"Thank you ma'am," Brigid chuckled heartily and patted Katie's shoulder

"No need to call me ma'am. Jus' be callin' me Brigid!" Katie smiled at her and began spooning the stew into her mouth. It was delicious, hot and chunky, full of veg. There were a couple of dumplings, and Katie chewed on them happily, glad to fill up her stomach. Brigid placed a earthernware mug of water next to Katie's bowl, then took her seat and smiled as the girl gobbled down her food, then guzzled the water down.

"'Ungry were ya?" Katie smiled, embarrassed and nodded.

"That was delicious thank you so much!!" she went to say something else, but there was a knock at the door. Brigid frowned at it and nodded at her husband, who got up to answer it. Katie leaned sideways so she could peer round Gerat's stout frame to see who was at the door. She could make out a group of Nekos, all wearing the same long robe of dark brown, with bright red horizontal stripes. A symbol on the chest was of a ear of corn, ontop of a cat head silouette. They were rapidly speaking to Gerat in their language, Gerat

replying in a deep slow voice. Some of them were looking round Gerat to try and catch a glimpse of Katie. Gerat turned to his wife, still blocking the entrance.

"Its the council. They want to come in and talk to the Angel," Gerat smiled gently at Katie who smiled worriedly back, "Is it okay with you if I let them in?" Katie nodded, slightly wearily. Brigid patted her hand reassuringly as Gerat stepped aside and let in half a dozen nekos, all dressed the same, most of them with white hair and ears. They stared at Katie with something similar to awe in their faces. Brigid stood and scowled at them.

"Now ya be starin, which be mightily rude if'n ya ask me. This here be Angel Katie, and she be speakin' Unime oni so that what you should be speakin'. She cannae remember much. So ask 'er what ya wants then be leavin'," The nekos look slightly scared as Brigid spoke to them, and one of them was shoved forward.

"Erm, I be-being Nijon, leader of ta council. Welcome to our humble village, we thank ya for comin. We was a-wonderin if you could being come with us for a mite second?" Brigid folded her arms and scowled harder

"What do ya want with 'er? Ya gonna take 'er to tha graveyard. I dun think she should go, she jus woke ups," Nijon paled and retreated slightly, but was pushed forward again.

"Erm, we need 'er jus for tonight Brigid. Ya can come with ifn ya worried. She mightn be able to helps with tha problem," Katie raised her eyebrows and looked up at Brigid

"What problem?" Brigid patted her shoulder again and sighed

"Our dead, well, they ent stayin dead," she made a grim face and sighed, "Well really do need help, but oni an angel can git rid of 'em," Katie bite her lip and looked to her empty bowl

"I dunno if I can help though! I wouldn't know how!" Nijon stepped a bit closer to the table

"Ya jus need ta be there, we thinks. Ya pure light be scarin them off? Could ya try, for us like?" Brigid sighed again and helped Katie to stand up. Katie looked at the stout woman and her equally stout husband. Their son, Malkain was looking at her curiously, and he stood too.

"We all be comin with her," stated Brigid and her husband and son nodded. It was Nijon's turn to sigh and he nodded begrudgingly.

"Fine fine. Come on then, now be better than later," The group all piled out of the door and into the warm night. Malkain locked the door behind them. Katie looked back at the house, light spilling out of the windows and shuddered. She hoped that the dead weren't very awake tonight. She had never liked the thought of zombies. Brigid smiled reassuringly at her as her family walked like a guard around Katie, the council forming a rough circle round them. Some people came out of their houses to watch the group, people pointing and whispering to themselves. The road was just packed mud, leading in a curve, houses packed close around it, small cottages made out of wood, some two story houses with small front gardens filled with colourful flowers. The kitchen door of Brigid's house had led straight onto the road, but it was the back of the house and Katie wondered what the front looked like. Tall wooden poles topped with glass balls filled with flickering light lined the road, lighting their way. Katie spotted a tall tower rising from behind the houses, topped with a flag with the same symbol that was on the council's robes.

"Thats bein the temple. We worship tha harvest goddess. And, o' course, our own cat eared god," said Brigid, keeping her voice low. Katie nodded and focused on the building, which the road seemed to be curving towards now. The houses started thinning out and people were now going back indoors, looking slightly fearful. By the time they reached the temple, a large wooden three story building that looked just like an ordinary house, no one was out, though some were still peering out their windows at the group. The road had stopped and a large wooden fence blocked their path. Beyond it was the unmistakeable site of a graveyard. Tall wooden crosses rose from the ground, with some smaller stones marking graves as far as the eye could see.