Chapter Text
(Third Person POV)
“A long, long time ago, where Catto Land resides today, a mighty kingdom ruled the land. One of prestige, one of power, and one that held a noble bloodline of lions, tigers, and many more dangerous cats. They’d claimed that land as their own.
The kingdom lived in peace for a long, long time. The royal family, who had passed their crowns down for generations, was getting ready to welcome their princess, or future Queen, onto the throne.
However, the day right before the ceremony, the kingdom was attacked by a witch. A witch who wielded incredible power. The power to make thoughts into reality. Their imagination was the limit of their terrible reign as their greed knew no bounds.
However, the lead knight and the cat who came to be king, forged a powerful weapon. A blade made of total truth that could slice through their spells like paper. It took many years to fight them back, but eventually, they ran out of tricks, retreating into the mountains. Some say the witch took their own life. Others say they saw into other worlds, going insane and locking themself away.
No one knows what happened to them. All that can be said is that they left something behind. A book, said to grant any wish that the owner desires. However, it is also said to come with a price. That price, to this day, remains unknown.”
The book closed.
“..ok. So why do I have to go get it?” Catto crossed his arms.
“Recently, the path to that artifact has been found.” Minori turned away, going to place the book back on her shelf. “If any other cats get their paws on it, it could result in chaos. Also, the village there literally sent for you.”
Minori was always a cat that tended to be very strategic, approaching each scenario she faced with thought out responses and plans. She almost always thought ahead, being one of the smarter cats that lived in the village. Catto didn’t quite remember where or how he met her, but what he did know was that they were pretty good friends, and that was enough for him.
“How long will this take?”
“It’s about a day’s journey there and back.”
“A DAY? For me to WALK? Listen, Minori, I get the concern, but walking a whole day to go get a book that no one probably cares about? Come on.”
“May I remind you that if anyone gets this book, it’ll be your problem to deal with anyway. Would you rather walk for a day to get a book or deal with a power hungry cat with a book that can literally do anything?”
“...sigh.. Fine. Fine. I’ll go get it. What do you plan on doing with it?”
“Probably burn it or bury it. Either or.”
“Alright. I’ll head out tomorrow.”
“Thanks Catto.”
“Yeah, sure.”
With that, Catto turned around and walked over to the front door. Another fetch quest. What was new?
At this point, Catto was very used to this format. Go out, collect something, bring it back. As he turned the knob and opened the door, Catto took a breath of fresh air. It was a nice day out today, almost no clouds in the sky. The village was bustling with life as always.
Catto figured that he should head home and start preparing for the journey. It was gonna be a lengthy one, so it was probably best to plan now.
Walking away from Minori’s house, Catto continued through the town, saying hello to neighbors as he passed them. Lots of them knew Catto as the hero of the village. They knew he was strong, quick, and that he was always ready to help. He had also slain a dragon just a week or two ago, which really elevated his status.
As he walked, Catto started to think about the trip, right before he walked into someone and knocked them over, falling right on top of them as well.
Although it was a very warm and fluffy landing, Catto immediately got up and recognized who he fell onto.
“Shit- I’m so sorry Big Boi!” He offered a paw to him.
Ah, Big Boi. Catto’s best friend. Ever since they were kittens, Catto Boi and Big Boi stuck together like glue throughout their growing years, and even through adulthood, they were still super close despite Catto’s growing annoyance with his fetch quests.
“Ugh, it’s fine.” Big Boi grabbed his paw and stood up, almost immediately bending back over to pick up his biscuits that had spilled all over the ground. Sighing, Catto joined in and helped to pick up the last of them.
“Ah, thanks Catto!”
“It’s nothing. I kinda caused it in the first place.”
Once they were all off the ground, Catto dumped what he had picked up back into Big Boi’s paws.
“So, Catto! Where ya headed to?”
“If you would believe it, another fetch quest.” Catto sarcastically stated.
“For who?”
“Minori. She wants me to go out and retrieve some ancient artifact because she doesn’t want anyone else to get their paws on it.”
“Is it dangerous?”
“Supposedly.”
“Well, make sure to be careful! I don’t want you getting hurt.”
Catto laughed a bit “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine. It’s a two day trip, so if anything, don’t drop anything while I’m gone, because I won’t be there to pick anything up, and I certainly won’t have the energy to once I’m back.”
“Ehh… no promises.” Big Boi sheepishly looked to one side.
“We really need to get you a bag or something.”
“Catto..”
“I’m just saying!” He shrugged. “In any case, I need to go home and rest for tomorrow.”
“Good luck on your quest, Catto!” Big Boi waved him off as Catto walked away.
…
For some reason, Catto couldn’t sleep as he thought about the day ahead. Nothing was different about it, rather than the fact that it was a long trip, so why was he up so late? Something in his gut was telling him not to go, to stay at home and leave the artifact in its place. Another part of him knew, however, that Minori was most likely right. If it wasn’t taken care of now, some other cat with worse intentions would get it, and who knows what that kind of mess would entail. If it meant protecting his friends, then sure, he could tough it out.
A gut feeling is just a feeling, right?