Of Cat and Boy

By Lady of the Ink

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne, but you knew that. I hope. But I do own this plot and all the twists it contains.

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Chapter Two
A New Life

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Merle sighed as she heard the last of the kitchen workers leave the room. The
fires that burned through the day had been banked, and the heat they'd provided
had already begun to disperse. Shutters had been pulled closed, blocking out
even the dim light the moons and stars might have offered. In the large area,
the counters and worktables had been transformed into hulking masses of deep
shadows.

The air maintained the faint scent of cooked meat, causing Merle's stomach to
give a vicious growl. Placing one hand on it, she rubbed slightly, hoping it
would keep it down. The louder it was, the harder it would be to relieve it. All
she needed was for her noisy stomach to chase away the mice that formed her only
sure meal of the day.

Sliding from her pallet, she raised both arms high over her head, stretching out
cramped muscles. Spending all day curled up in the corner might be the best way
to go unnoticed, but it made getting up quite painful. Yawning, she dropped her
arms. It was time to get to work. As she had every night since her arrival two
weeks before, Merle made her way through the dark kitchen. She easily dodged all
obstacles, having memorized the room's layout quickly.

Her position had been made clear her first day, as well as the fact that there
were rules she was to follow, and punishments for breaking those rules. During
the day, she was not supposed to bother the workers in any way. This included
getting under their feet, sneaking food as they worked, or otherwise distracting
them from their duties. Only when they were finished and had left for their own
homes was she allowed to leave her spot in the alcove.

If she did as she was told, she would be left alone for the most part. It wasn't
any great reward, but she preferred it the curious looks and whispered questions
she wasn't supposed to overhear. They never bothered to ask her, not that she
would have been able to answer. Their guesses were as good as her own as to why
Fanelia's great warrior had decided to bring her here.

Her ears twitched as she heard a scrabbling sound from one corner of the room.
Freezing in her tracks, she tilted her head to listen. A moment passed, then the
sound came again. Balancing on the balls of her feet, Merle made her way across
the room. Not even a whisper of sound heralded her approach. As she ducked under
a long table, a quiet squeak, magnified by her ears and concentration, helped
her pinpoint her prey's location.

Taking a deep breath and holding it, Merle waited for the right moment to make
her move. Her muscles tightened as she prepared herself for the chase that was
to come. She felt her body begin to tremble as she waited . . . waited . . .wai-

There! A scrabbling sound reached her, sending her into action. In less than a
second she was on the ground, her feet pushing her forward with a burst of
speed. One outstretched hand brushed fur and she closed her fist, but it was a
split second too late. A warm body scampered over her hand at the same time as
her momentum slammed her shoulder-first into the stone wall.

"Oomph!" Merle's breath left her in a rush, and she paused to check herself out.
She would have a bruise in the morning, but the damage didn't seem to be too
bad. Narrowing her eyes, she turned her head to scan the room. This was one
mouse that was going to be caught, no matter what.

Remaining low to the ground, she slowly made her way to the center of the room.
Settling down, she focused all her attention on the sounds, smells, and movement
around her. She knew it wouldn't take long for her target to give itself away,
and it didn't. There was a blur of motion near the hall, and she was after it
the second it registered in her mind.

On all fours, Merle quickly covered the ground between herself and the mouse. As
she slid around one corner, her feet scrambled for leverage on the slick stones.
Gaining traction, she struggled for more speed. Her eyes were locked on the
furry body in front of her, never wavering as she kept on its trail. The
surroundings faded into nothingness, all details lost to her single-minded
pursuit as she darted down halls and flew around corners.

Merle felt her heart pick up as she drew nearer with every step. It was always
like this toward the end, as everything in her world narrowed to those final few
steps, that one last lunge before she accomplished what she had set out to do.
For that handful of seconds, she was the strong one, the one in charge.

She came to a stop in front of a doorway. The door itself was ajar, leaving
enough space for her quarry to have slipped inside. A soft scuffling confirmed
that that was what had happened. Without a moment's hesitation, Merle moved
right up to the crack that led into the room. Slipping her head inside, she took
in the layout.

A large, shadowy outline filled the left side of the room, while a few smaller
shapes littered the opposite side. The two windows directly across from the door
let in soft moonlight, but not enough to clearly illuminate the chamber's
contents. While a part of Merle's mind took in all those facts, most of her
attention was on the small, gray form scampering its way along the far wall.

