E6 — FISHING TRIP (Part 2)

The hairs on my neck rise as a slender orange tabby slinks from the shadow of a metal box covered in human symbols.

“Would’ya look at ‘dis, boys,” he calls ahead, inviting two more scraggly cats out into the center of the alley to block my path. “Looks like we got us a stray.”

“Looks like he found that fish you lost, eh, boss?” The matted manx snickers. His shoulders wide and his face twisted into a sinister smirk.

“Yeahhh… Good kitty, thanks for returning it,” a gray and brown patched cat with elongated ears and a pointy face jeers, his eyes darting from one ally to the other and back again in search of validation; or, perhaps, reassurance.

Surrounded. Common thieves, by the look of it, each reeking of dishonor. Their motives are clear, but I won’t lose this fish. Can’t. I test a forward step. All three mirror me, closing the distance. Must it come to this? I set the fish down carefully on the asphalt.

“There is an entire street full of food within minutes of here. The humans who guard it are weak and slow. I’m sure you’ll have no trouble procuring your own prey,” I advise.

“How about ‘dat?” The orange mocks. “‘Den you’ll have no issue leaving ‘dis one here, right?”

“I will not part with this fish.” I lower my head and arch my back. “It has been carefully selected.”

Deafening silence sucks the air from my lungs as they lower themselves into aggressive stances. They bear fangs. Claws flex from grimy paws. Whisker by whisker, they inch closer at a maddeningly slow rate. Flapping wings crack through the silence as a crow flees. A single black feather falls from its perch.

“Last chance,” I say, forcing the words to sound confident.

“‘Dat’s my line,” the orange hisses.

The feather meanders down, cutting through the quiet tension as it floats back and forth. Side to side. Zigging and zagging to the ground between us. It lands. I spring to the side, targeting the pointy-faced cat first. Scrawnier than the rest and noticeably reliant on the strength of his gang, the choice was easy. Unprepared, the cat scrambles to raise his guard. Too slow. My claws dig into his shoulders as I jump and roll over his head. I pull him back, forcing him to join the tumble. As he flips, I plant my hind legs on the center of his spine and launch him into the alley wall with a strong double kick. Nose-first, he smashes into the bricks with a thwack.

The manx charges with a roar. He’s quicker than the first, tougher too. I roll, narrowly avoiding a downward slash. The orange is there to meet me at the end of my dodge. His claws swipe through the base of my ear and across my cheek. Heat stings my face. I jet backwards. The manx is there.

These two are well accustomed to fighting together.

Even so, I meet the manx’s strike with a block. I snap forward, catching a bit of his ear in my teeth. My mouth fills with the taste of foul iron. The manx yelps as the orange’s claws slice down my back.

I stumble away. The manx jumps me. Instincts help me block the worst of the attack, but he still inflicts gaping slashes across my legs before I escape the barrage.

Pain pulls at my attention, but—

Wait.

Where’s the orange?

I spin. Too late. His fangs bite deep into my shoulder. I scream out in pain. Blood soaks my coat. Still in the orange’s grip, the manx charges, cracking my jaw with a devastating kick. My head spins. My vision goes fuzzy.

I topple. Blood gushes. A pool of red grows under me.

“All over a fucking fish!” The orange laughs wickedly. I strain to focus my vision. Can’t. I watch his blur bend down and lick my prize.

“Bastard!” I force my throbbing body from the ground. My legs are as unstable as my eyesight, but I manage to stumble into the fish, biting down hard near the tail.

The orange tries to yank it away, but I won’t give. I shake my head, trying to slip the fish from his teeth. Bits of scaly skin tear as we tug against each other for the delicacy.

Pain engulfs me.

The manx is on me, thrashing at my ribs with a flurry of claws. Black borders my vision. It comes on me fast. Blood loss threatens to take me.

The fish falls from my mouth.

Can’t withstand…

The scrawny cat is up, a blur stalking my way. He looms over me, paw raised above my head. I wince.

But the strike never falls.

There’s a grunt, then gurgling. I open my blurred eyes to find the long-faced cat tipping over, his throat slashed deep. Blood hisses from the slice.

A shadow has descended upon the battlefield, moving with the deadly grace of a winter wind. It ducks, rolls, spins, and sidesteps every strike thrown its way. Each evasion leaves its attackers bloodied. They limp and stagger as the dance pulls and pushes them around the alleyway. The manx falls forward, paws gripping desperately at bloody pools that were once eye sockets. Screams and the smell of carnage fill the air as I look on in horrified awe.

