[Mkguild] Long Distance Part 5

[Stealth]

Not much left now.

Stealth looked about the town, just as had been the case a few hours earlier
there was a scene of chaos but for a different reason. He tried some wine
and beer but blanched at the taste and declined anymore, preferring instead
cider as he feasted on roast lamb and caramel treats. A clock in a large
tower tolled the late hour to the merriment of the villagers. At one point
in the night the mayor interrupted the show on stage to announce that
Terreth would have proper defences built in the New Year so their town would
never be attacked again. A bold and political statement perhaps though it
increased the peoples' cheer.



            As the feline tried to consume one of his treats without
spilling too much of it on the grass below, he found a log to sit on. Though
the crackling fire and laughter filled the commons, Stealth faintly detected
someone's sulking. He turned his head and saw another feline sitting on the
log. It was a young boy recently changed by the curse, he had the form of a
domestic cat and sat curled up with his head down.



            At first the cheetah tried to pretend he didn't notice the child
but eventually he sighed and looked for something to say.



            "Kid... what's wrong?"



            The boy looked up and rubbed his eyes, "I'm a cat." He
whimpered.



            "So? What's wrong with that?" Stealth asked, trying to sound
concerned.



            The kitten turned his head down and looked at his foot paws, "My
sister teases me." He mumbled.



            "Why?" The cheetah asked, starting to actually become concerned.



            The boy sniffed back his tears, "I can't eat apples or berries.
I can't eat my mummy's pies anymore."



            The cheetah nodded. "Well what did your sister become?"



            The kitten looked up at the bonfire and pointed when he heard a
hoarse laugh, "That's my sister."



            Stealth turned his gaze and saw a white horse. She was a few
years older then the boy but still a child herself. The adolescent mare
stood among boys who looked some years older then her. They laughed and
chatted about nothing in particular.



            Stealth turned back to the child, "Kid, what's your name?"



            "Alby." He mumbled.



            "Alby, my name is Stealth. I'm a cat too and I can't eat those
things either." So saying, Stealth hid his pastry from view, "But there's
lots of things you can eat that taste good."



            "But I don't wanna be a cat." Alby pouted.



            "...well, you know, when I got here I didn't know who I was.
Being a cat felt normal and right." It still did; memories of being a human
were still hazy to the cheetah. "So, you know, it's not bad, it's just
different."



            "But I'm me. I know who I am. I don't want to be a house cat."
The child repeated.



            "But... you are." Stealth explained gently, "You can make the
most of it though, you might as well. Being gloomy won't help. Just have fun
and try not to worry."



            The kitten's ears perked when his sister broke out into more
hoarse laughter. "I'll try."



            "Are you okay?" The cheetah asked gently.



            "I'm okay." He said and dried his tears.



            Stealth nodded slowly. He wondered if the kid would be okay. He
must have been 12, 13ish, from what he recalled that was towards the age
that children in Metamor would be struck by the curse. It was a sad thought;
children having to go through a curse. It would be traumatic enough for an
adult, but a child?



            "Thanks, Stealth. I'll try to make the most of it." He said with
a creeping grin as he watched his sister.



            Before the cheetah's eyes, Alby shrank into his clothing. After
some shuffling about in his knitted top, the kitten emerged in full form and
walked toward the fire.



                Stealth watched the kitten in confusion as he silently
padded up to his sister and grabbed the strands of her tail into his muzzle
before he backed up and began to tug.



            The boy's sister stopped suddenly in her jovial banter as her
eyes widened in surprise, "...Owww!" She said and looked around at the
rascally kitten, "Quit it!"



            The child didn't listen as he moved about to evade his sister's
hoof-like hands, continuing to tug at her tail until a gray paw lifted him
up by the scruff. The very young feline mewed loudly in protest as a large
female rabbit restrained him.



            "What did I tell you about fighting with your sister, young
man?" She scolded.



            Stealth watched the woman scold the kitten and shook his head;
anywhere else but Metamor the sight would be one of lunacy.



            The rabbit eventually looked up at Stealth, "I suppose you
encouraged him."



            The cheetah's eyes widened, "What? I just told him to cheer up
and make the most of the curse. I didn't tell him to bite stuff."



            The boy's mother ignored her son's continual 'mews' of protest,
"You told an energetic boy with sharp claws and fangs to make the most of
the curse?"



            Stealth could only shrug. The kitten eventually settled and
seemed to fall asleep in his mother's soft arms. The rabbit held him tight
as he began to purr-snooze. She turned and took him to bed. The woman's
other child looked over her tail and glared at the kitten before she turned
back to the fire. The cheetah sighed to himself and went back to his pastry.



