Day 58

(Rick POV)

I'm feeling a little confused here, from the unexpected affections of my cat-lady Minke...

Ordinarily I'd be thrilled but I'm actually hung up on the fact she has some kind of past/future sense through physical contact, and I find that troubling. Psychometry is what she says the skill is called. The way she uses it is what worries me. I think she was hooked after she used her skill on me. The question is... is the person she is attracted to the present/past/future me? Could she be seeing my past body, rather than the current one?

Ugh... in the end they are all me, but this is screwed up if I'm in a relationship with a woman who is interested in who I used to be but not who I am now. It'd be like dating a fish because you know it was a pretty girl reincarnated...

Aside from that Niala's aware of the budding relationship and she is gnashing her teeth over it.

When Minke finally wakes and wanders away for her morning ablutions I cut off Niala before this escalates into open warfare, after all I can't imagine Minke backing down from a fight. More so as both are armed with knives even if Minke's is stone.

Since I'm in trouble with my sister either way, might as well bite the bullet. I tell her the simple truth, I adore my sister and want only the best for her but I'll never have sex with her. She takes this fairly badly. She's confused and shocked. She seems to have been under the impression this was simply a matter of time.

Then she starts to cry. I hate that... so unfair. You can't win against this kind of emotional assault...

She seems to be most concerned because she thinks that means I'm going to leave her all alone. That I'm going to abandon her or kick her out or something else irrational. Of course that won't happen. She's my sister and I love her. If I have to I'll die for her, gladly. Whatever happens I'll never abandon her.

Before I can explain this to her she pulls out her knife and starts trying to cut her own throat...

I grab the blade in my hand and hold it steady as she tries to pull it free. She's so irrational right now I can only hug her and stroke her head until she starts crying again, bawling like only someone who has seen the crux of their greatest dream shatter.

I think this has grown from the deaths of our siblings.

If I didn't nip it in the bud now it could only have been much worse. Murder/suicide worse.

As she is calming down I explain I'm not going anywhere. For as long as I live she is stuck with me. She laughs hearing this, like it is joke but I mean every word and eventually she calms down.

That's when she notices she's torn my right hand to shreds. It is one of my reinforced steel knives after all and I'm only flesh, blood, bone and pig iron.

I don't care about that, though. I shrug and explain that I don't mind being hurt if it keeps her in my life. Rather than smile or cry again she hugs me, instantly healing my minor injuries. However I do think I can feel some wet patches of fur where she presses her face against me now.

I spend the rest of the day with Niala, to keep her spirits up. For the first time in a long while she seems honestly happy and without a care. I'm glad for this, but I know deep down she's acting. She hasn't given up yet. But her confidence has been broken. Her jealousy stemmed from her certainty we were fated to be lovers. With me denying her that she is biding her time, hoping for me to falter and come back to her.

But still she knows now, it will not be easy nor will I let her act out like before. I may not like that conniving bitch, Chianti but I interrogated her thoroughly about everything. From her home and civilization, her family to how she saw life in my care. I know what my sister is like; if I let her act out it will escalate until people die. She has killed now, and she is damn good at it.

In the end I am her leash as much as her brother. The only person able to influence her. Sure, she has Little Rat and her pet kitten, but they are just substitutes for the dead she misses.

Late that night she sleeps by my side, the kitten snuggled between us. The little girl seems to like our fur. Minke joins us, but carefully and with deference to Niala... future sight... she knew about this. Before it happened, I'll wager, which is why she gave me such a huge berth all day. My sister is less than impressed but for once she doesn't make an issue out of it. I'm actually a little stunned by that. Niala is at least *pretending* to give up. I pat her head and praise her for this choice silently.

Day 59

Today we are going hunting for more of the poison needle spitting beasts; I have taken to calling them Spine Rabbits. They are apparently new to both the cats as a group as much as myself so either they are rare or there is an unexpected danger in the area that keeps them hidden. The beasts themselves are not very formidable, little more than domesticated sheep if not for the unique defense.

We are only after their hides and tendons, since the meat is disgusting. With the tendons I can craft simple bows, since we have access to the Dead Tree room. The additional hides are for us to create packs and sleeping rolls. I want to be properly supplied and escorted while I retrieve the iron ore and my weapon stash.

Our cats are all wearing clothes made from the hide of the Spine Rabbits we caught last time; they needed a day to be cured by the heat from a fire. Can't wear raw meat after all. They aren't Lady Gaga...

Anyhow the clothes are styled simply, looking similar to the buckskin clothes of several Native American tribes but cruder. I get the feeling this is their natural dress, so I chalk the utilitarian style up to the fact they need the clothes rather than ornamentation right here and now.

I am pleased, particularly because the females have loose skirts and apparently bloomers. Since Minke isn't very concerned about her appearance in front of me I have had several glimpses of the elusive, humble yet captivating sight.

The beasts are as usual, placid and dumb as bricks. We harvest several when one cat cries out in pain. A male, the big guy with the voulge. Minke has been with me this whole time as have several other cats. So we are all quite startled. Especially because the injury is apparently caused by an attack.

The rabbits, rather than the cause seem to be fleeing...

