Case of the Smoke Cat

by **Estrellir Konrath** on November 30th, 2013, 7:04 pm

Fall 45, 513 AV

True to the season, rain was falling in Kenash and turning the city proper into another part of the swamp, indistinguishable from its wild surroundings if not for the buildings sitting in the mud. Estrellir lifted another boot from what had once been a path and gritted her teeth at the smacking sound. Taking a carriage had been her first bad idea that day, but apparently it shouldn't be her last.

Arms folded in front of her chest and hood up, she trudged along. In fact the coat didn't keep her dry, not in such weather, but at least the hood kept her vision free. The streets on the West Bank were deserted. Her sisters had tried to prevent her from working that morning, but she hadn't listened, stubborn as always. Who cared if she was eccentric!

After rounding a corner, she crossed the bridge to Blade Island. Another bridge led to Fire Island and the bureau, meaning a roof to seek shelter under, a fire to dry her clothes and coffee to warm her from the inside. Certainly Mell was heating water on the stove this instant, Estrellir thought, brushed a strand of damp hair out of her face... and halted. Furrowing her brow, she cast a glance around. A slave just disappeared behind the next corner, most likely running errands for a cruel master, but he hadn't caused that noise. It was too faint, in fact it had been less than that, a mere gut feeling that stopped her.

Turning around, she ducked under the bridge and discovered the only dry spot in the entire city. On a small hump formed by the earth a kitten cowered. Upon seeing her, it mewed. Estrellir leaned closer, fascinated by the tiny sharp teeth that had flashed for just a moment. As if on cue, it mewed again. Its fur was gray tiger stripes styled into dripping chaos.

Inching even closer, Estrellir noticed that the tiny body was shivering. With sudden determination, she shoved her gloves into her pockets and slowly reached out to the creature with webbed hands.

by **Estrellir Konrath** on January 23rd, 2014, 7:21 pm

“May I take your cloak?”

“Hold on.” The Konti's sharp voice easily cut through Mell's. At first the girl shied away, but then she followed the mistress through the door marked with a 'NO ADMITTANCE' sign. As expected, flames were cackling at the fireplace and water was sitting in a pot on the stove. Carefully, Estrellir peeled her arms out of the coat and folded it into a nest for the tiny body wrapped in it.

A soft expression of wonder escaped Mell as she lingered near the door. Estrellir looked up. The kitten wasn't hissing or mewing any more, but still shivering. “Find a piece of clothing or a clean rag so we can rub it dry. It may get a cold or even freeze to death unless we do something.” With a small nod, the girl disappeared into the bureau. Estrellir carefully sat down on the crumpled sofa, placing the package of fabric and kitten in her lap. She inched closer to the fire so that it felt the heat of the flames. Next she examined it with gentle fingers, pressing here and there to discover possible injuries. It didn't seem to have any, although it stiffened and growled weakly.

Mell returned with a dusty rag they used for cleaning and Estrellir accepted it with a nod. Slowly, she replaced the coat with the dry colorless piece of cloth, tucking the kitten in like a child. The clerk remained at her side, wide-eyed. “Is it going to die?” she whispered.

Estrellir tried not to snort. “I don't think so. It's just cold and frightened. Maybe its owner didn't want to care for another cat and threw it out. It seems pretty young.” A sigh of relief touched her ears. However, her words had stirred questions of a different nature. Who had really kicked it out and why? Into such terrible weather too! Her curiosity was piqued. She lifted it a little and shot Mell a meaningful glance. “Do you want to hold it?”

A sparkle appeared in the girl's dark eyes. It accepted the bundle without another word, took Estrellir's place near the fire and looked down at it with mild surprise. “Can I touch it?”

