I blink my eyes slowly. The coating of extra liquid on the surface of my eyes run down my face as a single tear for each eye. Once the underwater effect of looking through liquid pass I look up at the sea of emerald only to see it is a tree canopy. Vivid green leafs take up almost every part of my vision besides the edges. I don't remember going to sleep outside… I never do that.
I feel my heartbeat hammer in my chest than my body convulses on the ground. Wrathing and trashing on the ground, I let out small whimpers of pain from the harsh impacts of small rocks and twigs hidden in the grass that I am laying on. My fear filled mind fights back making the trashing worse as I feel a finger break from hitting a small rock wrong. I let out a scream as the convulsions ease off, leaving me with a sore and aching body. I bring my broken hand to my chest and squeeze my wrist with bits of tears in my mind trying to ignore and wish away the pain.
I let out a gasp as I feel a thump in my chest. It feels like riding a rollercoaster and getting nausea. It feels like your heart shooting in your throat and filling your body with warmth while the rest of the body feels like it is falling. Than the pain of my finger fades till it is nothing but a bad fading ache, reminding me that the fading pain was real. Not a fading seastion form a dream.
I gently bring my hand to my face and inspect it for damage. I turn it around and inspect it closely for any swelling or bruising that would come with what felt like a breakage. Amazingly there is no damage. I open and close the finger with no pain. Like I imagined it...
But that pain was so intense. It was scary, no control, hurting myself because I couldn't control myself…
I sit up and take a look around to see I am in some sort of clearing near a gravel like road. Just… Briefly, barely, do I know where I am. A different world… It felt like a dream. The beautiful girl made of stars. Me being a hero… Or was it a villain? I remember trying to reach to her. Her pushing something violet into my chest and the worst burning sensation I have ever experienced, “Fuck….Was that magic? Did I heal my hand with magic? Was that what magic feels like?” I chuckle a bit and feel so much fear drain out. Its magic. There's a reason, I’m not dying alone and in a forest, it was magic that made me convulse. It was magic that healed me.
This time I sit up, and actually stand up on my feet. I look over my outfit from the front. It's no clothes that I have ever owned or seen. It's a pitch black leather duster with sparkles like stars inside of the leather. It looks like a mixture of a mage robe and a trench coat. I turn to the side and watch as they shine at the same light no matter what angle or light level that I look at them. It looks like someone took the night sky and made it into a mage's robe. Its beautiful.
I walk to to the road and look to the left and see plains. Flat plains with small streams and forest interlaced. Not too far there is something coming. A man on a cart walking down the road at a slow pace pulled by two horses. I look to the left and see a wall a far, far way off. Multiple miles at least, must be where the man is going to, I think. God, well gods, my eyesight is so good now… I use to have to wear glasses to see where I was walking clearly. It's not bad not seeing the world through dust, grime and oils form my skin. I sit down on the ground by the road and wait for the man to come by.
Once I fall to the ground on my butt. I feel like I sat on my fingers and let out yelp of pain from the sudden seastion of pressure and slight pain. I stand back up and flip the tail clock to see… Well a tail. What. Tail?
I reach down and lightly grasp the tail. The fur pattern is a pitch… no its the color of space. That black black black color that's just ever so slightly off of black that most simply call it black. I stroke it slowly, feeling form about halfway up the length of the tail and feel vanity for it that one would for their greatest quality. Their hair, their face, something or anything that they can show off and say happily, this is better than most.
It's an odd thought and feeling. I do not feel panic having a tail, slight confusion yes, but not panic. Like it has always been there. Its beautiful, and I feel utterly vain over its color and silky fur. The sound of clopping hooves on gravel enter my earshoot. I turn my head to face the noise and see the carriage so much closer than I last saw it. Still going at its typical strutting pace. It… looks like a horse. A tall workhorse not made for sprinting. It's a horse breed for hauling heavy loads over long distances.
I look back to my tail and stroke it once more, ever so slowly. I stroke it form the tip to the base this time ruffling the fur than I stoke up to the tail to smooth the fur once more. It feel like cat hair. Soft yet silky. Dog fur feels a tad bit more course unless treated otherwise. There's an overcoat, a undercoat to it.
