Forge post (with added ruffled cats)

[ostro_goth]

Teja is in the forge, engraving delicate lines in a silver belt buckle he is making, when from outside, suddenly there is the noise of a large, serious cat-fight, yowling, hissing, and falling things, and when he dashes outside, there are Count and Myrrh, kicking the living daylights out of each other with their hind legs, the way cats will, and shouting what only can be feline curses at each other.

Deftly, Teja reaches into the melée, picking up his struggling and hissing cats. Alarmed, he sees that there is even blood on them, but when he searches them (each separately while the other is tucked under his arm; wrangling cats is somewhat of an art), he finds no injury upon them, but the mangled hind leg of a demonic rabbit that they had been fighting over.

Still, it is unlike his cats to fight each other so fiercely.

So today you might find Teja sitting before the forge-door in his leather forge-apron (Xaldin's gift, that protects him magically from fire, but not from cat-claws), his bare arms slightly scratched, soothing two somewhat ruffled armfuls of fur.

But if any were to come by wishing for work to be done, or to enquire about something, he will of course put down the animals and speak with his customer; if friends come merely to speak with him, he will still hold the cats.

Comments

[mogget_cat]

"I haven't heard such lurid and creative streams of invective in quite a while," Yrael says, having meandered towards the forge door from the bar.

[ostro_goth]

"Greetings," Teja says. "Indeed, they were quite fierce! I know not why a demon-rabbit hind-quarter would incite such anger."

He pets Myrrh's ears with his right hand, Count's neck with his left, and looks up at Yrael.

[mogget_cat]

Yrael approaches, and kneels down to offer soothing scritches to his friends, as well as to enquire as to the nature of their quarrel.

"Jealousy, perhaps? Possessiveness? Those are no strangers to a cat."

[ostro_goth]

The woods were angry out there, and made me angry as well, Count explains to him. I killed lots of demon bunnies, too!

Proudly so.

[mogget_cat]

Congratulations on your successful kills, replies the not'cat, rubbing along Count's jaw. I am glad, however, that you did not seriously hurt your friend.

"Count says that the... woods were angry?" Yrael offers Teja, quizzically. "And made him angry in turn? Apparently he took out much of his anger on a number of demon rabbits."

[ostro_goth]

Teja cuddles both cats. "And then, he took it out on little Myrrh?" he says. "It is nowhere near the full moon, though. But there are ever odd things about in the woods, and have the freedom to."

[mogget_cat]

"There will always be odd things in Milliways, but random infections of anger are unusual even here."

Was it the anger that made you fight with Myrrh so? he asks Count.

[ostro_goth]

It's out there in the woods, Count says. In a great fizzling circle.

[mogget_cat]

"Apparently he fought with Myrrh because of the anger he felt. From out there in the woods, in a..." Yrael doesn't know how well the explanation will translate, "...great, fizzling circle."

[ostro_goth]

"A strange thing is afoot in the woods today, then," Teja says. "Strange, unseasonal magic or the like."

[mogget_cat]

"Very likely," Yrael replies, ruffling the cats' ears. "And a good reason to avoid them for a time, until it passes."

Avoid unpleasantness and potential confrontation? Yrael? It's more likely than you think.

[ostro_goth]

"If more comes from it than just angry cats and shredded demonic rabbits," Teja says, "then I must go and see what it is."

[mogget_cat]

"There may be others who have been near enough to the forest to be caught by whatever is causing the anger. They will likely be irrational and quick to take umbrage if they are still under its effects when they emerge."

[ostro_goth]

"Undue magic, spreading strife?" Teja says. "Not good."

[mogget_cat]

"It may be difficult; those under its influence may break the rule of No Violence without being in full control of themselves or their actions. Their well-being would be compromised through none of their own doing."

[ostro_goth]

Long, dark silence.

"I have a suspicion, but shall not give voice yet," Teja says. "I am almost sorry I spoke to him! But I shall ever do what I must, so I should go and see, and deal with whatever mayhem ensues."

[mogget_cat]

"Would you wish for aid?" Yrael offers, eyebrows quirking slightly. Though he prefers to avoid trouble, on the most part, he would accompany his friend to any end, if asked.

[ostro_goth]

"Would you stay here, with the cats?" Teja asks. "Only if you feel me fall, injured, dead, or struck down by that magic, would you either come to help, or alert Belar, if the threat seems too great for a single fighter less than a god?"

Orpheus by himself would not be that; but who knows what kinds of werewolves out of season his magical anger may have attracted?

[mogget_cat]

"I will," Yrael says with a solemn nod. "If you are harmed, I will come to your aid. If you are struck down, I will take revenge for it."

He has done so before, after all... Oh wait, he's not supposed to admit that, is he? >_>

[ostro_goth]

"I know, and I shall," Teja says. "And keep my cats from taking on anything bigger than they can handle."

With that, he strides away, shouldering his axe, towards the source of the commotion.

[death_gone_mad]

There maybe be less reason for the cats to fight running into the forge right now. A leg isn't that significant when compared to a whole rabbit!

Unfortunately, there is a demonic looking cat in close pursuit.

It's cackling. "NO ENTRANCES TO THE WARREN HERE!"

[ostro_goth]

That unfortunate bunny, most likely riled up by the anger in the woods as well, finds itself stopped by a very determined female tabby.

No entrance to anything but the land of death, she declares.

[death_gone_mad]

The rabbit is indeed quite mad, mad enough to spit fire.

"Death?" A brief moment of clarity come to the demon cat and she, thankfully doesn't join in the flame fest. She instead tries to come to a skidding halt.

Oh, this isn't working. She instead prepares to deliver the killing bite.

[ostro_goth]

Kitty blocks the bunny, which has come to a halt in her claws, leaving it to the stranger to deliver the killing bite.

[death_gone_mad]

And the killing bite comes down on the rabbit.

Then there is tension and much growling. Mine

[ostro_goth]

I get a hindquarter for stopping him, Kitty declares.

[death_gone_mad]

More growling.

That damned music. She shakes the rabbit around, then she remembers her role. The rabbit would be much more useful in the belly of the cat that stopped the rabbit than in her own belly.

Life though death, death though life.

You get both hindquarters, and any innards that come away with them she admits, begrudgingly.

[ostro_goth]

Kitty grabs the dead bunny by the bottom.

Pull, then!

[death_gone_mad]

She pulls, and eventually the rabbit comes apart.

She picks up her half and begins trotting out. The music begins getting to her again as she leaves though, prompting her to shout so that even Teja could hear, "That would have been easier if you ordered your human to help!"

[ostro_goth]

My human is busy, as you can tell, Kitty declared, starting to drag the hind quarter away. They can all share a little snack, all four of them, even Ferdinand still dozing by the forge fire.

And do not shout loudly in human, it's rude.

[death_gone_mad]

It's rude that he pays so much attention to his work instead of his masters. With that, she leaves the forge.

[ostro_goth]

And the forge cats happily fall upon the half-bunny, even Count and Myrrh, that jump off Teja's lap, so Teja can resume his work.