{"id":241,"date":"2014-11-04T08:00:19","date_gmt":"2014-11-04T14:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/stupefyingstoriesshowcase.com\/?p=241"},"modified":"2017-03-12T16:09:55","modified_gmt":"2017-03-12T21:09:55","slug":"fiction-habeas-felis-by-julie-frost-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/stupefyingstoriesshowcase.com\/?p=241","title":{"rendered":"Fiction: “Habeas Felis” by Julie Frost (Part 1)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Digital<\/a>T<\/span>he local dragon had made its annual demand<\/strong> for a new cat for its collection. Arms crossed, Daniella stared the village mayor down. She knew what he was thinking\u2014that she was a silly little girl with no business undertaking such a vital enterprise. He\u2019d turned it into a competition, for the first time in remembrance. Nash, the head of the rival team, gave her a smug look, while his three friends laughed behind their hands. She curled her lip at them and pointedly gazed away with a jerk of her chin.<\/p>\n

A pair of cat carriers sat on the desk, and the mayor\u2019s aide handed one to Nash and the other to Dani, after a moment\u2019s inner debate on whether he should give it to her or to Grisaldo, her large and hirsute barbarian friend. She made an impatient noise and practically snatched it from his hands, and he backpedaled. Nash and his companions bolted as soon as they had their own cat.<\/p>\n

The mayor watched them go with some bemusement. \u201cRemember, bring back a jewel from the cave to prove you actually left the cat there,\u201d he said. \u201cOr no reward. You have three days before the dragon demands a virgin sacrifice. We\u2019re a tad short on virgins at the moment, so best not fail.\u201d<\/p>\n

MacDonal was a thief who\u2019d grown up with Dani and Gris, helping them get into and out of trouble. He had a gleam in his ferrety hazel eyes. \u201cOh, no worries, yer honor.\u201d Dani counted on him to drop the cat in the cave without being seen or roasted.<\/p>\n

\u201cYon cat-collecting dragon\u2019s been a pain in our village\u2019s arse for decades now,\u201d Grisaldo rumbled through his bushy black beard. She\u2019d tapped him for his muscles and sword. \u201cWot\u2019ll ye give us, then, if I brings back \u2018is \u2018ead?\u201d<\/p>\n

The mayor huffed. \u201cIf you can pull that off, I suppose you\u2019d be entitled to all the treasure in its cave.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, then, Daniella,\u201d Grisaldo said. \u201cBest get on, then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dani had proven herself adept at planning, so the boys were willing. The other team underestimated her, laughing at the notion that a mere slip of a girl was good at anything but cooking and bearing children. She would prove, once for all, that a woman was as canny as any man. The mayor gave Dani a tolerant look, as if to say \u201cIsn\u2019t she adorable,\u201d and perhaps she was, being small-boned with a pixie-ish face.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs there anything we should know before we set out?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, yes, I nearly forgot!\u201d The mayor slapped his forehead. \u201cThe mountain trolls and the goblins have been having a bit of a dustup in the area of the right-hand pass, so best take the leftmost one.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHa,\u201d Dani said. \u201cThis, my boys, is why patience is a virtue. We\u2019ll have that jewel back before you know it, your honor.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood luck, my dear,\u201d he said, with an air that told her that he believed he was indulging a ridiculous lass with delusions of grandeur.<\/p>\n

Dani looked forward to wiping that expression from his face. All business, she braided her long auburn hair into a knot at her neck as they left the building.<\/p>\n

They strapped their supplies to their horses and set off toward the mountain, with Moggie the cat grousing in the crate behind Dani. \u201cI don\u2019t know why you need me,\u201d Moggie muttered. \u201cThomas wants<\/em> to go, the idiot creature. Of course, he\u2019s counting on there being quite a few unattached females in that cave.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe may or may not be right,\u201d Dani said. \u201cNo one knows why the dragon wants cats.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPerhaps he eats them. Isn\u2019t that a pleasant thought.\u201d Moggie hissed. \u201cI have no wish to be some dragon\u2019s dinner. Or its bloody pet, for that matter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, stop whining,\u201d Dani said. \u201cThe village will suffer if we don\u2019t go, so there you have it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moggie scoffed. \u201cWhat care I for the village? They certainly care nothing for me. Else I\u2019d be warming myself by a fire in a comfortable pub rather than stuffed in a crate on a cold mountainside.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dani tried to be reasonable. \u201cThe dragon\u2019s cave will be warm, and he has other cats to keep you company.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t like other cats,\u201d Moggie answered, flattening her ears and lashing her long, well-furred tail.<\/p>\n