“Try stroking its head,” Estrellir suggested before leaving the room. In the bureau, she hastily stacked the papers covering her desk into a messy pile and pushed that into a corner. Then she climbed the desk and sank down with legs crossed, palms on her knees. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath.

by **Estrellir Konrath** on March 24th, 2014, 7:14 pm

Observing the in and out of breath sent Estrellir's mind into a meditative state. Soon tingling warmth filled her body and she accepted it as messenger of motherly love. She formulated a short thank you and prayer and released it with Avalis' name as the only address. As Her daughter, Estrellir knew it'd reach the divine mother’s ear.

Investigating the kitten's past by common means, asking around, listening and observing didn't seem like a good idea in that case. People would wonder if she didn't have anything better to do, if she'd grown soft. Some would even see the kitten as weakness, eager to strike her where it hurt the most. Above all, Estrellir represented the Konraths. Although inexperienced, she saw herself as a significant piece in her family's political puzzle. So she'd take the back door and read the kitten's past through the gift granted to her by Avalis.

Breathe in, breathe out. Estrellir reached out and opened the door to the Chavena, records of everything that had been, was and would be. Next she focused on the kitten, the grey tiger stripes, clumsy limbs and delicate ears with their curly points. As soon as she felt the chavi belonging to that particular creature, she grabbed it and held on to the small colorful spiral representing memory. It seemed to pulse under her fingers like veins filled with blood, controlled by a tiny heartbeat. Once it was firmly in her grasp, she opened her eyes to the past.

At first there was warm straw, the taste of milk on her tongue and a wet tongue on her fur. It was dark, yet warm and cozy enough not to care about the darkness. Then the surroundings grew lighter and with the light came sound and smell. The smells were interesting, sometimes weird, but mostly fascinating. The sounds were loud, but they could be drowned out by running away or hiding under things.

At another point in time, hands were touching her, grabbing her and restricting frantic paws. Growling was muffled by blankets and a loud voice. The hands hadn’t hurt her, but they’d been unpleasant and rough. Suddenly there were walls and a low ceiling that smelled of water and cold wind. Curled up in a ball, she drifted in and out of sleep. In the darkness, her breathing was multiplied.

The next scene was murky, dictated by the sensation of wet and cold mud sticking to her paws. The ground slipped like thousands of mice running from the final bite. They never won, but the ground did. Her body was trembling and screaming for rest.

This time, the darkness brought her identity back. She was Estrellir, a Konti and a Konrath, sitting on a desk in Kenash. Blinking, she recollected what she’d seen. The last images had been fresh, extremely so, as if they’d only happened a moment ago.

A growl and a muffled cry of pain reached her ears. Estrellir remained sat on the desk, confident in Mell’s ability to babysit the kitten and handle its bites. It’d return to full strength soon or so it seemed. In the meantime, the Konti lit her pipe and contemplated the latest addition to of the puzzle.

by **Estrellir Konrath** on March 24th, 2014, 7:50 pm

Mell looked up abruptly as Estrellir opened the door. A piece of cloth was wrapped around her right thumb, but the kitten had settled into her lap. “Did it throw a tantrum?”

The girl tilted her head in a gesture that was half nod, half shake. “It’s exhausted now.”

Estrellir nodded in acknowledgment of Mell’s skill as kitten sitter. “It’ll probably be hungry when it wakes up. I’ll pick up something we can feed it with later on the way. For now, water’s the best we can do.”

Shrugging into her coat, the Konti left the bureau to stain her boots with some more mud. Fortunately, the rain had shrunk to a trickle, so she didn’t bother with the hood. In the middle of the bridge between Blade Island and the West Bank she stopped to inspect the surroundings. Someone had chosen precisely that bridge to get rid of an unwanted kitten. The question was where they’d come from…

For the sake of keeping it simple, Estrellir stayed on Blade Island and started walking down houses on the eastern shore. The shops and residences she was familiar with weren’t inhabited by a man with rough and violent hands, not even rough and violent for a kitten.

The last shop before Fire Island was little more than a shack with a pale and weathered sign and a few small boxes of candies arranged in the dusty window. If the façade had ever possessed color, it had faded a long time ago. As she walked around the entire house once, Estrellir noticed a back door and two windows, one at each side. After a little hesitation, she tried the front door. Locked. Nobody answered to her knock on the back door. Something about the candy shop bothered her all the way back to the bureau though.

