Tom Cat

I worried for my reckless daughter. While the ducks were a joke, the fact that an Apostate had been at the last sight was concerning. I lay crouched on top of the truck as Mousethief drove up the mountain. The engine was working overtime to move the truck up the mountain.

Mittens, my little kitten stressed me out. She had taken to this job like a fish to water. No matter how old she got, a father worries. I didn’t want to smother her, or worse try to control every aspect of her life like my father Saberfang had. Still, this job had a high attrition rate for a reason. No matter how much I had warned her, she wouldn’t truly understand until faced with a life and death situation.

I could only hope that I was strong enough to save her when that happened. While her skills were impressive, the most important thing was not the fight itself, but setting up a situation where you would win. Going up this mountain and following her plan, made me feel the ten years I had been at this job. It felt more like fifty years.

Each mission was another gamble of life or death. I had managed to stay ahead of death for this long, but very few creatures kept at the job for over a decade at the pace I had been doing things. Once Mittens was off on her own, it would be good to slow down and take easier missions.

It had been incredibly stressful to be hands off at the start, but Maximilian had insisted, and Gary had convinced me. To let her pass or fail on her own merits. She succeeded beyond anyone’s expectations. Mittens had been amazing in her performance. I had been worried she might get conceited, but even when I trained her afterwards during her Neophyte phase, she hadn’t complained or put on airs.

Both over confidence and under confidence could kill in equal measures in this job. The first would cause a creature to go beyond their limits, thinking they were invincible. The second would make a creature hesitate, which was often fatal. Speed was key while fighting.

She had made a good ascent and was incredibly skilled. Even more skilled than me at that age. But she had not learned the depths that the Apostates would go to. There were plans within plans. Traps within traps. The fact that the ritual rooms were so deep underground was probably meant to enhance the ritual while also trapping any assassins inside.

The Apostates were like that. Doing two things at once to gain the most benefit. In an enclosed space, Mittens would not be able to escape. Still, she could handle an Apostate or two. My daughter truly was amazing, and I was proud of her.

Ducks screamed out for us to stop, but none of them swooped down. The truck slammed through the gate and came to a stop. I leapt off in front of the truck as Mousethief quickly scampered up to the top of the container where the HMG had been set up. He got into the seat and hit the release pedal with a laugh before pulling the trigger.

I liked Mousethief. He had helped me out of a jam, after my father had died. I owed him, but I couldn’t just pay him money out of these missions. It would lead to harsh questions. I didn’t want Mittens paying for my poor judgement either.

Mousethief volunteering to partner up with her had been a huge relief. I had been thinking about suggesting it but didn’t know how to bring it up. Mousethief would actually be taking a cut in pay for having a lower ranked partner. Even with his skills and seniority, part of his pay was based on who he was teamed up with.

After my refusal to give him part of the mission income, I couldn’t suggest he take a pay cut. That would have been too much and a grave insult for such a competent teammate. The fact he was going to team up with Mittens, made my heart rest easy. The world out there was scary and dangerous, having a competent Chief Technician would make all the difference. The only Chief Technician to be crazy enough to cart around an HMG.

I was wearing hearing protection and so was Mousethief. The HMG was loud, and I disliked it. But for a large group of birds, it was perfect. The HMG would shred everything in its path. It was like burning money with how much ammo it used, but for a situation like this it was better to just kill every creature and not have to worry about a large flock getting away.

BRRRRRR!

Bullets flew overheads shredding apart the ducks in the air before quickly moving downwards. A couple rushed for me, but I easily killed them. A flightless bird was a joke and Mousethief took out the ones in the air first.

That was when I noticed a figure in a gold threaded robe stop in front of the building and look at me before ducking inside the doorway. I rushed forward. Paying attention to where the HMG was firing. Mousethief could handle himself against ducks, but a High Apostate was another matter. Mittens was good, but she wasn’t ready to deal with a High Apostate. I knew Mousethief saw me, and he would finish up the ducks.

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Mousethief sent a barrage from the HMG through the doors just before I reached it. It was blown open and I leapt, kicking both doors at the same time, rolling into the room as poison coated blade missed my head.

“Warrior’s Shadow,” the cloaked figure said with a hiss. I knew this voice. There were few Apostates that had ever escaped my claws. If it was her, then Mittens was in danger. I looked for the stairs but was forced to quickly dodge back as a sword swiped out at me.

“Bastet,” I spat the name out as the hood fluttered back. A female cat with a dark coat stood before me. Her lithe form stood at six and a half feet tall, or just over two meters. A bit shorter than me, and a bit weaker. But she more than made up for that with her cunning and ability to move. She was no new Apostate using the Snake Ancestral Spirit for power.

