Letting the Cat out of the Bag - Cat & Mouse (P2)

“So….. a cat then,” Khaalida said, her own cat familiar purring as she stretched out across her Quirlicorn’s back.

“Seems to be so,” Yuri said, and Shaakir let out a huff.

“Wonder what he meant by strange,” Khaalida mused, before shrugging. “Well, either way I haven’t seen the new Swamp Sacred Dew Tree so that will be a treat at least!”

The trio headed off to the tree, idle chatter filling their time as they did. Shaakir’s phoenix was gliding above them, and Yuri’s fairy was dipping in and out of the shadows. All things considered, Khaalida found the walk pretty peaceful, although the swamp atmosphere was kind of… Well. Swampy.

“Well, what are we going to do about this cat?” Yuri asked, as they spied on the tree from a safe distance.

Khaalida tilted her head, thinking it over. “Well, I could create an illusion of nice cat friendly things? Are we supposed to catch the cat or just spy on it?”

“He said to investigate,” Shaakir pointed out.

“So do our best then have more tea,” Yuri said with a grin, and Khaalida laughed.

“Sounds about right. Hm, what other magic could we use?”

“I have Gem Growth. I could make a nice little cat house of gems, and try and catch the cat in it,” Yuri suggested.

“Hmm,” Khaalida replied. “We need something to entice the cat though….”

Her eyes turned to Shaakir with a mischievous glint.

“Is this really necessary?!” Shaakir the mouse squeaked as Khaalida lifted him with Telekinesis and tied a string around his tail, dangling him over the gemstone cat tree Yuri had crafted.

“Yes, very much so,” Khaalida responded with a grin. “Now do some enticing mouse squeaks or something.”

Yuri and Khaalida retreated into the brush, leaving Mouse Shaakir dangling. Shaakir’s Phoenix kept watch on one end of the forest, and Yuri’s fairy hid in the tree above Mouse Shaakir to pull him to safety if the strange cat really did try to eat him. Khaalida crafted the illusion of a nice soft bed on the gem cat tree, a soft rug beneath, and all sorts of fun cat toys.

Cat was eyeing Mouse Shaakir, and Khaalida gently nudged her familiar back. “Sorry, he might look good but I can’t let you eat him,” Khaalida said softly and Yuri chuckled.

They watched Mouse Shaakir dangle, waiting to see if the cat would appear. Time seemed to pass slowly (probably most so for Shaakir), but a cat finally did appear.

It was a strange cat, without fur… and his body wasn’t quite… attached to itself? It moved like a cat should, but there were definitely bits missing. He also had… an eyepatch?

“What the hell?” Khaalida couldn’t help but mutter softly. “What kind of cat is that?”

A laugh came from the cat, with a bit of an eye roll before it swiftly disappeared back into the underbrush.

They waited a bit longer, but despite the fact it felt like the cat was watching them, he didn’t appear again.

“Well, should we cut Shaakir down?” Khaalida asked, and Yuri shrugged.

“Guess so,” Yuri replied.

Khaalida’s Telekinesis untied the rope knot from around Shaakir’s tail, and the Mystic shifted mid fall, landing on his hooves once more an equine.

“Well that was unproductive,” Shaakir grouched, seemingly not pleased about hanging by his tail for ages.

“Well, we did see the cat,” Khaalida pointed out. “Should we just wait for Keir to find us and tell him what we saw?”

“Probably for the best, with everything going on,” Shaakir muttered, and Yuri laughed.

“You make a good mouse,” Yuri pointed out, sharing a look with Khaalida. Khaalida grinned, before the pair broke out into laughter again.

“Don’t ever speak of this,” Shaakir said, and Khaalida grinned.

“Oh, you know I’m going to tell Coyote,” Khaalida said, and Shaakir groaned.

“Tea time?” Yuri asked, and Khaalida nodded.

“Tea time!”