\u201cThen get used to being miserable. You\u2019re already well on your way there,\u201d Dani snapped. Moggie went silent, finally, for which Dani was profoundly grateful.<\/p>\n

MacDonal rode up beside her and nodded at the fresh tracks of the other group. \u201cNash has taken the right-hand trail,\u201d he said, with no small satisfaction. \u201cHe always was a rash bugger.\u201d<\/p>\n

An importunate bugger as well. He thought that if he could beat Dani at this, she\u2019d roll over and marry him. She was far more likely to marry Mac or Gris, whom she actually liked, but there was no telling Nash that. The other village girls fell about at his feet, but his vast ego found rejection insupportable, so naturally he wanted Dani.<\/p>\n

They took the left-hand trail, wishing bad cess to their rivals\u2014and hoping that Nash\u2019s party would run smack into the trolls and goblins. A loud sigh from behind Dani told her that Moggie still wasn\u2019t reconciled to her situation, and Gris patted her crate. \u201cCheer up, kittycat,\u201d he said. \u201cIf I kills the dragon and takes its head as a trophy, you won\u2019t have to worry about staying with it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s an enormous \u2018if,\u2019\u201d Moggie grumbled. \u201cYou\u2019re not very good at the whole barbarian vocation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHere now.\u201d Gris had an enormous sword strapped to his back, and he drew it out and admired it. \u201cI\u2019m good enough at it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust good enough to be dragon meat. At least it won\u2019t go hungry. Great lummox.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHsh, Moggie,\u201d Dani said, as Gris began to blow like an angry bull. \u201cDon\u2019t make fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m stuck with you. I may as well get my fun where I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mac spoke up. \u201cWhat if we swap you with Nash\u2019s group? Could you slow them down, like, while we flit up the mountain and leave your friend Thomas with the dragon instead? Then you wouldn\u2019t have to live in the cave; you could come back down to the village and have all the cream you liked.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moggie\u2019s whiskers bristled at that suggestion. \u201cI could do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow d\u2019we know she won\u2019t just scarper?\u201d Gris said. \u201cShe\u2019d leave us catless, and then we\u2019d have to steal Thomas on our own, or find another cat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wouldn\u2019t do that,\u201d Moggie said indignantly.<\/p>\n

\u201cBloody right you wouldn\u2019t, because I\u2019d be along to make sure you didn\u2019t.\u201d Mac\u2019s eye twinkled. \u201cAnd mayhap I could handicap them further by stealing some essential piece of equipment.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t take stupid chances, Mac,\u201d Dani scolded. \u201cWe all know how you get, and you need to just steady yourself, right now. Once you start, you can\u2019t stop. I realize that you think stealing things is a lark, but you nearly ended up in the stocks last time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Nearly\u2019 being the operative word, m\u2019dear,\u201d he said airily.<\/p>\n

The three of us are misfits, aren’t we?<\/em> Dani thought. But Mac was a quite decent thief when he set his mind to the task, and Gris could wield a sword serviceably well. They made good time up the trail, and struck camp right before dark, unloading the horses and letting them graze while Mac built up a fire. Gris wandered off and soon came back with a pair of fat rabbits, already cleaned, which Dani spiced and spitted across the merry blaze.<\/p>\n

Once they\u2019d eaten, Mac stood up and took Moggie from her crate. \u201cBe a good puss, and you\u2019ll be back in the village before you know it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope you bloody know what you\u2019re doing,\u201d Moggie muttered.<\/p>\n

\u201cBe careful!\u201d Dani said, pecking Mac on the cheek while he blushed madly. \u201cDon\u2019t do anything daft.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho, me?\u201d He gave her a mischievous grin and set off, and Dani sat back down by the fire.<\/p>\n

Then they waited.<\/p>\n

And waited. And waited.<\/p>\n

\u00a4<\/p>\n

Mac slid between shadows and made not a sound as he crept toward Nash\u2019s party. Riding on his shoulder, Moggie made an approving noise. \u201cYou move nearly like a cat yourself,\u201d she said in his ear.<\/p>\n

\u201cWouldn\u2019t be much of a thief if I made a bloody great row when I was tryin\u2019 to be sneaky, now would I?\u201d he answered, then froze. \u201cOh, they tried, didn\u2019t they. Good thing I was looking for that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moggie peered down at the ground. A thin filament stretched across the track, nearly invisible except where the moonlight struck it just right. \u201cA tripwire?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAye, and I\u2019m sure all sorts of unpleasantness would rain down on us if we touched it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBest not to, then.\u201d<\/p>\n

