Ranvir could hear Frija’s eager dancing, the rustling movement of her clothes as she wiggled violently with her entire body in a display of excitement and joy. The movements were only interrupted briefly by her clapping and yelling before she continued her full body wiggle. As an untrained four-year-old, Frija lacked the coordination for the more intricate movements. As such, the dance was mostly her waving her arms about and stomping irregularly on the ground.
Ranvir did his best to ignore her as he left the enclosure of trees surrounding Elpir’s orphanage. No, it was not because he’d finally abandoned his ungrateful child, who somehow maintained an unreasonable level of calm decisiveness when faced with certain challenges. He had a trip to Legea in his future.
This week, not including the cost of preparation, was easily the most expensive of his week, including any his parents had ever paid for him. Ranvir was certain of this fact, to where he’d even put keys on it, if for nothing else then to recuperate some of his losses.
Sure he’d brought about two keys weight of silver last week, but that was an expense that returned itself immediately upon retrieval of the metal. Precious metals rarely depreciated in price, at least not in the short term. Selling those to the blacksmith, then spending most of the ‘coats’ would likely have put this week as most expensive, and yet it was only halfway over.
And Ranvir had a debt to repay. Bet he’d lost.
“I’m getting a kitty!” Frija screamed, her voice breaking as she put all the force her little body could produce behind the cry. The birds in the trees around the orphanage took flight as the sound waves struck them. Ranvir pinched the bridge of his nose.
He’d done some research earlier in the day, by that he meant talking with his friends. Mainly talking with Amalia and Elpir. Pashar was staying at Ione’s currently and Ranvir did not relish having to deal with her, so consulting the old woman was out of the question.
He’d first asked Elpir for some advice and she’d been a fountain of ideas, but good and bad. “You didn’t want one that was too big?”
Ranvir shook his head. “No, I’d prefer something I could grab with one hand and throw out of the house, preferably beyond the horizon.”
Elpir cocked her head. “I’ve heard of some people who didn’t like cats, but isn’t that a bit extreme?”
“I’m more of a dog-person.”
Elpir’s face scrunched up in confusion. “What’s a dog?”
Ranvir sighed heavily. Somewhere deeper in the orphanage, Ranvir could hear Frija telling Vasso about their kitty. He hadn’t even decided yet, and she was already taking about fur colors and length of the coat… Did the animal people call their coins? He shook his head. It didn’t matter.
“I don’t want anything too big. Something manageable, preferably good with children.”
Elpir continued looking at him for a moment, her eyes narrowed slightly as she considered what kind of creature a ‘dog’ could be. “Well, if you’re not wanting anything too big, then you definitely don’t want a beskarian hill cat.”
“Ooh, I love beskarian hill cats,” Amalia said, strolling into the kitchen. “What are we talking about?”
“Ranvir lost a bet to a four-year-old and now he has to get a cat,” Elpir explained helpfully.
The young father in question rolled his eyes. “I’m hoping for some friendly advice regarding what kind of cat to get.”
Amalia frowned and cocked her head. “And you’re talking about beskarian hill cats? You didn’t strike me as that fond of big cats.”
“He’s not,” Elpir again explained before Ranvir could open his mouth. “We were just talking, and I thought he might not like the hill cats as they grow too big.”
“How big is ‘too big’?” Ranvir asked.
Amalia lifted a hand and vaguely gestured at her hip. “This tall, maybe a little less. As long as you, though.”
Ranvir sighed. “That’s good to know. At least I know what to avoid.”
“Oh! You should get a belorin long cat. They’re supposed to be great with children and they don’t get very big at all.”
“That’s a good call,” Amalia acknowledged. “A beskarian mountain cat would also fit well.”
“Didn’t you just say those were big?” Ranvir asked, struggling to keep up.
“I don’t know, Amalia,” Elpir replied. “They aren’t as independently capable as their hill cat counterparts.”
“Maybe a belborian then?”
“What the fuck is up with all these ‘b’ names?” Ranvir asked desperately, accidentally slipping into elensk as the frustration overwhelmed him.
