One in the Same

Chapter Eighteen

   Cat looked up at the stars and puffed her cheeks. It was the first moon since they had received the news of Lord Saito. Botan hadn't said a word on the subject. And Cat hadn't brought it up to save his mental state for the evening. It was hard enough for him to shift on a good night. She didn't want to upset anything else. She looked to all of the Ríthe Móra an Am atá caite and wondered what they thought of the situation. If there was ever a time for guidance, now would it, she thought to herself.

   Botan came up beside her and nudged her shoulder. She smiled and laid her head against his. He whimpered softly. Where did you go, Cata?
   My father use to tell that Ríthe Móra an Am atá caite, the Great Kings of the Past, watch us from the stars to give us guidance. Lead us when we have gone astray or can't find our path. I'm asking them for help now.
   He looked up at them as he sat down. A beautiful thought.
   Cat smiled warmly as she leaned her weight against his front leg and shoulder. I feel like we need it now.
   Yes, perhaps you are right.
   The others are near?
   Less than a mile away.
   Cat nodded and ran her fingers over her bow that laid next to her. There had been a message that there was a possible threat somewhere near. Though no one was exactly sure where or even how close. Most of the night was already gone and they hadn't found anything. Cat wanted to go on this one just for the possible chance there was a threat. She wanted to make sure Botan wasn't hurt. The rest of the others to, but she wanted him to come home most of all. So she had offered to help. It wouldn't be a night where they could run together freely. But permitter check was good enough. The effects of the human blood had worn off a few nights prior but she still felt sharp. Sharp enough to be of some use. And if she could be, then she would be.
   Shall we continue? Botan asked looking down at her.
   Cat nodded as she got to her feet. How far out should we go?
   Botan turned to their left. The section they were to monitor. As far as the boarder?
   Sounds good to me. Race you?
   He gave the deep rumbling chuckle then took off as if to say yes.
   "That's cheating!" She yelled after him as she took off.
   The wind ripped through her hair as it always did when they ran side by side through the forest together. She was focused, but a giggle still escaped as he jumped over her and landed on her right side. They nearly matched each other stride for side. She looked at him for just a second, and when she looked back ahead, she had just enough time to launch herself into the air before she hit the branch. Botan jumped as well, right underneath her and she landed effortlessly on his back. As if he was some wild stallion. As if he were her stead. His paws his the ground and they continued on. Cat leaning low over his back, her fingers curled delicately into his fur as a grip. Are you?
   It's not much different from when we make love, he replied. His warm chuckle filled her mind. She smiled warmly.
   We're on a mission. She reminded him.
   And you will be my mission come the morning.
   Cat giggled wildly again at just the thought. But the giggle died in her throat. She turned towards the right as something on the wind changed. I caught it! To the right!
   With a deep and menacing growl, Botan changed his direction. Shall I alert the others?
   Might be a good idea. It's not far.
   Cat felt his body tremble slightly as he sent out the word. She could hear the physical response barely over the rush of wind in her ears. The scent was getting stronger. It wasn't human, for certain. There was something almost familiar about it. Almost...
   Her eyes widened and she braced as Botan moved his hind leg forward and used the momentum to push herself forward and of his back. Her feet hit the ground just in front of him and she took off running with a new speed of adrenaline. It was a vampiric smell. It was a smell like her own. And it was feeding. A bear? No. One of the other wild cats that were known around the area. What was it doing here? Had her parents sent some one looking for her? Would they have known where to go? That wasn't possible. There was no way that was possible. And this was different. There was something wrong. It's sick!
   She came into a small clearing and saw the figure bending over the animal it had killed. Cat smiled as she took another step towards it. But when the thing turned and looked at her the smile quickly faded. At one point it may have been a human. Cat guessed that was probably over a hundred years ago. This thing was the farthest thin from human now. The skin looked more like that of a slug stretched so tightly over the bones it looked like it could rip if you just looked at it long. There was no hair on the head. No ears just gapping holes in the side. The eyes were so sunken in there was no way of telling what color they were. Just two black balls steering back. The claws at the ends of the fingers were the deepest color of yellow they looked like puss and they were cracked in places and jagged. The fangs were easily as long as her finger, and with no lips over the gums, they seemed even longer. The jaw had broken at some point and just hung open, allowing the tongue to move freely and hang out. It didn't have any clothes on, and due to the decay of the body, there was no way of telling it's sex.
   Cat knew exactly what she was dealing with before it even moved.
   As Botan came up behind her, the creature turned to him and gave a horrible scream and began running to him. Cat already had the arrow notched in the bow before he moved. Before it could even move half way to him, and arrow bloomed form it's chest. Black blood gushed from the wound. A second arrow landed right next to it. The creature gave a scream of pain as it looked down and reached for the arrows. Pain and confusion coursed over its face as it stumbled back. It looked up at Cat and screamed again. Her third arrow hit it's mark. The fletch could be seen coming from it's mouth. The scream came out in a choked gurgled mess. She could hear the rest of the pack coming into the clearing. Botan growled and snarled at them. Cat had a fourth arrow drawn in case it tried to move again. It lurched for her and this arrow went through it's eye. Another. Through the neck this time. Another. The heart. Another. She reached back and grabbed air. The creature lunged sluggishly slow and she was able to turn out of it's grasp. It redirected and went for her again and she did yet another spin.
   The crowd was screaming her name.
   Another dodge.
   It wasn't the dirt of the forest filling her nose. It was the dirt of the tourney grounds.
   It reached an arm out lazily for her and missed.
   The hand closed around her hair and yanked her head back. Her mother was screaming. Her father was giving commands.
   Cat laid her hand on the hilt of Botan's Katana.
   She was screaming with pain. Mentally begging her father not to call the match. She could still win this.
   The sword slid from the sheath effortlessly as it staggered for her.
   This isn't over yet.
   "Ní bheidh tú i do rí go deo." She said out loud as she landed the strike straight to the creature's neck. The head dropped right along with the blade and rolled in a grotesque arch due to the arrow. She may have said the words. But the voice was that of her mother's.
   Cata.
   "Burn it," she said looking up still holding the katana in her hands. "We have to burn it. It's the only way." Cat froze as she looked over the crowd in front of her. Her eyes landed on Shin standing in the back. "You all heard me, we have to burn it!" She yelled.
   Botan moved forward. As he did, his bones popped and relocated as he took the defensive humanoid position. He laid his hand over hers still holding the katana and looked down at her. He was frowning with concern. We will, Cata. The words filled her mind as the whimper filled her ears. He looked back at the others and huffed. Slowly two of them shifted to humanoid and began pulling whole branches off of trees to begin building the pyre.
   Cata, Botan said again looking back to her.
   Without taking her eyes off the creature's head, she cleaned the blade and put it back in the sheath. She slowly walked forward and picked the head up by the arrow and took it right up to Shin. He growled at it and stepped away but she laid it at his feet and then looked into his eyes. He slowly lowered his lip and looked back at her with clear eyes. He liked his nose then bowed his head to the ground to her. She bowed her head then turned back and when to Botan. As she moved forward, he shifted back to wolf form, laid on the ground and let her get up on his back. He stood and shook his head then took off. Cat clung to his back as tears streamed through her eyes. That was her mother's voice. There was no doubt about it. She spoke, but with her mother's voice. And in her mother's tongue.