After checking all around to make sure that the tripwire wasn\u2019t a decoy, and that avoiding it wouldn\u2019t funnel him into a nastier trap, Mac stepped over it and continued. Not much further on, he stopped short again. \u201cWhat now?\u201d Moggie asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cSee where the ground\u2019s disturbed a bit, there? It\u2019s well-camouflaged, but not perfect.\u201d<\/p>\n

She hissed softly as he knelt down and brushed the leaves away from a latticework of branches hiding a pit. Sharpened stakes at the bottom promised pain and slow death to any who fell into it, and Mac gave a low whistle. \u201cThey\u2019re not messing about.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThomas would be far better off abandoning these people. I wouldn\u2019t put it past them to hurt him if it suited them, if they\u2019re doing things like this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBe sure and tell him that, yeah?\u201d Mac said, skirting the pit. \u201cIf you\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

A night bird called an alarm. Mac\u2019s eyes widened, but he didn\u2019t have any more time than that to react before a tree trunk on a cable swung out and slammed into his back between his shoulder blades, sending him flying face-first into a live oak. Moggie nipped up a nearby elm.<\/p>\n

Mac scrambled to his knees, half-stunned and shaking his head, but two pairs of hands grasped him by the arms and the hair and smacked his temple against the tree. His legs buckled, but one of the men twisted his arm up behind his back and yanked him to his feet.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat a pretty ambush you\u2019ve walked into.\u201d Oh, gods, that was Nash,<\/em> and Mac felt a cold knot of fear tighten in his belly.<\/p>\n

He wouldn\u2019t show it, though, not to the likes of these. \u201cIt was well done,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve been taking notes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nash\u2019s fist struck, and the great ring on his finger split Mac\u2019s brow, which began bleeding freely into his eye. \u201cCheeky little bugger, aren\u2019t you? Hold him, boys.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mac struggled, tried to yank away, but their iron grips only tightened. His shoulder came out of the socket with a sickening pop. The only reason he didn\u2019t scream was because he couldn\u2019t get the air to do so. His vision went white, then gray and spotty before it cleared.<\/p>\n

A kick cracking the side of his knee accompanied by a downward shove made him kneel, and the hand in his hair yanked his head up again, at a perfect angle for another punch. \u201cTell your silly little girlfriend.\u201d Backhand. <\/em>\u201cThat she\u2019s reached far above her station.\u201d A boot to the ribs. <\/em>Now he couldn\u2019t breathe at all. He was fair certain at least one was broken. \u201cAnd she ought to get back to it.\u201d A punch to the jaw.<\/em> \u201cBefore someone gets hurt<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGet stuffed,\u201d he managed, before something clubbed him on the back of the head, and they dropped him to the forest floor, unconscious, broken, and bleeding.<\/p>\n

\u00a4<\/p>\n

Gris rumbled unhappily after far more than enough time had passed. \u201cHe\u2019s got in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dani had to agree. \u201cWell, we should probably hunt him down, then. Can you track him in the dark?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat d\u2019you take me for, of course I can.\u201d He eyed Dani from under a lowered brow. \u201cBut you ought to stay in camp. There\u2019s dangerous creatures out there, Dani.\u201d<\/p>\n

She slipped a dagger into her belt. \u201cAnd I\u2019m one of them. You know you\u2019re not going to talk me out of going, so let\u2019s just pretend you made a good effort and go, all right? He could be hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cProbably is.\u201d<\/p>\n

She was afraid of that, and her fear bore fruit when they found him, out cold and sprawled under a bush with his face bloodied and his clothes torn. Moggie was nowhere to be seen, nor any other cat. Dani knelt beside him and brushed his hair off of his forehead. \u201cOh, Mac.\u201d<\/p>\n