“I’m sorry I didn’t understand that. Could you repeat that again?”
Before he could say anything, Amalia snapped her fingers, getting Elpir’s attention again. “Betokast hill cat. Perfect size, reasonably independent, and as patient as the hills they live in.”
“Fuck this shit,” Ranvir muttered. “I’ll just ask the kennel.”
“Good luck,” Elpir called happily as he left the kitchen. Ranvir replied only with a rude gesture which caused both women to fall into silly giggles. “There can’t be that many goddess damned ‘b’ names.”
Frija had found him on his way out of the orphanage, though he wasn’t sure how she’d realized he was getting ready to leave. He hadn’t only just turned to the hallway to put on his shoes before she arrived.
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Ranvir shook his head and stepped up his stride for the potragos. He didn’t have as much time as he usually preferred before it arrived. Sitting in his seat and watching the landscape whip past him felt like a drawn bow was aimed directly at his neck. Time only seemed to grow tenser with each passing breath until he finally shrugged and turned his attention away from the subject.
A cat wasn’t that big a deal anyway, so long as it didn’t need too close attention, he should be fine. Most of the cats Ranvir knew from back home were mostly feral. They rarely had an owner, but were tolerated in the village, as they kept rats and other vermin to a minimum. A few people, the baker and mayor among them, kept cats, but with how much foodstuffs they kept in general, let alone their basements, it only made sense.
To Ranvir, he’d never really been able to see cats as anything less than an animal one step removed from a predator. Even hunting dogs weren’t so bad. The only that came close were the bear dogs. It took a truly vicious mutt to see a bear and not only think: ‘I’m not going to runaway’, but ‘I’ll fucking fight it.’
Somehow, the potragos’ ride took less and more time than he’d expected and he was standing at the station considering what to do. He could just start going to kennels and pet shops, but Ranvir had a sneaking suspicion he would get ripped off before he did that.
There was one source he hadn’t yet exhausted, however. Stepping off the station, he quickly made his way onto solid land. By the time the potragos were first introduced to Legea, the city had already extended so far out into the rivers that trying to make a line to solid land would be a waste of time.
When Ranvir’d first walked the docks on docks, he’d been aware of them in a very scholarly way. He’d heard of them, even seen the remnants of older docks through the gaps in the wood. But he’d never really understood what that meant for a city like Legea.
Now as he walked through the streets, heading towards the Sentinel’s headquarters, Ranvir’s enhanced sense of smell could scent the refuge that slipped through the planks. He could hear rotten old wood gently knock against each other, along with the groans of the newer pylons, as well as the animals that inhabited the waters. Some sort of rat with a minor water affinity, Ranvir was certain as it swam all too well to be anything else. He’d never actually seen the creatures, though he’d smelled their wet furs often enough.
But the rats were just the biggest ones. Crabs, spiders, insects of all kinds, especially flying ones like the dragonfly and fishes, didn’t just live underneath the docks, they thrived. Ranvir knew from his walks across the docks that he could spend an hour prying up a loose plank and just watch the animal within.
That might be why he was so put off by getting the cat, now that he thought about it. He’d liked animals as a kid, but what kid hadn’t. Of course, the few times he’d caught anything and tried to bring it home, his parents had made him release it again. He remembers once coming home with the foot of a songbird in his tiny fist, insisting that it had come to him.
He also remembered his parents being very distressed that he’d somehow caught it. Ranvir never got to keep it, of course. The songbird wasn’t a pet, but he’d wanted a pet for a long time. At least until his mother’s accident. The more he thought back, everything always seemed to run into that moment.
Ranvir shook his head, realizing he’d reached the estate. Making his way past the guards with a flash of the small watcher’s badge they’d given him, Ranvir stepped onto the training grounds again. Entering the main building, he found the clerk busy making themselves look like they were working.
“Hey,” Ranvir said quietly as he approached the desk.
“Hello.”
“I was wondering if you knew anything about cat breeds and such. Or at least where to get them?”
The clerk nodded, looking down at their notes briefly before shutting the folder. “Is this for an Ability?”
