Entrance into Cait Sith was very like entering the Summerlands, a rift formed, not unlike opening a Portal, but done without the need of spell or System. The realm like the Summerlands could be entered from anywhere, as long as a denizen of Cait Sith existed to open the rift. But unlike the Summerlands that was so vast and expansive that it touched upon all levels of reality, Cait Sith was a more self-contained dimension, expansive, growing in size, and adapting to population numbers, it was as close to a Sithern as possible.

I finally was able to find the person who had been speaking to me from the shadows. She appeared unimpressive, even harmless, but that was a front, a faux image that she and all Cait Sith projected. She was typical of the Cait Sith in their Seelie form, not quite the ethereal beauty that the Seelie and Unseelie sported, her beauty was more contained.

The lithe and sleek form she sported as a cat was apparent no matter her form or shape. Her muscles were pronounced because like all cats she refused to wear clothing, there was no need. Even in her Seelie form, she brandished a stunning coat, her fur luxurious, just begging to be petted. Her fur a golden chafe with black spots, it included an undercoat of white that enhanced and gave definition and dimension to the black spots.

Her ears, eyes, and whiskers framed her juvenile face. The eyes, the most striking feature. She had emerald eyes, the pupil black and oval-shaped. She glared at me with those soulful eyes, worried that now that I could see and reach her, I might react.

The Cait Sith was used to dealing with Sidhe's jealousy. Jealousy that often resulted in Sidhe attacking. And it made them jumpy, hesitant to trust. And just like most housecats, they refused to be touched unless they thought it appropriate. And when they allowed you to stroke that fur that begged to be petted, they made it abundantly clear they were doing you a favor.

You served at their pleasure, no matter your Rank or Level.

The woman's muscles were stretched taught, I could tell she was ready to spring away at the slightest provocation, or pounce and attack. Her fear was probably exacerbated because I had been allowed to enter the Cait Sith's domain. I could be banished, but once the invitation to enter was made, I was given guest rights. Banishment could only occur if I broke those rights.

And I would be a fool to do that. Not only would I make an enemy of all Cait Sith, but I would also tempt the Wild Hunt. Tybalt had a relationship with the Huntsman that stretched back to the very founding of their people and their duty. Just as Gwyn ap Nudd was a Universal cosmic force for justice, Tybalt was aligned with time. He was duty-bound to maintain those constraints of time and paradox, to mend and repair fractured timelines.

The Summerlands was capricious, willing to send Sidhe into the past and future without care for cost or ramifications. Most would assume that these changes in time and setting were accidental, the Sidhe had long concluded that was not the case. The Summerlands was a Cosmic entity that embraced the profound nature of Eternity, Infinity, Chaos, and Order.

Tybalt and his people were created to respond to the excesses of Summerland. They were tasked to make sure the time-lines were allowed to unfold as they should. They monitored all time and facilitated events that caused the Universe to branch, diverge and create new realities, where Time allowed, or Necessity demanded.

It was when Paradox was introduced that the Cait Sith acted. They would intervene to influence events, to stem the tides of destruction. It was during these events that Tybalt was at his most powerful. As long as he was acting within the bounds and framework of his bailiwick, he was as powerful as Gwyn ap Nudd. A Cosmic Entity, able to brandish the power of Time.

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A Guardian against Paradox.

Gifted with the tools and abilities to act. Supported by the Wild Magic. Blessed by the Divine. It was folly to place yourself in opposition to the King of Cats when he wore his crown and responded to the call of duty.

The Oracle that he had nurtured was his eyes across all realms, all dimensions, all Universes. She reported when Paradox escaped Her chains and sought to alter everything that was, is, and will be. But that was the extent of her involvement. She neither acted to change nor guide the events that she saw.

Her duty was to report.

It was Tybalt's responsibility to act.

"Will someone be meeting us?" I asked, startling a hiss out of the young woman.

"No," she answered, accusation and reproach evident in her voice, angry that I had startled her. I wasn't certain why she would blame me for scaring her. She hadn't taken her eyes off me since we'd arrived, so should have been more than aware that I was going to speak.

"Tybalt, King of Cats, Lord of Cait Sith has called," she informed me, her words a memorized script, an attempt to impress me with the breadth and depth of Tybalt's power. "He waits with the Oracle to discuss events with you, about you.

"The way forward is different for each person. Because you have been summoned, you should find your way clear. The tests and traps that would confound those who would beg favor silenced.

"If you would follow the path," she said, pointing to markings that began to glow along the floor, " the Castle has been informed.

"Walk the path," she advised, "but be wary, do not attempt to venture into those places that have been denied you. Only those doors and halls you have permission to enter will open before you. If you try to force a door, if you step one foot past the path that has been marked, Tybalt will interpret your actions as a repudiation of guest rights, and invoke the Wild Hunt to deal with you and end Paradox."

I had to admit I was impressed with her moxie. There weren't many people alive that would threaten a Ranked: Princess. And to use the Wild Hunt as your foil was either the bravest thing I'd ever witnessed or the stupidest.

Gwyn ap Nudd did not take kindly to being used. If he knew that this Cait Sith child was bandying his name around like a bludgeon, his anger and retribution may have meant her death. Her safest recourse was to hope that she was nowhere near when Gwyn manifested next. Or that she was within her rights to invoke his name.

I took her at her word and began following the glowing path. I didn't have much choice in the matter because once she had given a warning, she vanished. And like all cats, when they didn't want to be found, they couldn't be.

Although I had been warned not to stray, there was nothing that was said that I was on a time limit, so as I strolled the halls and passed through doors that opened and closed for me, I examined everything and everyone I passed.

Curiosity may be a function of Cait Sith, the refrain that it might kill the cat was certainly well known, but for the Knocker that trait was as highly developed as our Cait Sith brothers and sisters. It was our unfailing curiosity that drove us to experiment and innovate.

We had learned to tame that curiosity, to use the scientific method to explain the nature of the physical and magical world. We created and innovated by marshaling curiosity, taming it to our will. We had evolved past satisfying our curiosity for curiosity's sake and applied logic and precedence to temper our imagination.

Most of what I saw, I simply couldn't understand. The toys, balls, and threads of yarn scattered throughout the castle made some sense. Cats were playful by nature, and these items allowed them to embrace those moments of play. If there were an unseemly number of toys, then that was to be expected in a realm of Cait Sith.

It was the scattered piles of clothing, the empty boxes left abandoned, piled pillows that made no sense. Some rooms appeared as nothing more than storage space, overflowing with junk. A hoarder's kingdom of useless items that served no purpose as far as I could tell, except to create spaces where the Cait Sith could hide or bear litters of kittens that would house the next generation.

But at least the smell of scat and cat piss was missing, or if it existed, it was so faint that it couldn't be noticed with my senses. And for all the clutter and junk that had been stored or left lying around, the castle was surprisingly well maintained. It might be messy, but the foundation was firm, the walls would hold, and the bedrock that this place had been built on was immutable.