Tales of Vyscher Book 1

Chapter 2

The black bat-like wings flapped harder, lifting her higher into the darkened sky until she could look down upon the citadel tower. The moon provided more than enough light for her eyes to pick out the correct balcony, and she quickly glided down, alighting on the stone railing of the balcony without a sound. Sniffing cautiously, she checked for any unknown presence, but found nothing.

Leaping down off the rail, she slowly padded inward. The room was large, but she only had eyes for the bed, and the man sleeping in it. Carefully, she circled the bed, he seemed to be asleep. She moved to the other side, and took one giant leap, aided by a flap of her wings, and landed on the foot of the bed.

She froze.

He rolled over.

Nothing, the steady breathing continued.

Her prey was there, a lump under the blankets that moved just a tiny bit. Her eyes fixed on the target and she slipped soundlessly towards it, stalking it. She stopped, sniffing once more, but all was as it should be.

Another twitch, and she pounced, sinking claws into the blanket. A grunt of surprise was the result, and a hand reached out to grab her and pull her to the face of the lead man in the bed.

"Hello again, little one." Said the silver eyed man with a smile. He tucked her against his shoulder and pulled the blanket up. She padded in a circle for a moment and then sighed against his warmth, purring softly.

Fehrys lay in bed, trying to enjoy the last few moments of relaxation before he headed off to his first day of training. Movement in the sheets next to him let him know that his nighttime visitor was awake as well, and he reached over to find the small body. His hand twined in the short fur, and an accompanying purr let him know that the petting was appreciated. Flying cats, both wild and tame, were common in the upper reaches of the city. Fehrys had long taken to leaving his balcony doors open, as he always loved the creatures, and most nights one or more would find their way to his room to spend the night.

The fact that he would often leave out bowls of cream and tidbits to eat might have also had something to do with that. It was just as well that he never had any other nighttime guests.

He knew he couldn't take too long lounging, his parents were expecting him at breakfast, to see both he and his sister off before training. They had a small celebration the previous evening to mark their coming of age, but it was just a small family affair since they hadn't chosen any of the options that included a state marriage. Still, they were up late, and getting up early wasn't something Fehrys desired at the moment. He also knew that being lazy and laying about in bed wasn't something he would be able to do too much of once the training started, so he didn't mind it a little this morning. Besides, the purring had a calming effect, and he wouldn't be seeing these furry little friends again any time soon, as they preferred the towers to the lower city. He pulled the cat up to his chest and was surprised to see that it was a tiny kitten with beautiful silver fur and jet-black wings. The silver matched his eyes; perhaps that was a good omen as he started a new venture. Giving it one more bit of scratching along the side of the chin, he hoisted himself out of the bed to get dressed. He could hear the kitten still purring as he strode from his bedroom as it lay back down in the sheets still warm from his body. He kept the balcony doors open, the kitten was welcome to stay as long as it liked.

As expected, he was the last one to arrive for the meal, but he couldn't exactly show up with his clothing covered in cat fur, so some personal grooming had been necessary. Unlike their more formal dinners, the family breakfasts were informal. Sometimes an advisor or two would join them to discuss matters of the duchy with their father, but today was just family.