He stirred and mumbled and winced, then his eyes snapped open and he tried to scramble away before he quite knew where he was. He slumped with relief when he saw Dani. \u201cOw.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t move.\u201d Dani gave him a quick but thorough examination, while he gritted his teeth and flinched when she probed a bit too hard at a sore spot. \u201cYou\u2019ve got cracked ribs, a dislocated shoulder, and a couple of those cuts on your face will scar. They should probably be stitched.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGirls like scars,\u201d he said, with a ghost of his usual cheeky grin. He was probably right, but he wouldn\u2019t be able to enjoy his new-found attractiveness if they didn\u2019t find another cat and get up the mountain before Nash\u2019s group.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought you was good at this,\u201d Gris said. \u201cHow\u2019d they catch you, anyway?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI slipped past a couple of traps they\u2019d set, but they had a night bird under thrall that warned \u2018em I was coming. Nothin\u2019 I could do about that, and they was on me before I knew it.\u201d He shut his eyes. \u201cMoggie escaped in the confusion. I\u2019m sorry, Dani.\u201d She was sorry too, because she knew that by \u201cin the confusion\u201d he meant \u201cwhile they beat me black and blue.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just glad they didn\u2019t kill you.\u201d Dani rubbed a spot of blood from his cheek with her thumb. It didn\u2019t actually help much. \u201cCan you walk?\u201d<\/p>\n

He sat up, wincing. \u201cNot well, but I\u2019ll manage. I got to, don\u2019t I?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGris could carry you.\u201d Neither of them looked happy at the suggestion, and she added, \u201cHe has to put your shoulder back, anyhow. We can\u2019t leave it like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mac swore, fervently, creatively, and at great length. Dani was impressed. But he staggered to his feet. \u201cMake it quick, Gris. It hurts like hell anyway; I don\u2019t think you can hurt it more.\u201d<\/p>\n

A twist, a pop, a sickening crunch, and Mac bit back a scream and dropped back to the ground on one knee. \u201cClearly, I was wrong,\u201d he wheezed. \u201cLesson learned.\u201d He rubbed at the joint.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, mate, but it had to be done,\u201d Gris said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not arguing now, am I? It\u2019s better, Gris. Thank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gris made an assenting noise and helped him back up. \u201cYou can lean on me, if you needs to.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNah, nah, I\u2019ll be all right.\u201d But they hadn\u2019t got far before he\u2019d taken Gris up on his offer, and by the time they got back to camp Gris was taking most of his weight and he was muttering to himself.<\/p>\n

Gris lowered him gently onto his bedroll, frowning. \u201cMayhap we shouldn\u2019t have moved him so soon?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018m fine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dani shook her finger under his nose. \u201cYou\u2019re pale and sweating and far from fine. Lie back and let me doctor you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes\u2019m.\u201d The fact that he didn\u2019t argue was worrisome as well, and she exchanged a glance with Gris before grabbing supplies and getting Mac cleaned up and bandaged, with a couple of stitches here and there for good measure. She dosed him with a painkiller, and he relaxed. \u201cYou\u2019re a wonder, Dani,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t know how much it hurt till it stopped, like.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBetter now?\u201d He nodded, eyes closed, and she laid a hand on his cheek. He turned his head, kissed her palm, and fell asleep. She blew out a breath.<\/p>\n

Gris had watched the whole thing with an unreadable expression. \u201cWhat\u2019d you give him?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomething for the pain, and another to help him sleep.\u201d Dani gazed down at Mac and pulled his blanket over his shoulders. \u201cIt seems to have worked.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAye.\u201d His lips tightened. \u201cWhat\u2019re we to do, Dani? We\u2019re catless now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFor tonight, we\u2019re going to sleep.\u201d She rolled up in her own blanket, pillowing her head on a saddlebag. \u201cTomorrow, we decide where we go from here.\u201d<\/p>\n

…to be continued…<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

\"JulieFrost2\"<\/a>JULIE FROST<\/strong> writes short SFF and lives in Utah with her family and a collection of anteaters and Oaxacan carvings. She whines about writing, a lot, at http:\/\/agilebrit.livejournal.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The local dragon had made its annual demand for a new cat for its collection. Arms crossed, Daniella stared the village mayor down. She knew what he was thinking\u2014that she was a silly little girl with no business undertaking such a vital enterprise. He\u2019d turned it into a competition<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":242,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3],"tags":[18,19,6],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/stupefyingstoriesshowcase.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/stupefyingstoriesshowcase.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/stupefyingstoriesshowcase.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stupefyingstoriesshowcase.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stupefyingstoriesshowcase.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=241"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/stupefyingstoriesshowcase.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":308,"href":"http:\/\/stupefyingstoriesshowcase.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241\/revisions\/308"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stupefyingstoriesshowcase.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/242"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/stupefyingstoriesshowcase.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=241"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stupefyingstoriesshowcase.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=241"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stupefyingstoriesshowcase.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=241"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}