Unexpectedly turned into a cat, Kat falls into Middle-earth with the mission to prevent a death. In a feline form she can only communicate with the elf Legolas - and that he is such an attractive specimen is certainly not helpful...
A humorous (but...
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"In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this."
― Terry Pratchett
14. Narcissus
It was her! It was actually her! But how?
Kat glanced over her shoulder and saw her usual striped tail, a bit bushy now, but otherwise normal. She was still a cat, then. It was the magic of the Mirror, nothing else.
Pushing down a pang of disappointment, she returned to her reflection, which showed her human self from the waist up, with a wilting flower garland around her neck. She raised her paw, and the reflection raised its hand. She wiggled her toes and the image its fingers. She touched her face, and it felt like a cat face, but the woman in the reflection touched a smooth, round cheek.
Then she noticed something. My ear is still gone. In the reflection her lips moved, but nothing came out.
The Mirror shows the truth, thought Galadriel.
Kat touched the ragged stump. On her human face, it looked worse. Red and scarred. Did this mean her ear was gone forever, even if she returned? She had had a vision at Caradhras where she was in a hospital bed. Had the person at the hospital lost her ear too, and if so, were all the doctors and nurses totally freaked out by it? And what would she do with all her sets of earrings?
"For Eru's sake, can someone cover her!" Legolas sounded exasperated.
Kat looked at him, a bit surprised by his outburst. Was it that big a deal to see the reflection of a topless woman? He stood with his back turned, and at his words most of the other males turned their backs too.
Pippin's and Boromir's gazes were still locked at the Mirror, however. The hobbit seemed curious and rather flushed, but Boromir was frowning suspiciously. She had seen that look before; the last time was in the eyes of the young man who shot her.
Oh well. What did she expect? This was a medieval Europe, of sorts. Of course they would be prejudiced against people with dark skin.
Galadriel removed her flimsy, white cloak and wrapped Kat in it. In the water image it looked like she had taken a shower and shrouded herself in a towel.
"Now it is time to look closer into the Mirror," said Galadriel.
As Kat bent forward, the water instantly became covered in a hazy mist. When the vapours cleared she saw a river under a blue sky, in a green, lush landscape. There was a cozy looking cottage by the river, complete with white smoke coming from its chimney. A person sat nearby with their back turned, holding a fishing rod with slender fingers and dipping scrawny legs into the water. They wore a wide straw hat, under which long curls of white, wispy hair fluttered in the breeze. Kat could not determine whether it was a woman or a slim man.
