I was terrified as I ran back to the room I’d left Biggums napping in.
Cleo was right, though. I had to be there when Biggums woke up from his nap. Unfortunately, that meant I had to run back almost as fast as I left. What was even more scary was that I had left the kitten with Cleo and her daughter. She was right about that, too.
The kitten, small as she was, took to Cleo’s daughter, Aur, almost as quickly as she did me. I was a little jealous, but I made myself get over that quick. I didn’t own her, and she was much more than just a kitten. That much was clear.
My little legs pumped as quickly as possible, and I felt kind of silly for being so stressed out about running before. They really didn’t care what Kobolds were doing, as long as they looked scared enough doing it.
I might could have just walked out holding the kitten if I’d been crying. Although, kittens are rarer than what he usually gets as pets. If a Croco ever lays eyes on that cat, even they might piece it together. They’d kill Kobolds until someone owned up to it, and then one of the elders would say it was them just to stop the killing. Wouldn’t be the first time.
The thought was bitter. I got over that quick, too, though.
Being bitter never helped me one bit, no matter how hard I tried.
There were no Crocos anywhere when I crawled back in the window to my pallet on the floor. The room was cool, thanks to the pipes that carried the magic water that ran under the floor. I almost forgot to close the curtain back, but Bigums and his tail polishing kid taught me the hard way to recheck everything every single time I thought about one thing.
I was still sweaty when the big idiot started rolling around on his bed, yawning and clapping his teeth together. The teeth clacking thing was something I suspected he only started doing because he knew I didn’t like the sound and did it so much that he just got used to doing it.
The sound didn’t really bother me much; he was the one who occasionally broke a tooth to get a reaction out of me. But I guess it’s better to give them fake things to do to irritate you than let them find out the real things.
Now was the moment of truth, though. If he woke up hungry enough, he wouldn’t focus too much on the missing kitten. He might not remember it at all, honestly. Biggums anger rarely lasted long enough to interrupt a meal.
“I bigly hungry, stupid. Fix it.”
“Yes, Prince Biggums,” I said, deciding to do a little “tail polishing” of my own to keep him in a good mood.
The big Croco giggled, an odd, more rumbly sound than should be called a giggle. But I couldn’t think of a better word for it.
“Prince Biggums. I like that. Call me Prince.” He hesitated and then added, “but maybe not around my dad.”
***
My days blurred together, but not because it was the same old thing dad after day. Instead, that sweet, tiny little kitten took every spare second I had. And she didn’t stay tiny for long at all. Before long, she was eating more than me. As for her being sweet; she showed me quick she could turn that off in a blink.
She’d wait for me just out of sight every night, and then either ambush or trip me coming around a corner. She was never in the same place twice, the little monster. After three days in a row when I caught on to her mischief before she could get me, Aur, Cleo’s daughter started helping by distracting me or tickle attacking me from another hiding spot.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
It took me a while, but I got real good at reacting to unexpected attacks. Too good, really.
I got myself in trouble once for being uppity when Biggums tried to dump a bucket of water on me when I walked in his room one morning. He ended up somehow pouring most of it on himself, and I got a busted snout for my trouble. I could have dodged that, too, but learning when not to dodge was more important than learning to dodge around Crocos.
I guess it was around that time I realized that the cat wasn’t playing. She wasn’t playing at all. She was training me.
***
“Hey, little Puke.”
I internally rolled my eyes before turning around to see him walking toward me from his cot. Biggums used insults to cover the fact that he couldn’t remember my name.
“Yes, Pri-“
I saw the hit coming from a mile away, and had to override the instincts that the kitten, well… cat now, had instilled in me the past year. I tucked my head and took the hit on the shoulder, but Biggums was a lot bigger than me. The hit still rocked me, and I hit and rolled. Biggums liked rolls better than slides, which was fine by me. Sliding too much might give me a bald spot. We Kobolds take our fur seriously.
“You’re dead, stupid.”
Well, this wasn’t his typical “need food or nap” lash out. He usually picked words or fists, never both. Panic set in.
“My spy network found you out. They saw a cat. Not one of those stupid Pangolors. Not a stupid baby Kobold. A cat. In the Clink tents.”
His spy network was entirely comprised of the single Hyenam an guard that had caught sight of the cat a month or so ago, running between the tents. Cleo had given Grep, the Hyenaman guard, food and sweet treats to forget he’d seen anything. Apparently, though, he’d run out of food and therefore, loyalty. My heart was beating out of my chest, now.
How did he know I was involved, though? Cleo had handled the whole Grep bribing thing herself. They wouldn’t dare go after Cleo, though. The whole Clinker community would be gone before sunrise, and even the Crocos knew they needed the trade the Clinkers brought. Clinkers were way better at finding stuff than anyone, especially old stuff.
Biggums’ next words hit me like a punch in the stomach.
“Old Gummy had something real funny to say. She say you had a cat once.”
I dropped as he punched me in the stomach.
Okay, so maybe the real punch was a little more effective. He’s going to kill me.
“It was dead, Prince, you can as-“
Biggums interrupted me with a kick.
“Don’t matter stupid. Only cat anyone seen in long time, and Gummy says you had it. She knows your scent, dummy. If cat was dead, it not dead now. But you? You will be.” He stared down at me, his brow lowered as he waited for a reaction.
“Dead,” he clarified. “You will be… dead.”
He looked disappointed, and expressed his disappointment with a stomp that, cornered like I was, I could not dodge. I took the first mid-day nap I could remember ever taking in my life.
***
The Crocos planned to have me publicly executed but was having some issues getting the Clinkers to cooperate and turn over the cat. It took them a few days and a few beatings to get someone to finally admit the cat even existed. By the time that was over, Cleo had worked her magic, stalling the entire process while she tried everything she could to save me.
I don’t know why she bothered. I wouldn’t be allowed in the Oasis again, and I’d die in the dead lands outside, anyway. But… knowing she cared enough to try was a kindness I didn’t feel worthy of.
I’d pretty much resigned myself to dying. I didn’t want to, of course, but I figured I’d rather think I was gonna die and be surprised by living than think I was gonna make it out and get that surprise.
What did surprise me though, was that, in a last ditch effort, Cleo managed to get Chief Bigums to agree to a trial. Blackmail or black magic, I don’t know how she did it. A day after I got that news, I got woken up with a kick that was almost hard enough to put me right back to sleep. A Croco with bright blue scales pulled me to my feet by my head, and dropped a braided cloth around my neck with a lead line he held the end of in his shield hand. That kick was vicious, and it took everything I had just to stay standing.
He half dragged me out to the center of the Oasis where I saw Cleo, with a small contingent of other Clinkers, watching me with sad eyes. I could hear the water from the Oasis bubbling in the pool on the opposite side of the clearing, but I only had eyes for the unofficial leader of the Clinkers, Cleo.
The first thing I noticed about her was she was wearing a Clinker trophy on her tan, sheer robe for the first time I could remember. A necklace of what looked like Hyenaman teeth was around her neck. Her concern for me turned to a quick grin and I saw her wink through her Goggles at me when she noticed me staring at it wide eyed.
Well, looks like Grep won’t be snitching on the Clinkers again. And Cleo is just wearing it openly.