Grimalkin Chapter Six (Patreon)

Never hesitate to venture into new places and meet new people. You rarely know what questions to ask until you have already stumbled upon the answers.

Lady Chatterwick

The carriage was large, and stuffed with benches separated by just enough space for someone to walk between them. The wealthy passengers, who were allowed to go first, took the widest seats, placing cushions and blankets on the hard wooden surface before spreading their skirts or arms wide to maintain their personal space.

Once they were settled, the coachman allowed the regular citizens to enter, and Tobias was soon crushed between a large, muscular man wearing brown wool from head to foot, and a woman clutching two wriggling toddlers on her lap. Fortunately, the wooly man, the woman, and the youngest toddler, barely more than a baby, were uninterested in interacting with the others around them. The older child, a boy of perhaps two and a half, stared at the cats perched on his seatmate’s shoulders as if they were the most fascinating thing he’d ever seen.

Tia was on the shoulder nearest the boy, and her body language would have made it clear to any adult that she would like to be left alone, but the boy didn’t understand what the cat’s flattened ears, hunched shoulders, and puffy tail were telling him. Before the carriage even left the station, the child made a grab for Tia’s twitching tail. He missed, but Tia hissed and gave a half-hearted swipe of her claws, then scrambled around her brother’s neck to join Maria on the far side. The harried woman gave a half-apology to Tobias, and returned to attempting to coax her little one to eat a dried biscuit.

“I hate this,” Tia yowled angrily, licking at the fur on her tail. “Why do humans choose to travel like this?”

Maria, who was now half on Tobias’ shoulder, and half draped across his collarbones, grumpily replied, “Because we have to. It’s much faster than walking, and most of these people can’t afford a carriage or even a horse of their own, even if they had somewhere to stable it.”

Tobias reached up and gave his sister a reassuring pat. “Most of them will get off in Minitaw,” he muttered. “Be patient.”

Maria tried to be patient. She was, at least, more successful than Tia, who continued to glare at the boy even after his mother distracted him with a ball tied to a stick. The ball subsequently hit nearly everyone in the nearest two rows of seats at least once, but at least the child forgot about the cats.

It took most of that day to reach Minitaw, and by the time they did, everyone in the carriage was thoroughly sick of each other, including people who had boarded together. A young man and woman had a rousing argument about how much the man watched a pretty new neighbor, and that kept everyone occupied for almost an hour, but then the pair lapsed into furious silence and boredom set in again, punctuated only by sneak attacks from the little boy’s ball.

In Minitaw, everyone poured out of the carriage, and once again it was far more people than should ever have been able to fit into that space. The two cats jumped down, and all three of them walked a bit away, stretching their legs and rolling their necks.

“What now?” Maria asked.

Tobias glanced around, then squatted in the dirt beside her. He picked up a stick and began doodling in the dust, looking for all the world as if he were talking to himself while planning his day. “We’ll stop here for supper. There’s a tavern nearby that serves excellent bread and cheese. A smaller carriage will take us and anyone else heading onward after an hour or so. When we reach Oliad, we’ll stop for the night. Passengers can arrange for a place to stay at the carriage house, or fend for themselves, but we can sleep wild and save some money.”

Maria felt her heart lurch. Sleep outside? She had napped in her apple tree many times, but that wasn’t the same as being a young woman alone outside at night. Of course, she wasn’t alone, nor was she a young woman at the moment. Three cats could sleep in a hollow log or up in a tree in a way that human children would never be able to do. Her stomach chose that moment to rumble, letting her know that it was more worried about supper than sleeping arrangements.

Tia’s stomach echoed the sentiment. “Go get supper, then. I’m hungry!” The words trailed off into a plaintive howl, and Tobias winced, glancing around.

“Yes, fine,” he hissed. “Just give me a minute. You remember this is the place that kicked us out because the cook said fur was unsanitary.” He rolled his eyes. “As if the filth humans practically wallow in isn’t more disgusting than anything any cat was ever willing to put up with.”

Maria blinked. She supposed that was true. While Mama was very hygiene conscious and insisted that everyone in her family bathe at least once a day, Maria was aware this was not standard practice, even among noble families. Maria didn’t often attend the balls and luncheons that her mother so enjoyed, but when she did, she usually met a few young nobles who unsuccessfully attempted to cover their odor with scents and perfumes.

Tobias remained in his position as Tia wound around his legs, meowing pitifully. When the rest of the passengers had gone ahead, he straightened and sidled away down a side street. Tia and Maria trailed him silently. He picked up speed as he went, until he slid to a stop before two buildings that looked as if they had been built on either side of a wall which had since crumbled into the fallen bricks that littered the narrow space, leaving a gap that was perhaps five inches wide.

Maria jumped atop a heavy gray brick, and peered into the space, which was too small to merit being called an alley. Tia stopped beside her, looking startled. “Tobias?” Tia called.

There was a muffled scraping and a grunt, and Tobias meowed back impatiently. “Come on!”

The two girls slipped into the dark gap. Something soft moved beneath Maria’s paws, and she jumped straight up, away from it, but quickly realized it was some kind of cloth. It moved, and Maria jumped again, this time letting out a startled meow.

