[Shrine to Navre]The Cat's Cradle(Delayni)

by **Asher Salvatore Arc** on July 17th, 2012, 3:43 pm

53rd of Summer, 512AV

It wasn’t uncommon for Salvatore to see many actual animals within the Spires. The place was as very Kelvic friendly and the Hahk’Shatara would not allow anything to get out of control. Of course, there were playful little ones and sometimes aggressive older ones and more often than not Salvatore would watch with curiosity to see if they would actually attack. Much of the time they did not though a few exceptions were here and there.

Makes talking a might difficult though. “No, it’s not, they are very straightforward with their actions.” Touche. Whether he was right or not didn’t matter because many found his ceaseless chatter soothing, especially when he helped them fixed more painful wounds.

Today he was confused as to what to do with himself, originally he had intended to go and read a few chapters on the Jamoura people or at the very least Kelvics. Truth be told he worked with them for much of his life but he still didn’t have any knowledge of them as a whole. Rather than dwell on his thoughts he found himself crossing petals with a swiftness, as if he had a specific goal in mind. But by the time he realized he had passed his original destination.

Passed it by far, in fact he wasn’t precisely sure where he had found himself for he was sure he had never visited this petal previously. A brush against his leg had him glancing down in mild surprise as a bobcat and small house cat rubbed against him before continuing on. But they were not the only ones, there were many felines in this area, some playing, some lounging, some in human form but decidedly not human. He must have reached the feline’s portion of the city and this was either their allotted play place or a shrine, but a shrine to whom? To a God or Goddess of course! “Yes, I’m aware of that rather I did not know they had their own deity.” Well, you are now. “Yes.”

Striding forward and trying and mostly failing not to step on many tails Savatore made his way into the shrine, hoping to learn a bit more and maybe he could coax one of the great felines or small one to let him poke around at their anatomy a bit.

by **Delayni Vesse** on July 17th, 2012, 10:21 pm

So this is The Spires... It was an interesting place, full of nature's best gifts. One couldn't look anywhere without seeing some sort of intricate vine-work, or brightly colored flower. Not only that, but the city (if one could even call it that) exuded an aura of peace and homeliness. Delay could see very clearly now why so many spoke of the area pleasantly.

However beautiful and tranquil, though, the city was strange to the shifter. There were no bustling market places full of caged Kelvics, no stone pathways, no hostiles greeting your every move. And even more so, she was seeing this place through unhindered eyes, clear of any metal bars to obscure her vision. Indeed, it was strange.

Lost, the feline wandered about the open petals aimlessly. Where could she even begin? The majority of her life had been given to swaying between cities and homes. All she ever needed was provided for her. Furthermore, since slaves were never allowed to carry money (or earn it, for that matter), Delay was broke. What's a Cheetah to do?

While deciding upon her options, Delayni stumbled upon a shrine of sorts. It was petite, barely large enough for even her to slither into. All around it were other felines, some large and some small. Little domestic kits bounced around, while a few larger felines lounged around. As she neared, a few greeted to her warmly, rubbing against her golden pelt while flicking their tails happily. Delayni felt herself drawn to the shrine, as if an invisible rope was pulling her in. It was as if it spoke to her: "Come, Dela! Sit, rest."

She obliged, gratefully sitting in a small patch of sun. For some reason, everything was much clearer here. Not so much to her eyes, or mind, but more to her auds. Laying there next to the shrine, Dela could hear nearly everything around her; it was so crisp and clear that is frightened the Cheetah slightly. As a man approached the shrine, Delay flicked her head about. The sound of his footsteps was much louder than expected. She watched the man curiously, occasionally rubbing her overwhelmed ears with her paw.

OOC :

by **Asher Salvatore Arc** on July 19th, 2012, 3:48 pm

OOC :

Strangely enough he had no fear of being surrounding by things that could probably, and mostly likely would any other given day, surrounding him. They all seemed calm enough and he found himself pushing his way with to the group with ease. Are they all Kelvic? “Doubtful but it would be possible.” Yes, well, why am I here again? “Cat anatomy.”

A little at a loss of what to do with himself Salvatore squirmed his way into the crowd of felines and snatched up one of the smaller kittens. There was no harm in his actions and nothing jumped out to attack him, thankfully. Carefully petting and scratching at it lightly but otherwise only insisting it stay in his lap for a moment and it did so without any problems and Salvatore took it upon himself to run his hands along the feline in a more professional manner.

