Questions for a cat

For ease of reading, I present to you a list of questions I had for the faerie critter I saved.

What is your name?   I can't tell you.

What was I fighting just now?    Hellhounds.

Hellhounds? Seriously?   They didn't look like Hellhounds?

They looked like Hellhounds.    So what's that hard to get?

Whatever. Do you live here?   I live wherever I am.

But is this your home?  Currently, yes. Soon, no.

Alright, wiseass.   So you DO know my name?

Wait, your name is 'Wiseass'?  No more than if I called you 'Idiot'.

Ugh. Alright, is this area, this ground that stretches out in all directions for a thousand times further than the eye can see, is this area where you have lived most of your life?    Yes.

Okay, so why were the hellhounds chasing you?   Do dogs not chase cats where you are from?

Are your world and mine so similar that that's obvious?  From where I sit, our worlds are the same.

I meant the world I was born in.   I'm sure there's more than a cursory resemblance.

As I understand it, this is what people from my home call Wonderland..or rather Underland.   I think your spatial sense is off. We're more of 'to the side and down'.

Okay, I need a name for you. Since we're in Wonderland and you're insufferable, can I call you Cheshire?

The creature tensed up, and looked alarmed at me. In the most serious tone I thought I could ever hear, he spoke, "Do not call me that name." I apologized.

I noted that he was something of a tubby one. I offered 'Chonk' as a substitute, he seemed fine with that. That got a smile out of me.

You know the one in the tower?   Dal Matia? Yes yes.  Owed mine a favor, she does.

What in the seven hells is she?   At this, Chonk looked confused. I rephrased

What is she? A Fear? Something else?   Much as I, an original inhabitant of a land unmade.

She's a Faerie?    Fae, not Faerie.  Faerie is the place, Fae is the creature.

You're a Fae?      A Faeline, specifically.

Seriously?    You seem surprised.

I shouldn't be.   And yet here you are.

I'm interested in heading home.   Stay where you are, it'll come to you soon enough.

....You mean that eventually this'll become home if I let it.      More if it lets you, but yes.

I want to return to Earth.   Have a safe trip.

You're coming with me.   Seriously?

Get your game face on

I drug my feet a little. I was leaving relative safety for the unknown. Twenty-Seven was pretty good about...Okay let me explain, she left the room one day, and came back, and I called her Twenty-Six, and she corrected me.  So Twenty-Seven it is until it isn't.

She was more standoffish than before, I think in whatever persona this is of hers, she was ready to see me leave. She tossed a bag at my feet, that was filled with random food assortments. She didn't say a word, so I took it as my cue. I was wanting to leave anyway, I just felt it'd be unwise to leave before I gathered up everything I could.  Which meant the scant food I had squirreled away was a fraction of what I was being offered.

I took the stairs down. Due to the hole in my shoes, I could feel the odd texture of the walkway beneath me as I plodded, and plodded and plodded. It was good time to think, to process what little I knew of this world.

I remembered that there was some caustic gas that made me seek shelter.  Was that part of the weather here? What the hell else was I going to run into? What natural environmental element was next? The area just turning into a pure vacuum, asphyxiating me or turning me inside out in an instant?  Quicksand?   I hadn't the foggiest.

I'm not a smart man, I left the shelter I had. A fool with one arm, a short sword, and no idea whatsoever of what I wanted to do now.

I had decided that I needed to get back home, such as it were.  For me, for anymore, 'home' wasn't any specific location. Home was anywhere in North America. If I could sleep under the stars without being assaulted by creatures from beyond my home dimension, I'd find a way to survive. I managed before, I'll manage again.

I can't explain how its like for the Path though.  On Earth, which is a really weird thing to ever have to say, I just want it to happen. I wanted it to happen to come here. And so it did.

Here?  Its apparently not that simple.  That was unexpected, but there was no sense of panic. I considered the possibilities as to why it wasn't coming to me, but I really had no idea. With no better idea in mind, I picked a direction and walked.

The area around me was pretty flat and barren. I saw some shapes in the distance, but nothing that really seemed compelling. The one thing I did choose to avoid was the structure that looked man-made. I figured that it'd be foolish to seek out whatever civilization built that tower. Given what I've seen here, I just didn't want to be outnumbered by anything.

And so I walked.

I wasn't sure what to make of my sojourn as I just put distance behind me. I have walked more than a hundred lifetimes so far, and after I started to daydream, to go onto autopilot, I suddenly drifted back into the Path. My heart raced as I regained my senses, only to find that I was still in Underland.

I needed a breather, which was true for mental reasons more than physical. I sat down on a large rock, near a hilly area to just regain myself. To let time slow, and let my sanity rebuild. I wasn't /there/ again. I wasn't cursed. I wouldn't just walk forever anymore. I walked for an age with a dull, autopilot need, this was reminiscent of that, but it wasn't going to lead me to the same place.

It was quiet.

Until the high pitched scream broke that silence.

I got to my feet, and drew my short sword as I tried to ascertain the source of the sound. It was strange, it was distinctly a yell of panic, but it sounded rough, inhuman, and weaker despite the need.

I took to the hill, climbing to find the source of the voice. I hadn't made up my mind if I was going to get closer to it, but in order to make an informed decision I had to figure out what /it/ was.

