Bungle in the Jungle

[Artifex Felicis]

((Hopefully nothing will be taken wrong. Now, I highly suggest reading "Hooray for the bad Guys" (http://www.althanas.com/world/showthread.php?t=3631) before this. At the very least some of my posts in it to get a general idea, as it takes place somewhere near the end of that thread. Or rather, immediately after.

Also, Solo.))

There were few feelings that Leon would ever remember as truly satisfying. Some of them came later in his life, and one or two earlier. The net worth of this particular action was not worth it. Hundreds of people have died in the fire that raged around the boy. Underwood was merely a shadow of its former glory. Not only that, but the sheer time need to rebuild everything, to say nothing of the expense, could cost the town millions of gold. Delving further into Leon Timyon's own personal history, he had several scars that brought him to this moment, as well as another that would form when the gash on his right leg healed.

Corin Rivfader, once Brock Rundgren and now Kedx Fieldeth, was a horrible vampire, person and generally everything else as well. The cat boy found it fleetingly poetic however, despite all of his so-called fame that he once had and his arrogance as a night walker, his skin split between his razor sharp claws like anyone else who had the misfortune to fight the cat boy. In a single fluid motion the cat boy bent his head down, biting off a sizable chunk from his prey's neck. The blood was different than he expected, but still delicious to him. His paw wormed its way into the vampire's chest cavity, relying on a very general sense of anatomy.

He cracked two or three ribs, harsh sounds like dead wooden sticks breaking. His paws felt something roundish, on Kedx's left side. The boy grinned savagely, blood dripping down his chin, with a soft splatter on his face. He was not the same cat boy that one would have seen walking down the street earlier that day. He gripped the organ tightly, claws springing out once again and severing many of the ties between the organ and its former owner. With a sound like wet meat slammed onto a slab, Leon pulled out the vampire's heart.

[Artifex Felicis]

The organ still continued to pump fruitlessly, a few drops of the vampire's congealed blood falling from it. An almost sadistic grin matched Corin's look of surprise, meeting for a few moments before he began to turn to dust. The boy moved quickly, dumping out his gold pouch onto the former rock legends body. He stuffed the heart inside, which quickly turned into dust itself. A few moments later, and all that remained were his jaw bone with two long, hollow fangs. They went into the bag as well. If someone asked him at the time why he was doing it, he couldn't say. It simply felt right.

Kedx's lackeys, or what remained, all began to scatter or even turn on another. One in particular stabbed his nearest former comrade, screaming something about how he was tricked into destroying Underwood. A considerable amount of them began to run, scattering into all directions. Some joined their screams to others who were being burned in the fire that raged all around them. Others were cut down by many others who helped to save Underwood from the madman who so recently turned to dust. The boy smiled, almost knowingly of what was going to happen later. Underwood would take more than any would like to believe to be rebuilt to its former glory, as well as the money it would cost. It was ironic that with the some of the greatest wood on Althanas not a league away, it was still just as expensive as if it came from Salvar.

The boy bent down, almost sighing with relief. Pain was beginning to flood his right leg as adrenaline left his system. For all the excitement, it was like a torch had been smothered by a wave of the sea, and now there was nothing that the cat boy truly needed to stay for. He slipped an arm around the good looking girl that was nearby him, picking up the longsword he wielded so skillfully as well. Her body, heavy mostly from the armor, was easily manageable to the boy. The pain in his leg was not nearly enough to stop him from helping the girl. He climbed the steps, no one bothering to block him as he climbed the steps and went trough the door.

There was a single scream as he stepped in, though it was quickly muffled and a general sigh. Leon smiled, placing the girl down with care inside the tavern before leaving. He and Corin were always somewhat alike, though anyone could have told the difference between the two with little more than a passing lace. Given how high-strung all of those people must have been, merely seeing the cat ears and tail would have set them off. Still, the cat boy was shorter than the vampire that rode around Underwood on horses that breathed fire, and didn't even wear a shirt under the black jacket he wore. Many of his own personal items still remained in his room at the inn he had stayed at. The fire, however, had claimed the building not long after the boy had left through the window to stop Kedx from destroying anymore of the beautiful town. It was doubtful that the boy's other clothing survived the fire.

[Artifex Felicis]

He sighed, jogging slightly as he went along. There were far more survivors than one could have guessed from the destruction, but not nearly enough to sooth the hearts of the victims. Nearly everyone had probably lost someone in the carnage. For every one who was saved by Underwood's heroes, another four were burned alive or cut down by gleeful demons. Leon spat to the side, as if to get the taste out of his mouth. He stopped, seating himself on the ground with his back against the shell of a former bakery. He found himself bringing out the small pouch he filled before with the dust of Kedx's heart and his jawbone. Part of him wished to throw the bag away, but a great part wished to keep it. It would be important when the time came. Till then he just wouldn't carry as much gold around.