The orange jumps back, creating separation as the shadow finally stands still. I strain through my fading vision to see Azura flick blood from her claws. She stands between the orange bastard and me, her presence exploding to that of a panther. Then I hear it. A strange purr emanates from deep in her chest. I fight to stay conscious despite the blood loss. I must see what Master Chingon’s tutelage can accomplish.

“Y-you, you monster!” The orange hisses desperately. “Look what you—”

Before he can finish, Azura makes her move. A flash. The shadow of death’s scythe. Her paw presses gently into his chest as her purr amplifies. She takes a calm step back as the orange hunches over, wheezing desperately. The sound of dry gasping crescendos. The cat falls limp with a hollow thud.

“Bokuden,” Azura says calmly as she saunters over.

“You… win…” The words take off from my lips with the strength of sickly butterflies. My whole body is cold and numb. So numb. I guess I’ll get to find out if this whole curse thing works the way Master Chingon said it does. What a pain… To die again, and so soon. How embarrassing… I was supposed to bring back a huge fish. I put my honor on the line and I… failed… again.

“What’re you mumbling about?” Azura leans in close, analyzing my wounds. “Shut up and fight, you’re not dead yet.”

Darkness creeps closer, claiming more and more of the light from my vision. But then I hear it, her strange purr. Vibration flows from her. Moving even closer, she places her forepaws on my back. Numbness dulls the sensation at first, but as her paw pads press in, the sensation breaks through. They buzz and tingle like a sunbeam breaking through a snowy dawn, thawing the icy grip of death.

Pain strikes hot across my body. I writhe on the ground, but soon, just like the numbness, the pain begins to fade. Darkness recedes, scampering back to the shadows where it belongs. My muscles, though throbbing with fiery pain, regain their mobility as the warmth of her touch, of her purr, fills me with strength. Able to move again, I scan my body to find my wounds closed, nothing remaining but tender scars and slick blood.

“Try to breathe,” she instructs. The warmth of her golden gaze radiates down on me like twin suns. As I draw in air, my muscles scream. Though the wounds have miraculously closed, their damage still afflicts me. “What?” She asks as I wince through a painful smile.

“The pain, it’s proof of life,” I grunt, trying to rise to my paws.

“You don’t have to act so tough.” She rolls her eyes and helps me up from the ground. “You were just about dead a minute ago, you know?”

My countless cuts, now scars, sing a searing symphony as my muscles lurch back to life. Each movement furthers the crescendo. I test an arduous step towards my fish. Fire bolts through my legs. My entire body beats like a drum played by an angry giant, but I won’t let the pain keep me from my prize.

“Take it easy, or you’ll start bleeding again.”

“Did you see it?” I force through gritted teeth as I try to scoot myself towards the fish.

“Are you insane?” Azura chuckles, shaking her head. “What were you thinking? Taking on three opponents over a fish?”

“But did you see it?” I can’t suppress the groans and grunts as I bend down and lift up the fish. A proud, victorious smirk tugs at the corner of my mouth, but it falls away quickly, killed by the discomfort.

“You think that thing is worth dying over?”

“My honor surely is,” I assert. “I guaranteed Master.” Damn, would it kill her to seem at least a little impressed? I know she saved my life and all, but come on. This is a truly exceptional fish, isn’t it?

“And how much do you figure honor is worth to the dead?” She asks, thoroughly unimpressed.

“Everything.”

“Hmm.” She shakes her head. “You know, it’s a miracle that such a stubborn cat could be so lucky. If not for Radu’s quick flight, you’d be waking up at the shrine, one death closer to…” She sighs deeply, a whisper of amusement playing in her eyes. “Never mind… Let’s head back. Will that honor of yours allow me to carry the fish? I’m worried it’ll take days for you to limp it back on your own.”

I place it down with another spattering of grunts and groans while Azura chuckles heartily at me. Despite the torn flesh and bite marks it received during the battle, my prize is still relatively pristine. Her head slowly tilts to the side as she takes an investigative sniff. Perhaps I’m delirious from the pain, but for a moment I could swear a smirk twists her whiskers.

“This happens to be my favorite kind of fish, you know?” She muses. “Now, try to keep up. We shouldn’t keep Master waiting too long.”

*Illustrations are formatted in traditional manga style: right to left, starting at the top*

continue with THE OUROBORUS PURR  - out Saturday, 9/19 @ 9:00AM PT!

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