I look back up to see the carriage much closer to me this time. The driver smiles and waves at me, waving at me with a wide smile, “Hello traveler! Resting on your travels?” I nod and stroke my tail slowly, stroking it form the base to the tip over and over. I will need to get a comb to make sure it stays in perfect shape. Its beautiful, “Do you need a ride the capital?” I nod with a small smile and stand up. I walk up to the seat where the man is guiding the horses. I pull myself beside him and relax into the padded bench.
“So friend, why are you heading to the capitol?” He did something with the pieces of leather that are strapped to the horses harness. I do not know how to guide horses, but this man seems to know how to.
“... I don't know yet. I just woke up on this world.” I put my tail back on my lap and slowly stroke it once more. Its relaxing, like petting a cat while having some part of you stroked and massaged.
The man smiles at me and chuckles once again but my eyes are on my tail, focused on stroking it slowly, “You're a smart lad. Young, not sure what you want to do in life.” He lets out a sigh. His face goes relaxed. “Most of you want to be knights, mages. Seeking glory against the other kingdoms, the demons. But you forgot you need common folk to hold up the heros. A hero cant fight hungry can he?” I shake my head. It's a common concept that most don't think of in roleplaying games. You need to feed the hero so they can protect the people so they can make items for the hero, the common folk, everyone involved.
“Without people. The hero would starve. Without the hero, the people would die.” He nods and reaches over to pat me on the back with a smirk.
“Smart man. You're a hero aren't you?” I nod.
“Quiet aren't you? All of the tales that we hear of heros are bright eyed children with aweinspring power. Backed with the affection of a god...Who is your god hero?”
“Fata Stele.”
“The goddess of the stars?” I nod again. I can remember… I think. A figure. A girls figure made of stars. A kind voice and burning.
“She was beautiful. Night sky in the figure of a girl. She gifted me with magic.” I look up and smile at the man. Now, that I actually look at him, he looks like a typical traveling merchant in roleplaying games. Nice but practical clothings that tell of wealth, telling that his wares have quality while having the capabilities to be cleaned on the road. Practical for his needs.
He look around his 40s or maybe 50s. A bit of a gaunt stomach thats held back by some sort of colored sash to hold his stomach in his robes. He has a beard groomed by the sword on his waist. Or I think, it could be anything to be honest. Maybe a dagger, maybe they actually have shaving razors, “You think a lot don't you?” I nod once more, “My name is Christopher Light. Once we get to city I’ll help you do anything you like sonny. It's rare to see a cat-kin hero, most are humans or elves.” He chuckles a bit.
Cat kin? I guess I have a cat’s tail. Human looking… maybe. I haven’t seen my face but my hands are still human looking.
I reach up and stroke my face, feeling my features. Not as reliable as eyesight but nothing feels wrong. My features feel fight. The cheekbone still feels in the right place. My chin feels normal. My nose is still the same shape. I cannot see my own eyes, maybe those changed? I reach around the side of my head where my ears would be and feel nothing. I slide my hands up to the top of my skull and feel cartilage in the shape of a triangle. I rub them from the tip down to the base, tracing the shape and where they are. How warm they feel and sensitive my fingertips feel on them, “I was human…”
Lights face falls a bit. It looks like he thinks I am displeased. I’m not. I was never attached to the concept of being human, “Well… The gods have their reason. Do you hate her for changing your race?” I wonder why he sounds so sensitive on this topic.
I shake my head and trace the other ear with my fingers, touching and petting them like I would my cat, “I do not. Her gift destroyed my body. Burned it to ash, than the ash to nothing.”
Light goes quiet. He touches his forehead with his pointer finger then brings it down to his chest with his head bowed and his eyes closed. He looked to me with a small look of pity, “Poor hero. And you still do not hate her for that pain?” I shake my head again. My hands go back to my tail as I look to the city and watch as it grows closer. The walls are tall, easily taller than four men stacked ontop of eachother. I'm judging it by the guards in armour standing in front of the wall processing carriages that look like Light’s.
“I have a grandson about your age in the city. It's hard to imagine, not it's more that I hate the thought of him being brought into a hero’s legend. It's full of strife, all the legends talk about the battles, the losses, everything that would make a hero’s story.” Light shakes his head as we near the back of the line of wagons. Yea, wagons describe them much better than carriage, “So, lad, once you arrive in the city what do you wish to do? Money is no problem and my merchant house has massive influence around the country. A legendary sword? Ancient tomes of magic? Anything for a new and upcoming hero.”