Men and women, whether people employed by Corone to deal with this sort of chaos or simply an average person or wanted to help, seemed to buzz around trying to help everyone. Several went over to the cat boy, asking if he needed a hand or a medic. Leon waved them off, as there was nothing permanently wrong with him. The boy stood after a few minutes, most of which were spent wrapping his injured leg with a yarn ball. Kedx got a lucky shot before Leon's claws had their chance, and the pain grew as his adrenaline left his system. He took a few wary steps, limping somewhat dramatically for the cut. A smile played on his lips, and the cat boy began to walk back towards the woods, although with some difficulty.

He had decided to just find a tree instead of going back to the Peaceful Promenade. There were a lot more worthy people who would deserve a bed than the cat boy. All he did was take out Kedx, and nothing much more or less. He had seen others who had protected the buildings with their lives, and several pay the ultimate sacrifice for their faith and Underwood. He even recognized a few others helping others unable to escape on their own survive the horrible night and even trying to stop the fire from spreading to other parts of the town. Those were the people who would need the warm bed tonight, especially since Leon couldn't do too much more now. Fire fighting is not a terribly good job when all of your ends are highly flammable. Besides, the cat boy would have enjoyed sleeping in a tree as much as a bed.

Finding a comfortable tree didn't take much time at all, thought the cat boy had walked for a while into the woods. He could have slept in many of the wooden titans that long guarded Underwood, he was light enough, but Leon was picky when it came to sleeping. He would have walked an hour more if it meant picking out a better sleeping spot. He was asleep not long after getting comfortable and secure in the tree, and dreaming immediately after that it seemed.

[Artifex Felicis]

It was nothing at all like the Silver Pub that so many in Corone knew of. The famous, and rather prosperous, alehouse's great and friendly interior was almost as famous as the strange bartender that ran it. The grandmaster smiled, trying to imagine the half bovine, though she clubbed him once for saying that, behind the dirty bar top that was behind him now. The Slaughtered Lamb wasn't exactly as clean as the Silver Pub, but the drinks were good and the bartender didn't charge six gold for a two copper drink.

The wooden mug made a soft thunk as it was put down, ears trying to well up in the cat boy's eyes from the rather strong drink. A lightweight the cat boy was not, but he was still young and naive to the ways of the truly strong drinks. He had once made a mistake from drinking too much that took more time than he cared to invest getting over it. A series of chimes emanated from the large wooden clock that towered over all of the seated patrons. The clock fell silent again after eleven chimes, and the level of noise from the nearly full bar seemed to escalate enough notches to compensate.

Leon swigged from the mug again, emptying the glass as he tried to figure out what day it was. He hadn't been keeping track nearly so well as he should have. It was the end of the week, or near enough hat it didn't matter. Many of the men were not going to work the next day. In fact, through the slight fog of the smoke from many a cigarette, cigar and pipe, the decorations for some festival or another were plainly obvious. It also would have described why Leon was stuck with a room that had more fleas than all the mutts in the world's alleys and was told he be "glad" to get it for under four hundred gold.

He tried several times so far to get some sort of answer out the some of the patrons there, but most of the time they just stared at him blankly, and the rest of the time they shrugged him off coldly, as he just came from raping their daughter and asked for them to change the sheets. Not that it mattered to the boy. He just need a place to stay. Whether it was a festival to celebrate whatever hackneyed god they had, or something to celebrate some sort of circus or fight, it made little difference. For all the tired kid cared, the celebration was already over and was just some outlandish trick to keep zombies away.

[Artifex Felicis]

Still, it wasn't often that he had felt so alone in a pub or tavern of any kind. Most of the time he would have made a friend or two, or learned some parlor trick from one of them. Whatever he knew of languages other than common was gained with a sloshing mug of drink in one hand and a hand pointing at things and breaking the linguistic barrier. Here though, the only person how looked him in the eye for longer than a moment was the bartender when he ordered. Even then there was none of the smiles and general good cheer that he was giving most of the other people ordering drinks.

He lifted the mug again, this time the bitting taste of the drink not coming to his lips. He raised it higher, peering at the bottom of the cup as a lonesome drop lazily rolled its way towards the lip. He held out his tongue, licking it as it fell before pushing away from the table. Like the few others who had left, the mug remained where it was as Leon began to slowly stand, holding onto the chair for balance as he did so. The red jacket was beginning to get frayed around the elbows, and the dirt it accumulated managed to make it look far more dog-eared that it really was. But for the life of the cat boy he couldn't give it up. It had stuck with him through thick and thing, from minor problems to saving Raiaera from the undead. Still, it could do with a few hours in a clever seamstress, or at the very least a washing board and water.

He lifted his hand, swaying slightly but not enough for the boy to think he had that much. He was thin, and for the most part accustomed at least one or two large glasses. At the very least he wasn't blacking out and coming too every couple of minutes. Leon could have counted them out rather quickly, as they were also often among the loudest there. He stumbled his first two steps, crashing into someone with enough force to spill their drink, soaking the front of his cheap shirt. There was no thunder or sudden drop in the noise level. If anything, most of the other patrons there paid him as much attention as he got the rest of the night.

