch. Fallon kept her breathing calm as the cat was cradled in the air, slowly but surely being lifted down. She felt her astral give for a moment, not expecting the weight of the cat leaving her little choice but to pour more into it. In and out she breathed, carefully focusing and pulling at her Djed, feeling the strings of her arms tremble as the arms descended down with their load. It released a cry of distress and confusion, which came as no surprise. Fallon would have undoubtedly done the same had it been a similar situation.

Invisible hands lifting you up and putting you down? It would have scared anyone.

She stared, exerting her willpower onto it a low hum escaping her lips as she continued to concentrate. It should not have been too hard of a task, but it had indeed been a while since she had last practiced. She rarely found time or a place to use it, and now with the isolated nature of the stone gardens she leapt at the opportunity. Orvin’s ears pricked as he looked towards the entrance of the stone gardens, but no noise came from him as he kept watch. Lower the cat moved gradually drifting down past the eye level of Fallon. Her numb arm twitched and begun to ache a little as the creature was moved lower still.

Her chest tightened for a moment as the first twangs of strain called out to the squire. She drew in a sharp breath, feeling the ethereal arms tremble before finally the lowered and reached the ground. They released the cat, and let it slump there on the cool stones, whilst Fallon herself leaned in to inspect it closely. She did not hold back a sigh of relief, nor her winces as the tendrils slowly adhered themselves back to their flesh counterparts. The nerves burst into life, muscles spasms coursing through her used limbs. She muffled a grunt as she felt the veins pulse and move, the strength and feeling writhing through them. Hand twitched, fingers clicked before gently she reached a hand down and stroked the fur of the cat. She could barely feel the fur at the moment, but as things slowly begun to return she began to feel more.
“It’s alright now… it’s alright…” she spoke in a calm tone.

Gods Fallon! What are you doing? Will talking really help?
x

[Favik]

6th of Summer, 513 AV The Stone Gardens Favik's heart was going a mile a minute. It felt like it was trying to race its way up and out of her throat even. Don't move.... Doooooon't move.... She kept repeating to herself. It would just be her luck to be the reason the girl dropped her. What was a few more bruises? More pain, that's what! Her foggy brain gave her a fleeting image of what she imagined herself to look like right now. A scared stiff kitten, floating through the air... If she weren't in so much pain and scared, she would have ignored the woman's instructions to hold still, opting to wiggle around while she pretended to be flying. But no, her tumble had her nerves rattled at the moment and she did her best to behave. Now that she was out from the tree, she looked down at the woman and the wolf beside her. That had to be Orvin keeping watch. She slowly lifted her gaze, looking toward the entrance and saw it empty. Looking back at the girl, she saw the woman had her hands in her pockets! Wasn't she the one that was doing this? Was there someone else here lifting her down? Her panic had her head moving around, searching the garden for someone else but look and look as she might, she couldn't see anyone. She let out another meow in distress as the tip her tail started flicking from side to side while still tucked up between her legs. The garden was silent except for Favik and her cries, the birds were all quiet now. Probably watching and laughing. Oh, she was going to make them pay, at least that one she was after, this was all that bird's fault. The sound of humming pulled her attention back down to the girl, her ears flicking a little. She could see the strain starting to wear on the girl as she was lowered down past her face, her feline eyes locking with Fallon's human gaze. It had to be her that was doing this. She was close to the ground now, she could almost reach it. So close... Then the invisible hands that were holding her trembled a little and her back legs started kicking out, trying to reach the ground before she was dropped. Luckily for Fallon she was close and hopefully her struggles weren't too bad. As she was laid down on the firm solid ground, she let her body slump. Oh thank you thank you thank you! She found herself chanting in her head as she closed her eyes. She loved being in trees, she was a cat after all, but this one time... She was glad she was out of that tree and back on the ground. A moment later she felt the woman kneel down beside her, her fingers gently petting the fur on her back. “It’s alright now… it’s alright…” Favik couldn't help herself, she was so happy to be on the ground and the petting felt so much better than the pain in her arm, a small purr started up in her chest. Now that she was down on the ground, Fallon would be able to see the bloody gash on her right arm, just below her shoulder, where the offending branch had injured her.

