James was still missing. It had been many moons since Luna had last seen her human friend and she had been tempted by many to give up hope, but she was going to find out what happened to him. Even if she could not find HIM, she'd learn of his last moments. The facts, as the cat knew them, were that a one James Peabody had been abducted from their home. His kidnapping party had at least one demon with them. James had wounded them, but they had not immediately harmed him. Whether he was still unarmed, it was hard to say. Serenity had no traces that she could find, so the intrepid cat had hitched a ride northward.
Connlaoth was hostile towards mages and magic, so she had not used her communication collar to talk to people. Instead, she positioned herself to be a wandering mouser, gracing the stoop of a local bakery. Gossip from early morning shoppers helped her piece together news about the local neighborhood, but she had not heard anything as of yet about any mages or people disappearing. Perhaps it was time to move on and find another listening post.
Luna considered the necessity of moving as she lounged on the shop's front step. The sunshine on her dark brindled flanks felt good; the mice attracted by the stored grains had provided her with many reliable meals and the grateful baker had provided her with her due adorations. Still, he wasn't James. She needed a way to track her man down. While her nose and intellect were good, cats simply weren't made for the kind of hunt she needed to do. And at this point, months past, even a dog would likely have a hard time tracking for her.
The thought of a dog helping her on her quest made her smile. What a ridiculous thought! Still, she wasn't opposed to the idea. Dogs had their merits, even if they weren't cats. They were loyal, somewhat intelligent, decent enough hunters, and while not as elegant as a cat, they weren't as awkwardly gangly as two-legger species, either.
She stretched out, arcing her back and exposing her tummy to the sun. She really should get a move on if she was going to keep looking for James, but...maybe just one more minute in the sunshine...
Regis was resting behind the bakery, happily eating some kind of meat pastry that the baker had thrown to him.
He finished the pastry and got up and stretched, then lazily walked to the front of the store. Sometimes people would give him pets, or belly rubs if he was lucky enough. But, there were no people out front. Except for a cat on the front step—A CAT!! Oh boy! Maybe the cat would let him chase it. If he was lucky. He lazily walked up to the front step and barked, wagging his tail. On second thought, running is too much work.
So he sat down next to the cat, inquisitively looking at it.
Speak of the dog, and he comes, Luna thought as the large white animal came up to her. She quickly flipped up onto her paws and crouched, narrowing her eyes at the bear sized dog.
He could be a good minion, she thought. He was large enough to protect her, had a large snout for sniffing...but was he pliable? For the first time in a while, she used her telepathy collar to communicate.
Dog. Are you a good boy? Will you be nice to the cat?
She stood ready to run if he tried to chase her, but if he was one of the mythical Good Boys, then she may have a use for him.
The cat could speak? He hadn't met an animal that could do that in a long time.
She asked if he was a good boy! That was what his owner did a long time ago.
He wagged his tail harder, and crouched in front of her, putting his head between his paws.
"Will you be nice to the cat?"
Oh. She was standing. Maybe she was nervous. He sat down and thumped his tail against the wooden step.
He forgot how big he seemed to humans, let alone to cats.
He tried, bless him. The large white heap of a dog did the silly canine bow when they wanted to make friends. Still, he was HUGE. Luna gracefully stepped up to him and bunted him, marking him with her scent.
Hmph. Fine. You may be my Good Boy until we find my person. My person James is missing. Will you help me find him?
In addition to her words, she sent her memory of James' voice, scent, and face along with the feeling of a playful hunt to emphasize her quest to find him. She hoped the dog would understand.
Regis was overjoyed that the cat didn't immediately hiss and run away or try to scratch him. He just wanted to be friends.
Then she sent him a person. A person by the name of James. He got a feeling
of sadness.
Missing? Is he...is he dead? No, for he could smell his scent in the air. It wasn't very strong, but the scent smelled alive. There were wisps of fear and urgency intertwined with his scent. Something terrible had happened. His tail slowly stopped wagging. He didn't like that. Why were people so cruel? Why couldn't they just relax and lounge in the sun?