"Goddamn fuking furry," the man replied. He was big, but no more so than most of the other people. Then again, Leon was never the tallest person on Althanas. Almost everyone he met, with at most three or four exceptions, he had to look up at. It wasn't something that he minded, it wasn't like he could go around on stilts to add the few inches, but often it made him appear like an easy target for the occasional bandit on the road. It also didn't help he normally traveled alone, but that he could solve later. "Look at what you did!"

"Listen, sorry man, are you alright?" Leon replied, he raised his hands, the universal sign of "I mean no harm." Going outside and getting fresh air suddenly seemed like a good idea after being in all of the cigarette smoke for so long. He began to try to walk around, heading for the door, but the man stepped in the way. Two strong hands pushed the boy back, causing him to stumble over his tail in a moment of pain. He fell, his rump connecting solidly with the wood as it hit smartly. A few of the people who saw him laughed a bit, which quickly spread throughout the room as quickly as wildfire.

[Artifex Felicis]

"Hey, where do you think you're going ya f*cking fur ball?" Spilled Drink said aloud as Leon stood again, quickly walking around him. His tail whipped forward half a moment before there was a very heavy sound thump from a big man's boot. His, considerably more cat like than human with white fur and pointed, ears caught some sort of saying as he exited, as well as another round of laughter. The air was silent though as the heavy wooden door was closed. He breathed in, walking a bit down the street and away from the Slaughtered Lamb. He couldn't go far, but he knew that he had to go back sometime though. Still, the thought of everyone in the whole place laughing at him was a bit disconcerting.

He sat down one of the many stands that were set up on both sides of the road. The hawkers and their goods where gone, leaving only the skeletal remains from where they made their living. He smiled, getting over the laughing room quicker than he would have thought. It helped that there were far too many bright stars out that clear night, and that it also was neither sweltering or freezing. The night was just to perfect to hold grudges over a shove made by a stranger. He sat back up as the door he left from opened again and closed, smiling as he did so. He had more than half a mind to go for a walk, help calm whatever anger was still inside of him.

He began to walk, eyes half closed from his own weariness and alcohol he just drank. He almost would have preferred to simply grab his pack and sleep under a tree, with the night in such great condition. Still, he might as well let the madness finish and go back to his already-paid-for-room and use that. But as he went through the road slowly, the notion was getting better and better. He didn't notice as the footsteps also followed him until one heavy boot stepped on his long tail trailing behind him. The cat boy yelped grabbing the limb and yanking it from under the boot of the man whose drink that Leon has accidentally spilled earlier.

"Beautiful night, isn't it?" Leon said amiably, taking a few steps back as he did so. His bare foot touched the rough surface of wood, and his hand confirmed that there was indeed a stand behind him, making for a rather effective mini-blockade. He gulped softly, fizzled mind working out just what was happening as he took in the surroundings again. Two friends accompanied Spilled Drink now, neither that big, yet all of them looked far too pleased with themselves. It was a look that Leon has seen, and probably had a few times, the one a predator gets when it has cornered its prey. Then again, Leon was on the other end this time, the prey fighting to get free, and with quite a bit more on the line than hunger.

[Artifex Felicis]

The cat boy thought that he managed to hear one of them utter something along the lines of "lucking berries" before one of their leader, obvious from his central position and first movement stepped in drunkenly, swinging at the boy's skull. Despite the fact he was expecting it, Leon reeled from the blow, dropping to the ground in pain. His face hurt, quite a bit more so than he would have enjoyed. He scrambled in a small attempt to get away, the same heavy boot from before slamming down with much harm in its intent, a small crack echoing in the silent night. It took nearly everything the boy had to prevent himself from crying out in pain. He turned back at them, one of the drunkards laughing off to the side, while the other two watched his intensely. The boy didn't think that he had ever seen such a look of hate from the man whose boot was still on the boy's tail though.

For the second time in far too short a time, Leon wrenched his tail free, almost hopping backwards by extending his legs hard enough. He rose to his feet, enough distance so the assailants wouldn't be able to keep him down. He wavered for a moment, some blood dripping down from the side of his aching head. He hadn't been able to tell right at the moment, but the probably wore a ring. The boy toyed with the idea for a moment, of extending the claws from his large furred hands, then thought better of it. Drunk or not, bastards or not, someone would still care, and frankly Leon wasn't one to kill without some sort of reason. Being drunk and getting "justified revenge" wasn't enough to push him.

"Stay still you goddamn incest hell spawn! Stay still!" The man off to the side said, stepping in to through a hard punch at Leon's side. It moved as if through water to the boy, who side stepped it easily despite the flash of anger. He knew that it shouldn't affect him the way it ways, but it wasn't as if he had too much choice in the matter. His hand flew in three quick jabs, a very satisfying thump each time. The man fell back, stumbled over one of the bench legs that was near and fell to the dirt road in the darkness. Leon turned, leaning back to escape the force of Spilled Drink's punch. It was obvious he didn't know how to fight, but that wouldn't have stopped the ungainly and unbalanced wrecking ball of a punch from cleaning the cat boy's clock. The man kept coming though, kneeing the grandmaster hard and under the belt.

