9 Lives and a Kitty

chapter one: beginings

so this was death. Rynn found herself floating through and endless sea of black, she didn't know if her eyes were closed or if she had any. She couldn't feel her body, she was numb, but why? Somehow she knew she was dead but couldn't remember how she died or even when she died. The only thing she truly knew was that she was no longer human.

"what happened? Where am I? Better yet what am I?" , confused and angry Rynn looked around yearning. "There has to be someone else? No way I could be completely alone" but as she searched and searched the dark abyss only appeared to get larger. An intense panic began building in her chest, she wanted to scream she needed to scream. She opened her mouth wide and fast but no sound came out, there was nothing but endless silence.the intense panic in her chest was replaced by sadness."this can't be all there is after death"

no sooner had the words crossed Rynns mind when she felt something. It didn't feel like she was floating anymore. The air seemed denser, colder. Even though it may be a failed attempt Rynn felt around with her hands. As she kept reaching forward she could almost feel the wind. That is when she found the wall, it was firm and smooth, bit freezing to the touch. Rynn relished in the excitement. This wasn't all there was. The further she stretched, the more she could feel. Her fingers danced across the ice cold surface, eagerly searching for more. Finally she found something she could grab ahold of, it was soft. unsure of her next step Rynn began to run the possibilities through her mind.

she didn't know where she was, she couldn't see. There was nothing but black, but through the darkness she found this object. Her fingers laced around it, no bigger than that of a rope , Rynn gathered her strength. She sure as hell didn't want to stay here, where ever here was. But there was no promise that this prickly rope would bring her anywhere , let alone the possibility of it going even deeper to the abyss.

To stay in the dark or go to the unknown, the answer seemed simple, go to the unknown. With her decision made Rynn tightened her grip on the prickly rope, pulling all her strength together she started pulling the rope. Almost immediently Rynn was hit hard by a frozen gust. Her jet black hair flying wildly upwards. The force of the gust was so large that Rynn was slowly losing her grip on the rope.

"oh no oh no!!!" She tried to use her right hand to regain her grip, but no matter how hard she tried she just couldn't reach. Her left hand felt wet and weak. "Oh no! My hand, I'm gonna slip" no sooner had the words been uttered when her left began to throb and burn. Fuck! was all she could think as her hand slid down the rope. More burning, it was so intense, almost as if it was going to burst into flames. Soon it became unbearable, the pain was now spreading throughout Rynns arm. This was it, was she going to die again? Unable to bear the strain any longer Rynns fingers began to stiffen. Struggling to keep her grip, Rynn attempted to reach out again with her right hand, but it ended with the same result. Her hand was going numb. All the blood must have left her arm. With no strength left Rynn let go. She began to fall, as she was falling it was turning brighter. Brighter brighter and brighter still, the golden hues reaching out as if to catch her. As the golden hues turned brighter Rynn had a hard time seeing, rather it felt like she was having her eyes burned out. Out of self preservation she squeezed her eyes closed. But still it kept becoming brighter. As the light grew so did the heat. Before Rynn knew it she felt as though she had been lit on fire, but how? Wasn't she still falling? Wait, why was there no wind. How was she still falling through the air? What was happening? raising her hands to protect her eyes Rynn slowly opened them. The light had dimmed, the world was a washed with golden light. She wasn't falling anymore, instead she hovered above a large forest. With eyes of wonder Rynn looked around her. It was beautiful, rolling fields and dark emerald forest as far as the eye could see. The wind was soft and fragrant, carrying with it moist dew drops. "Is it morning?" Small drops of water were littered crossed Rynns skin. Taking the time to look at herself Rynn noticed the change in her. No longer did she have long silky black hair and Snow White skin. Instead she found skin the color of honey, her once black hair now white as snow. It became so long, so much so it was almost to her waist. Rynn watched as her hair danced in the wind. only then did it click that she was still in the air, a slight panic began to build. "How the hell am I going to get down" her brows furrowed as she thought hard. Possibility after possibility ran through her mind, she began to sigh when she couldn't come up with a way. Ready to admit defeat Rynn felt something hard under her feet. Looking down, her feet were indeed standing on a hard surface, it took far to long before it finally registered that she was on the ground. dew strewn across the ground, shining like crystals as the sun struck them one by one. Never had she seen something so beautiful, every drop saturated with light , the grass in rich emerald combined with the rainbow sky from dew was almost unbelievable. Rynn watched as the sky changed, the pink and orange horizon was replaced by a sky so blue you wanted to swim in it. With the sun high in the sky Rynn began to take stock of her situation.