His ears grew alert, and he turned his head down the street. He could smell the scent stronger downwind. He instinctively stood up.
But the scent was so far...he glanced at the cat, and then down the street again. He wished he could somehow have whatever the cat had. It was like her thoughts she could project to him—LEAF!
He jumped, and growled at the green leaf that had just settled on the front step.
Luna turned to look where her new dog friend was looking. Did he have James' scent already? Was he distracted? She was about to direct him again when the dog pounced suddenly. Luna sprang into the air, bouncing away from the large dog as he savaged...a leaf? Ugh. Dogs. She settled herself and tried to groom out the buzzing feeling in her fur. Anxiety, she thought the word was. Maybe that one thing James said...Add Rena Line or something. The Rena Line made people spooked feeling and made prey animals run. Or cats jump. She wasn't prey, she assured herself. She gave the dog a sidelong glance and reassured herself again that she wasn't prey. He still played with the leaf, so she tried redirecting him.
Dog! You have killed the leaf. Good job. Can you find the smell? Find it, Good Boy!
Regis told himself that he was protecting the cat from the leaf. Yeah. That's what he was doing.
He shot the cat a sheepish look and looked back down the street, whining alittle to try to let the cat know that he had the scent. He paced alittle, his tail wagging slightly.
Finally, the dog got his senses about him and started leading her off. She purred and got up to follow, radiating the mental image and sensation of when James petted her, giving Dog the feeling as well.
As they went, Luna reflected on why her person would be in the capital of a country that disliked the magic he used. Was the demon-smell something to do with it? Was James up to something and got in trouble? She considered Flower-Woman and Book-Man back home and James' relationships with them. Maybe they had gotten into trouble and it affected her person. It was hard to tell, and she intended to question James severely when she found him.
The animal pair passed through the shopping center of the square and on down a tree lined street. More houses and fewer businesses lined the road. Where, oh where were they headed?
Regis stopped and looked up and down the street. The scent got stronger here...and then just disappeared. He whined and agitatedly paced back and forth.
Where did the scent go? He sniffed the ground. He turned and looked at the cat.
Someone suspiciously opened their door and stared at the giant dog and the cat.
Regis turned and stared back, protectively standing in front of the cat.
Luna gratefully followed the dog, barely scenting what he was clearly following. Had she been on the trail herself, she'd have dismissed the faint scent as her imagination. Instead, Dog brought them to a house where someone came to the door to greet them. It was a nice structure: the stonework had intricate carvings into the stone, there were graceful arches and designs worked into the eaves, the porch was spacious and well kept with a nice rug, and the front garden was tidy. The person themselves was a woman. Her pale hair was pulled back and she was dressed modestly middle class in a flowing blue shirt with a black underbust, black pants, and embroidered boots. A badge of some sort was on her shirt. Was it a mark of some kind? Luna wasn't sure, and Dog was standing over her protectively, making it awkward to get a good assessment in.
Well. Dog being protective wasn't a bad thing, but they needed inside. Luna wove her way out from under Dog and flicked his chin with her tail as an instruction to follow. She went up to the woman and flopped down in the universal language request for pets.
"Mrraow?"
The woman looked down at her with a frown.
"You have a translation collar, so I know you can talk. If its broken, I'm not fixing it for you. Now shoo, before you get me in trouble!" The woman said sternly. Luna sighed and rolled on her feet.
I'm looking for my James. Dog has led us here like my person is here. Is he?
The woman looked up and down the street nervously, then ushered the cat and dog inside. The reception room where she guided them was comfortable. Lots of plants and flowers were being nurtured in pots, lending the whole room a garden-like feel. The woman went to a wicker bench in the room and sat.
"James was here. He may return, I don't know. Are you his cat, Luna?"
The cat affirmed her identity and the woman continued.
