Memoirs of Kitty Siam Ch. 20

Revenge is never a straight line. It is a forest, and like a forest it is easy to lose your way... To get lost... To forget where you came in. - Hatori Hanzo

As I waited in the tree across the dirt road from the cabin for the better part of a day, Lord Hetch and his men never returned. I thought it was pretty rotten to have planned to leave two of his henchmen alone keeping an eye on an empty cabin from the outside with some pretty dangerous forest creatures like me hanging round. Throughout the night I kept watch over the carcasses of the two fallen minions. From time to time some night foraging critters would stop by and snack on the flesh of the dead. I thought about growling, or doing something to frighten them off but the more damage they did, the more fear would be put in to Lord Hetch's men when the finally arrived.

I kept watch until mid morning, taking a break now and then from my perch above the road on a sturdy tree limb. Several times I jumped down from the tree, stretched and paced around, and took a drink from a small stream that ran past the back of the cabin. During one of these stretching sessions I heard the sound of horses approaching and quickly clambered back up the tree and took my position in a low crouch where the thick branch met the tree's trunk. As they rounded the bend I could see three horses and three riders, and to my delight, Lord Hetch was amongst the three. He was flanked on either side by one of his henchmen. They approached cautiously, slowing their mounts as they got closer to the cabin. When they stopped in front of the cabin the despicable Lord called out to his two men and after several attempts, became a bit cross that they did not respond right away.

Lord Hetch ordered his two men to dismount and survey the area. The two men split up and circled the cabin in opposite directions. The cry of, "Dear Gods!" let me know that the two dead men had been found. Lord Hetch shifted uncomfortably on his mount as he called out to his men, asking what they had found. With that both men returned to their Master and reported their gruesome findings. The men reported no signs of human activity other than the two dead subordinates. Lord Hetch then ordered his men into the cabin to see if there were any clues there as to what had happened. They both offered a halfhearted salute and cautiously entered the structure.

As soon as the cabin door closed I knew it was my time to get my revenge. As my prey backed his horse up to the edge of the road opposite the cabin I slowly and silently walked the thick branch until I was over the edge of the road, and directly above Lord Hetch and his horse. I took a deep breath and deployed my claws then kicked off the branch with my hind legs. As I descended toward my intended victim, I suspect that his mount caught a scent of me on the wind and took a couple of steps forward. As I was in mid air there was no way to extend my leap no matter how hard I tried, and instead of landing on my prey I came up about a foot short and landed my front paws on back of his mount with my hind paws firmly on the packed dirt of the road. The horse let out a hideous cry of pain as my inch and a half long claws sunk deep into his hide and raked down his backside cutting huge bloody furrows in his flanks. The horse reared up and bucked tossing me loose from my grip on him and tossing Lord Hetch about violently. Unfortunately he did not fall off but I did. I landed on all four paws as the horses kicked backward before he took off down the road in a full gallop. Lord Hetch fought desperately with his mount to get the animal under control, but the stallion would have none of that. He was more afraid of me than he was about anything that his rider was doing to him.

Lord Hetch had no idea what had happened or what had spooked his horse, but his horse knew as he did his best to get away from me. Once all four of my paws hit the ground I took off on a dead run seeking to run the horse down and bring down its rider. We had gone on down the road at a full run and I was beginning to gain ground on the wounded horse. The beast had lost a lot of blood during his full out run, and though in the beginning the horse was faster, I was now gaining ground on my prey. As the horse slowed, Lord Hetch began to bring the horse under his control again, until I let out a loud feral growl, which caused Lord Hetch to look back over his shoulder. His eyes fixed on me and they grew wide from fright and he now knew that his life was in jeopardy. It was at this point he started kicking the horse with his heels trying to drive him faster, but there was no more speed left in the animal and I was within striking distance.

