A less than pleasant hunt (Turtle/Kei Finished)

The tom was somewhat alarmed by this shecat's seemingly incomprehensible rage at the world around her. If not for his own reassurance that a magnificent Demon Slayer such as his Mistress would never allow a Demon in her Clan, he would have prepared himself for a fierce battle with the she-demon. As it was, he went to pick up her prey for her where she had left it on a mossy patch. He felt guilty for the innocent bird in his jaws, but this was how his Mistress chose to live and he would honor her choice with his compliance.

The she-demon stomped over and began attacking a patch of mud. Kei limped along behind her, a tad worried for her sanity and his own physical health. This worry only increased when she spun around to meet him nose-to-nose. He blinked at the unexpected contact. Her nose was warmer than his. And smaller. And dainty. Kei felt this was all terribly inappropriate but who was he to question the ways of his Mistress's people? So he simply remained where he was, blinking to get his eyes to adjust to the she-demon's extremely close proximity.

"Mello?" he attempted to mew in greeting around the bird in his mouth.

He would put it down, but he was afraid that if even a feather touched a single speck of mud, the she-demon would rip his spine out and beat him with it. Kei had already broken his paw half a moon ago. He had no desire to try out breaking his neck next. At least, not unless his Mistress willed it and some days -like today- he almost wondered if she would.

Kei gulped as the shecat's eyes bore into him with a mixture of shock, rage, and who-knew-what-else. He had fought and killed Demons less terrifying than this. He had seen this Warrioress around camp, true, but had never spoken to her directly. His Mistress had never willed it and he had never found the time to introduce himself. He dearly hoped she recognized him as his Mistress' servant. He really had not been kidding about wanting his spine to stay just where it was.

"I was-"

"-trying to-"

"-carry it for you.-"

"-sorry."

The tom mewed stuntedly.

"Alright. How much of that did you--?"

This was the point when the she-demon actually turned around and saw the reason for the pauses in Kei's speech.

His tongue was otherwise preoccupied. That was to say, he had settled down on his belly in the mud, had a mouse in his paws, and was licking it clean. He did not seem to mind the mud that tugged slightly at his orange fur, darkening it to a wet brown. Quite the contrary, he seemed fairly content with the task at paw, although his large green eyes watched the she-demon with a wary hesitance.

It was not that he was afraid. Kei was a Knight, a Guardian of Cats, a Purger of Demons. He was never afraid.

But as the she-demon eyed him like he was her next meal he did wiggle backward in the mud slightly. Not out of fear, mind you. Just a bit of healthy preservation. He had a Blood Debt to repay after all. He could not just go around dying. Not yet, anyway. Preferably not ever, but Kei felt that point was moot and not the one at hand.

He hoped.

The orange tom still eyed the shecat warily. Not unkindly just... wary, like a human child sizing up a dog to see if it was friendly or rabid. He nodded to her first question silently, still washing. He finished with the first mouse, set it on his back to keep it off the ground, and moved on to the second. At her question of mud, the tom stopped to look down at the muddy mouse in surprise, then back up at the she-demon.
Back to the mouse.
Back to the she-demon.

Finally he mewed, "Frankly, I never gave the notion much thought. It was a task that needed to be done, so I did it."

Kei had not grown up with many comforts. It was considered disgraceful for a Squire to be given special foods as their stomachs were meant to be hardened in youth to prepare them for the trials of Knighthood. They ate anything from carrion to twoleg trash in order to learn by experience just what their bodies could tolerate and what would bring them to the brink of death. As a Knight, Kei had eaten mostly snakes, foxes, or possums. It was dishonorable to attack a weaker opponent and so he had never eaten mice or squirrels or the like who could not defend themselves. To him, taste was a vile sense in every situation. He had mostly learned to ignore it and deaden the reaction as much as possible. The mud was no more horrid than twoleg trash and was infinitely better than spoiled possum meat.

The she-demon seemed to expect him to say more. He fumbled around in his mind, trying to think of something more to say. It was possible she wanted to know why he was here? Was his presence a disturbance to her?

"My mistress told me to 'Go help someplace else' so I came out here looking for something I could help with," he said blandly.

His Mistress was quite a strange one. She seemed to be quite distressed at times when he did not give her 'time to herself' and sent him away for 'breathing space'. Kei did not truly understand this notion. He had never run into a cat that had trouble breathing around him before. He had not thought he was breathing any more than he usually did, but did make an effort to breathe less when his Mistress was nearby. It only made him feel lightheaded and seemed to have no positive effect on the calico, but he still tried all the same. His Mistress was a Demon Slayer, a cat skies above him. He could not expect to understand her ways or quirks. He merely obeyed.

Something did strike him though. He cocked his head curiously and paused in his mouse washing to look at the tortoiseshell beside him.

"Do all cats here have two-word names?" He had run into a few cats now that called themselves not by actual names, but by words put together to form their own names. It was a strange practice to the tom, but since his Mistress seemed to have taken to it, he wished to know more.

The tom tried to keep up with all the she-demon told him but most of it was too quick for him to truly process. He tried to nod along as if he understood so she would not become cross with him, but he still found himself floundering as she tossed out words and phrases that sounded as if they had meanings he had never known before. A few he could understand fairly easily. A 'medicine cat' was a Healer. He knew what 'medicine' meant. It made sense. The way she said 'warrior' though gave him a hefty dose of apprehension. They must have different meanings of the term. Deciding to risk being mauled by another whirlwind of sound and strange words, he tentatively asked.

"Yes, one. You speak of 'warriors' as if such a position is an honorable one. It is true that a warrior's heart is needed to combat the darkness, but that alone is too brash and reckless to be a cat's guiding paw. It is not enough to be a warrior, at least as I know the term to be. One must also be a listener and a teacher. A protector and a guide. A warrior might triumph in a battle, but a cat must have the strength of spirit and mind to understand more than war and bloodshed." 

Kei clearly did not think much of 'warriors' as he knew them, but the confusion that read plainly across his face told her he did not think less of her for her adoration of the title. He merely wished to understand. Surely this shecat did not think that all the importance of life fell down to the swiping of claws and gnashing of teeth on the bloodstained field of battle... right? Kei recalled her rage against the elements of earlier. Well, he at least hoped she did not.

"Ah! I see!" Now, for the first time, genuine light came into the tom's eyes and his head popped up alertly. Knights! To this strange she-demon, a 'Warrior' meant Knights! How clever his Mistress was! To gather all these rogues and demons and tell them of their 'warriors'. Ha! It was brilliant! He had known she was smart, but he had not realized how much so! What a joy to be in service to such a strategic and thoughtful Mistress! He could learn so much from the wise Demon Slayer. It would never have even occurred to him to start up a mirror-faith, to lead bad cats onto the right path without alerting them to the Truth! How wise! How wonderful!

Still...

The orange tom slumped as he realized something.

"I don't have a Warrior name." he mumbled sadly. "Does she just not think I am worthy?"