unaware of where she was she was at least happy to be out of the dark. With the feeling of sand in her mouth Rynn knew the first thing she needed to do in this new place was find water. Nevertheless where did she even start looking? On one side she had the earthly smelling forest, the other an endless sea of green. Either way it looked like there was going to be some walking involved. Unable to pick, Rynn out stretched her arms, closed her eyes and began to spin. When she was dizzy and fell down that would be the direction she went in. Each rotation became faster than the last. Her white tresses wrapping around her as she went. the soft blue fabric of her dress clinging to her body. It felt like she had been spinning for hours when Rynn decided to stop and open her eyes. Gradually bringing her arms back to her side she slowly opened her eyes. At first Rynn thought she must be hallucinating. There stretched in front of her was a river as clear as crystal. Blinking rapidly she shook he head, once sure that she was seeing a river she caustically stepped forward. How the hell did she get here? When she began to spin she was on the outside of a dense forest, but here, there was no forest. Just lush grass and flowers. A few mountains could be seen across the river. Something weird was happening, however her mouth still felt as though it was filled with sand. Not wanting to waste the opportunity she walked to the edge of the river and crouched down.

this was the clearest water Rynn had ever seen, growing up in a city there wasn't much interaction with nature, scooping water into her hands Rynn brought it to her mouth, tipping her hands the water slid into her mouth. the crisp clean water instantly erased the sand feeling. As it slid down her throat she couldn't help but feel like she was swallowing snow. It was so cold, eagerly Rynn scooped up another and another. After having her fill of water Rynn scooped another handful, but this time she splashed it on her face. This place was surely beautiful but it was starting to get hot. Going to scoop more water Rynn caught her reflection. What the hell?! The image looking back at her was a stranger. It wasn't even human, in the ivory hair reflected at her Rynn noticed what seemed to be cat ears. This couldn't be her, she wasn't a cat. staring ferociously, Rynn was unable to even blink. She watched as the arm she raised slowly touched her head. There were cat ears on her head, she had cat ears, how the hell? The fur between her fingers was warm and silky. As she moved her fingers her ear began to twitch. If she had ears did she have a tail? Hesitantly turning her head, her eyes quickly focusing on the white fluffy tail emerging from under her dress. At this she started to feel ill. she loved cats, alway had, but being one?! Never did Rynn think something like this could happen. If she was a cat were there others like her? Were people going to be scared? Better yet would they hurt her? The more she thought the more questions she had. Ugh now wasn't the time for this, it would eventually turn dark and Rynn had no shelter. She may have been raised in the city but she still knew what essentials she needed. water had been found, even though she was unsure how. With a river this large there were bound to be animals nearby. Finding a place to set up camp was going to be difficult. The need for water meant that she needed to stay close, but far enough away that the animals were not a threat. Scanning the horizon a small recess could be seen in the nearby mountain. if it was large enough she could settle in for the night and figure out what to do next in this strange world.

Rynn pushed her ivory strands from her face as she stood. she dusted her legs off. The cave wasn't going to explore itself, unless she wanted to be exposed to the elements she better get to walking. the dense green grass was soft and warm, the blades tickling her toes as she walked. Rynn had never walked through the grass barefoot. it was exhilarating, the soft soil under her feet was unlike anything she had experienced before. The more she walked the more relaxed she became. Before long the lush greenery was replaced by smooth stone and looming trees. Walking had become more difficult as the ground was jagged, damn she wished she had shoes. She would already be to the entrance of the cave by now. Taking small careful step Rynn navigated the rough terrain. With an audible sigh escaping her lips Rynn was finally at the entrance. Leaning on the rough stone at the enterance Rynn caught her breath.

