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For as long as Neve could remember, every part of Dock Town was home to dozens of cats. They were perched in windows or on the tops of buildings, looking down at the streets like little sentinels. They lay curled on the cobblestones or on top of old crates and barrels. They prowled along the docks looking for fish and rats. Some even made themselves at home on the boats always coming in and out of Minrathous.
And, at the moment, one had decided to join Neve and Elaine for lunch.
It was just another day in Dock Town. New leads on Aelia and the Venatori, more problems to be solved, more work for the Shadow Dragons.
"Thanks, Hal," Neve said, passing one of the fish to Elaine.
Mrrow.
A scrawny, sliver striped cat brushed against the side of Hal's fish stand. She blinked slowly at Neve and Elaine.
"That's Mina," Neve said to Elaine. "Don't worry, she's friendly."
"Unless you happen to be a fish," Hal said.
Mina sniffed he air, her tiny face pointed towards the cloudy Dock Town sky. She let out another, "mmrroww?"
"Alright, girl," Hal said. "I hear you." He tossed her a small fish. Mina caught it and carried it away. Neve could almost swear the cat was grinning as she darted away with the fish in her mouth.
"She'll be back," Hal said. "She's here almost as much as Neve."
***
Neve and Elaine walked beside the docks, finishing their lunch. Their conversation drifted from plans to handle the darkspawn in the catacombs, to local gossip, and then to talk about the Lighthouse and their friends. It was nice to have a break from chasing after leads or gods or blighted dragons. Neve knew it wouldn't last (she already had at least three things to look into once they got back to the Lighthouse), but it was nice to have it, even for a moment.
Mrrrow?
Neve looked over towards where the sound was coming from, and saw Mina trotting up towards them. She came to a stop next to Elaine. Her tawny eyes blinked slowly at them again.
Mmrrrow.
"Hello, Mina," Elaine said. She knelt down next to the cat. Mina sniffed Elaine's hand curiously, before gently bumping the top of her head against Elaine's palm.
Elaine scratched the top of Mina's head. "Aren't you sweet."
Mmroww?
Elaine laughed. "I don't have any more fish, if that's what you're asking."
Mina made a noise that sounded almost like disappointment.
"I know," Elaine said. "Neve and I owe you next time we see you. Deal?"
Mrrrm!
Mina made a small circle in place as Elaine finished petting her before scurrying off, probably back to Hal for more fish.
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"Oh, look," Elaine said. "Cats!"
They had come to a stop next to a cafe not far from Lorelai's pawn shop. The cafe looked almost completely abandoned by anyone other than what Neve guessed to be about two dozen cats. They sat in windowsills, on and under tables, or lay on the floor, sleeping in pale sunbeams. A few stood or sat on the bar counter towards the back of the room. One was kneading a plush burgendy pillow with its paws.
"Would you look at that," Neve said.
A sleek white cat lay on the edge of the steps, soaking in the thin rays of sunlight that poked through the clouds. Its face, paws, and tail were a smudged black color, like someone had dipped the cat in ink and set it out to dry. It lifted its head as Elaine and Neve approached, a curious look on its face.
Elaine scratched behind the cat's ears. It purred.
A solid black cat with large green eyes brushed against Neve's leg. It looked up at her and let out a greeting meow. Neve knelt down to pet the cat. It was small, even for a stray. Probably still a kitten, if she had to guess. Its purrs were loud enough for a cat almost twice its size, though.
"I don't think I've seen this many cats anywhere else in Minrathous," Elaine said, looking around at the other cats in the room.
"I think most of them are here for the fish," Neve said. "And probably the rats."
"Smart," Elaine replied as the cat let her scratch under its chin.
"Do they have a lot of cats in Ventus?"
"From what I can remember," Elaine said, " not this many. When I first began my studies, there was this old black cat that would show up around the Circle now and then. He had big orange eyes and was larger than a stray had any right to be. But he didn't cause much trouble, so got to stay. I think one of the Enchanters ended up taking him in."
Satisfied with the amount of attention it had received, the white cat wandered away and disappeared into the building, its ink-dipped paws making soft pat pats on the tiles. The little black one didn't follow and stayed with Neve.
"I've heard a few people propose theories that they can sense magic in ways that we can't," Elaine said. "They might have some connection to the Fade that other animals—or even people—don't."