There was motion in the direction of the yell, about two hundred yards out.  Three dark shapes, and a smaller grey shape.  The yell stopped, as the grey shape turned directly towards me. I figured the grey animal, whatever it was, was making the noise. Chances were good that it made me as prey or some such. Given its speed, it was going to catch me, so there was little use to run especially since I couldn't just will the Path to me.

What surprised me the most was when it started talking.

"Faipact Faipact!" It yelled towards me as it ran for its life, being chased by dark creatures. I shifted my gaze from it to the creatures after it and back. It spoke again as it got closer, "Honor your pact! Your favor! Hurry! Save me! Kill them!"

This large cat for whatever it was worth, just spoke to me with full sapience. The thing actually hid behind me and peeked out, which made me the target for whatever was in front of me.

I looked back to the creatures and assessed them. They looked like they were hounds of some sort, grown from a twisted wood. Twisted wood ran up their bodies, contouring them in an overlay that reminded me of cartilage growth, every ounce of their frame locked in a state of being stretched.  Two large horns were mounted atop a skull-like face, giving it a hunched over four legged stance.

With little other options available, I defended myself.

I had never had the need to fight wolves or dogs. Whatever these things were, they clacked their jaws and moved in a very dog-like way, intentionally moving to surround me, flank me at every chance.

I'd like to say that I hewed them down, bringing down the blade in an intercepting course to dispatch each one during their attack.  Truth be told, I am kinda shitty at this swordplay thing.

For the better part of ten minutes, all I could do was fend them off. Constantly turning, desperately watching for which one was going to bounce in next, and snap at my hamstring or make a move for my throat.

I turned and turned, presenting my blade to whichever one seemed most daring at the moment, with a damn cat underfoot the entire time.

None of them would get close enough to eat sword, always bounding in and out, drawing my attention.

It came to mind that a lot of animals generally were killed after being exhausted. It was the struggle that'd kill most animals. A deer out of stamina was prey for the smaller predators. A gator exhausted was prey for the constrictor.

If they couldn't get my flank, they'd exhaust me to death.  I considered the fact, given I had nowhere to go, and no way to stop them.  Three minutes in, I threw my food sack aside in hopes of distracting them. They didn't even investigate.

The one thing that they did not count on, was that I've been doing a /lot/ of exercise since my death. Fortunately that has carried over into this life of mine. I just wouldn't fatigue physically. It preyed on my mind more, staying vigilant, staying focused, constantly trying to evaluate distance and direction.

I shit you not, the hounds started to tire before I did. It makes sense, now that I think about it. Who knows how long they were chasing this cat before it came across me.  It was an indeterminate amount of time as we went back and forth, posturing and positioning. One of the three made a bound forward, and had his feet slip out from underneath his head. I'm pleased to say I capitalized on that, and slashed at it, shattering the wood or bone into pieces right above its empty eyes. The creature crumbled, but even as it did, the hound behind me came forward, a yowl of surprise from the cat beneath me alerted me.  I turned to engage it, tripped over the cat and fell on my ass right on the rock.

It went for my leg, and managed a glancing bite, raking its sharp protrusions against my calf as it drew blood. At a time like this, I was glad I had a short blade, it was still useful in this situation. I brought it to bear, catching it in the jaw, which severed half of its connection to the rest of its sculptured head.

That broke morale among the hound creatures, and the two survivors scurried away.

I sat there for a few minutes as the bobcat recovered. I tested my leg, and could stand on it still. It'd do.  Nervous laughter filled my ears, as the cat spoke to me. "Eheheh...that was fortunate, Feipact! I was lucky to come across your sort out here. Lucky indeed! A debt repaid, yes yes. Debt repaid. Thank you and goodbye!"

It turned its back to me and went on its way.

Thirty minutes of tense standoff done, I was in a foul mood. Scowling, I snapped at him,"Stop. Right. There."

He did.

The big cat looked back at me, surprised. "What? What are you doing, Feipact? You cannot control me. We are even!"

I shook my head as I approached. He didn't move.  "Whats that word you keep saying, 'Feipact'?"

His yellow eyes grew wider, "Yes?"

I gestured, annoyance in my tone, "Why do you keep calling me that?"

It responded, surprised, "You've made a pact, yes. I see her upon you. The tower one, Machines and purpose. You are sworn to her, and she to you. Her favor is yours, and your favor was mine!"

I shook my head, "Feipact....you mean Fey-Pact."  I squinted as I regarded the feline. "I swore no such thing to anybody."

I've never seen abject horror in a cat before, except when I had to use a bad kitty bottle. It squealed, "No Pact?  No, no no no. No pact, the balance is off! There is no balance! Release me from the service, yes yes! There must be balance."

Balance?  Debt for debt. I didn't really know much about faeries, but I had always heard about favors from them, and that there was always a need to repay favors. I think I started to understand. It called in a favor from me because it thought I was of Dal Matia's. I gave it that favor it asked for, but there was no marker to call in.

It /owed/ me. And apparently that meant I had some sort of control over it, given how it did not move after I told it to stop.

I believe I just found my guide in the Underland.

With a weak smile, I bent down and said to the cat, "I have questions."