The cave wasn't very deep, having room for only a small fire and make shift bed. The fire wood had been easy to find. The ground was littered with small dry branches. Collecting them one by one Rynn couldn't help be in awe of the looming tree above. It was so big. The long strong roots broke through the Stone Mountain and claimed it as theirs. with a trunk as large as a baseball diamond no wonder I made its way through the hard stone. Small breaks of sun could be seen shining through the canopy. It reminded Rynn of stage lights. The grass for the make shift bed was a bit more difficult to come by. Having headed in the direction of the river Rynn was disappointed by the lack of long grass. She would have to improvise, she headed back in the direction of the cave. A small tree grove caught Rynns attention. If there was no grass maybe there was moss.

Having taken the chance with the grove Rynn was now laying out moss along the furthest wall of the cave. She had even lucked out and found some berries. It wasn't much but it dissipated the hunger pains. With the moss laid out she settled on the ground, the sun was failing from the sky turning day to night. The fire illuminated the small cave, stroking the fur on her new tail she gazed into the fire. What was she to do next? She couldn't very well stay in the cave forever. She needed food, that was a priority. Staying safe was also a priority, not knowing where she was heavily impacted her thinking. She would just have to do things slowly, in the morning she would head out and take a look around. Finding some higher ground would help, she would forage for food while she explored. Now that the plan for tomorrow was in place it was time for sleep. Rynn added a branch to the fire, sitting back she curled into a ball and laid down. Tomorrow was going to be trying. I've died already, what's the worst that can happen? With this she closed her eyes and slipped into slumber. The warmth of the fire strong against her face.

the sun struggled to pierce its way through the somber sky, golden rays spilling on to the cobblestone street. Soft fragrance of cut grass wafted through the air, it had been unbearable hot the last few days, the soil crying out for rain. With the somber skies above it was far cooler than normal. In the middle of the street struck with a dumbfounded look a petite young woman stood in awe. She had never seen a city before, the buildings were made of stoner rather than wood like her village. People were chatting and laughing as they moved, so many different types of people. There were bears, cats, dogs, snakes, even elves and pixies. Leos sapphire eyes growing wide trying to take it all in. It had taken her nine days to get to Wilburn, the walk from her village had been difficult. The terrain was unyielding, muddy roads and an endless expanses of green hills. the weather had been good most of the trip, sunny skies and soft breezes. Leo had to take refuge in the forest for a couple days and wait out the rain storm that appeared. Normally a little rain wouldn't have stopped her, but this time the skies roared with thunder, intense lightning could be seen and heard. Flash crack! Again and again, the rain falling to the ground with a hard splat. Leo had never seen a storm with such power. Tree branches could be heard straining against the wind.

The light had dimmed, the world was a washed with golden light. She wasn't falling anymore, instead she hovered above a large forest. With eyes of wonder Rynn looked around her. It was beautiful, rolling fields and dark emerald forest as far as the eye could see. The wind was soft and fragrant, carrying with it moist dew drops. "Is it morning?" Small drops of water were littered crossed Rynns skin. Taking the time to look at herself Rynn noticed the change in her. No longer did she have long silky black hair and Snow White skin. Instead she found skin the color of honey, her once black hair now white as snow. It became so long, so much so it was almost to her waist. Rynn watched as her hair danced in the wind. only then did it click that she was still in the air, a slight panic began to build. "How the hell am I going to get down" her brows furrowed as she thought hard. Possibility after possibility ran through her mind, she began to sigh when she couldn't come up with a way. Ready to admit defeat Rynn felt something hard under her feet. Looking down, her feet were indeed standing on a hard surface, it took far to long before it finally registered that she was on the ground. dew strewn across the ground, shining like crystals as the sun struck them one by one. Never had she seen something so beautiful, every drop saturated with light , the grass in rich emerald combined with the rainbow sky from dew was almost unbelievable. Rynn watched as the sky changed, the pink and orange horizon was replaced by a sky so blue you wanted to swim in it. With the sun high in the sky Rynn began to take stock of her situation.

