Episode 1: The old Sorceress

I have done it! I have finally done it, after hours, if not days, of hard work... I have finished. Purrfection is key in the work of elixirs; I extend my enhanced senses to the carefully crafted mixture, using the innate gifts of Catmen.

I am only barely aware of the world around me as I let my eyes flutter shut and open my senses to the tincture. Elixirs are my gateway to magic, Sorceress reflexes allowing me to instinctively cast some spells and understand the works of magic.

I may not be the best magician, but am still able to extend my understanding to the study of elixirs. I am still able to reach for the feeling of cold resting in my paws. I clutch my claws around the small bottle and take in a deep breath, calming my frustration. It should, if correct, be warm... and it is not. I have never done such a unique mixture - perhaps it is naivety that led me to hope so desperately that it would be purrfect upon the first brewing. Perhaps, in my old soul, I pondered, stroking my long grey whiskers, I have grown to need an apprentice - someone to help me.

I choose to contemplate this as I shift my focus to the scent of the potion, instinctively pulling the bottle closer to my sensitive nose. From the bottle drifts first the scent of berries... I take a deeper breath, attempting to smell the finer ingredients... burned skin of a fly, and... Salt from the sea.

My eyes shoot open. Smells that I have trained myself over years to pick up stop wafting through my nose, replaced with excitement that shoots through my bones like fireworks. I take in a deep, calming breath... and jump up from my chair with the greatest exhilaration.

“The Secret Elixir!” 

I grin, tail shooting up. I catch the reflection of my eyes, dilated in my cheer. 

But the tingling joy quickly rushes to my heart in a pounding fear; a tickle in my whiskers accompanies the slipping of the bottle from my paws. Even as I fall backwards the bottle does not fall, a shaky breath entering my lungs. I gulp as my sensitive cats’ paws brush the bottle. Horror tightens its grip on my heart as I reach once again, gravity still acting. Bile rises to my throat as I nearly miss again, nausea not dispelled by aching relief. My heart continues to race as I rotate the front of my body, tail beginning it’s spin in the opposite direction. Bracing for impact, I let all four limbs thud on the floor. At this moment I am certain that of all the creatures in Obbisia, I am extremely glad to have been born a Catmen.

A light warmth on my paw first confuses me, then makes my nausea reignite... I lift my paw up to inspect the damp droplet, terrified to have lost anything else from the uncorked bottle. My eyes dart to the floor, checking frantically for any spillage. I let out a careful breath when there is none, ears flicking as I feel the wetness spread across my paw. Instinct tells me that I should cover my ears. Instinct flattens out my ears as I flinch. Instinct slams my eyes shut; the noise shuts off my senses. 

The room is dark when I open my eyes, an alarming ringing in my ears disorientating me. Left with few senses, I use touch to navigate. I carefully take in a breath, pausing as a distinguished smell swirls into noticeability. I brace my paws on the table and pull in a sharp breath in my shock. The candle. The candle is out. I rarely open the one window in my little home, and I cannot feel cool air on my fur, so it has not opened... 

My eyes are finally beginning to adjust to the light, gentle morning sun fighting to shine through the dusty window. I glance around the room, checking the usual mess for any changes. The scattering of books and half empty bottles are the usual; dried leaves, flower buds and herbs in delicate bowls are normal; the dead beetles in brass cages in place as always. My eyes shift back to the unlit candle... perhaps it is worth lighting; as clearly as my eyes see in the dark, a lit room is often preferable. 

As I turn to leave, the lack of elixir dampening my fur comes to mind. I raise my paw, purrfectly dry, to my eyes. My ears fall gently back as I whisper into the darkness… 

“What...?” 

I lower my paws and raise my head, flicking my ears this way and that for sound. Even my Sorceress Reflexes clue me in. I must find the bottle. 

Unable to find the bottle, I run through the possibilities. If not for my careful search, it might have been under a cupboard or the table... perhaps it has been stolen? Stolen! My heart thumps. Thumps as I run down the spiralling staircase. Thumps with the front door as it bangs open. Thumps with my heavy footsteps as they soften on grass. Head swerving left, across my Milks-Fungus, right along the road, front into the beautiful forest full of vibrant colour, I cannot find another creature, but for a Bluebird pruning it’s feathers on a branch right over my home up in the big tree. Case unsolved; a bird cannot steal elixirs after all. 

“No, no, no!” I whisper under my breath, getting louder as frustration builds inside me. 

“How could this happen? I don’t suppose you know?” 

I ask the bird, fully aware it cannot answer. Although, when stress truly hits, it’s difficult not to go slightly out of your mind.

I wave goodbye to the bird and take calming breaths as I return to my cabin. This time, I helped the door to shut, avoiding the damaging band made previously. I take a seat at the table, frustration beginning to descend into sadness, when I notice the flickering flame of the candle, casting flowing shadows across the room. So good it is to see clearly again, but, I’d never actually relit the candle, in my fear of lost work... yet another mystery, I assume, tiredness settling in place of troubling emotion. But then a sound catches me off guard. A noise almost like that of laughter - though there’s rarely anyone out this far into the forest - which seems as if it’s coming from behind a book... impossible, right?

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Inside the book:

That will by chapters art by Azifri and character pictures by Sarah.Mørch

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5/6 star by @irene_addler
"The Catmen Sorceress takes readers to a fresh, unique new world unlike any fantasy realm before! What a great read!"

6/6 star by @faisalhussein394
"By the Wing Wolves! I have read many fantasy novels but barely any of them is unique from another, and The Catemn Sorceress is a rarity worth reading! I am fully and utterly invested!"

6/6 star by @CynkNapp
"The Catmen Sorceress is fun fantasy story with magical conflicts. Character conversation applies a Catmen vibe."

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Thanks
To all that work hard to get the Catmen Sorceress to the end:

Writer: Lars Laustsen,
Co-writer: Lady_Luci_Reads,
Art: Azifri
Pictures: Sarah.Mørch

World help and Proof reader: Jens Richard
Proof readers: TheB - QBalld

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