The boy lost his breath, pushing the man away as hard as he could. The pain clenched at his insides, enough to make him drop as the man stumbled into the street like the friend he was with. The third man simply waited, watching with bright eyes in the darker night. There were enough stars and a full enough moon for him to see him approach. There was a blade in his hands, and it glinted wickedly in the sparse light.

"Goodnight pussy cat."

[Artifex Felicis]

Dreams were strange things for the cat boy. They could be anywhere on the spectrum for him, and he could wake with two differing dreams on the same night. They could take him to the land of paradise, complete with cat girls, nip and everything else he desired. They could also take him down to the depths of Hades, ending his sleep prematurely and with a cold sweat. Most of his nighttime adventures fell in-between the two extremes, and almost always the cat boy simply woke up the next day, with the dream slipping from his focus like water in his paws. Whenever he did manage to remember a dream, it usually ended up meaning something. He wasn't one to claim he was clairvoyant, but there were time when he wondered how far away the future really was.

His dream that night carried him far into the day. The shade of the trees above him was able to block most of the sun's rays before they touched even his fuzzy tail. Along with the push of his exhaustion from the sheer adrenalin drop and not even getting a good night's sleep before all contributed to his slumber. The branch he slept on, looking for all the world as content as could be, supported him soundly, just wide enough for him to be comfortable and thin enough so his tail could hand and not be cramped.

His dream carried him to different places after the tavern. The dream slipped away like a morning's frost in the field when the sun rises from her slumber. From what he could remember, it was a scary dream, and he went many places after the man with the wicked knife came toward him. He went to what many people would consider to be Heaven. The silver city in all of its glory. Also saw the planes of Hell, or wherever equivalent people would like to call it. He walked the road that seemed to wait amble along in between the two extremes of Joy and Sorrow. He stopped and talked with different people as he traveled. One was dressed in a darker black robe with a scythe, some were dressed in mail and armor, and a few stood in linen. None of their conversations managed to echo back to his awakened state, and even the wicked knife that met him outside of the pseudo Silver Pub was swept from his mind, replaced with far less spiritual and far more earthly matters.

[Artifex Felicis]

Groans, yawns and mewls were heard as he slowly begin to let himself down from the tree with far more grace then he should have been able to manage for someone just waking up. In truth, he simply wasn't think about it. Morning generally involved the same routine for him. Wake up and open the eyes, get out of bed and stand on the ground, relieve yourself and get breakfast. It was probably the same routine of every other man on the planet for the most part. Though some had more steps or spent longer, there really wasn't a good way to start the day without going along with it.

Still, five minutes or so after climbing out of the tree and fumbling with his pants to mark his territory, his stomach began to growl form hunger. That was quickly sated, mostly by catching three mice that were running around on the floor near him. The first two were easier to grab and eat, as they were surprised. The third needed a couple minutes of searching before he was able to finish his breakfast nicely. Still, actually looking around the forest was almost always fun for the cat boy. He was in the Concordia Forest, and while he wasn't the greatest of trailblazers, he always found a certain joy in making a new trail to follow.

Then again, going out into the Concordia Forest always had its own risks even at noon, let along the twilight Leon managed to wake up at. He somehow managed to stay in the tree with his pouch of Corin's ashes and teeth for nearly an entire day. The forest around him was brilliantly lit, like the magic forest with gingerbread houses of children's stories. Of course, there was always the creepy witch who wanted to eat you, but that was the price to pay for such a beautiful image. Leon never considered himself artistic even at the best of times, but even he was inspired.

[Artifex Felicis]

The cat boy collected his things, as few as they were. The small bag which was all that remained of Kedx, and of course the black jacket which was still on the boy's shoulders. He didn't know why he still had Kedx with him. The bastard hadn't done a single good thing to him in the few years that he knew him. Quite literally, he was sure that it was also Kedx who shot him several times on different occasions. Not to mention the throbbing cut he managed to sneak in before Leon got close to him. He grinned happily at the thought of the final looks on Kedx's face. It was morbid, and he'd probably have more than a few sleepless nights after the Burning of Underwood, but at the very least it was over. The cat boy felt detached though, as well as a little homesick. He didn't have any blood relatives on Corone aside from his daughter in Akashima with her mother. Not only that, the quickest way to get back to his homeland was a rather long boat trip that cost more then most small homes.

He began to walk, moving further into the forest and away from civilization for a bit. He really didn't feel like going back to Underwood now. Especially not with the reaction he would probably get. He liked being the hero, but wasn't so much a fan of the attention it gave him. Then again, he didn't consider himself to be that good of a person either. Still, spending a week or two in the forest would probably be good for him. catch a couple fish, hunt for a bit, enjoy a couple sunsets, try his luck in finding a nymph. He didn't have that much luck in the last one, but he was always hopeful for it. Nevertheless, there were other things in the forest he could go after too. There was always the occasional Mindless, a sort of strange gray zombie creature that was always a fun thing to kill. They were too slow for Leon to ever worry about, especially since they never seemed to notice the cat boy because of some other poor unfortunate creature that they caught or were chasing after. Then again, there were so many rumors about how dangerous they were, Leon tried not to play with them much. Other, living creatures, were much better for the thrill of the hunt.