"Well, he thought you'd been eaten by the demon that tried to kidnap him. You see, he was a part of a chain of smugglers...well, not smugglers, but...he helped families get out of Connlaoth if their children expressed magic. And if a child was taken by the church, our group tried to get them to freedom, but...well, something happened. I don't know too much about the incident. Something about slave traders and a death threat? He came by several nights ago on his way out of town. He may be back in a month or two...He was heading to Thanatos, I think?" The woman spoke quickly and quietly as if she was in a confessional booth. Luna listened, understanding that the rush of words was due to panic. The stink of adrenaline was starting to perfume the woman...had she been lying? Why was she so scared?
Thank you. If James isn't here, then Dog and I should get going. Do you know where in Thanatos he was headed? Luna jumped up onto the bench by the woman and loafed next to her, trying to ease her nerves.
The woman shook her head.
"Sorry, I don't. Why don't I make you some supper and let you spend the night here; maybe I can get word to James?" She asked, sounding more polite than hopeful they'd say yes.
Luna thought an image of a bowl of food and a blanket bed, then an image of a road in the morning light to Dog with a question feeling. Did he want to stay the night? she waited for his answer before affirming or denying the woman's offer
The whole house smelled of deception. The cat went in with the seemingly nice lady, but Regis hung back, a growl in his throat. When they got to the reception room, Regis stiffly stood, eyeing the lady with a great amount of suspicion. He had seen her before somewhere...but where?
She was fearful of something.
The cat could talk to humans???? That shocked him. The lady had mentioned a translation collar. So that's how the cat communicated.
He sniffed around the room. James's scent was here, so the lady wasn't lying about that...but why did he leave in such a hurry?
Regis walked over to where the lady and the cat were sitting and sat down, laying his snout on the bench, his eyes inquisitively looking at the lady.
The cat wanted to know if he wanted to stay the night.
He was suspicious, but wagged his tail in answer, protectively inching closer to the cat.
The woman offered her hand to the Dog to sniff. If he was amenable, she was ready to pet him. Luna could sense her sorrow over something, so Luna stood and got into her lap, purring.
Congratulations on acquiring us as houseguests. Dog and I agree to stay the night. she stated smugly. The woman chuckled and stroked the cat.
"Well, thank you, I guess. I know your name is Luna because James talked about you, but who is this handsome fellow? What is his name?"
Luna looked at Dog, realizing she never asked.
Good question. Dog, what did your person call you? Did you have a person?
The dog cautiously sniffed her hand, then softened alittle, seeing as she was offering a place for them to stay the night. He thumped his tail on the ground and rested his snout on the ladies leg.
His person...his tail stopped wagging as he remembered. His person was murdered...Regis had a collar on so he showed that to the lady, hoping she would read the tag that had his name on it.
His eyes looked sad.
"Regis. Okay...oh, sad eyes, pupper...did you lose your people? I'm so sorry, pup. I know what that's like. I've lost some of my pups, too." The woman gently stroked both animals as she contemplated their shared grief. Something told Luna that the woman had not been referring to dogs when she was talking about her lost pups.
The cat started a purr-song that was intended to give comfort to those around her. Regis had lost his people, Luna had lost his person, and the woman had lost her pups. It was a sad moment.
Luna let the moment linger as long as it needed to, then projected an image of chicken meat to both Regis and the woman. The woman laughed softly.
"Right, supper. Okay, come on you two. Into the kitchen and I'll find you something warm and filling." She carefully stood, then led the pair into the kitchen.
The gentle pets from the lady felt good...he hadn't had anything close to that in a long time. He closed his eyes and wagged his tail, wishing the moment would never stop.
But then she stood up and headed towards the kitchen and Regis followed closely. He knew that where there was a kitchen, there was most likely food.
Luna followed as well, tail high. She jumped up onto the counter to watch the woman as she minced chicken and roasted vegetables together for Regis. For the cat, the woman minced the bird's organ meats into a bowl.
Thank you. What should Dog-...I mean, Regis and I call you?
"Oh, me? I'm Liana." the woman replied somewhat absently. She was thinking about something, clearly, so Luna left her to her thoughts. Liana gave each of her furry guests their dinner, then began leading through some papers on her table. Luna was aware of writing, but had not yet learned to read. Whatever the woman was looking for, the cat didn't care about. She'd share with the animals or not.