[Fallon]

Fallon let out a long heavy sigh and rested on her haunches for a chime or two. She was at a bit of a standoff with herself. Here before her rested a creature that had obviously been hurt, the tell tale signs of blood told her that much, but there was little she could do at present. She had only the clothes on her back and her book after all. And Orvin of course, who had now taken to giving the cat a hesitant nudge with his nose, before giving it a firm lick along the back. The squire shot him a glare and rolled her eyes, “Don’t do that…”

Her free hand drummed against her arm, a steady rhythm playing out as life and feeling returned to them. What to do? What could she do?

On one hand, she had gotten the cat down from its unsecure location in a tree when it was far from her immediate concern. In fact the creature had nothing to do with her as far as she was concerned, and so she had already given it an act of charity by simply helping it out. On the other hand, it was still hurt and possibly needed more assistance. But Fallon was no specialist when it came to animals, she could barely keep Orvin in line after all – and at present that was beginning to grow harder day by day. She stroked underneath the chin of the cat and then round to its ears. It was an animal; it was not her responsibility and short of ruining her own belongings to tend to it, there was little she could do.

Leaning in slightly, Fallon proceeded to inspect it. Her fingers hovered around it as she took a long careful look at the gash. She mused over it for a moment, her head turning to the side as she looked at the blood then the relaxed expression on the face of the cat. She came to her own assumptions about the wound shortly after that. It would be painful – like most wounds – but probably seemed worse than it actually was. Of course, only a good clean up would determine that one for sure, and at present the only source of water she could see was the small fountain within the stone gardens itself.

She highly doubted that the cat would appreciate being dumped within those waters, and so standing she tottered away, leaving Orvin to supervise the creature. She wet her hands in the cool water, and flicked her fingers so they were only damp. Only for a moment did she have second thoughts on what the reaction of the cat would be to having liquid applied, and then returned to her crouch next to it. She slid her still awakening hand against the chest of the cat and held it lightly back so should it try to bite her there would be a bit of difficulty for it to do so. She swallowed and then applied a hand to the fur around the gash and used her fingers to begin cleaning up.
“Gods, this is going to hurt…”
x

[Favik]

6th of Summer, 513 AV The Stone Gardens Favik just lay there on the ground, basking in the gentle attention she was getting as the pain in her shoulder turned into a numbing throb. If she didn't move it didn't feel like her arm was being ripped off. She'd been hurt before. Kicked, thrown, had things thrown at her... But she'd never actually broken the skin before. Bumps and bruises were her usual companions. Her ears flattened a little at the lick Orvin gave her and she gave grinned at little at the woman telling him to stop. He was trying to care for her, why was she trying to stop him? To show she didn't care, her purring grew in volume as her head lifted stiffly to allow the scratches under her chin before dropping down again as the fingers went to her ears. Ah.... This was the life of a cat. Pets pets and more pettings. She felt more than saw the woman move away from her to head toward the fountain. Perhaps she was done helping her. She got her out of the tree, that was her main thing. She took a deep breath and flicked her tail a little. She'd have to shift to get back home. She wouldn't be walking while in this form, it would be too painful. Laura wasn't going to be happy... Richard would just shake his head at his daughter, but Laura, she'd fuss over her for bells upon bells, demanding to know what happened, who did this to her, if she was hurting, why she would do something so stupid like that... She sighed again then flicked her ears as she heard the girl coming back again. She was relaxed around the girl and her wolf. They'd saved her. In her mind they were now the best of friends, brought together by a trying experience. She was limp and relaxed in the woman's hand as she grabbed onto her chest, flinching just a little at the bruising that was forming there. When her damp fingers touched at her shoulder though, her body stiffened and she cracked her eyes open. “Gods, this is going to hurt…” No no... Please no.... Her silent pleas didn't help or stall the woman as her fingers started cleaning. Pain shot up her shoulder into her spine while the paw of that limb twitched and thrashed around with the rest of her body. Her weak struggles against the hand holding her in place were useless and with a brief thought of shifting, the change began. The change only lasted a blink of an eye. The thrashing feline's orange form suddenly lit up in a bundle of bright swirling lights, as her form shifted from that of a feline, to a young woman. Fallon's hand that had been holding her feline chest in place, was now left gripping at the small breasts of the rail skinny five foot girl. Her dark blue eyes were wide as tears started to stream down her face as her struggles continued. Her increased size and hands and feet made that easier and soon she was scrambling away to put some distance between the woman and her shoulder as blood started to flow anew down her arm from her struggles.