Chapter Four

Holding tightly, lost in visions of life being slain. Hel lost all awareness of her surroundings. A thin, short haired Mau quietly stalked over. It’s yellow eyes wide and standing out against the white speckled fur. It stopped right before Hel, purring loud enough to steal Hel’s attention away from her visions. Looking up, and making eye contact with the cat, the Mau walked over and leaned against Hel’s right leg. Rubbing it’s head against her wet skin.

“My apologizes kitty…,” Hel whispered. She reached her right hand out to allow the cat to sniff.

“You are quite pathetic,” it purred.

Realizing she’s in the presence of a deity, Hel quickly retracted her hand and just watched.

“It’s odd, if I am being honest. Set does not usually care of simple minds such as yours.: The cat seemed to shrug it’s shoulders as it started to groom itself. “You can call me B. I left you the clothes but it appears you cannot even clean yourself.” B tilted it’s head, “how sad for you.”

Hel looked at the ground. Her heart broke. “Yes…Oh Majestic one. I am all you say. Sad and pathetic.”

It’s fur rose up against it’s back. “Hold your tongue fool! How dare you imply that Set’s interest has been wasted! Do you dare claim his efforts were ill advised?” the cat hissed in Hel’s direction.

Immediately Hel started to cry. B rolled her eyes. “Stop crying creature. They should have sent Persephone to deal with you. Or a slave. Bes has a bunch they could have taken….”

Hel looked forward. She tried to blink away the tears still forming, “I have no understanding why anyone would want me.”

“It is true. You are ugly. You are weak.” B walked around Hel’s body, gently flicking her with the tip of it’s tail every so often. The soft fur went warmth and tickles throughout Hel’s body–a sensation she was not used too. “But your opinion does not hold any weight in regards to any of the Uppers.”

Standing up slowly, and following every order hissed at from the cat, Hel meticulously began to clean herself in the icy waters of the river before dressing in the clothes provided by B. She wrapped her chest up in the white wraps. She also wrapped her left arm to help keep skin snagging on branches or getting caught in an uncomfortable wind burst.

With B’s orders, Hel also wraps up the left side of her face. Something she agreed with whole heartily. B advices to leave the Cloak until nightfall and to just carry it until the sun falls.

He obediently listens to every order the cat gives, barely lifting her eyes from the ground below. A few times, Hel looses her balance and collapses over. B did not hide her enjoyment as Hel experiences embarrassment and pain. But after Hel gets up, B just circles around her and continues giving orders. When B was satisfied with Hel they started walking.

Walking all day with periodic naps for B: allowing Hel to rest herself and hydrate. Disgustingly aware she can travel far and wide with no food or water, B’s need for naps made the journey somewhat enjoyable for Hel. Never before had she been on a journey that matched her methidolic pace. It provided time for Hel to soak in the warm sun, rest her body, and meditate until the visions faded towards the back of her mind.

“Now that Ra has fallen to slumber…,” B stops just before Hel as Hel was limping onward.

Peering from around the edge of her wrappings, Hel’s eye grew in awe and wonder as B transformed from the lean short-haired white and black fur of a Mau into a beautiful woman of chocolate skin and shiny brown hair. Her eyes being the only resemblance Hel had to her cat campion; with the exception of her ears. She stood before Hel. A full figured woman. B strolled over to Hel. Hel blushed at B’s beauty. “B! I did not know you were–”

“You are not the only one with daddy issues Hel”, B’s yellow eyes glanced upwards toward the night sky. B walked passed Hel. Her bare feet making no sounds on the dirt path. Her long legs looking like silk as they moved in the moonlight.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

“Oh! You are naked!”

B rolled her golden eyes and reached out her hand, “Duh?” Embarrassed by her ignorance, Hel obediently handed over her cloak.

“B…,” Hel poked herself nervously with her needle as B fastned the cloak around her slim shoulders and continued walking East along the river. “B you are so beautiful.”

“Yes.”