Once in range I pushed off with my powerful hind legs and propelled myself onto the back of the horse, the claws of all four huge paws sunk into his hide. Using my back paws and claws as an anchor I reared up and dug my claws into Lord Hetch's upper back and was disappointed that I had struck chainmail instead of his flesh. My claws sunk in held fast to his linked armor and I started pulling backwards on him but felt resistance as I tried to unseat him. As I struggled to pull harder I did not see him retrieve his short sword, but I did feel the tip of the sharp iron blade strike my shoulder and dig in as he blindly at me. Blood began to flow freely from the gash that the sharp tip had made. The pain radiated through my shoulder as I my front claws were stuck in his chainmail armor. I was unable to let go to escape his blade as it struck my shoulder a second time. In a panic I kicked off with my back legs letting gravity and my weight drag my prey to the ground. He hung on tightly but not for long. The short sword fell from his hand and landed on the dusty road as he tried to grip the reins again with both hands, but it was too late and we both crashed to the ground.

I landed on my feet and skidded in the dirt, then rolled to stop my momentum, but my prey landed on his back at an awkward angle and screamed out in great pain. He tried to get up but there must have been some spinal damage from the fall as his legs refused to function. Seeing this I moved toward him, as he rolled to his side, then onto his stomach. He had pushed himself up and was crawling toward his short sword by pulling himself along with his arms and hands, his legs and torso dead weight behind him. I stopped in my tracks and reverted to my naked human form. I knew that he recognized me from the look of terror on his face as he doubled his efforts to reach his sword. On two bare feet I strode toward him and kicked his sword away from his out stretched hand. I walked around him, taunting him several times before I bent down and picked up his sword. I held the sword menacingly in front of me as I bent over him with one final taunt. You asked me if I was a spy I hissed out... the question you and your inquisitors should have been asking was, "Are you human?"

I believe he was about to plead for his miserable life but I did not give him the chance to get the words out. With an evil smile on my lips I raised the sword over my head, gripping the handle with both hands then plunged the point down into the center of his chest. The short sword pierced his chest, split his sternum and cleaved his heart in two. The blade passed through his spinal column and lodged in the hard packed dirt of the road under his back. He tried to scream out as he looked up at me with his face frozen in terror, but the sound would not process as his mouth formed a silent "O".

I wanted to do more damage to this noble asshole and make him suffer, but I had heard horses coming my way and I too was losing blood from my wounds. I knew that the blow that I had struck was mortal so with a quick turn I headed for the brush along the side of the road and transformed into my feline form a minute or so before the riders arrived to look over the bloody fallen form of their commander. Once out of sight I scampered up a tall sturdy tree and took up position on a heavy limb to watch what transpired below. It did not take long for Lord Hetch to expire, and I knew when he was gone when both men dropped to both knees, bowed their heads and clasped their hands together in front of their faces in prayer.

With massive amounts of adrenaline flowing through my body and in all the excitement I had forgotten that I had been wounded until I attempted to stand and jump down from the tree. As I landed on the ground the pain shot through my shoulder. The cuts were not terribly deep but it was deep enough that I had lost a bit of blood which I now realized could allow Lord Hetch's henchmen to track me through the woods if they so desired. I did my best to run through the forest but the cuts did cause me to favor my right front leg and it slowed my gait and caused a moderate limp. I ran full out as long as I could until I came to the lake that I had stopped at days before.

I did not know if the minions of Lord Hetch had tracking dogs, they probably did not but I was not going to take a chance. I reverted back to my human form and dove into the lake knowing that if I traveled a good distance in and under the water, the dogs would lose my scent. I tried to stay under the full four minutes that I was capable of, but having run so long and so far I was able to only stay down about half of that time. I surfaced a good ways from the shore that I left and was drifting toward the shore that I wanted to get to.