Until she buried herself in research. Compiling notes for an entirely different case took the rest of the day and a good part of the next. Mell’s occasional laughter from the kitchen provided a pleasant sound to work to, so she progressed faster than usual.

by **Estrellir Konrath** on April 23rd, 2014, 9:09 pm

Fall 48, 513 AV

A knock on the door interrupted Estrellir as she was smoking her pipe and enjoying the taste of exquisite Rajor tobacco. Grumbling with the pipe between her teeth, she got up and answered the door herself. Mell was probably in the kitchen whispering sweet nothings into a kitten ear.

The terrible rain of three days ago had faded into sudden downpours between long dry bells. Still, the boots of her visitor were stained with dried mud and dust from the roads. His eyes were dark, his face leathery and tanned, the hair sandy brown. The stubble on his chin told of a lack of hygiene during the last few days. “Hello. Name’s Malinck Larkas. You the Konrath, miss?”

Estrellir ignored his gruff way of speaking and shook the extended hand. His skin was calloused from a lifetime of hard work and felt rough to the touch. That reminded her of something. She pushed the pipe into a corner of her mouth. “Yes, I’m Estrellir Konrath, owner of this business. If you’ve come to call upon my services, how can I help you?”

Stepping aside, she allowed the man to sit in a chair and positioned herself in front of him, leaning against her desk. Prior to the introduction, a single glance had determined his status: freeborn. He wasn’t related to any Dynasty by blood and his demeanor was far too rough and submissive towards her.

“Thank you for seeing me, miss. My wife’s been out of her mind lately. Says I did a terrible thing. Gives me the look every time I come near her. So I try to fix it, but I don’t have no success. Bet some God made them go poof!”

Estrellir’s eyes narrowed as she tried to make sense of the man’s confusing tale. “Who went poof?”

He looked at her as if it was obvious. “Our Citra’s little babies, the kittens! Meant to sell ‘em, my wife did, but guess they just sold themselves to the wind and waters!” At that point, he threw his arms into the air, obviously more frustrated at his wife than the kittens. “So I go search for them, turn every stone on the island. Ain’t no kitten, not even a tail. My wife suggests you, I say you’re too expensive. Wife won’t shut up though.” He grumbled a little to himself, shifting in his chair, before falling silent.

The more he talked, the wider her eyes grew. In the end she caught the pipe before it slipped from her lips, took a deep breath and blew scented smoke towards the ceiling. “What do they look like?”

“Tiger cats, all three o’ them, grey tiger cats.”

by **Estrellir Konrath** on April 23rd, 2014, 9:35 pm

Estrellir suddenly felt the urge to laugh a lot, but she swallowed it and produced another cloud of smoke instead. “So you’re here to ask me to find your runaway kittens.” He simply nodded. “How long have they been gone? Where do you even live?”

“Wife and I been living on Blade Island, last house t’ the right. Used run a candy shop, we did, for Dynasty kids and neighbors, but business ain’t no good these days. Shut it down just this season. An’ the kittens… been gone for three or four days, I say.”

It was almost disappointing how well everything fit together. Someone else would’ve been relieved at the puzzle being solved through a coincidence, but Estrellir felt faintly bored. Nevertheless, running a business came with certain expectations and responsibility. “How old are the kittens? Did you already have takers for them before they disappeared?”

Malinck performed a mixture of headshake and shrug. “Don’t think so. Wife didn’t mention anyone. Citra probably got them round the middle o’ last season. Wife says they were ready t’ be given away is why we were lookin’ for takers.”

Estrellir nodded with a flinch. The man’s habit of messing up the order of her questions started to give her a headache. Eventually she took the pipe out of her mouth. Leaning forward slightly, she caught the man’s unsteady gaze and held it. “Alright. I’ll take your case. When I’ve found the kittens, I want you to pay me by giving them to me though.”