[Artifex Felicis]

The best thing about Concordia, from Leon's rather extensive experiences in the forest, was the sheer size of it. You could get lost for days within it, and emerge all right later no matter what. Nearly every sort of creature made their home in the trees at one time or another, and a great many still did. Some of the more dangerous creatures were always in a certain parts, and every once in a while some poor hapless fool wandered into it, and then if one survived they would spread rumors about some great lumbering beast when it was really just a small bear cub. Then again, Leon himself was a couple of the rumors that passed by around every once in a while. Always fun to be the bad guy and scare some people covered in mud. also helped support him without having a steady job. It was comical how some people carried gold into the forest.

He didn't need to go that far into the forest before finding someone else in the forest. Their voices reached his ears a little bit before he saw them. Or rather, it was one voice, and a whimpering that managed to make its way past the forest. The cat boy moved forward cautiously, not really picking up the voice as it began to speak. The voice sounded somewhat regal and commanding, but raspy and hungry. Leon smiled at it. Most people with a voice like that were never what they wanted to be, and were often far funnier to someone like Leon. The cat boy never put himself into the social standing that much. It only really complicated his life. Whenever he was near someone who obviously cared deeply about it, he almost couldn't help but laugh.

Moving aside some leaves he caught clear sight of the voice. Before he could only see snippets of him. The creature before him was a vampire, plainly obvious. Two long, nearly shiny fangs protruded from his mouth. His lower lip, and a dab on his upper, was covered in blood. He had on cloths that were probably considered the height of fashion in the richer parts of society, as well as a long, sheathed blade. The front of his shirt, complete with an almost stereotypical frilly thing on the chest, was spattered here and there with blood. The blood came from the good looking girl that the vampire was holding. The girl was striking, shapely and with longer wavy hair that reached to her midriff. Sadly most of her beauty was diminished from the large bite mark in her neck, and the blank stare she gave. The cat boy gave her a couple of minutes at best before she died.

[Artifex Felicis]

He laughed at little at the vampire, realizing from the way he dropped the girl and the way he stood hinted at an upbringing that was more pig farmer then noble. His snarl and gruff language towards the cat boy only strengthened his original thought of him. Leon ignored him for a second, instead simply watching patiently. The vampire's sword was his only weapon, though it was also rather well known that vampires were more then meets the eye. It didn't take much for anyone to really overpower a woman, especially with a knife to their back. The knife was now in the vampire's hand, held threateningly toward the cat boy.

The vampire tried to say something about how the cat boy should leave, but instead threw the dagger in the middle of his sentence. Leon was more then ready for it. The vampire was probably afraid of someone finding out about his little snack. The cat boy sidestepped to the side and ducked, as graceful as his feline side. The vampire's snarl seemed to travel slowly then the vampire as he rushed forward, not even bothering to draw his steel to cut the cat boy down. It was his mistake, and Leon didn't want him to dwell on it. His forepaws dug into the ground, claws extending deeper into the tougher earth to get a better grip. His legs swung up, almost doing a handstand before the cat boy's heel came down on the vampire's shoulder.

The vampire crumpled under the blow, but recovered quickly, slashing and cutting the cat boy's baggy pants with unseen claws. It was not big cut, but an annoying one none the less. It meant that he would need to get them stitched up soon enough. Leon mentally sighed, parrying and cutting the vampire's arm as he swung wildly with a pale arm. The vampire was not as quickly as Leon, even though he felt much stronger. The cat boy simply grinned, moving back and staying defensive as the attacker closed in for the kill. Leon held both arms out, catching and slicing of two of the vampires's fingers as three arrows burst through his chest.

[Artifex Felicis]

Leon looked up, dropping the vampire's fingers bare of the two vanity rings that were on it. They seemed to be expensive, and Leon wouldn't mind selling them in order to get a couple night's rest with a good looking girl. Just because he had dignity didn't mean he didn't want some fun at times. He held his ground though, slipping one of the rings onto his thumb and the other onto his farthest digit. The former fit well, while the other was too tight. It was obviously meant for a pinky, but having only four fingers counting thumbs on each hand made that a little difficult. Nevertheless, it was amazing how little Leon was hindered by it.

He stared out ahead, teeth barred and ready. Leon was not a fan of arrows. He was also not a fan of archers when they were against him. He was especially not a fan of archers who seemed to be good enough to shoot three arrows, all within a hand's width of each other in under three seconds. The arrows themselves were curious. They looked to be hand made, and by a careful hand that knew what it was doing., It was nothing like the arrows one would buy at the bazaar, but ones someone would think the fey folk would use. Two had goose feathers tied behind them to make them fly straight.The last, in a cliche manner that made Leon grin a little inside white doves wing. Still, only a moment was gone before he heard a softer rustle. He looked up, into the trees that were in front of him, searching the top of the branches. A sharp, pointy object poked him in the chest lightly.