Trying to get a ‘feel’ for the cat, he doubted their anatomy was superbly different from other animals. Three main joints in the legs, not including the shoulders. “Explains the way they stand better because their radius and ulna are longer, thicker almost, especially in the hind legs." They are very boney compared to some. “Not really, bird bones are just lighter, theirs are more solid."

Quieting down once more he smiled and rubbed the kittens ear and looked around, most had the same basic structure only some were very large and some not so much. “Cartilage, no bone in the ear, must be deeper, like a bears.” Or ours. “True.”

And speaking of ears he noted that one of the larger cats was continuously rubbing theirs. Shifting over the kitten fell out of his lap and ambled away while he inched towards the larger cat, that has larger teeth. “Her ears might be injured, look at the way she rubs.” She could be just washing them. Ignoring the argument that would not doubt start he placed a gentle hand on the spotted cat and spoke softly to it.

“Do you ears hurt, large one?”

by **Delayni Vesse** on July 19th, 2012, 6:04 pm

OOC :

On normal circumstances, the Cheetah would be walking around, playing with the local kits and cats. Delay loathed inactivity. It made her feel useless. And even though she had all that time within cages to ease this anxiety, it still bothered her.

However, for some reason the Kelvic couldn't understand, she was compelled to just lay there. Perhaps it was Navre, the cat god, trying to tell her something, perhaps she was just tired. Maybe it was nothing. Whatever the reason, it aggravated her. In response to these feelings, the big cat flicked her tail about somewhat viciously and began to paw at her ears with more determination than before.

She felt bad for the human, really, for when he approached her, laying a gentle hand atop her, Delay couldn't help but snap. Revealing her teeth, she stood. Her hackles raised in irritation. No! I am fine! Now, get off! A very slight rolling chirp was emitted from her as she thought this. Who was this man, anyway? Walking up and randomly touching a clearly agitated large cat...ha, an idiot is what he was!

Or a friend. A small voice poked her from the depths of her mind. Delay cursed at it, realizing that it could be right. Maybe this man could help her ears. Like it or not Delay, you need this man's help. Growling internally as the good voice within her prevailed, Delay slumped apologetically. She rubbed against his leg with her forehead before placing her head between his feet. "Sorry" She spoke in feline.

by **Asher Salvatore Arc** on July 20th, 2012, 4:52 am

I knew my hand was going to get eaten. “No it’s not! Still attached.” But even the threat of being mauled didn’t exactly bother him, all were protected within the Spires and most didn’t generally shove their hands in strangers faces. “My apologies, large one.”

All the same he could feel some of the other cat’s tense but he didn’t move and wasn’t really scared, if his hand was going to get bitten off there wasn’t a whole lot he could do about it. It would just get bitten off. Yet when the large feline slumped against him, butting him in a manner that clearly meant no harm and perhaps even its own apologies a sigh of relief escaped him and a lazy grin.

“See? I’m not here to hurt you. I’m pretty sure in any event it wouldn’t end well for me.” It never does. “Yes, well, that’s neither here nor there.” Squatting comfortably he hobbled back a bit and held out his hand, speaking slowly as he moved it forward, “I’m going to touch your ear now.”

As he had found earlier it was all cartilage, although it was probably stupid of him to touch it for if it was that particular part that irritated the cat he could be making it worse, that knowledge in mind he pulled it back. Sometimes he forgot that living things didn’t like to be tested on. Instead he scooted forward, looking much like a crab and trying to see as much as possible through the fur, it was short haired, thankfully and made his job a bit easier.

It didn’t actually seem to be the outside of ears, nor the soft peach inside. None of it showed redness or lumps he would find in irritated fur so clearly that was no why it was rubbing. And try as he might he could not see through flesh and unfortunately he did not have a cadaver to poke around in and see what possibilities could be affecting the large feline. Though now as he looked around considering it he realized that perhaps it was simply the area. Or me talking to myself. Lowering his voice to a softer whisper he tried again not actually thinking his theory was right.

“Does this hurt less?”

by **Delayni Vesse** on July 23rd, 2012, 4:23 am

Delayni sighed, glad she had avoided--and narrowly at that-- a fight of sorts. As the man offered his own sign of remorse, Dela nodded. However cordial and appropriate of him to apologize, she thought it unnesassary. After all, it was she, not him, that bite his head off, so to speak. Two wrong don't make a right, and though it was just a small altercation, Dela's second "wrong" was no better than this man's first.

She was shook back into the realm of reality as he spoke once more. His words weren't too reassuring, but they were amusing. The point, perhaps? If it was, she had no intention of offending him with a lack of response. Normally, she would smile. A smile on a Cheetah, however, looks rather intimidating; not at all what she was aiming for. So, instead, she chirped lightheartedly.