He blinked. “You want the both of ‘em?” At her affirmation, he looked momentarily confused before shrugging once more. “Fine with me, miss. It’s not like we got people linin’ up for them. An’ thank you! I appreciate a good bargain.” He held out a hand and Estrellir shook it, reluctantly, to seal their contract.

After closing the door behind the man, she took a moment to observe the dirty footprints on her floor. Sighing, she opened the door to the kitchen and peaked in. Mell was sitting on the couch and stroking the kitten sleeping on her lap. She looked up with a pleading glance. This time, however, Estrellir knew no mercy. “Leave it on the couch and get up. We have work to do.”

Like the proper slave she was, Mell got up without a word of complaint and helped her mistress into the black coat.

by **Estrellir Konrath** on April 24th, 2014, 10:37 am

While Mell was stumbling around Fire Island, Estrellir crossed the bridge to Blade Island and started searching near the former candy shop. Since the missing kitten didn’t have a name yet, she simply made little noises that she hoped would relax young felines. Before she went towards the south west, she heard Mell shouting out. The girl simply yelled “kitten!” every few moments.

Kenash provided many holes and wild vegetation for a kitten to hide in or under. Estrellir didn’t think it’d still linger near the house it had grown up in, so she moved away and down Blade Island soon. Sighing and making her little noises, she worked through the high grass and short, crooked trees. She also checked the branches for specks of grey and stripes, but without success. Most of the houses in the area were used as residences, so there were no shop keepers to ask. After searching the left half of the island, Estrellir was sweating and her cloak was decorated with bits of the surrounding swamp.

As she stepped on the path between two houses near Reed Park, a slender figure was hurrying towards her from the northwest. “I’m sorry, miss, I couldn’t find it,” Mell reported with eyes downcast. Obviously the girl was more worried about the other kitten than anyone else.

“No problem. You can search the park and the southern edge of the island while I clear everything to the right of this path. After that you’ll do Oath Island and I’ll move on to Sun Island. I guess we should also check part of the West Bank.” With that, mistress and slave went into different directions. Despite the warm weather, Estrellir raised the hood of her cloak to hide her hair and features. If anyone saw a Konrath sneaking around the city proper, they’d likely jump to wrong conclusions.

The longer Estrellir searched Sun Island, the more doubts crept into her thoughts and damaged her motivation. What if the kitten had already died of exhaustion or fallen prey to one of many beasts lurking in murky swamp waters? What if someone had simply taken it with them as a free pet? If so, they’d never find it and Malinck’s cruel wife would probably chop off his head.

With a small sigh, the Konti took a break to stretch her back. Standing on the southernmost tip of the island, she could look over the canal towards the arched bridge connecting Blade and Dry Island. The large building behind her back housed Silverbite’s Prowlers.

As she turned around, someone was observing her from the back door. For a moment Estrellir just stared at the human man, too surprised to say anything. Had he seen her search half the island? Would he threaten her with that knowledge?

by **Estrellir Konrath** on April 24th, 2014, 12:58 pm

The man with short dark hair and slender figure kept staring at her.

“What’s the matter? Do I look like a monster to you?” Estrellir snapped and crossed her arms in front of her chest. As she moved more abruptly than intended, the hood slid off her head and revealed her white locks in full glory.

He retreated a little and bowed his head before speaking his first words. “No, lady. I was merely wondering… If you’re looking for a particular shop or residence, I’d be pleased to point you into the right direction.”

A slave with excellent manners. Raising an eyebrow, Estrellir noted he possessed rare qualities. He seemed gifted with words too, saying neither too much nor too little. “No, I didn’t get lost, but I’m sure you’ve an eye for animals around your shop. Did you happen to see a kitten with grey tiger stripes, a stray?”

He blinked and took a moment to reply. “I have, lady, more than once.”