“Hush,” Tobias hissed from somewhere ahead. “This is supposed  to be a secret base.”

Maria blinked. “Sorry,” she mumbled.

There was a pause, and when Tobias spoke again, he sounded a little embarrassed. “Ah, it’s all right. I, um, thought that was Petunia.”

Tia gave a crackling little hiss. “I’m not stupid. I know secret stuff when I see it.”

Maria had a suspicion that the kitten had been just as surprised as she was, but hadn’t had time to make any sound. In any case, they were now entering into what looked like a dim room with one side entirely open to the gap between buildings.

Tobias, back in his cat shape, was busily tugging his fallen clothing into the open area with his teeth. Tia immediately began helping as soon as she saw him, so Maria gripped a sleeve in her mouth and tugged as well. When the three cats had dragged the tunic, pants, and low boots far enough that no human could peer in and see them, they all laid down simultaneously. Tia’s belly growled again.

“When will-”

Her brother cut her off. “Now. Now hush. We’re not supposed to make any noise in here. We don’t want the humans to decide they need to investigate, right?” He trotted over to a waxed leather bag that nearly blended in with the shadows, and pulled on the strings. After a little effort, it fell open, revealing several smaller pouches.

“Food, clothes, and money,” Tobias said with satisfaction. “Left here for any Felis who might be passing through and need something.” He began sniffing the bags. Tia copied him, and soon they had corralled two bags off to one side, and Tia was prodding at another with her paw.

“Thirsty,” the kitten complained, and the bag sloshed as she poked at it.

Tobias paced back and forth between the bags nervously a few times, before glancing at Maria. “Erm, would it be possible for you to… look away? I need fingers to get into these, and-”

Maria instantly spun in place, skin burning beneath her fur. If she’d been human, she would have been blushing brightly enough to be seen from the moon. More scraping and grunting came from behind her, and then Tobias’ now-familiar human voice said, “All right now.”

Maria turned, and saw that the tousle-haired boy had pulled on his pants and tunic, though the tunic strings were rather haphazardly tied. He was pulling open the pouches, which revealed a lump of hard black bread, a similarly hard white cheese, and some unidentifiable strips of dried meat. “Most towns have a space like this. We have to memorize the location of them all before we go on our adult journey. I’ve got most of them down, now, though I have a few years yet before I go.”

Tia snorted around a mouthful of dry cheese. Crumbs clung to her long white whiskers. “Two, at least. Two to five. You have to be at least sixteen.”

Maria did the math. If Tobias would be sixteen in two years, then he was fourteen now, which was younger than Maria had thought he was. He glared at his sister, yellow-green eyes catching the dim shafts of light and reflecting oddly.

“I will be sixteen. I’m ready now, but they won’t let me go because it’s traditional to wait. Who cares? Traditions can change!” He looked defiant, and beside him, the black kitten nodded, then coughed as she choked on cheese bits.

“Traditions are stupid,” Tia meowed in agreement. “Who cares if you’re supposed to be able to shift into a human skin or when? What difference does it actually make, anyway?”

Tobias sighed. “That’s different, and you know it. You-”

“How is it different, Mr. I’m-so-grown-up? It’s just stupid expectations from the way things have always been done. We can be different, they just don’t want to!”

Maria had a feeling that the topic had veered from the ‘adult journey’, and as the siblings continued to bicker, she wondered what that journey entailed. It certainly seemed like the Felis spent a lot of time traveling. Between the proving quest, accompanying a younger relative on their proving quest, and now this adult quest, it sounded like the young Felis spent as much time traveling as they did at home! Maria felt a twinge of envy, but shoved it down. Right now, she just needed to get back to her human shape and return home. Her parents had to be so worried.

All three of the children stilled as they heard a scraping sound echo up from the narrow path between buildings. Three heads spun toward the sound, ears swiveling, and Maria felt her pupils contract almost painfully as they tried to make out what object was blocking the light trickling in from the alley.

“Oh ho! What is this?” A deep, masculine meow sounded, and a tall, powerful blue-gray cat sauntered into the small space they were occupying. His golden eyes surveyed the ruin of the supplies, and his whiskers twitched. He drew nearer, and Maria saw that he had several pink scars across his nose, and one ear was little more than a ragged stump.

The sharp eyes flicked over Tobias and Maria, then settled on Petunia. “Ah, Princess. Did your grandmother finally decide to send you on a quest? And so far from home! I recognize Tobias, but who is this lovely kitten?” Sidling closer, he leaned down and touched his nose to Maria’s. A spicy mix of musk and dust wound its way through Maria’s senses, and she knew she would normally pull away from the intrusion, but somehow it felt right to lean in and sniff him back.

The long whiskers above the strange cat’s eyes jumped, and he stepped back. He and Tobias exchanged what seemed to be an oddly meaningful look, and Maria wondered if he could smell the humanity in her. A heartbeat later, a tall man with gray hair crouched before her. His face was crossed with three thick, pink scars, and one ear was half missing. He stretched out a calloused hand and gently picked up Maria’s paw. Leaning down, he gently kissed the chocolate brown fur, and somehow he made the action feel as natural as one of Maria’s father’s courtiers bowing over the hand of the Queen.

“My name is Tosep, your highness, and I am very pleased to meet you.”