Slowly, she shifted her weight to the other side of her body, letting her back legs casually lay out to the side. As she did so, the man beside her issued a warning. Delay cringed, contorting her face in preperation for pain. However, there was nothing. No new pain, no irritation...in fact, there was no feeling of touch at all. She glanced up to him, her eyes holding a questioning stare. The thought process didn't catch up with her later: He doesn't wish to make it worse...

Losing her inquiring glare, the shifter took the brief moment of calm to look over the stranger beside her. He was tall, with nothing overly remarkable about his appearance. With a scar to garnish his cheek (and who knows where else) and holes littering his clothing, Dela found that he actually looked rather raggedy.

While lost in thought, Delayni hardly noticed the slight change the man's voice ensued. It wasn't until the blue-eyed stranger spoke an inquiry. She flicked her torn ears around, taking in the auditory world around her. True, the irritation was slightly lessened than before. They were, however, still sore. Del peered upwards at the face towering before her, raising her shoulders, holding them briefly, then dropping them. At the same time, she rolled her eyes casually as if to say, Not too much better, not too much worse. You know, the same as always.

by **Asher Salvatore Arc** on July 25th, 2012, 4:19 am

The cat seemingly shrugged and Salvatore felt his lips quirk, felines were intelligent. And it was only upon a final inspection that he finally noticed the coat of spots and leaned back a bit to get a better look at the feline. He wasn’t sure how to tell if it was male or female but it was a feral cat. That much he knew. If he recalled correctly this kind was a cheetah, they were known for speed.

His knowledge of them went no further and he was mildly disappointed that he couldn’t entirely solve the problem with its ears. Rather than dwell on it Salvatore he situated himself near the feline the other cats only scooting out of his way a bit as he made himself comfortable.

“You’re very intelligent. I wonder does it have something to do with this place or are you simply different?” Does it matter? “Not really. I’m just curious.” Gazing down at the large cat he shook his head a bit. “I’m afraid I can’t do anything but speak softly like this. I am not familiar with feline ears.” Worry about that later, where is the question now. “Right then, tell me where are we?” The Spires.

Salvatore snorted lightly before flapping his hand to ward off any other unnecessary comments and inspected his surroundings a bit more. It was a shrine of some kind he assumed, at the very least. Most likely something for cats considering the environment, “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to be my test subject?”

He didn’t wait for an answer instead he leaned back casually and closed his eyes, content to doze and generally make a small pest of himself. There really were a whole lot of cats, perhaps there was catnip or something around and they made a temple to it? The thought made him chuckle slightly as he waited for his newfound companion of sorts to mull over (or attack) his request.

by **Delayni Vesse** on July 26th, 2012, 3:37 am

At first, Delay found an insult within his words. Was it this place? As if it was the only way she could possibly be intelligent? Ha! I'll show you something smart... The feline flicked her tail, sending it speeding towards the other side of her body. A few malicious thoughts crossed her mind, but she disregarded them just as quickly and easily as they had been thought up. Though Delayni would have gladly shown him where his curiousity would land him--which would more than likely be between her jaws-- if it wasn't for the slightly elevated level of intelligence that she had over her Kelvic kin. It was through this that the feral cat understood this stranger's true intent; his intent was, as far as she could tell, anything but offensive. Given this realization, Delay gave a brief shrug once more, tilting her head in a curious gaze. You're the medical man here, dearie, why don't you tell me? Her words were internal, as she knew the man couldn't speak the
same tongue as her, but they still held a note of sarcasm, which glinted in her eyes as well.

Upon his request--though it was worded more like an order-- for clarification, Delayni chirped lightly in amusement. Though she didn't know the name herself, even a Kelvic could piece together this puzzle. She directed her gaze to all the cats around her. They were all different sizes and colors, many built for climates other than the one within The Spires. Take herself, for example. She would much rather be in the desert sun, running around in the heat and sand. Yet, here she was. And, just like the others, something was tethering just the felines to this shrine. Looking at the temple briefly, Dela's eyes darted between the feline crowd and the shrine. "It's a temple for cats, a shrine to the cat-god, perhaps?" If there even is a cat-god, that is. She meowed, her words forming light little chirps and purrs as she spoke to the human.