Dropping low to the ground, Merle narrowed her eyes in concentration. Judging
the distance between where she stood and her prey, she knew that if she timed it
right, she could be on the mouse before it had any warning. Slowly sliding
through the door, she waited until she was sure she hadn't given her presence
away. Everything remained calm. A deep breath, a twitch of her tail, and she was
moving.

The force that she had launched herself with got her across the room even faster
than she had expected. Just that quickly, the hunt was over and her target was
wrapped tightly in her hand. Pausing to savor the moment, she allowed herself a
smile as the feeling of success washed through her.

A sound from the room brought her out of her self-congratulatory reverie. The
soft rustling was hardly loud, but it was perfectly clear in the silence of the
room. For the first time, Merle truly took note of her surroundings.

The large object from before was actually a massive bed. Her eyes drifted over
the lump in the center of that bed, confirming that whoever was sleeping there
had probably been the source of the sound. The knowledge that there was someone
else in the room made her swallow hard.

She had gotten so wrapped up in the chase that she really hadn't noticed as she
strayed from the kitchen area. If she was caught in here, she would be in no
small amount of trouble. Even though it had been an accident, she doubted anyone
would give her a chance to explain why she had strayed from what they had
decided was "her place".

Turning to look at the still open doorway, Merle listened carefully to the
sounds of the room's other occupant. There was a soft sigh, and more rustling as
the figure moved under the covers. Then there was nothing but the gentle, even
breathing of someone deeply asleep.

Forcing herself to keep calm, she took a cautious step forward. All she had to
do was get to the door, and she could slip away before anyone saw her. No one
would be the wiser. Just a few more steps, and everything would be . . .

"Ow!" Merle stifled a yelp as she felt sharp teeth sink into her finger. In her
worry, she had completely forgotten about the mouse she'd been holding. Jerking
in surprise at the sneak attack, she unintentionally released her grip, sending
her captive towards the ground.

A last second attempt to snatch it from the air accomplished nothing but pushing
her off balance. Merle windmilled her arms, but it didn't help. A moment later,
she was falling backwards, wincing as her back connected with something hard. A
screeching noise filled the air as the object gave way to her weight. She landed
on her back on the floor while the unknown item slammed into the wall with a
loud thud.

Forcing herself into a sitting position, Merle found herself facing the bed. As
she watched in a suspended state of horror, the no-longer sleeping figure bolted
upright. The blankets it had been huddled under were draped half over the
person's head, and one arm flailed to remove them.

Time seemed to slow as her eyes locked onto that individual. All she could make
out was a mop of black hair, but it was enough to bring her to her senses.
Forgetting all about the mouse that had gotten her into this in the first place,
Merle began an all-out dash for the door. Narrowly avoiding the wall, she was
out the door and speeding down the hall before she took her next breath.

Without knowing exactly how, she found herself back in the kitchen, chest
heaving as she panted for air. Running straight for the corner, she threw
herself back onto her bed, her arms wrapped around her trembling body. Long
moments passed, but there were no running footsteps, no shouting voices. Merle
began to breathe easier. Maybe whoever it was would think it was just a dream.

More time passed, and still there was nothing. Her eyes began to drift closed as
the adrenaline wore off. Yawning slightly, she settled more deeply into the
pallet. Whoever it was would probably have forgotten all about the noise by
morning.

She hoped.

~*~

Seven-year-old Van Fanel remained frozen in his bed, scarcely breathing as he
tried to take in what had just happened. One minute, he was deeply asleep and
dreaming of pleasant things. The next, a loud thump accompanied by a shrill
screeching bludgeoned his ears, jerking him awake. At first, he could see
nothing and fear rushed through him. Suffocating darkness surrounded him, and he
realized that his blanket was over his head.

As he yanked it off, he caught a glimpse of something racing through the door.
It was little more than an indistinct blur, but the sight of it raised the hair
on the back of his neck. Resisting the urge to dive back under the covers, Van
carefully crept to the bottom edge of his bed. Keeping his eyes peeled for any
sign of movement, he scanned the room for a long moment. Nothing moved.

Tossing the covers off completely, he started to lower one foot to the ground.
Something had been in his room, and he wanted to know what it was. He would
search the castle from top to bottom if he had to.

Just as his toes touched the cool floor, something warm and furry brushed his
ankle. A shriek tore from his throat as he leapt back onto the bed. Three
seconds later he sat against the headboard, wrapped head to toe in his bedspread
Yes, sir, he would search every room to find the culprit. Just as soon as the
sun came up.

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