unaware of where she was she was at least happy to be out of the dark. With the feeling of sand in her mouth Rynn knew the first thing she needed to do in this new place was find water. Nevertheless where did she even start looking? On one side she had the earthly smelling forest, the other an endless sea of green. Either way it looked like there was going to be some walking involved. Unable to pick, Rynn out stretched her arms, closed her eyes and began to spin. When she was dizzy and fell down that would be the direction she went in. Each rotation became faster than the last. Her white tresses wrapping around her as she went. the soft blue fabric of her dress clinging to her body. It felt like she had been spinning for hours when Rynn decided to stop and open her eyes. Gradually bringing her arms back to her side she slowly opened her eyes. At first Rynn thought she must be hallucinating. There stretched in front of her was a river as clear as crystal. Blinking rapidly she shook he head, once sure that she was seeing a river she cautionlly stepped forward. How the hell did she get here? When she began to spin she was on the outside of a dense forest, but here, there was no forest. Just lush grass and flowers. A few mountains could be seen across the river. Something weird was happening, however her mouth still felt as though it was filled with sand. Not wanting to waste the opportunity she walked to the edge of the river and crouched down.

the wind whistled through the small cave, with it the chill of morning dew. Rynn curled in tighter to her self, before long Rynn felt a tickling sensation on her nose. lazily opening her eyes a white stick of fluff came into view. what the hell? a quick shake of her head cleared the fog from her mind. no longer foggy Rynns eyes fell upon the stick of fluff. she still wasnt used to having a tail, in the last few days however she had managed to learn to control it. her ears on the other hand twitched at every sound near and far. thankfully she was able to tell the difference, the first day was rough. every little sound rang in her ears, birds high above sounded as if they were on top of her, with this Rynn jumped at everything. after about a half day of walking Rynn was now more comfortable in her new body. by mid day Rynn had reached the river, there didnt seem to be any animals near by. she should be safe enough to drink. at the edge of the river the mud under her feet was cool and soothing. it felt so wonderful that Rynn decided to stand in the shallows, this water was amazing. it was so clear, stones looked as jewels glistening under the high sun. Rynn wished she had something to put the water into, when she got back to the cave she was going to take a closer look around. there had to be something. a stone she could carve or some sort of large leaf, granted it would be small, but anything was better than walking back and forth to the river. she would also be able to explore the mountains more. maybe find more to eat. although she loved berries and they were in abundance at the base of the small incline to the cave, she couldnt survive on just them. slowly above the blue sky began to darken, silver clouds ushering a frozen wind had replaced the sun and taken over the skies. scooping one more handful of water Rynn strolled out of the river with quick pace heading back toward the cave. not knowing how long the storm would last Rynn stopped at the berry bushes. pulling the hem of her dress upwards she hurriedly plucked berry after berry, only when they started to fall from her make shift dress basket did she stop. gripping the hem of her dress to her breast she quickly sprinted to the cave. the air had become heavy and thick, frozen gusts one after another. it started raining before Rynn made it back, heavy droplets fell to the earth. soaked and cold Rynn reached the cave entrance, quickly she ducked inside. she found more firewood early this mornings and it was a good thing. the storm brought with it a sense of fear. how long would this last, lightning cracked the sky with a flash of purple. how beautiful, the lightning lit up the ground below it, the last flash lit up the river giving it a sense of malice. retreating further into the cave Rynn started a fire, she was really quite lucky, on her first walk to the cave she found a few small pieces of flint stone. with out this she would have been screwed. no way rubbing two sticks was going to work out. with the fire burning strong it was time to sort the berries. inspecting each as she went Rynn sorted them into two piles. the ones that were no good were tossed in the fire. with two piles sitting in front of her she popped a few berries from one into her mouth. swearing to herself that once she was settled she would never eat berries again.