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Light pats my back once more while I scan the walls, looking them over. It looks like a single, solid wall or marble. Beautiful and flawless marble. No breaks, no sealant, just marble raised from the earth and shaped as if they dug dozen of feet into the ground leaving those walls as testament to the earth that use to stand there. Or magic. In this world magic is real...I used it , “I like to learn magic. My goddess gave me a gift. One relating to magic.”
I quietly answer Light while I let go of my tail and try my best to move this ne and strange part of my body. I watch as it jerks around with no smoothness of fine control on my part. It will take a while to learn how to move a brand new part of my body. Something I have never had nor would need normally.
“Magic? Well it would fit her domain…” He nods as if we have made some sort of discovery.
“What do you mean?” I tilt my head as Light moves his waggon past the others, walking the horses to a smaller gate a short distance away.
“A god has a domain. A god of the sun.” Light bows his head once more putting his fingers to his forehead than down to his heart before looking back at me, “A god of earth and its bounty. Two different domains. A hero of the sun would usually be gifted magic so bright that it could vanish the night. A hero of the earth would be gifted a body tough and strong like the earth itself. Make sense?” I nod as we stop in front of the gate. Light pulls out a scroll form a pact hidden in the back while a guard walks up to our carriage.
“Light! Right on time! Oh, who is the Cat-kin? A new traveling partner? Must have never see Marthell’s marble walls before!” This guard is loud. I wish he would be a bit more quiet…
“Markus! You will not believe who I found just sitting beside the star gazing grove! A hero! Fata Stele’s chosen himself sitting and playing with his tail as if nothing else in the world mattered.” Light lets out a joyful laugh and claps me on the back once more after his loud statement. Of course announcing a hero, any type of hero, would draw everyone's attention. I don't like crowds. My mind doesn't work well and I simply act on instinct around them.
“Light can we go in?... I do not like this attention…” I take a glance around. The other people in the carts look at me in wonder and awe. The guards stand up a bit straighter as if trying to show off. I do not like being stared at. I hate it.
I feel my tail flick and hit the back of the wooden seat as Light nods while the guard named Markus steps aside letting us inside. Light urges the horses forward with a movement of the leather straps attached to them and walks onto the marble road. Now that we are in the city I see it is simply carved form the stone and a mixture of others and wood added into it. As if the stone grew around the wood instead of the wood around stone. It is extremely surreal looking at wooden signs emerging from marble without hinges or any sign of glues.
“Welcome to Marthell’s Hearth. Capital of Marthell, birthplace of the stone weaving school of magic. I am sorry for calling you out in the crowd. There is no story that I know of a hero not liking a crowd's attention.” He bows his head to me while the horses walk by themselves, navigating through the roads to near the center of this large city. The buildings block the view of anything impressive or utterly awe inspiring to me like a palace or something like a mage tower.
It takes around half an hour to travel through the streets, working our way to closer to the center. Around 20 minutes in a taller wall of white marble entered in view. Light informed me past is is where the nobles and the royal place are. He traveled to a large marketplace set up outside of what looked like a manor of some sort that is retrieving lot of wagon foot travel.
Everyone looks at my clothes and whisper, talking about something. Light ignores them so do I as he guides his wagon around to the back where there are people unloading supplies out of wagons, haggling and simply talking.
It is lively. People everywhere, doing things that I don't know the reason for. Wares are brought out of carts, put on some, people leave and come. All like a machine running like a smooth, smooth machine. Everyone knows what they are doing, where they are going, and where they are needed.
Light carts us into an open area where a young boy, around 13, runs up wide a wide smile. He takes the reins form light and tips a hat he has to him while taking glances over at me, “Mr Light, who is this cat you have with ya?”
“It's just a guy that I found on the side of the road. Now don't go calling Cat-kin cats. You know it's insestive you little brat. How do you like being called monkey? You're here to learn how to trade and one of the rules of being a trader is not to offend clients, else they might seek business where they are treated with proper respect. Now apologize!” I wonder what this kid is to Light…
The boy turns to me and bows slightly while mumbling in the way only a cross child could, “I sorry for callin ya a cat… You a Cat-kin, an that what I should call ya.”