--------------------------



            Stealth stood a ways behind the mage as he worked silently.



            "Thanks for doing this." He said softly.



            "...No problem." The man answered distractedly.



            As Atherlney slowly replenished the feline's armour suit,
Stealth looked about a tad impatiently though he tried to keep quiet and not
bother the mage. After the fair, Stealth stayed the night in town along with
many of the keep's cavalry that headed down the previous day.



            "And there..." He said, "Its mana is restored and active, you
don't need to wear it but keep it together for the spell to remain active."



            "How do I do that?" The feline cocked his head. The suit
currently connected together and folded into itself where possible.



            "I'll bind it together, it can then be tied to the back of a
saddle." The mage answered and looked through his supplies for a suitable
bandage wrapping.



            "Thank you." Stealth said again. He then blushed and looked up
at Atherlney, "...Ma'am."



            After leaving the mage's home, the cheetah hefted his pack and
bundle, intent on heading to the stables to try and hire a horse. Not far
out, Stealth's ears perked.



            "Ho there."



            The cheetah turned to the location of the hail and saw a broad
shouldered woman on horse back looking at him.



            "I'm sorry I missed you thus far, lad. I am Sir Catljin."



            Stealth bowed to the knight, minding the very large bundle he
held. "My name is Stealth, I hope there isn't a problem, Sir."



            The knight shook her head, "Nay, we've finished our sweep of the
area and a fresh troop has arrived." She answered, "We're heading back to
the keep now with our prisoners. I can offer you a ride, and no need to
share."



            The cheetah grinned, feeling a wave of relief, "Thank you,
Catljin. And I'd like to assure you that this package," He indicated the
large bundle, "Is virtually weightless, albeit bulky."



            "I'm sure it is; you don't appear to be having much trouble
hefting that thing." The woman pointed out.



            "Heh, I could be faking."



            "I can't be fooled so easily." Catljin answered, "I've seen men
hefting swords bigger then them countless times and strain themselves with
the load."



            The cheetah nodded and scratched his chin. Was he such a man?
Did he deny his form in favour of bulk and strength? Did he hate his curse?
Right now his body didn't sound right but it... felt right.



            "We're about to leave." The knight said breaking him from his
revere, "If you're ready we have a stallion waiting. Can you ride?"



            "Aye I can, but who's horse is it?" Stealth asked.



            "We've requisitioned several from the local stables and a
carriage to move the prisoners back to the keep. The rest of the horses are
drawing the carriage."



            "Oh, good, I am ready to depart. Where is he?"



            "By the wagon over yonder." She pointed off to the back, "After
you saddle up I want to discuss what you remember as we head back."



            "I will, Sir, thanks again." He answered and walked toward the
wagon behind the main cavalry.



--------------------------



            "You slept in a barn? You must have been very tired." The knight
noted as they headed north.



            Stealth regaled her and anyone in earshot of his flight the
previous day.



            "An island in an empty field, and I was tired." He sighed. "But
there was a warm and soft hayloft, I tried to tune everything else out."



            "Still would have been hard to sleep with all that noise and the
smell." The woman wondered how he did manage to sleep in such a place.



            "Oh gods yes!" He chuckled, "I thank the curse I could hear the
scouts below me."



            "You should thank the curse you were able to escape..." She
pointed out.



            Stealth nodded direly.



            "You travelled down with one of our departing patrols
yesterday?" Catljin asked to make conversation.



            "Aye... eventually I managed to." He grimaced. The start of his
journey that day had its difficulties, despite that the troops had a good
regard of the cheetah after they'd found out he warned everyone of the
bandits.



            "Alexandra mentioned something to me, I'm sorry to hear what
happened." She only heard vague details; Catljin's focus was obviously on
the attack at hand.



            "Thanks, I almost gave up when they laughed about my client."



            "Who is your client?" The woman asked.



            "Misha... Brightleaf." He recalled.



            She nodded slowly.



            "What?" Stealth furrowed his ridges at her.



            "He's a friend of the keep's cavalry commander, Andr=E9." The
knight answered.



            The feline cocked his head, "Don't you command all these
cavalry?"



            The human shook her head, "I am in charge in my leader's stead;
he's still recovering since the assault this past Yule."



            "Oh! I'm sorry."



            Catljin laughed, "No, thank you for the compliment."



            "I'm sure you do him proud." Stealth said softly as he looked
over the horizon. He couldn't hope to see the keep for some time yet, just
the mountains and forests illuminated in the steadily increasing orange
radiant of the westerly sun.