the storm lasted two days, there was so much rain it seeped into the cave drowning the soil as it went. Rynn had been super cramped up the last day. keeping the fire from the water it had to be pulled inward , this meant Rynns sitting and sleeping place became smaller to make room. the rain had stopped sometime in the night. the saturated soil sticking to her feet as she headed to the river. she had been in this world for four days, in that time she had carved a path down the mountain to the river. no more did jagged rocks litter the ground, they had either been removed or pressed deeper into the ground. Rynn worked hard on it, having no shoes was a significant a challenge in this world. the smooth path allowed Rynn to take in more of the area, broken branches strewn across the land. the storm must have done this, as she walked she saw that a few saplings had even been uprooted.

the river was flowing far quicker, with all the rain the river had overwhelmed its banks. a small tree was now even under water. it was to dangerous to attempt drinking from here. the high water eroding the banks making them unstable. no no this wouldnt work, she would have to find a different spot. if she went down the river it should be flowing slower, thats what she would look for a calm spot, maybe she would even be able to bathe, her white fur had been covered in ash. finding a steady pace Rynn made her way down the river.

the river was as rapid here as above, she had already walked a few miles. debating with herself Rynn considered turning around. a flash ahead made the choice for her, what was that? heading toward the shining light she quickly increased her stride. she was getting closer, instead of just a flash of light there was a blinding glare. once close enough a glistening white stone bridge emerged, the white stone so polished Rynn could see her reflection. ugh she wasnt looking so good, her hair was unkempt, her dress wrinkled, and her face spotted with ash. in a vain attempt she wiped her face with her dress, most of the ash came off, only a few smudges remained. she combed her fingers through her hair, with a bit of effort she was able to smooth it. feeling more presentable, she began crossing the glistening bridge.

ahead a stone city began to emerge, unlike the bridge the city consisted of many colored stones. the walls around the city were towering, the grey stone radiating strength. behind the walls you could see the cobble stone streets weaving in and out among the houses. some houses were made of stone, while others of wood. signs hung above doors some simple some extravagant. Rynn couldnt read the strange writing, she was going to have to ask for directions, but where was she even going? the people in the city looked similar to her, the fear of being feared slipped from Rynns body. she hadnt noticed her tensed body until now, slowly her muscles relaxed.

a city this big must have some sort of law enforcement and administration. no way was there not some form of government in a city with so many people. the cobble stone was warm against her feet, the street was full of vendors, one had to weave between the people looking at the wares. there were food vendors, clothing and arms vendors. there was so much it was difficult to take it in all at once.

navigaiting Wilburn was harder than leo thought, gettin herself turned around Leo found herself back near the city entrance. damn! she was going to have to start all over. why was it so hard to find the dang pharmacy? feeling frustrated she took and deep breath. ok, getting worked up wouldnt help anything. she needed to calm herself and just try again. newfound determination flashed across her face, she would walk down the citys center road and ask for directions. maybe she could find someone who was going there as well. opptumisom abundant Leo followed the road absent mindly looking around. lets see, one of these has to be it. reading the signs above the storefronts she continued down the street.

a few blocks down on the left hand side was a small stone building with the word pharmacy painted on the old wood door. the red stone building blended into the buildings on either side. if you didnt know where it was no way could you find it without help, the nice sheep lady leo stopped to ask was kind enough to draw her a map, without it she would still be wondering. the old red building had a small stone bench by the side of the door, large potted plants were on either end of the bench. the wood door gave away the buildings age, there were cracks and splinters, the sign paint barely viseable. even the open sign in the window had seen better days, oh well, this was the entire reason she was even in Wilburn. she would grab what she needed and head home.

the bell on the door chimed as it was opened, the smell of earth lingering in the air. small and large pots of live and dried herbs lined the wall on the left, on the right in color coded bottles extracts and balms. at the furthest end of the shop a large wooden counter, trade tools and started orders could be seen. Leo approached the counter and rang a small bell, dried herbs hung from the ceiling, the strong scent hurt Leos nose.