"Really?" Both Neve and the cat seemed interested.
Elaine shrugged. "It's just a theory. I'm not sure how you would test something like that." She looked at the cats inside the building. "I wonder if there's something about this building that's drawing them here."
"There's a lot of old magic in Minrathous," Neve said. "Maybe they're drawn to it."
Elaine shrugged. "Maybe." She had that look one her face that she got when she was trying to puzzle out an answer to something. "I'll have to look into it when I have the time."
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"Thanks," Lorelei said. "If there's anything else your team needs, I'll see if I—"
Something hopped onto the counter beside Lorelai. A cat with a patchwork coat of black and tan made a small circle in place before sitting down on the counter top, her tail curled around her multicolored paws. She had a look to her that Neve could only describe as 'regal,' like a tiny, furry Magister. She blinked slowly at Neve and Elaine.
"Hello there," Elaine said. The cat responded with a short mmrow.
"Right," Lorelei said. "You haven't met our newest Shadow. This is Calliope."
Elaine gently scratched under Calliope's chin.
"Where did she come from?" She asked.
"Not sure," Lorelei said. "She just wandered in a few weeks ago. And then Bren and Huxley decided it was a good idea to feed her. And then one of them figured out she had a litter of kittens somewhere in the Anvallenim. Went to close up shop one night and found them bringing all five of them all in."
"She has kittens?" Elaine asked.
Lorelei nodded. "Young, too. I'm pretty sure they've only just begun to walk." In a lower voice, she added, "I even caught Tarquin playing with them a few nights ago."
***
Lorelei had been right; inside the Shadow Dragon's Dock Town hideout was a quartet of kittens.
They were small, and took shaky, stumbling steps as they attempted to wander outside of the basket full of old blankets. When they had arrived in Dock Town earlier that day, Neve and Elaine hadn't noticed that Calliope's makeshift bed was tucked into a corner near the fireplace. It was far enough away to keep the kittens safe, but close enough for them to stay warm. Neve noticed a small bowl of water and an empty plate near the basket. Huxley and Bren's idea, she assumed.
Two of the kittens were black and white — one had white paws, and the other had a white-tipped tail and nose. One was brown with with dark stripes. The smallest of the four was bright orange, and looked less like a kitten and more like a small fruit brought to life by magic.
And then there was Tarquin, sitting cross-legged on the floor, gently tapping his fingers on the ground in front of the orange kitten. The kitten looked ready to pounce, but didn't seem to have it fully figured out yet. After a few seconds, it decided that repeatably batting at Tarquin's fingers with one tiny paw was a better strategy.
"Enjoying the company?" Neve asked.
"Just keeping them entertained until their mother comes back," Tarquin said as he stood. "Better than letting them wander around and get into things. That orange one's already tried to climb the bookshelves. Twice."
The orange kitten, disappointed in the sudden lack of attention from Tarquin, stumbled away and began playing with the brown striped kitten. The brown kitten squeaked in annoyance as the orange kitten playfully jumped and swatted at her.
"They've been a handful so far," Tarquin said. "It's only been a few weeks, and they act like they run the place."
"From the what Lorelei told us, it sounds like they already do," Neve said.
The kittens all let out shrill noises, their attention locked on something other than Neve, Elaine, or Tarquin. Neve turned to see the kittens' mother returning to their makeshift home. The kittens stumbled towards Calliope, surrounding her as she made her way to their basket.
"They won't be leaving us anytime soon," Tarquin said. "Dorian's been fond of that one lately." He pointed to the black kitten with white paws. "And I think Lorelai plans on keeping Caliope at least. Ashur and Mae are trying to convince me to take the orange one."
"You should," Elaine said. "He seems to like you."
"My apartment is barely big enough for just me," Tarquin said, "let alone me and a cat."
As if summoned, the orange kitten squirmed away from Calliope and waddled back over to Tarquin. It squeaked at him repeatedly.
"I think he disagrees," Neve said.
Tarquin carefully scooped the kitten up, holding him close to his chest.
"Alright, alright," he said to the kitten. "If it'll get you to stop crying."
The kitten did stop crying, almost as soon as he was in Tarquin's arms. Tarquin scratched the top of the kitten's head.
"You're lucky you're cute," he grumbled.
The kitten mewed, bumping his head against Tarquin's palm.