Ranvir shook his head. “I’m looking for a house pet.”
The clerk’s eyebrows twitched slightly, but otherwise didn’t react. “I think you’ll want to look at Petman Treats and Trades. He’ll sell you anything he can, but he’s a good man. Knows his cats as well.”
Ranvir nodded. “Thanks.”
It didn’t take him long to locate the shop as it was close to the Sentinel headquarters, and all the pets inside made a lot of noise and smells. Tracking down a pet shop really wasn’t that hard, Ranvir found.
“Hello, sir.” A rotund kortian with fat fuzzy cheeks and a smile that seemed to burrow into them. “What can I help you with today?”
“I’m looking for a cat?” Ranvir said, the words coming out more as a question than an answer.
“Very good, sir. Beautiful even, you know what kind of cat you’re looking for? Man like you might be looking for a war cat! I’ve got a few brankrattan full growns with claws strong enough to strip metal.”
Again with the ‘b’ names, Ranvir cursed. “No, not a war cat. I’m looking for a pet, something that’s well suited for children.”
“Oooh, you’re starting a family, huh? Well, I’ve got a few good ones for you. Belorians are great with kids, though you look to me as a bit of a rough man yourself. Tell me, did the Sentinels send you my way?”
Ranvir blinked. “How did you know?”
“You’re strong and powerful types, got strong and powerful airs about you,” the shopkeeper said, as if that explained anything. “You’re looking for something that perhaps does not need to be taken care of for most of the day. Something that can comfortably fit in as a child’s first responsibility, while realistically mostly taking care of itself?”
“That sounds great,” Ranvir said, feeling a little of the pressure lift from his shoulders.
“Very good, sir! Excellent and beautiful! I have a few smart choices for a young Sentinel such as you, then. Already so strong and powerful, really you’re exuding it! Here,” as the man spoke, he’d gone over to the cages at the back of the room. Now, he held up a tiny kitten in his undersized fist. Its body was just big enough that Petman could only cradle its torso, the legs flopping between his fingers and on either side of his wrists. “A beskarian hill cat. Absolutely amazing creatures. Great with families, especially children. They’re often called beskarian bonds for the close connection they forge with their owners. Protective and self-sufficient.”
He held the kitten up for Ranvir to look at. Its tiny body shivered slightly. Fuzzy gray fur and big watery brown eyes looked at him imploringly. The sight was enough to make Ranvir’s heart melt.
“I— wait,” he held up a hand. “Wasn’t there a beskarian that grew pretty big?”
“Well, of course!” the shopkeeper exclaimed, going to a different pen. This only thing signalling kitten about this one was the out-of-order proportions of still growing animals. Ears were much larger than the rest of the head, tail was too long, paws legs were really short comparatively.
The kortian had to support the animal with his entire arm in as the kitten just rested against his grip, completely unbothered by the man’s manhandling. It blinked lazy icy-white eyes at Ranvir once before settling into Petman’s arm. “This a beskarian crier. They were originally bred for bounty-hunting. Criers are fantastic climbers, but they get really loud and need a firm hand, otherwise these little monsters will run your household within the month,” he held up the much smaller kitty. “Comparatively, this little fella doesn’t really get that big.”
Ranvir looked at the small fuzz ball, its thin voice reached out in a pitiful and absolutely heart-rending ‘meow’.
“Here, hold him for a minute,” the shopkeeper said, thrusting the kitten into Ranvir’s arm. “I think this one is about to piss all over.”
Ranvir blinked, cradling the kitty as the shopkeeper hurried the larger cat outside. Something wet and warm brushed over his hand, causing Ranvir to look down. The tiny baby cat was licking the back of his thumb, a tiny flicker of red amongst the gray fur.
“So,” the shopkeeper entered. “I assume you don’t have any kitten food waiting at home? How about a cat bed? I smell the forest on you, which means no scratching tree. The little bastard will take it out on the bark. You’d like a collar, no?” he hurried around the shop, pulling items off walls as he spoke, leaving Ranvir at the center, tiny kitten licking his palm, his mouth working up and down slowly.