He jumped back in fright, even making a sound that could be considered meeping as he did so. A giggle traveled to his ears as he recovered himself, looking at the skilled archer. Leon blinked twice, nearly snorting back some of the laughter at what his eyes. He had expected someone big, and strong. The size of the arrows that stuck through the now dusty vampire that had attacked Leon were more then enough to warrant this. Each of the arrows was about the same length of his arms, and could be mistaken for a long, wooden straight sword or small spear.

[Artifex Felicis]

What stood in front of him, or sat down looking up at him in this case, was a cat girl. Leon grinned nervously at the girl, who smiled back warmly and openly at him. She had her bow unstrung and strapped across her back with a thin strip of leather. The bow itself was large, and from the way she sat pushed up a bit so one end of the ranged weapon poked quite a bit above her head. Her ears, and the fur Leon could see were colored oddly. A mix of light brown and darker fur that almost gave her the impression she was made of chocolate. Her ears were splotched as well with the two colors, and a heart shaped face held her grin well. What really caught the cat boy's attention was her tail. Or rather, tails. Both were in the same pattern of her fur, but there was one more then needed. Or for that matter, one more then Leon thought cats could have.

"Um, hi?" Leon ventured. The cat girl in front of him nearly hopped to her feet, smiling and letting the bow slip back and hand loosely on her back. She wore simple leathers, enough to cover what was needed. The same leathers were also were made, nearly of masterwork and almost beautiful. The bow itself was more then meets the eye. It almost didn't look natural for a wooden weapon, and seemed almost fake. Her arrows came in two quivers on both sides of her, each holding six arrows after she picked up the ones fired earlier.

The cat girl stepped forward, a firm hand grasping Leon's chin as she turned it this way and that, inspecting it and gently pulling one of his whiskers with another giggle. She used one of her thumbs to inspect his teeth by pushing up his lip, checking them carefully. Leon stood there and held his ground, unsure of what to do with the strange girl. She seemed to be inspecting him, judging by the gaze she gave him. It was playful, but hinted strongly that there was a serious purpose to what she was doing. She grabbed one of Leon's claws, pressing several times into his forearm till his claws shot out to Leon's amazement. The huntress grinned coyly at it. Her hands gripped Leon's tail, holding it gently and scratching at the very end of the long appendage with interest. It was around her that Leon realized he still had a little bit of dignity left. He stepped forward and whipped around, trying to figure out the best way to say to the girl that what she was doing wasn't normal and to stop. His little rant to her died in mid turn as she simply stood her ground, extended her hand and poked him on the nose.

"Beep" the girl said. Leon stood for a moment, successfully confused by the girl. She stood with a grace that matched Leon when he was at his finest, grabbing Leon's hand and pulling it as she made him turn and begin to follow her, her arm acting like a leash.

[Artifex Felicis]

"You're staying with me. I got a good breakfast that needs to be cooked, and it's too much food for just me." The girl began to lead Leon along through the forest like a small puppy on its first walk. He went along somewhat willingly, but he was a little worried about whether or not the girl was nice and safe. Most of the cat girl's he met were, but there were a few who didn't fit the bill. One rather good looking neko named Prissy fit that niche as tightly as the clothes she wore. Leon ended up getting shot with a gun because of her, though he never really did know what happened to her.

"Let's go! It's nearly night and I want to get inside before my breakfast spoils. It's eggs and deer and rabbit and a little fish I caught in the river nearby and hold up, I need to take care of something," the cat girl continued, grinning from ear to ear like a children's drawing. She stopped near the body of the vampire's victim, looking down on it. Leon took a step past looking at a furrowed brow and a sigh before the girl stared down at the corpse again. She drew her leg back, kicking the body with some force before saying out loud to it "Come one, get on with it, I don't have all day."

A slight haze appeared above the woman's torn and ravaged body, and Leon nearly jumped back in shock of the cat girl's actions. It was one thing to simply leave them there, it was another to kick a dead body, talk with it and be annoyed at it. He stammered for a second, unable to find the right words to express how he felt about what she just did. She smiled at him again, sticking out her tongue and blowing a raspberry at him. "C'mon, they're corpses, soul ain't got anything better to do then leave. It's not like the body's useful for anything after it's gone anyway, and the spirit will be going to heaven. Kid was a virgin and led a good life. Don't get much of that anymore. Let's go, I wanna get food now, and I need you to help finish it off."

Leon stepped carefully around the girl's corpse, though the cat girl pulled him along quickly. She was strong and quick, and had her long bow across her back in a way that made Leon question if it hanged by strap or magic. He tails, for there were two, actually managed to hook around the cat boy's, holding it in the same touching way two teenagers first do. Leon smiled a little at the though, moving a little quicker to keep up with her and walk only half a step behind her. She was cute, and her tail was fuzzy.