Flicking her tail about once again, Delay found a sense of pride surging through her. Her chest puffed out. She had just seemingly outsmarted a...a...whatever he was. Up until now, she had assumed him human. If he were a Kelvic, he would've understood the whole ear dilemma, wouldn't he? Shooing the thought away, Delay let the pride fill her mind once again. Her pride was only mildly interupted by his brief line of speech. And, to mirror his brief question, she gave a brief answer. Delayni stood, methodically shaking her muscles and joints. Once finished, she stepped silently over towards him, only needing to take two or three smooth steps, and estled herself on top of him. Meowing, the cat-- who weighed, at most, the same as a medium-sized domestic dog-- casually leaned her shoulder against his legs, letting her back half sort of hang off the left side of his body. I'm all yours, buddy.

OOC :

by **Asher Salvatore Arc** on July 28th, 2012, 4:57 pm

OOC :

For another instant Salvatore wondered if the large cat would snap at him and end things very quickly but even this knowledge did not have him fleeing. The calm of the cats seeming to finally transfer to him and he would simply be content to laze about as they were. Besides the creature did not seem to irritated and the more he watched him or her the more it seemed as if the cheetah was speaking to him.

Their chirps, purrs and little noises alerting him to the fact that he was being spoken too. It amazed him slightly that the entire body seemed to show him precisely what the cheetah thought of his words. I think I’m being laughed at a bit. “It wouldn’t surprise me, this lovely friend seems to know more than me.” That’s not hard.

Rather than argue with that he leveled his eyes with the cats. Obviously the cheetah agreed with him that there may be a cat-god or something similar. But it seemed even they did not know precisely.

“It’s no wonder you stay then, I’m sure they are a great protectors.” Which will probably end up smiting me if something goes wrong. “Nothing is going wrong.” He retorted flatly, jerking a bit in surprise as his leg was very nearly filled with cat. It seemed this feline was particularly accommodating and he gave a half smile, taking it upon himself to give the cheetah a few scratching pets. “You’re very helpful aren’t you?” Of course, because it wants to eat me.

Salvatore rolled his eyes lightly and gave a shrug already slipping into his doctoral mode, “Tell me if anything I do bother you.”

His hands slid across the felines back, feeling for ridges and the shape of the spine, her could feel the changes as he ran his hands to the edge of cats rump and ghosted over the tail. Trying to give the helpful feline a sense of privacy still. Unlike the ears the tail seemed to be a bone, maybe it was part of the spine? Shift a bit he placed his hands on the cheetah’s head and applied light pressure here and there, trying to get a rough shape for the head. It seemed to be similar to a bears but the bone where the snout came from was noticeably smaller giving the head a near oval feel.

Leaning over the large cat he then began prodding a bit at its legs, trying to wrap his full hand around it for the joint structure. But just from the way the feline was laying he could tell the curve or the leg bend was more profound than any bears and would prevent them from standing straight upright. It was interesting and he wondered if this feline was full grown or not.

Pulling back finally he noted the weight was starting to make his leg fall asleep but made no inclination to have the cat removed, instead letting himself rest with the cheetah for a few moments before voicing a simple question.

“Would you like to come with me for a bite as compensation?” I’m sure it would! At this he chuckled and waited for the cat’s reply.

by **Delayni Vesse** on August 9th, 2012, 6:42 am

OOC :

Lovely. Hmm, trying to earn some points I see. Delay chuckled as she sat, patiently waiting for him to finish. She leaned casually to the other side. She was rather used to being manhandled. In fact, this experience seemed rather docile, comparatively speaking. Once being with families, often with rambuncious (to say the least) children, Dela was conditioned for being poked and prodded, tugged at and sat on. Even in between families, her tail or ears were often yanked between the bars of her slaver cage. Thus, when he requested to be alerted when he became bothersome the Cheetah chirped jovially, amused by this appeal.

As his hands whisked about around her body, Dela took it upon herself to analyze her new "friend" in more detail. Starting at his top end, Delay noted the dark, loose hair mirrored the same style as her own human form did: disshevelled and piecey. His face was scraggily, matching his hair. The scar on the left side of his face was interesting, but not enough so that she spent more than a passing glance. Her eyes skated over his clothing, already knowing what they'd find, seeing as she had already become accostomed to their holes and ragged edges. Unlike before, her gaze found a few more scars than before. One stretched the length of his left forearm. Seems you lead with your left. Noted. Turning to her own left, Delay noticed this man was barefoot. His feet were surely callused, as she could see from her perch some thick skin on his heels, as well as some dirt.

Barely noticing that the doctor had ceased with his examination, it took a moment before she responded to his question. Standing, Delay took no time to accept his offer. It was simple, really. If someone offers you food when you have none, you take them up on the offer. Letting out a purr of acceptance, Delayni swished her tail happily.