Regis hungrily gulped down the food offered him. It was the nicest meal he'd had in a while.
He made sure that the cat was safe and then padded over to where Liana was sitting, curling up next to her and then resting, still alert but relaxed.
His mind thought of James.
Was James still alive?
He hoped he would be able to help the cat find James.
Liana shuffled through the papers a bit longer, then withdrew a letter on rough, handmade paper.
"Here. James received this letter and then said he had to go. It says 'Chain is broken. The Island Anchor has fallen.' So...I guess I should tell you about the chain and anchors...but..." She eyed the windows nervously.
"Can we wait til morning? I can walk you out of town and tell you away from here. I think the church may be watching the house." She was very nervous when mentioning the church, so Luna just bobbed her head and started eating.
Regis perked his ears up when she mentioned a letter, and then sniffed it cautiously. It had Jame's scent! He got up and anxiously sniffed around the room again. Wait...something's wrong...he sniffed around the door. A growl built up in his throat. Someone dangerous had been here. What side had the lady been on?
Regis anxiously looked towards Luna and then sat by the door, watching the door like a hawk.
Luna paused eating, trusting the dog's senses. His unease put her on guard. With both animals watching the door, the woman alerted as well, but rather than stare, she started hurriedly hiding the papers.
"Oh no, oh no!" She muttered quietly as someone started knocking on the door.
"Liana, open the door please!"
The woman finished hiding the papers and rushed to the door. She opened it, revealing a woman flanked by two knights. Luna noticed that the new woman and the knights had a similar badge on their chest. As they pushed their way into the house, the cat felt her thoughts becoming fuzzy. James had told her about people like this! People called...Mor...more...more food was in the cat's bowl, so the cat eyed the dog, making sure it stayed over there as she ate.
[ooc note: yay a surprise drop in inspection by the church! Liana should be fine, right? >:)]
Regis immediately stood up and growled at the strangers, his body tense and ready to attack. His teeth were bared, and his mouth was open.
The dangerous smell...it came from them...he protectively stood in front of both Luna and the lady. He didn't like the feeling he got from these people...Regis's tail was stiff.
If they tried anything...Regis was going to snap.
The dog started barking, putting the cat's fur on end. She hissed at the big white animal and ran out the door, yowling.
As soon as she was at the end of the walk leading up to the house, her mind returned to her and she spat again, but this time not at the dog. Magic-Eaters! They'd come to get Liana for some reason, probably to interrogate her or try to find James!
<Regis! Protect Liana! Those are Magic-Eaters and they are going to prey on her. Keep her safe so she can take us out of this town!>
As soon as Luna ran out of the house Regis snapped his teeth at the strangers in warning. He wasn't sure what to expect but he knew he didn't trust them.
One of the strangers simply walked closer to Liana and that's all it took, and Regis angrily lunged towards the stranger and bit down on his leg, hard enough to cause pain but not hard enough to seriously injure him. He hoped Liana would take the hint and get out of there.
Luna heard several voices in quick succession following the dog's attack.
"Regis, no!"
"Agggh!"
"Oh, ho! So this mutt is yours?"
The cat crept closer and saw the two armored guards trying to get the dog off of the woman who, apparently, gotten too close to the mage. The mage herself was trying to back away slowly and get out of the house's back door while Regis worried on the other woman's leg.
Luna had no idea how to help; everything she'd learned about the Magic-Eaters was that they were Bad, that they hurt people, and that she needed to Stay Away.
He wasn't sure what these strangers wanted...but they had a strange badge on their shirt...which he thought he had seen somewhere...but where...
His thoughts were interrupted by two pairs of hands grabbing him and trying to get him to release the woman, to which he reacted by diverting his attention from the woman to the strangers grabbing him.
Regis let go of the stranger's leg.
He twisted his body, his claws out, his teeth bared in a snarl. Liana and Luna needed to get out of here!
Luna saw that the dog's intention was to protect her and Liana from the people, so she urged the woman to run, but the mage shook her head.