The water felt cool against my bare skin and gave comfort to my wounds as I floated on my back and kicked my feet. The sense of urgency was gone now and I was able to slow down and catch my breath. It was great to take some time to enjoy the cool water and the warmth of the sun on my skin. I was growing restless being cooped up in the castle and such for so long. I spent as much time in the lake as I could, not because I needed to evade pursuers, but because it felt so good to be floating in the sunshine. From time to time I would turn over on my stomach and dive down under the water to explore the bottom and playfully chase after the fish. Hours had passed by and I lost track of how far I had gone until I activated the PDA and accessed the crude map that it had been creating for me. I was way off course but then I really did not care. I came ashore miles from any point that I had been at before on my journey.

I paddled toward the shore then got my legs under me then walked the rest of the way through the shallow water. I took a look at my shoulder and found that the wounds had crusted over with a nice thick but wet scab, and I could see no indication of infection. From the progress that I observed, the wound should be healed in a matter of hours. The shore was a bit rockier here than at the other two points that I had visited prior so I had to watch where I put my feet. I sat down on a large flat rock and stretched out to let the warm rock and the sun dry my skin and hair. From time to time I would roll over so as not to get too sun baked on one side or the other. One thing that I did find out about sunburn, suntan, and my rapid healing properties; sunburn lasted about 30 minutes, and a sun tan usually went away after a day or so. I found this out from the days spent in the sun riding the wagon with Shilka.

As day turned to evening I watched the moons rise and the sun set from the comfort of my warm rock. There was a slight chill in the air as the sun slipped below the horizon and the moons came fully into view. A few taps on my collar and I was clad in a faded pair of denim jeans, a warm plaid flannel shirt, and brown over the ankle fleece lined hiking boots. Another tap and I was wrapped in a thick blanket that kept out the chilly night air quite well. I really had no place to go, but then I had no reason to leave my rock by the lake either. As the temperature continued to drop I pulled the blanket tightly around me until I looked like a cute little Thai lady cocoon with only my eyes showing. I settled down onto my back and looked up at the night sky. All of the courses that I taken, and all of the celestial navigation exorcises I participated in at the academy were of no help here as these were not my stars. There were no constellations that I could pick out that would help me to figure out where I was in the galaxy.

As I gazed up at the stars, my mind turned to the transformation that had occurred with my body and the ease at which the transformations came. The words of the Meda the Kamaloid came back to me and I think I was now able to understand the gift that she had given me before she expired. I come to understand now how the transformations were possible, but I also wondered if there was more that I could do other than just change into feline form. Perhaps her gift only worked on the feline DNA that was spliced into my genetic makeup? I vowed to try other transformations on another day as I was fully clothed and knew from experience that transforming while in human clothes was not a good idea. My eyes wondered from star to star wondering which of the stars were circled by Meda's planet, and if her stars were my stars, and how I could get to her world to try to help her people. It was her gift that saved my life and now I felt that I owed it to her to do what I could to honor her final request.

My mind drifted over many subjects but settled on the issues that the country of Kreet and the citizens of Grimsod Shire were facing. I thought long and hard about Sir Tausin, Teela, Shilka, and Prince Vortak and how they would fare with or without me. I recalled the events leading up to the death of Lord Hetch and wondered if his minions would take revenge on my friends for my actions. So many questions I had, but so few answers I could find in my mind, or in the stars in the night sky. When I was on the road with Shilka heading North, I pondered about leaving the wagon train and returning to my cave. I chose to continue on with Shilka and ended up in the hands of the inquisitors. I found myself at a similar crossroad where returning to my cave would be the smart play but I had grown fond of Teela and her owner and did not want to see any harm come to them now or in the future. So I was torn between doing the smart thing, and doing the thing that a loyal friend would do.

I did not get much sleep during the night, as my thoughts would not let me find the peace of mind that would let my eyes close and allow my body to rest. As the sun began to peek over the horizon I came to the realization that I may never get off this planet and if this were to be my home for the rest of my life, I was going to need friends here or I would end up a lonely old lady trapped in the body of an eighteen year old with only my horny plants to keep me company. The decision was made before the sun fully rose, I would return to Grimsod and deal with whatever happens and do my best to look after my friends and make a life for myself there.