A soft mousey voice echoed from the back store room, "i'll be right there." after some clings and clanks a petite red haired girl emerged, "how can i help you?" the girl couldnt be more than 20 yet her eyes expressed wisdom and pain. you couldnt help but feeling like you were drowning under her slate colored gaze, her beautiful red fox tail and ears looked magnificent against her ebony dress, the white apron wrapped around her waist dingy and wrinkled. sweat had began to form oh her forehead, she must have been working hard. when she spoke Leo broke out of her trance. "hello im Dahlia the Winburn pharmacist, how can i help you?". "umm im Leo, im here to pick up medicine for my sister." she replied. "did you place and order, or do you just need herbs?" asked Dahlia. "umm no i didnt place an order, but i do have a list of what i need." uncrumpling the paper in her pocket Leo handed it to Dahlia. " all the items on this list are anti inflammatories, what illness does your sister have? if i know what it is i may be able to make you a tonic specifically for that illness." dahlia asked. at this Leos ears drooped and her curly tail straightened, looking down at her hands she replied "we dont know, the doctor cant identify it, shes been sick all her life." Dahlia furrowed her brows and thought hard. "does she suffer from sore joints and physical exhaustion?" a touch of sympathy in her voice. "yes yes she does" Leo nodded her head fervently. "if that is the case i have a specific tonic that would better than just the herbs." responded Dahlia. at this Leo began to wring her hands, "is it expensive? i only have five gold." that entire five gold was not only for the medicine but also for and lodging and food expenses. the look of worry was strewn across Leos face.

normally Dahlia was unwaivring when it came to price, but something about this little pig girl tore at her heart strings. " just a minute, i need to grab something from the back" with a quick twirl Dahlia turned and walked to the back room. Leo was confused as to what exactly was happening. she really wanted the tonic but the pharmacist hadnt given her a price. maybe she could do some work in exchange for the tonic. deep in thought Leo didnt notice when dahlia walked back into the room, the clinking of the bottles dahlia placed on the counter snapped Leo out of her daze. when she refocused she noticed that there were now five pink glass bottles on the table. this must be the tonic she was talking about. "i know the amount of gold i have isnt enough, can i pay the difference with labor?!" with a bow Leo waited with bated breath. "hahaha, oh my" the chuckle escaped Dahlias mouth. leo lifted her head and looked at the pharmacist, after the laugh she had expected a mocking gaze, but there was no mockery is the grey eyes that stared back at her. instead she was met with eyes soft and compassionate. confused her ears began to twitch. "the gold nor labor are needed." a small smile had made its way across Dahlias face. "please stand up, theres no need to bow or beg". leo lifted her head slowly, she couldnt believe what she just heard. did she really say no gold or labor? theres no way. "i mean what i say" confirmed Dahlia. "you must truly love your sister if you're offering yourself as payment". reaching under the counter dahlia pulled out a small woven bag, very carefully placing the bottles in one at a time, she continued to speak. "that tells me you are a very good person. thats rare nowadays, so i wish to give these to you as a gift".

Leo stood there in disbelief, this woman, she was so kind. unable to control herself tears fell from her sapphire eyes and glistened against her peach cheeks. after a couple of snorts she hurriedly wiped her eyes. "thank you so much!" leo expressed her gratitude when Dahlia handed her the woven bag. "you are very welcome. now hurry home" Dahlia smiled widely and replied. before she knew it the cute little pig girl with her twirly little tail was out the door. "i hope i meet her again" Dahlia said softly. she couldnt help but to keep smiling, there was something about that girl. with the shop empty Dahlia went back to filling orders.

Leo couldnt believe it, she owed that lady pharmacist, and if she wouldnt take gold or labor leo would find another way to pay back her kindness. still having her five gold she was able purchase a ride home. there were still a few hour until the carriage was set to depart, with time to kill leo chose to head to the market and look around, maybe even buy something yummy with what money she had left. once in the carriage it would take only a day to reach her village, with this being the case Leo decided she'd indulge her love for food this one time.

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