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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"Rincewind tried to force the memory out of his mind, but it was rather enjoying itself there, terrorizing the other occupants and kicking over the furniture."
― Terry Pratchett, The Color of Magic
20. Four Hunters
The Four Hunters hurried through the forest, back to where the orc trail began in the glade, and then following it in a western direction.
Kat climbed Legolas' shoulder almost immediately, but it was not easy to stay there at the speed he kept.
Ouch. Your claws! He grimaced (but in a cute way; no matter what Legolas did, he managed to look good doing it).
Sorry, but I keep losing my balance. Can you run smoother?
This is a forest if you had not noticed.
After perhaps half an hour with Kat scrambling hither and thither over him, Legolas resolutely grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, turned her belly-up and proceeded to carry her on one arm, cradled against his chest like a baby.
Hey! What are you– Argh. This feels super awkward!
What do you think being pierced by four sets of claws feels like?
Hm. You have a point, I guess. But don't drop me. Or actually – you can; I'm really agile in this body and would land on my feet.
I will not drop you. I can draw a longbow; I should think I could manage to carry a cat for a while.
Ah, you mean those biceps aren't just for show?
Those what?
Biceps. Your arm muscles. Kat gave him a brief anatomy lesson – quite needlessly, because apparently he knew even more about it than she, though he didn't have names for all of the muscle groups.
I learned anatomy in my youth, when I trained to become an archer. One has to know where to aim to make a swift kill. And of course I have slaughtered many animals, too.
The company dashed speedily through the woods; Legolas not in the least encumbered by his cat burden while his companions soon broke into a sweat. The sounds of their heavy breathing and the tramp of their feet mingled with the occasional squeak and flutter of wings from startled birds in their path.
Kat leaned her head against Legolas' chest and listened to his fast and steady heartbeat. She had not been entirely truthful about the awkwardness of this position; she actually liked being held so close, and it was a far more comfortable way of travelling than riding on his shoulders. It made her relax despite the stress of having lost the hobbits.
I'm a bit surprised that elves who seem so nature-friendly would kill animals, she thought after a while, referring to their earlier conversation.
