Same Destination, Different Journey

The town of Brutas was a sleepy town, where nothing much happened. Officials steered well away from this town, having long given up the hope of removing their hopes of driving out the petty crimes that took place there, drunken brawls mainly, often brought about as a result of more drunken brawls that had most likely occurred decades beforehand and, even if there was someone around to remember the victor, they would have remembered incorrectly anyway. Upon realising this, the Crocus officials decided that a bit of crime never hurt anyone and it was probably better for them and for the inhabitants if it was just left alone. There was nothing of interest in Brutas, a sawmill, a couple of cottages, not lavish but not exactly bare either, solidly made of local ironoak, and a local inn, which probably produced 95% of the town's income. All of this is to say that nothing much ever really happened in Brutas, and that is why, on yet another sleepy summer evening, the entire town was rather surprised when a bedraggled traveller and his cat arrived at the bar, before the ball of fluff that adorned the youths shoulder opened its mouth and asked the bartender for directions.

"Hey, you happen to know the way to Magnolia?", it asked in a voice that sounded decidedly feminine, and rather youthful at that.

"Uh uh uh uh wha- what the- what are you?", the bartender stammered out. The young man upon whose shoulder the cat sat rolled his eyes.

"It's really not that hard to understand. We want directions to Magnolia. Is this the right way?"

"Uh uh uh yeah? Yeah...", the heavy set man mumbled in a gruff, slightly confused tone. "You keep taking the road that passes through, you come to a crossroads soon enough. Stack of stones right next to it. Take the right-hand fork and you'll be at Magnolia in a couple of days."

"I told you we were going the right way" the cat said pointedly and then glanced back at the bartender with an intensive stare, "Thanks for the help!" She leapt from the boy's shoulder and rubbed herself against the shocked bartender, who stood there shell-shocked with fear. She leapt back to the travellers shoulder as he turned to walk out the bar, raising a single hand in a cursory show of thanks.

He had one hand on the door and was about to cross the threshold when the sound of a voice like thunder rumbled across the bar and into his years. "Oi, you with the cat. We'll be having her now. We may not get many of you around these parts, but we know enough to know Magic when we see it. That cat ain't no ordinary cat is it? Bet she'll fetch a nice price", he said giving a hearty laugh which showed that he was already thinking of the feast that awaited from the money gleaned from the strange creature.

"No way! Really, its not a normal cat! Thanks for that remarkable piece of detective work, but she isn't for sale. We'll be leaving now." He had turned again before he felt the man's hand reach over his shoulder and grab hold of him roughly.

"And I weren't asking" the man hissed. "Give it over. Now. Or I'll-"

The man's threat went unfinished, for before the words could leave his mouth, it was abrubtly filled with about 12kg of fluff, as the previously static cat leapt onto his looming face and began to scratch him with obvious relish.

"Weren't you listening? I'm. Not. For. SALE!", she purred with all the menace of a housecat. At this same moment the man pulled the cat off his face and threw it across the room with all the force he could muster. But the moment the feline left his grasp, she twisted, expanded and contorted in such a way to put a master gymnast to shame. She rapidly increased in size ver the course of her flight until, when the creature met the wall, rather than the 12kg tabby, a much larger, much angrier, much more human struck the wall with both feet, pushed off, and with blistering speed thrust both hands, still tipped in the razor sharp claws of a feline, into the centre of the man's chest, throwing him backwards into a nearby barstool, which promptly smashed under the man's weight. Getting up from all fours into a stance that was decidedly more human, the now teenage girl, spoke: "How much was that worth?" she spat, her eyes gleaming yellow with anger.