Now we have eyes on every entrance and can see nothing but the Spine Rabbits, so naturally we are startled because this creature is small, fast and appears from nowhere.

It is black, furry like a wolf, but elongated and possessing nasty looking claws and huge red eyes. The size of a large fox this creature does not seem like a dangerous threat, but the fact it came from nowhere is hugely threatening.

The giant weasel-like creature keeps a distance from us and seems unusually smart. It is watching us and testing our ability to attack. Now why would a small creature do this?

It makes a chittering noise followed by a dawn out squeak.

The roof above becomes a cacophony of squeaks in response. I glance up at the glowing lights on the roof and realize the black that highlights them is entirely a colony of these black weasel things. They are moving together, a ripple like a Mexican wave is the creatures letting go of the roof. They seem to be able to glide, as they open flaps of pale skin.

I push Minke toward the exit, forcing her to issue a call to regroup on her to the scattered hunter cats. While she does this I wade into the middle of this mess and push the hunters into retreat. The tiny things are like mosquito bites, in terms of the damage inflicted to me but as I watch a cat is torn apart by the pack.

Shit.

He was one of the hunters, he commiserated with me over the needle stings a few days ago. He was a good guy. He is in little pieces. The weasel things have sense enough to avoid the five odd cats at the doorway, but the big guy is till out there; the one named Theras. He's slinging that huge stone blade like a farmer would a scythe.

He's being cut to ribbons. From fifty different directions.

Still I'm not gonna let him die like that. I owe him a good weapon. He can't die until he's held it. That mad smile of his when I gave him the stone voulge made the effort I spent making the weapon worth it.

I'm smaller but these things aren't putting more than a few scratches on me; so I while rushing his position I change tactics. This is pack behavior; the first attacker was to test our capabilities. So I have to surprise them.

I scream at them, a roar. It isn't much but the other cats echo the cry and the roars of Theras make the room shake. The creatures back off hurriedly, thinking this is us about to make an offensive. In actual fact I take that moment to catch the cat by the collar of his clothes and run for the doorway.

The weasels react immediately trying to attack and I'm glad I acted like that because the big guy I'm carrying is on the verge of fainting, he can't even walk. He's stubbornly holding the weapon though and it is weighing him down and thus slowing me too.

Thirty yards and the black wave is about to cut me off and swallow us both; fuck it. I send the ring in my heart into overdrive, the grinding of the gear sending sparks flying from my chest cavity. At the last second my acceleration triples as my physical reaction speed and strength skyrocket.

But even that isn't enough to completely escape, as they keep coming only a few steps behind me. Damn they're fast.

So rather than keep running and let the cats take the brunt of the assault of this massive wave, I slide to a halt, hurling the big guy by inertia to his friends, but keeping his weapon.

Slung over my shoulder I hold the voulge high, facing the oncoming wall of beasts with a smile.

Hahahahahahahaha.

DIE!

The blade sweeps through the whole mass of beasts like they were air with my full strength.

The second wave is slowed as they are sprayed by the gore of the first.

“Who do you animals think you are?!!!” I scream, furious because if they pass me the others die. “Since you wish to face me; then have your fill! I am the weapon master rat!!! I will drown you in blood!!!!”

I try something I have done once before but not on this scale; I modify my weapon mid-combat. The clever beasts jump back as I swing a second time, but unfortunately for them my blade is three times as long as it was when I started the swing.

Twenty or so fall without front legs.

They caught on quickly enough I was dangerous. Three tried to circle around me and enter the tunnel. A spike of stone from the ground itself speared through the near pair, the third in a cramped space alone was caught and killed by the cats.

I roar again, this time I see them hesitate.

They are animals, however numerous and clever they are, the attackers are still individuals. They have seen many die gruesomely for little reward; their morale is low.

At this point I hurl my stone vial of Spine Rabbit saliva into the air and shatter it with the flat of the voulge blade, spraying the irritant venom on the crowd and envenoming the edge. Yes. Lets make your last few moments incredibly itchy too!

They flee to the back of the room. They're scared, especially because of the shrieks of those with poison in their eyes and those dying.

They stay there, not giving another inch.

They don't follow as I leave with a swagger.

Good. Learn your lesson well. Don't make me repeat it, or I will have to exterminate you without mercy.

The cats are all scratched and bloodied, Theras most of all. He is covered in claw and bite wounds. He's practically at Death's Door.

Just as well we have a miracle healer: she's gonna be very busy.

I'm feeling quite proud of myself as we get back and Niala's stuck hugging the big guy for hours. I put his weapon down and as I watch it shatters. Uh... that's new. Did I over do it?

Theras wakes at the noise and stares horrified as his treasure dies.

I am forced to make him a new one and additional weapons for everyone else.

Minke received the lightest of the punishment, with only three shallow wounds in her calf and right fore-arm. A few moments with Niala cleared that right up. Surprised me too, considering how thoughtful my sister was being today.

When night came I stood watch at the gate, with Minke's head in my lap as usual. The difference: she wasn't sleeping... no, she was licking.

What we learned:

Being a suicidal hero occasionally has perks...

Niala is actually changing her stripes?

Which Rick does Minke really love? Clearly she loves Little Rick best.