[Artifex Felicis]

The cat girl's name was Morrigan, as she introduced herself later in the walk towards her home. It was a little strange, since Leon was more then a little distracted. She was a beautiful girl, but not in the same way that his mind would often think of. She didn't have much in the way of breasts, and her face, while nice and plain, wouldn't send off a thousand ships. She was nearly as tall as the grandmaster, though a little thinner. Leon could have named at least five people of either sex who were prettier then her. A moment of reflection later chimed in on how scary it was he knew that many guys who looked like girls. He snorted in laughter, causing Morrigan to giggle and jab him in the ribs, saying that they were almost at her home.

It was a little strange though. Because the cat girl, though she was obviously more then that, was still beautiful. It was like comparing a stray and a purebred. The purebred and noble cat was often pretty, though often in a fake way. The stray on the other hand was hardened an pretty in a more wild way. Like a plant tended to and waited on in a greenhouse compared to a wild rose. It was a poetic way of putting it, though something about Morrigan almost prevented him from thinking it in the normal sense of poetry. The cat boy had a fairly accurate feeling that she was not a fan of drama or sad thing, preferring the silly and much more fun ones.

"We're home!" Morrigan said aloud after a few more minutes of walking. It was strange, especially since they moved in silent most of the way through the forest. They too stood in front of one of many large trees in the forest. It was the type that was more likely to be a titan of old and crush you then a silent warden of the forest. Morrigan knocked twice on the bark, and felt her hands on the tree. She must have found whatever she was searching for, because the tree seemed to suddenly open up in a wide doorway that was a little low. She waved him in, her two tails disappearing from view a second later. The cat boy hesitated for a moment, until the girl's two tails wrapped around his own and pulled him in like some monster.

[Artifex Felicis]

"Gotcha, " Morrigan said with a grin. Leon would probably never really admit to the fact she just pulled him him forcefully, though he helped a little. She was stronger then he would have though. She sat on his chest and pinned him like one kitten playing with another, a smile splitting her face as she stuck her tongue out at him. She bent down the extra couple inches, licking him before getting off and hanging her bow on a rack that was hanging from the wall. The cat boy stayed where he was, a little surprised by her actions and getting to a sitting position. She unstrapped her quivers also. It was a peculiar set up. There were three quivers attached to a single belt, each holding different types of arrows. Leon could have counted at least eight different feathers before Morrigan prodded him with her foot again, still grinning. "Hurry it up, food's up a floor or six. We can talk more up there."

She disappeared around a corner in the surprisingly spacious tree. It wasn't terribly large, but several people could have slept on the floor comfortably with more then enough space to never even realize they shared a floor. The cat boy followed, finding a cross between a rope and a ladder hanging down. The rope-ladder led to a second floor, and after climbing more more floors found him at the top of Morrigan's tree and home. She was waiting for him on the floor, though most of the supplied for the meal were already laid out. The cat girl herself was watching with eager eyes, almost like a child trying to please her parent with a brand new project they made all by themselves. Leon was a little distracted by it. He barely knew the girl beyond her skill with a bow and her name. He was somewhat famous, but he wasn't often sung by bards in a tavern. For that matter, he was just a name that someone knew of, but couldn't care any less about.

She got up quickly and almost excitedly, sitting down as Leon did. She only seemed to take every other bite, sizing Leon up with her eyes after inspecting him. Leon found it a bit disconcerting to have her stare at him like that as he ate. He finished his small piece of venison, chewing and savoring the taste of it. It was some good meat, though he wasn't surprised at all someone like her was a skilled hunter. He would have been more surprised if she wasn't one. Still, he looked back at her, matching light blue eyes for deeper ones of chocolate.

[Artifex Felicis]

"I haven't found another nekomata since you!" Morrigan burst out suddenly. She grinned, showing a lot of white teeth and blushed. Leon's ears could pick up the slight thrumming of her tails swishing from side to side eagerly. "I mean, you don't have the two tails yet, or the sight, but you have the tail and stuff."

"Wait, what?" Leon asked. His words might as well have gone unsaid, as the girl seemed to not hear them.

"And you seem pretty young too, so I don't think you probably would have been able to really notice that much about the tails without some help. I ended up having a nine tails help me become a full nekomata. Wouldn't be that hard either if I do everything right.”

“Wait a second,” Leon said to the girl, who was actually giggling and blushing a little. He smiled almost shyly before her, finding it a little hard to actually speak to her. The girl was so different from the average cat girl he met that it was actually astounding. Even the hunters that he knew of had nothing on her, not in skill or in how they presented themselves. “Nekomata?”

The cat girl grinned again, smiling at him and holding out her hand. “It'll be a bit easier for me to simply show you what'll have to happen.”

Leon held her hand, and the two looked into each other's eyes for a moment, grinning in an embarrassed way for both of them. Leon had something of an idea of what she meant, and Morrigan could see it as well. Their tail's touched again, hooking in the somewhat prehensile way they worked. It was a romantic moment, and Leon thought it might become one of the most important moments in his life.

[Artifex Felicis]

Leon smiled, scratching himself as he raised his tail above his resting position and twisted it back and forth as best he could. It was the same as his long tail was, though closer to the end there was a difference. It had begun to split towards the end, and he wiggled the two bits. The split was short, about a paw length from end of his tails to the end of the split. The tail's two ends moved independently. It was a curious feeling, and Leon was actually unsure as to how he was able to simply move his tail without it before.

