[Continued from Look What the Kat Dragged In]
Kat will remember Rye. One of the few children she's ever met, for whom safety will become more than a word that people on TV use. She'll remember Eathan, as well, because she cannot forget her target, though she does not know what she should do with him. But the next day, the farmer releases her.. it seems he's been into his private stash of money.
Kat unconsciously managed to pay for three new horses, of better quality.
That night, she dreams. Three strange men walk into the corn field, talk to the face in darkness, and fly away in the carriage. She sees this, but no sound reaches her. Canid companions come: the Pack approves, and they lead her through soft shadows and dim green places to a secret pond. She looks down, her several faces looking quietly back. Behind her is an angel, the same who guards the Gate. He smiles, and is gone.
Kat wakens in the middle of a hot, dusty street. The sweaty smell of crowded flesh surrounds her. Someone slips a silver bracelet around her left wrist, and the light burning sensation wakens her fully. Daylight, in front of the Sunbeam Saloon. Many strange faces, strange races, odd shapes, all blurring in the heat.
And beside her is a pair of corpses, holes in their chests and surprise on their faces.
Kat is not charged with anything, when the authorities arrive; apparently the two dead things were body scavengers who shot each other over rights to her various organs. She spends the rest of the day in a private booth in the saloon, watching strangers come and go, and recovering from the mild shock of being considered desirable. Around evening-tide, someone walks in, tall and dark, wearing a duster and a fedora.
He spends a few minutes quietly talking to the bartender, buys a drink, and pauses long enough to drink it. As he turns toward the door, a large man with a bandolier full of notches and a pair of shiny pistols walks in. Without a word, they face each other, the man in the duster pulling open his coat to reval a shining badge and a pair of revolvers. Silence falls.
After the sheriff shoots the infamous murderer, the patrons cheer.
Kat smiles briefly as well, but decides it's time to move on.
*****
The wolf steps cautiously into the sunlight, looks both ways down the street, then jogs quietly across. Down the sidewalk about a mile, turn at the corner, into the park. She noses the grass near the trash bin, hoping for something interesting, but it's only used paper stuff today.
Something catches her ear as it whizzes through the air, and she looks up for it. A frisbee lands nearby, followed a quarter-second later by a dog, who picks it up, then looks at the wolf. Neither assumes a submissive posture, and tension starts to build. Then someone whistles, and the dog runs off with the frisbee.
The wolf walks along, tracking his scent, until she finds the portal he came through. She shrugs visibly, and sits nearby to wait for someone else to enter.
She waits a while, watching the suns go down. Moonlight catches her lying patiently on the ground, still watching.
And then light fills the place, overwhelming brightness, reflecting from every surface, hurting her dilated eyes. A figure steps into the place, and seems to cover himself. The light dies down.
The wolf sits up, looking at this figure. She knows it, those impossibly bright black eyes, the glowing skin, feet seeming to rest in the earth rather than on the surface. The figure recognizes the wolf as well, holding one hand over her, forcing her to change.
Pain consumes her as she shifts, unfamiliar and disturbing; though her torn soul seems to feed on it, healing just a touch. She looks up, awed, and quickly moves to kneel as if directed. She knows this one quite well. The figure smiles, then becomes stern.
"Look up at me. I want your attention, not just your respect."
"Yes, Sir." She looks up, into those eyes, and the luminous dark flesh around them.
"I have a task for you. I believe you are ready for it, despite your lack of dedication."
"Ready for what? And who are you to boss me around, anyway?"
A hand is placed over her face, covering her left eye and part of her nose. Something sears in, and white-hot flashes sparkle in her eye for several seconds. She cannot pull away, though she feels thick blood running down her cheek and chin, over her breast, staining her clothing. Another slashing pain, and the wound is closed.
"You know who I am. You know how your challenge ends, should I answer it. Your calling has been changed. Now go."
The bright figure turns, and instead of entering the portal, fades out.
"Katili, you are chosen. Judgement has been made, and you are the gavel."
She is released, and drops down, sobbing on her elbows and knees in the cool grass. Her face burns, and she knows she is marked once more.
And then the portal opens.
A tall, dark figure steps out, wearing the common blues of a police officer. On his head is a radio-link, with a cable down to a subspace antenna. At his hip is a holster with a rather wide pistol, one that holds both conventional projectiles and taser rounds.
He is not surprised to find a woman crying in this park on this night, nor was he surprised by the last two he found, dead. He does note, thanks to Kat's trim hairstyle, the fresh but healed wound on her face.
Distracted by her, he does not see the glimmer of feline eyes in a nearby tree.
The watching creature sees danger about to strike. It moves to a better position for its own potential assault.
The so-called policeman pulls his gun from its holster, levels it, and gets ready to shoot.
And Kat hears the movement. She looks at the gun, then at the man's face, or what face he has. Two painted eyes, a wooden nose, and wide-grained carven cheeks draw her attention to the true danger. She strikes, knowing instinctively that she has only moments before the animator of this marionette orders it to pull the trigger.
The figure falls, its gun fires, and then it stands up as if pulled by invisible wires attached to its upper body. It passes the image of a second predator back to its master, then brings the pistol back up for a second try at killing.
The cat strikes, felling both doll and wolf with his landing. He tears the intricate wooden hand from its mount, pulling the pistol away. As Kat tries to sit up again, he brings a single claw to rest on the bridge of her nose.
Kat lies still, unsure how to continue.
High above the park a winged shadow passes over the moon and curves towards the gathering below. As the dark shape nears, it unfurls its great wings in a rush of air and lands gently on the damp grass beside the fallen marionette. Keen eagle eyes take in the surroundings with great interest. The creature sits back on its haunches, leonine tail twiching and picks up the fallen pistol in steely talons.
"Sssooooo...." the griffon rumbles, "A daughter of Eve and a child of Bast play with toys under a midnightsky. What do you here?"
The feline eyes the bird-creature. "What business is it of yours?"
Kat just sighs, waiting for a chance to get away without further scars.
The beast folds its wings tight against its body. Now that it is still, the colours of its fur and feathers become visible: the body is blue-black, as are the wings. It's head, wingtips and tail, however, are a deep blood-red. Muscles ripple beneath it's skin as it breathes:
"I am named Kurelgyre, and this greensward is within my purview," the griffon growls. "Golems offend my sensibilities, even more so when they masquerade as agents of law. I was surveying my domain when I heard the report of a weapon, and flew to investigate the cause. Apparently the decision was justified." The creature gestures towards the woman laying on the cold ground. "Child of Eve, need you assistance?"
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