I accessed my PDA and took a good look at the map that it had created for me of my travels. I tried to calculate the most efficient route back to the castle, but unfortunately the best route led me right past the cabin and the burned out farmhouse. I was sure that given the events that had happened at both places there would still be people wandering about searching for answers, and even more so, searching for the creature that had ripped apart the bodies of Lord Hetch's henchmen.

The greatest part of the route passed through the forest, and having spent a lot of time in this forest the past few days, traveling in human form would probably add a day or two to the journey and probably would be easier to spot. I decided that even though villagers, constables, and soldiers would be out hunting my feline form, I would be harder to spot and be in a better form to evade than if I were to travel as a human. An Asian girl in a world where everyone looked like they were from Northern Europe did not give my human form a viable way to blend with others where perhaps a big black cat moving silently and gracefully through the low brush in the shade of the big trees would go unnoticed.

I slipped off of my big rock and returned my clothing and blanket to the wardrobe collar. I also made a change to the collar's appearance, changing its color from gold to flat black so that a stray glint of light reflecting off the gold would not draw unwanted attention. I transformed myself and made a sprint for the tree line. Once in the shade of the great forest I started to follow the track that my PDA had laid out for me. Around mid day my path took me close to the cabin, and as I came closer I could detect the scent of numerous humans, horses, and the necrotizing flesh of the recently deceased minions. I moved carefully among the leaves and fallen branches of the forest. Padding carefully so as not to make a sound that could give away my presence. As I got closer to the cabin, a couple of the horses caught my scent on the wind and kicked up a little fuss by rearing up and vocalizing their concern.

In the clearing around the cabin were several of Sir Tausin's constables, and there were a few more down the road where Lord Hetch's body was. I looked around and sampled the air but could not find a trace of the Reeve in my line of sight or on the wind. There was not much to see here that I had not seen before or caused to happen myself, so staying in the shade of the big trees I moved parallel to the road. It was late afternoon when I came to the spot near the road where I was to meet up with the coach to take me to the cabin. There were numerous humans and horses there as well, and two of the humans were Teela and her owner. I could smell them on the wind a good ten minutes before I was close enough to see them.

When my friends came into view it was a somber scene, the Reeve's men were loading the body of the coach driver on the back of a wagon with the dignity deserved of a fallen veteran or respected civic leader. The look on the Reeve's face told me that he was close to tears, and Teela was openly crying. A shiver went through me and even in feline form; the tears began to well up in my eyes. I just wanted to run to my friends and do what I could to comfort them in their time of great sadness, but just running to them out of the forest in human or feline form was well out of the question and was not about to happen. I had to think of a way to get their attention without others seeing me.

My opportunity came when the Reeve gathered his men together and issued instructions on what to do with the bodies. He went on to ask them if anyone fitting my description had been spotted. I listened closely when I was mentioned in the conversation. It was clear that no one had seen me, and one of the constables wanted to know if a person fitting that description was suspected of these murders. To my relief the Reeve told them that I was a missing person that perhaps my have been in the area, but he added that he feared that the person fitting that description had perished in the burned house a few miles away.

While the Reeve took a tour of the crime scene with his men Teela returned to the coach out of sight of the others for some water and for a fresh handkerchief. I moved as close as I dared then shifted to human form, then dressed in the dark jeans and flannel shirt that I had worn the night before. I stayed low in the brush and picked up a few pebbles. One at a time I lobbed them at Teela. A few bounced harmlessly off the side of the coach but that got her attention and as she turned toward me, one small pebble bounced off her right breast. When she was looking at me I waved at her, and even through she was crying, I could see the corners of her mouth turn up as if she were trying hard to smile. I motioned for her to come toward me, and just as she went to take the first step, the Reeve and one of his men came walking around the coach toward Teela. I quickly ducked down into the brush to avoid being seen.