“Why are you hiding?”

B stopped walking. Her shoulders straightened up, ears twitching with irritation. “I would think of all people, you would understand the need to hide.” Her voice was not cold. It sounded…empty? Hel continued to press harder against the needle in her hand.

Hel continued watching B. Even though she was human, B still walked with the same sway as she did when she was a cat.

The moon, now high above them, made the uneasy feeling intensify. When is the appropriate time to break the silence? What do I say? Is she mad at me? “Do you know Freya?” Hel’s voice squeaked from under the wraps.

“The cat lady with crazy red hair?”

Hel blushed as she conjured an image of the beautiful Goddess with long red hair and fiery passion. Her chariot being driven by cats and her life long companion, a monstrous cat she had saved from Giants many years ago.

“No. I do not know her personally. My turn,” B seemed to have quickened her pace, making Hel limp uncomfortably. “Do you know why you were summoned?”

The question caught Hel off guard. She hadn’t dared ask why since the last time she asked. Immediately she was swarmed with images of the villagers coming after her. The smell of Vidar’s breath mixed with Frost Apple.

B looked over her shoulder at Hel whose face held a blank expression. Rolling her eyes, B continued on with her pace and questions.

“Do you miss your home?” No answer. “Why are you like that?” B’s patience growing thinner. “You know–half human half dead? I have never come across anyone with half like that and like…alive? Do you get hungry? Does your skin grow back? Why does it only grow in shaggy sacks like it does and not just…you know..all the way?”

“I cannot answer what the Fates have not shown.” Hel’s voice was curt underneath the visions and memories. Her expression indicating she was farther away from that moment.

A noise pulled Hel back. It seemed to have come from the back of B’s throat. “Set doesn’t talk much either. It must have been so boring between the two of you.”

Hel smiled at the kind humanoid’s name. His night sky skin. The way he defended her. No one had ever defended her before. Not even odin or Freya, and before just two days ago-no one had even gone out of their way for her; let along show genuine kindness towards her.

“Well whatever you are, or what you have with Set, stay on his good side.” B retorted to Hel’s lack of answer, “I have seen him do some serious damage to even the strongest armies. A clumsy fool such as yourself would have no chance in battle with him.” B continued to walk forward-not giving room for Hel to respond, or catch up.

“I do not think I would ever want to be on his bad side,” Hel whispered. Great sadness overcame her thinking about Set continuing to show that disappointed look. Wanting to prove his effort worthwhile, Hel straightened her shoulder and began to walk even faster: despite the sheering pain radiating from her spine.

Hel completely missed the glare B passed her way as they continued towards the Eastern Bridge in silence.

As night slowly started to lighten today, Hel and B could see the red painted bridge just ahead. Crossing this bridge meant the official entrance to Ra’s territory. It means no longer being under Odin’s Law. Hel’s heart began to pound harder. Her feet stopped as B transformed back into her Mau form, leaping from under the heavy cloak.

“Something wrong?” B rubbed her face against Hel’s trouser pant leg.

“It feels like I am doing something….wrong?” Hel tugged on her hair and began playing with the ends.

“Wrong or different?” B sat just an arm’s length away rubbing her face with her paw. Her head cocked to the side, showing off her soft fury underbelly. Her yellow eyes seemed so all knowing. Her long tail wrapped around her paws and even in this tiny cat form, Hel couldn’t help but acknowledge the sheer regalness of B.

“Maybe both?” Hel admitted. A breeze coming from the South gushed towards Hel and overwhelmed her sense with the smell of Jasmine and Blood Oranges mixed with other floral and citrus smells. She began to feel excited to see Set’s kind face again but did not want to trust the positive feeling. She leaned back on her heel as if to turn around and run the other direction.

“I do not advise doing something so stupid weak girl.” B hissed at Hel. The air became tight. Hel turned around and saw the look B was giving her. Hel put her weight back onto her toes and began proceeding South towards the end of the Eastern Bridge.