   "Ah told you ta burn it!" She screamed at Shin the next morning as he presented the head of the creature to Saito. "Moyasu yō ni iimashita," she repeated.
   Saito coughed wildly into his kerchief. From the sickness or from the smell, Cat couldn't say.
   "Saitō kyō wa jibun de miru hitsuyō ga arimashita," Shin replied pointing at it with his whole hand much like Saito does himself.
   "He's seen," Cat said then turned and looked back at Saito. "Now burn it."
   Saito nodded, keeping the kerchief over his nose until the head was removed. "Sore wa daredeshita ka?"
   Cat blinked confusedly. "The head or the person what killed it?"
   "Both?" Saito replied, raising an eyebrow, still with the kerchief up.
   "Cata wa sore o koroshita," Botan answered then looked at her.
   "As far as who it was? I couldn't say. It's been too long dead."
   "Then what was it, I am thinking?"
   "We call em casadh mícheart." Cat replied.
   "You have dealt with them before?" Saito asked tilting his head at her. Botan and Shin also looked at her.
   "Aye, a few times. Ah didn't think ah would ever see one here. Ah didn't think ah would ever see one anywhere. Tell ya the truth."
   "What are they?" Saito asked again.
   "Turnlings, basically. Not fully formed vampires. When a person gets bitten and doesn't make the full process...or..."
   "Or?"
   "Or it's sire didn't teach it how to feed properly. How to control the thirst, the hunger, the need for the hunt. So instead of killing to survive...well...it starts as a sport. A game. Cat and mouse. Then it gets to the point where...the vampire has no more human left. It kills just to kill. And kills and kills and kills until...ya saw." As she finished, the whole room was silent and all eyes were on her.
   "Am I to be understanding..." Saito stopped and just shook his head. "How many at a time?"
   "Just one. They don't go in groups. They would kill each other off."
   Saito gave a sigh of relief. "This is good."
   "But just it being here...have you ever faced anything like it before?"
   The brothers looked at Saito as he sighed heavily. "Not since I was a young man."
   Cat nodded but that didn't seem to answer her question.
   "Thank you for this information," Saito said bowing to them. The three bowed back. "Yoroshikereba Shin-san to ohanashi shitaidesu."

   Botan collapsed over Cat panting and smiling. Cat smiled and stroked her fingers through his sweat dampened hair. He laid his head against her chest. "No beat." He whispered.
   "It beats for you, my love." She replied, kissing the top of his head. "It beats because I love you."
   "And I love you, my Cata." He took her hand and laced their fingers. "You were perfection, last night."
   She smiled looking at their hands. "I had something to protect."
   "They way you moved, it was almost as if you were dancing. Beautiful."
   Cat smiled a little wider. "I had good teacher."
   "I have good student." He chuckled and leaned up to kiss her lips once again. He pulled back for a moment and stroked her cheek just looking down at her.
   "What is it?"
   "Can I keep you?"
   Cat melted into the biggest grin and nodded.
   "Forever and always."
   "Itsumo soshite eien ni."