I nod to the kid and slide off the cart, stretching out after the prolonged sitting. I was flexible in my old body. But this… This feels like a gymnast. Something you would see and wouldn't think would be achievable by the rigid looking human body. It feels free. Like your body use to be held by by some tight clothing that you never felt only to have taken it off and you can truly move. I can feel my tail flit about to help keep my balance on instinct as well. My body knows what to do, I simply have to follow suit and learn it.
I feel Light’s hand on my shoulder. I turn my head to face him and see him with a wide smirk on his grandfatherly face, he reminds me quite a lot of mine, “Sonny, was the cart ride so long that you had to make a small show of stretching out like a cat waking up from a nap?” I tilt my head. He responds by pointing around to show that the machine line of people has slowed and is watching me stretching in my travel leathers.
I feel my body tense with all the eye on me and I feel the packed dirt around us as my tail flicks side to side dirtying my beautiful fur. Light once again laughs in that kind good natured voice of his and starts to guide me inside of the manor, “We are going to go inside. Get a small bite to eat and talk to the trading company head.”
“How can you so quickly?” I tilt my head and do my best to tune out the crowd and focus on Light’s voice, my footsteps, and the feeling of my tail brushing the ground as I walk.
“Because I trained him! Welcome to Light Trading Family. I passed it down to my son and took up acting like a small time trader for retirement. I don't do well with idle time and learning small magic tricks like most retirees don't fit me well. I’m a people person, not a mythical minded chasing old dreams of welding might power.”
“Practical. My grandfather was like you. An engineer. Hated down time. Was rehired at his work as a freelancer and keep his mind busy.” Light nods with a smile.
“Such a strange little hero. Practical, forgiving and soft spoken.” Light mutters this to himself but… I've noticed almost all of my senses are better. Sight, smell, hearing. I don't know about taste but touch feels about the same. Oddly it's not overbearing. Was my brain changed as well as my boy? Foreign and unusual instincts will appear in time as well, but the surality of my body feeling lived in makes it seem like being human was simply a dream. It’s so different but doesn't feel unnatural at all...
As I am stuck in my thoughts my body works on auto pilot, walking behind Light with my head lowered as my hands seek out my tail. I lift it off of the ground and start to stroke it, desperately trying to get the dirt out of the fur while Light leads me up a grand staircase. Minimally decorated, focusing on practically over grand appearance. He guides me up another seat of stairs that curl around the first grand staircase to a third floor and heads right down a long and wide hall all lined with doors.
“Was this a noble manor?” I look around at the much more empty halls. It feels extremely barren compared to the hustle downstairs of people working and doing things that they need to do.
“It is a noble manor! The Light family was given noblitly on grounds of our wealth and influence in the merchant trade. You're quite lucky to have meet me, but I personally think it is your god arranging our meeting.” He puts his fingers to his forehead and drags it down to his heart once more, “Any sane man would be honored to be part of a god's plan. Being immortalized in a hero’s story? It's the best damn thing that could happen to an old man like me.” Light smirks at me, opens a door at the end of the hall and walks in. I follow of course thinking over his reasoning.
I wonder how will I age in this new body. Faster, slower, the same?
“Sonny, met my son Larter Light.” Behind the desk with the back facing away from a large, and glowing, window is a younger man that older Light. About his early 40’s or later 30’s. Unlike his father he does not have much girth around his stomach but a much more compact and fit frame. He is dressed in colorful robes that hit him very well along with a bearing of regalness. He looks like a true nobleman unlike his father who looks like Santa Clause backup.
“Father.” Larter looks up with a small smile on his face before turning to look at me and a mask of naturally falls over it, “Father who i-”
“Son, as your father. Drop the act. This young man here is a hero I found on the side of the road petting his tail. All we need to know is he is the hero of Fata Stele. An actual god has graced us with being the damn start of a hero’s legend. He’s a quiet, smart lad. I asked him what he wanted, any treasure and he asked to be taught Larter.” Light slams his head on Larter’s table. It might of been his at some point.
I walk up to Light’s side and slam my hand down on the table as well earning a jump out of both of the men as a crack runs down it to my horror, “I-I'm sorry. I didn't know it was friagel…” I shrink back behind Light. Larter only looks to his father with a small grin.