<Run, Liana! Regis isn't going to leave unless you do!>
Unfortunately, she had broadcast that to everyone, not just the woman.
"Who said that?"
"Did that cat just talk?"
"A talking cat? Oh, Liana, you HAVE been breaking the rules of your probation, haven't you?" The last line was from the woman, and she sounded regretful instead of gleeful. Still, the three were bad news. One of the knights turned and advanced on the cat, so Luna began trying to lead him away from the house. She was pretty confident that she could outrun the human. But, Liana still needed to get to safety!
Regis bit one of the knights on the hand, and was finally able to get away from the strangers, before turning and trying to herd Liana out of the house, snapping at the strangers if they got too close.
Where's Luna? Is she out of the house? Regis saw her trying to get one of the knights to follow her outside.
The other knight stumbled out of the house and started running towards Luna, so she trotted off, tail waving cheekily.
<Hurry up, Magic-Eater! You eat too much and you need to exercise! Let me help you! Come on! Here, humie humie humie!> She taunted him as she led him off on a merry chase. Before she got out of range, she sent a mental image to Regis of the bakery they met at, but bathed in dawn's light. She'd meet him there, then.
Until the sun came up, though, she'd keep this knight busy.
Regis didn't know what to do. One of the strangers followed Luna, but there were still two after him and Liana.
But then the door slammed in his face, cutting off Luna from his sight completely. It was one of the strangers. Regis was trapped.
Luna heard the door slam and wheeled around to climb a tree and see what had happened. Liana and Regis were trapped in the house!
But there was a sudden flash of green light and most of the windows of the house, upstairs and down, smashed outward as long, thick vines burst from the sitting room (and likely every other potted plant in the house). One corner of the house remained un-vined, and Luna thought it must have been the influence of the Magic Eater who had come for Liana. The mage seemed to have gotten out of the Eater's range.
From behind the house, Liana was doing her best to run. She wasn't great at running, but she came around to the front of the house and yanked the door open.
"Regis, let's go!" the woman called, desperate to flee.
Regis yelped as practically the whole house became engulfed in vines. This was exactly why he didn't like leaves.
He turned and growled a very threatening growl at the vines to make sure they knew their place.
The woman yelled for him, and he growled one last time and then remembered what was happening.
He caught up to Liana. How was he supposed to let this lady know where they were supposed to go? He wasn't sure how to communicate, so he gently nudged her in the direction of where the bakery was.
Luna watched the dog and woman run off, so she took her cue and disappeared into the city of Reajh herself.
That night, she stayed low, hidden in bushes, slinking carefully and quietly to the bakery. By the time the sun was coming up, Luna had made her way to across the street from the shop. She was exhausted from spending the whole night awake, so she tucked her limbs in under her body and rested until Regis and Liana arrived.
She was safe under the bush...so she closed her eyes...and...drifted...to....
Regis managed to convey to the lady that they needed to get to the bakery.
By the time they made it, the sun was up...so Regis obediently waited for Luna. He began sniffing around, getting more anxious as time went on.
He finally caught her scent and followed it to...a bush...was she in the bush?!?!
He anxiously ignored the leaves and pushed his head in, nudging Luna repeatedly and whining, his tail wagging nervously.
Luna was having a very pleasant dream about chasing one of the toy mice that James had enchanted for her. Something kept nudging her, though, and it woke her up.
<Regis! Is it morning already?>
She stood and stretched languorously. The cat slunk towards the bakery, looking up and down the street.
<Were you followed?>
"I don't think so; Regis protected us. We need...we need to get to the other side of the city. There's a way out that isn't closely watched. Then, we need to make a run for it...oh, I don't know how we're going to make it..."
She fussed and grieved for a few more minutes, but the cat had no words of comfort. Instead, Luna bunted the woman and purred to try and soothe her.
Regis anxiously moved closer to the woman, sensing her anxiousness. Regis suspiciously looked around to make sure they weren't followed, and then yawned. He was suddenly feeling a bit tired..but he had to protect them.