“Let our little apprentices have their fun. It has been a long time since we danced together Warrior’s Shadow,” despite the teasing nature of her words, each of them was coated in venom. “Three on one seems a fair fight, after killing Whiskers,” she replied. Those were steep odds. I couldn’t ignore Bastet though, no matter how much I wanted to rush for Mittens.

I had to deal with her first and get to Mittens. I couldn’t lose my daughter. “Only one of us is walking away from here,” I declared. I quickly pulled off my ear muffs and rushed forward.

“Hahahaha!” Bastet laughed as she casually blocked my attacks with her sword. It was no normal blade. Only a High Apostate would dare wield a blade made from the fang of a snake. Not just any snake either, one of their elders. For while the ranks of the High Apostates were opaque and unknown to the organization, it would not be an exaggeration to claim she was on par with me.

The fact she could laugh so easily as I attacked her while blocking was proof of this. Her eyes weren’t even red either, since she wasn’t channeling the Snake Ancestral Spirit. Her power and ability were all her own. I darted in but a second shorter blade was in her off paw already countering me.

“You fight well for a leashed animal,” she said with a hiss. I couldn’t let her sense weakness or that I was in a rush. Even with the sound of the HMG in the background, I could hear her.

“You fight well for food,” I replied loudly as we rapidly traded blows. I did not like talking in combat, but unlike other Apostates she would not be easily exhausted. She knew her weakness well and had trained as hard as I did to ensure her stamina and flexibility were high.

“One thing about the snakes is that they respect strength. I see that pulled on a whisker,” she said with a feral grin. All I could see was the kind of cat I vowed never to be. One only consumed with bloodshed. It didn’t matter who I fought, my father, Bastet. I fought for the future of all cats in this world. To rise above our base natures. I would not fall here!

“Better hurry Warrior’s Shadow, things are getting desperate,” Bastet said with glee. Her voice was annoying me and I would shut her up, so she didn’t have time to talk.

“Then hurry I will!” I shouted loudly and rapidly picked up the tempo. Bastet was quickly back peddling as I pressured her. High and low, then to the sides. Throw in a feint. I pushed my body to its absolute limit and she no longer had time to talk as she frantically tried to stop me from laying my claws on her. Sparks exploded between us as my claws struck her swords over and over.

I saw the destruction of the HMG sweep towards us from behind her. I knew I could count on Mousethief. I quickly pushed away from the High Apostate to get some distance. While I would have preferred to finish her off myself, Mittens needed me.

Bastet instantly went prone on the ground as the large bullets sailed over her body and the concrete around her. Mousethief aimed lower, but she had twisted her body like a snake, wiggling over, and quickly put me between her and the HMG. Mousethief went back to taking out the ducks.

I rushed in, but Bastet had spun to her feet easily blocking me. She wasn’t talking anymore or even grinning, and I could tell that she was getting tired. By the way she was breathing heavily, it was clear that the last move to dodge the HMG fire had pushed her to the limits. Cats did not move like snakes and I could see the drip of blood from where one bullet must have grazed her leg.

We continued to trade blows back and forth as I pressured her. My paws were aching from taking so many blows with my claws. Claws were not meant for blocking. But I couldn’t afford to take my time with Mittens’ life on the line.

Bastet and I felt it at the same time. The tinge of danger in the air from the Snake Ancestral Spirit. She chose to speak in that pause while breathing heavily. “It appears my little apprentices failed, but your apprentice will soon be dead.” I made for the stairs, but she blocked my path.

“Out of the way!” I demanded and she just grinned. My heart clenched in fear. Mittens was heavily outnumbered. Even with her immense skill, she would not last long against three Apostates on her own in an enclosed space. Now that the Ancestral Snake Spirit had entered the picture in full, I was out of time. I needed to get past Bastet as quickly as possible.

“No. I don’t think I will get out of the way. I have killed two Covenant Assassins before. Now a third one will make for quite a collection,” Bastet replied.

“Then we die together,” I vowed with my words and in my heart. Bastet seemed surprised at that. Before she had escaped since pursuing her would have meant putting my life on the line. I couldn’t die, not while Mittens was a kitten, and not now when she was counting on me. I had to win immediately.

Unfortunately, Bastet hadn’t survived for as long as she had if she wasn’t immensely skilled. She wasn’t even really trying to attack me either, which made it that much harder to defeat her. Even when I left obvious openings, she ignored them to focus on defense. She was leaving zero openings for me to get through.

If a creature attacked, they would overextend themselves, and openings would be created. A creature on defense was difficult to beat. With the skill Bastet had and the care she took about not exhausting herself, I couldn’t end this fight quickly or get past her.

Even if I rushed in committed to taking a fatal blow, she was quick on her paws. She wouldn’t let herself be pinned down like that. Mittens, please be okay.