She stayed in his rested position, closing his eyes and letting his tail drop with a softer thump on the ground. Something was different right now, but he didn't care. He didn't seem to care about a lot of things right now. He couldn't see much now, it was still dark outside from the night. Still, his internal clock told him that it was getting close to sun rise now. He enjoyed the night right now though, everything has a strange, surreal quality to it.

He rolled over a little in the suspended bed. It was wide, and very comfy. The weave that made of the resting spot seemed to be lighter then air, and due to its design had higher sides to prevent its occupants from rolling out. He shifted a little in the bed-hammock, looking at the sleeping girl next to him. He put his arm around her, falling asleep again with the girl's warm body against his.

Neither awoke until the sun cleared the trees and shined its light upon them.


((Spoils! Wooo. Finished at Last too!

Ring #1 = Worth whatever gold I earned in the quest, rather then have it be dumped imediatly into my gold amount.

Ring #2 = Leon's new bling. No powers, just a completely circular ring made of emerald on his right thumb. However, has the hardness and durability of adamantine

Pouch = Filled with some of Kedx's ashes and his fangs.

Also, the NPC Morrigan, who'll get a real profile later and won't be used outside of quests for now. Also, a place he can go to and call home in Concordia forest, though it technically isn't "his."

Note, Physical Changes!
-Leon now has two tails
-Not apparent quite yet to him, but he heals even more quickly now, though usually taking a day to return to peak performace after most wounds. Not that useful in single fights.
-Somewhat more magical in nature, so he is easier to track by sensing for magic in an area.))

[Wraith]

At the request of the author, I'll be doing a very short series of lines and some summaries.

STORY

Continuity (6) ~ The reason this score isn't higher is simple; I needed more. Yes, you gave me backstory events as to what had just happened. But, really, who is Leon. What is he? Here and there, you gave out lines that he's something of a hero with a name people know, but, if I wasn't already familiar with the character, I'd have a hard time following all the catboy stuff until the middle of the thread. This was an alright category.

Setting (4) ~ You gave me detail at points, sometimes a bit too much. But it was often dry, and often lacked anything to make it stand out. Not only could you have interacted with the environment more, like bumping in a rock or scratching yourself on a branch or using a leaf to wipe or something; but you could have also added those details that make things sweet. Like how the wind had a sweet smell, or the ants crawling on his tail tickled like he remembered long ago. Too much flower is bad, but a little can really add some spice.

Pacing (5) ~ The pacing was really off for me. The most exciting moment in the entire thread was when Leon kill Kedx. I actually was engrossed by that. But the climax of the story should be the most exciting, and the battle with Kedx was really the introduction. The rest of the quest just didn't live up to that moment, from the lackluster battle with the vampire to the rather off feeling I got at the conclusion.


CHARACTER

Dialogue (5) ~ There was very little dialogue. A lot of it was embedded with the written text (which always makes me want to see what was actually said, instead of saying, *paraphrase* "Leon began his speech about how that's not right." What is that speech?) However, while the dialogue was dry, it worked.

Action (7) ~ The battle with Kedx and the arrows through the vampire greatly increase this part. I enjoyed the image of an impaled vampire as well as the look on Kedx's face. And, for the most part, I felt your actions in these situations was reasonable in Leon's case. He's a fast guy with claws and yarn. He jumps around and scratches. The fighting style seen, even with the drunkards, works in my mind.

Persona (4) ~ I could never get a grasp of who Leon was. From the text and his napping in trees, I envisioned a war weary warrior type. However, you also went into how he likes to catch mice and sleep in trees, which is a bit more lighthearted. But then he smiles at the thought of scaring people and stealing their money. He mentions that he likes the part of the hero, but also the villain? I chop this up more to a bit of laziness and a will to get this quest down with soon than any real mistakes on your part as to not knowing your character.


WRITING STYLE

Mechanics (4) ~ Far too many typos for this to be anything else. A lot of times you forgot letters and, in some cases, entire words. Of course, there were the standard repeated words and the like.

Technique (5) ~ Not much to speak of. Just a normal, (maybe) thought out quest

Clarity (5) ~ The dream sequence really took me threw me off when it came to the thread. I still don't see how that fit into the overall feeling of this quest. There were other times I was thrown off, like when the arrows went through the vampire and you managed to see their feathers. Or how beds ended up at the top of the tree you were in and how you got in one. This was rather confusing to me.

Wild Card (7) ~ It was an alright read that I still managed to finish. It was rather rough and I could feel, that even a few posts before the end, that you began to get tired with the whole thing. I know, I've had the same feeling when it comes to solos. But you've got to remember, keeping the quality up is important too.

FINAL SCORE *52*

Rewards:
EXP: 2,050 - Because I'm OCD and the equation needed rounding.
Gold: 350
All other spoils allowed.

If you have any complaints, IM me and we can discuss this.

[Letho]

EXP/GP added! Artifex, welcome to the next level.