Tapping her foot impatiently, Estrellir waited for more, but was disappointed. “Where and when? I’ve been tasked with finding it.” Whether slave or not, people knew about her business. There was nothing wrong with revealing a mundane case commissioned by a freeborn. At his intelligence, the slave would most likely deem it insignificant and keep quiet.

To her surprise, he opened the door wider and beckoned her to come in. “I can help you with that, lady. If you’d come in for a moment, I’d be pleased to deliver the kitten.”

Hesitating just a moment, Estrellir stepped into a shady corridor that probably connected the front room to a storage area. The slave disappeared behind a door to the right to emerge a chime later with a wooden box in both hands. Upon his invitation, Estrellir peaked into the box… to discover a kitten that looked exactly like the one in her kitchen. It was rolled into a ball on a piece of brown cloth. Webbed fingers reached out, but she stopped herself before touching it.

“How did you find it and when?” she asked in a hushed voice to not wake the sleeping kitten.

The slave cocked his head, thinking. “Maybe two days ago? I thought it was a runaway as it seemed too young and frightened for a stray, so I took it in for the time being. It enjoyed hunting our mice.”

“What were you going to do with it?” Estrellir asked. Since he was a slave, acting on his own could’ve dire consequences. Although not his mistress, but she still had to decide what to do with that piece of knowledge.

He shrugged. “I was going to ask my lady Adrienna what to do with it. There’s no way a cat could live at a reptile and amphibian shop.”

Estrellir nodded. She explained how the owners had tasked her with finding their lost pet. Then she wrapped it into the thin blanket and gently lifted it out of the box. It moved sleepily in her arms, but when she pressed it against her warm chest, it settled down with a yawn and went back to cat dreams. The Konti left the shop the same way she’d entered and hurried towards the West Bank to fetch Mell.

by **Estrellir Konrath** on April 24th, 2014, 1:23 pm

Fall 49, 513 AV

Estrellir turned around so she was lying on her side and picked up the pipe resting in a pot that hung from the wall next to the couch. Mell bent down to light it before her mistress put the other end into her mouth and inhaled deeply.

As the slave girl returned to the stove where coffee was brewing, two greyish black shadows slipped in through the open door. Estrellir grunted as they jumped on her belly one after another and stepped all over her in their search of a comfortable place. What was comfortable to a kitten anyway? They could sleep on windowsills and in shelves!

“It’s a pity we didn’t get the freeborn to pay us for the service. It was worth more than those two,” she said to nobody in particular. Inhaling more tobacco, she blew it towards the ceiling with her lips shaped into a perfect ‘o’. Instead of a smoke ring, she got a vaguely round cloud though.

Mell’s soft voice barely rose above the clatter of dishes. “If I may say so, mistress, it’s a nice change to be paid in something other than money for once.”

Estrellir snorted. Of course, the slave girl would rejoice in getting two furry companions instead of the meagre salary she made on top of the sleeping bunk and food she was entitled to. Still, as her hand brushed the soft fur of a kitten nestled to her side, she couldn’t help but enjoy the warmth of her little body and welcome the silent company.

“Have you named them yet, mistress?” Mell kept her head down while pouring steaming coffee into a cup with a missing handle.

Estrellir hummed thoughtfully. She hadn’t given the names a lot of thought although she’d made a point that she wanted to name them herself. “The cute one is Whimsy and the hunter is Poppy. It doesn’t matter anyway… They’re impossible to separate unless they do stuff.”

Mell turned around to and bent down again to serve the strong hot coffee Estrellir had requested. “Yes, mistress,” she agreed meekly, but the spark in her eyes told a different story. She knew the Konti well enough to tell that she’d grown fond of the twin kittens.

THE END.

by **Vice** on June 8th, 2014, 5:06 am

Estrellir Konrath :

Loot: Two Kitties! Whimsy and Poppy

If you have questions, comments, or concerns, please send me a PM, and we'll discuss my reasoning behind why the grade given was received. Please make sure to edit any posts in the grading queue to 'graded' and update your CS as soon as possible. Enjoy! ^.^

Completed Case of the Smoke Cat