            She shrugged and didn't say anything.



            Stealth looked at the knight for a moment then scratched his
chin.



            "Are you okay?"



            "Aye, I think I've met him once... a wolverine?" The feline
recalled.



             "Correct." Catljin answered.



            The cheetah nodded. Andre had a wife called Jen, and they both
were cursed as wolverines. At the time of the Harvest Festival, Jen was
heavily pregnant. They seemed affable enough though Andre didn't strike
Stealth as particularly warm or friendly.



            "Who did you travel with? If you remember." The human suddenly
asked.



            "...I can't remember. I guess it's not important." Stealth shook
his head.



            "I suppose not. Your task is done and so is ours. In a few hours
we'll return to the keep." The female offered and she felt satisfaction in
saying it, more to herself.



            "Aye, I'll probably have a long bath after this." The feline
smiled tiredly. Or perhaps he didn't like water... no, he would likely
bathe... Grooming himself didn't sound too likely.



             Stealth shrugged his backpack. It usually felt odd when it
contained nothing but he could hear something rattling inside. The cat
turned his back to mind the armour that he'd attached behind him as
Atherlney suggested. It clashed with and bundled his tail before it but he
ignored the discomfort as he removed the pack and looked within for the
source of the noise.



            Inside he found what looked like stray supplies. There were
small sheets of parchment and a stick or two of charcoal as well as a
leather canteen and a flint. One sheet of parchment strayed from the rest;
Stealth fished it out and found some charcoal smudged on one side. Upon
closer inspection the smudge was in fact a message written out probably in
his own handwriting.



            'Lyng... Inn... sister... aquatic rodent...' He read out
silently to himself, '...Arenet.' What on earth did any of it mean?



            Sir Catljin flinched and turned when the cheetah next to her
muzzle pawed and hissed loudly.



            "What's wrong?" She asked in a commanding tone.



            "I need to head back." Stealth answered and replaced his
backpack.



            "To the village? Why?"



            "I forgot something I needed to do there..." He grabbed the
reins and turned the horse about, "I'll be back later!" The feline called
out as his horse began to gallop back south.



--------------------------



            The courier returned to Long House late that night. He travelled
north much slower and more relaxed then he'd done heading south =96 after he
took care of that final errand... When he reached the doors to the Longs'
dominion, the guards having long since come to recognise the cheetah allowed
him to pass if only after a few puns about the time it took him to return.
Stealth walked the short distance to Misha's office =96 he assumed it to be
Misha's office as the memory of the fox appearing from that room returned
when he'd reached the Keep. It wasn't till he reached the Keep that he even
remembered his destination to be Long House though he remembered that
Metamor itself would lead his way all the same.



            The door to the fox scout's office stood open, the feline peered
in and saw him seated behind a desk with a great deal of parchment scattered
about. "Misha?"



            "Spots!" Misha exclaimed when he looked up, "How are you? Take a
seat and tell me what happened down there."



            Stealth gladly took the offered seat and removed a small pouch
from his belt, "This is your payment from the watchmaker in Terreth. I hope
he didn't take advantage of me..."



            Misha took the pouch and emptied its contents, "Take advantage
of you?"



            "I don't know how much he owed you."



            The scout nodded, "Because I didn't tell you, in fact there
wasn't even time for a proper estimate but the amount here looks fair."



            "There's more to it then that you see." He grimaced.



            "The bandit attack, aye, I was kept informed, how did you fair?"
Misha counted the coins and separated some from the pile. "This is yours."
He said and deposited a fair number of coins into the cheetah's palm.



            Stealth counted the gold then looked up, "I think you
miscounted."



            "Oh, too little?" The fox asked.



            The cat's ears flattened in embarrassment, "No! Too much!"



            Misha laughed and reached into a basket he kept next to the
desk. "You can blame the watchmaker for that, remember he offered a bonus
for fast delivery?"



            "No... Not really." The memory of yesterday morning did begin to
return but sporadically so.



            The Long scout placed two glasses and bottles on the desk, one
full of red wine and the other with cider. "Anyhow that is the correct
amount and it was quite a task..." He placed some cheese on the desk next to
the bottles then poured the drinks. "What happened to you in that town?" He
asked again.



            Stealth looked at the small sampling of delights placed on the
desk, was this for him? His question was answered when the fox placed the
glass filled with cider in his hand. "I had a nap in a hayloft on the way.
When I stirred some bandits were scoping out the town. It seems I was their
first target..."
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