“He is timid too. Impressive body, why need to learn magic when he can have the temperment of a warrior beat into him?” I feel my chest bloom in heat of something between anger and worry. I thought they would help me, not force me down a path I did not choose.
“His gift is with magic Larter. I’m calling in favors tonight, and yours too. Helping a hero means more than our money and influence. That can come later as a gift from him after he has saved countless lives. We are good men Larter. I raised you on honoring our legacy. We are descendants of Hero of Light. The hero of the god of healing, kindness and mercy.” Light’s voice lowered but kept eye contact with his son. I think, I'm hiding behind him shaking for the panic of breaking the table.
“We are good men. Kindness and mercy.” Larter’s head bows in the edge of my eye sight while I see Light’s head bows as well.
“Kindness and Mercy, son, but also practically. Boy, I never got your name. Too excited and forgot my proper manner.” Light turns around to face me and his face seems to have a mixture of emotions on it. I wonder if my cat ears and tail show off my emotions like regular cats do.
“Ivan Mercer.”
“Ivan, by the day after tomorrow you’ll be walking through the hall of the best magic academy that exist in this capital. In return, during your travels and your strife I want you to help people.” Light rest one of his meaty hands on my shoulders. It should be said I am a bit taller than he is. Him around six foot while I am around six foot and two inches. But he tries his damnest to look me right in the eyes with an intense glare, “I want you to help those that will be in pain, in hunger, destitute and homeless. Be. A. Good. Man. That is all I need. If I can make one hero a well and truly good man I will consider my fortune well spent.”
I like Light. He is a kind and genuine man who seems like he learnt kindness and mercy like he preaches. His son seems like he never took it to heart… Simply repeating what his father says without giving well and true thoughts to any of it, “Father. I’ll get in contact and make sure Ivan is introduced to Spellweavers. Ivan, what is your experience with magic?” His son seems like a good business man though. Straight to the point while trying to inform himself.
“When I woke up in the grass, I started to convulse. I broke my finger. I held my arm to my chest. I felt something where my heart was. My finger was healed. That is when it sunk in that I was in a world of magic.” I look down to the ground while my hands seek my tail as a source of comfort. Something to keep my mind off the anxiety of talking to people.
“Great. No magic history. It’ll make it rougher but hopefully your gift will help you learn magic at an prodigious speed. Hero’s are coming. The world that we know is coming to an end and we must strengthen ourselves for the harsh time ahead.” Larter focus goes to his desk, grabbing a book and flipping it open. I do not know what he is looking through nor do I really care.
Light grabs my shoulder once more, using it as a handhold to guide me across the hall to a random room, “You can rest in here. If you need something, knock on Larter’s door, ask anyone dressed like a servant as say you are a high class individual staying with the trading company. I’ll return tomorrow hopefully with good news.” Hide in the room, got it. Light opens the door leading to a high class looking bedroom, something I have only seen in movies or anime about nobility. So. Much. Lace.
The bed has lace, the covers has lace, the drapes have lace, the doorways have lace, the pillows have lace. I see another door that is open leading to another room. Its a bathroom. Full of lace. I let out a small yawn and feel my body stretch out once more. I look outside and see it is very near sunset I eye the bed and nod to myself as I start to try to figure out how to escape the leathers.
To my surprise they are very stretchy, slide right off of me as I pull my shirt off and catch a look in a hanging, full body mirror and see just how much I change. I was never fit. A bad heart made exercising a pain but I stayed thin though good genetics.
My new body is much leaner. The entirety of it is taunt muscle. At least my chest is. No acne scars, no moles. Chiseled like someone who runs or does something very cardio heavy. My neck is long still with broad shoulders. My jaw looks more pronounced, less fat in my face leading to harsher angles. My hair is the same color as my tail. My iris are the small dull and dead looking brown while the pupil, like a cats, are open much much wider then what should look normal on a human. There is something there that does not look human.
I look back to the bed and crawl under the covers while keeping my pants on. In the slowly darkening room I look down at the travel leathers and watch as the white spots that look like stars stitched in glowly lowly, twinkling in the dark.
I close my eyes and fall asleep, exhausted form todays stress.