A Mouse and Her Cat (for Jac the Coyote)

[Deneuku]

On the edge of the Knathwood, by the banks of the Serpent's Tail river, in the fertile southern territories of the Canis Empire, lay the village of Ravenstrand. A few hundred people of varying races (mostly mice, the descendants of slaves to the defunct Felid Empire), in a few dozen families, call this place home, making their living however they can. It is a peaceful enough place, barring the occasional bandit gang or Reptile incursion from further south, and the people are prosperous and happy.

And healthy. Which is a very good thing, because the unhealthy usually end up needing the services of one Kemma Coldscream.

Kemma is... an odd little mouse, to say the least. She lives in a cozy little mouse-hole nestled amid the roots of a great tree, distinguishable only by the round, intricately carved door. Her family has a history of witchcraft, of secrets stolen from the cats as their empire crumbled around them, and she now uses them to make a living for herself by providing herbal and magical cures to the villagers. They tend to work, but the odd, often unpredictable side-effects, and her general reputation, tend to lead the villagers to leave her to her own devices as much as possible. Sadly, finding herbs and spell reagents in the nearby forest, and simultaneously maintaining her home, has always been something of a challenge for her. She needs a helper. And since the villagers aren't exactly lining up for the job, she purchased a slave. A cat slave, specifically, because she is not without a sense of irony.

Today is the day the kitty is due to arrive, and Kemma has quite a surprise prepared for her when she does...

[Jac26qq308]

"Captain, are you sure this is the right address?"

"Indeed it is."

Captain Roderock Twilightdown, a Doberman Captain of the Canis Empire's Knight Guardsmen lead his platoon of Knights to the home that was made by Mouse Witch-that was what the village had come to know Kemma. Not that any a villager would raise a stink over it, as the mouse-for the most part-has yet to do anything to get a rise. The Doberman turned to his squire, a young Beagle, as he snorted.

"I'm sorry, sir, but this still doesn't feel right..."

"Calm yourself, Jaelyne." He barked to his squire as his troop approached the tree. "I've never gotten my troop lost before and that day is not today."

"My concern is more for the Mouse who lives in this hole, sir. I mean, giving a mouse a slave is one thing, albeit dangerous. But this is rather...unsettling."

Jaelyne's eyes slowly turned to the woman that was being dragged-er, escorted-to the mouse's hole in question. Not just a cat, but a Tiger. The woman was larger then the Knights who forced her along, clad in tattered robes with a large metal collar around her neck with a chain held by a knight. Her arms were secured behind her back with two more knights holding the chain leash. A final knight, positioned behind the tiger, was armed with a crossbow aimed square for the Tiger's head, who also wore a metal muzzle around her mouth.

"Your concerns are sound, squire, however, this woman ordered a slave and this is what was in stock." Roderock marched to the door of the house, "still, I shall give her a fair warning that waiting another week would be for her own safety. But I am not responsible for her choices."

With the exchange over, the Doberman Captain gave a brisk knock on the door for the mouse to answer to.

[Deneuku]

A patter of mouse-feet approached the door from the inside, and it opened with a soft creak to reveal the little mistress of the house. She was small compared to the knights, which made her look downright comical compared to her new slave, and clad in the unassuming garb of a peasant woman - a black bodice with brass grommets, and an attached full skirt split down the middle to allow a peek of her white underdress. "Good morning, gentlemen!" she chirped in a nasal, high-pitched voice, brushing her curly, raven-black headfur out of her eyes to one side. "Always good to see the King's soldiers passing through this part of the territory. And you've brought me my slave! Lovely! Eh, just one moment, please..."

She disappeared back into her home for a few moments, without waiting for a response. When she reemerged, a gold ring was on her finger, and in her hand was a collar. Unlike the heavy iron thing the tigress was currently wearing, however, the collar Kemma produced was a thin, rather flimsy-looking circle of gold with a D-ring attached to the front. "If you would be so kind as to bring her to a kneel?" she asked the guards as she looked up at the huge slave.

[Jac26qq308]

Roderock raised a brow at the odd-looking...what he could only assume was a collar, before turning to his guard. With a nod, his troops got to work, grabbing the Tiger's shoulders and one giving a firm kick to force her to comply. The growling and snarling from her muzzled mouth proved that she would not comply so willingly.

The Knight turned to the Mouse and said, "Ms. Coldstream, it is my duty to warn you that this is not an ordinary cat. She is a Tiger, much larger and more dangerous than the average Cat. I'd recommend waiting another week for another slave. For your own protection."

[Deneuku]

She smiled and carefully approached the tigress, pulling the golden circle apart at one end to create two half-circles. These she fits around the tigress's neck, closing them with a soft click. The tingling in her ring finger was her signal that the magic was taking effect. The collar itself fit snugly, though not to the point of being uncomfortable or restricting her movements, and was considerably lighter on her frame than the heavy iron shackles she currently wore.

At the knight's warning, she merely turned and smiled at him. "I greatly appreciate your concern, good sir, but I assure you, the matter is well in hand. Besides, her size and strength will be of great help to me." She nods and begins securing a leash to the D-ring on the front of the collar. Already, thoughts of how she will enjoy her new cat slave flow through her little head...

[Jac26qq308]

Roderock gave her a nod, "very well." The Tiger Woman continued to glare down at the smaller mouse. "Alright, troops, let's roll out." The dogs started to head out and leave the area, with Roderock himself calling over his shoulder, "be sue to call for a nearby patrolling squad if that cat gets out of line." With that, he'd be on his way, leaving Kemma with the growling tiger.

[Deneuku]

She looked up at that grinning face, and returned the same confident smile she's worn the whole time. "Come along now," she says to the tigress, gently but firmly, as if speaking to a child. Taking up the leash, she begins to lead her tiger slave toward the round door of the mouse-hole. "Let's find you a place to sleep, and then we need to discuss the rules in my home, and how you will be serving me." She said it so matter-of-factly, it was almost as if she were totally disregarding her obvious disdain for Kemma.

[Jac26qq308]

The Tiger growled, following Kemma into the mouse-hole. The size felt cramped due to the size difference. "If you think that I will blindly serve you like some slave, you're sadly mistaken," she growled defiantly.

[Deneuku]

The mouse hole was indeed mouse-sized. The door opened to a kitchen/living area, with a table and chairs, a fire in the fireplace with a spit for roasting meat or hanging one of several iron pots around the room, as well as herbs and spices hanging from the roots in the ceiling, which lent the entire space a heady, herbal smell. The floors are hard wood, and the walls are earthen and intertwining with the tree's roots.

"Not blindly, no," Kemma replied, standing fearlessly before her tiger slave, even as she has to crane her neck to meet her gaze. "But you are my slave, and you will serve me as I wish, or be punished." She then turned and pulled out a wooden chair, taking a seat. "On that note, come and kneel before me, and I will explain the rules of your new life." She pointed her right index finger at a space on the floor directly in front of her.