By Paw and Sail

Chapter 3: An Evening Out [Trais]

Trais padded along the street that led to the center of town. He opted to escape from his home before his mother returned. He felt a little guilty about leaving before greeting his uncle, who planned to join the family for dinner that evening — it was a selfish decision.

The smooth stones felt good beneath his paws. He always went barefoot, even though his mother said it was rude to go into the city like that. The librarian didn’t seem to mind though, so he never wore them when he went to work.

Trais hated wearing shoes, they cramped his toes and the tough fabric always got stuck on his claws. They also made it hard to climb trees, and he loved the feeling of wood giving away beneath his sharp nails. It was one of the most satisfying sensations in the world.

While other young Iriote swam, learned to tie knots and practiced other basic seafaring skills, he scaled buildings and cliffs. His brothers started calling him ‘squirrel-cat’ when they found him near the top of a massive tree when he was only ten years old.

He had never seen a squirrel, but he knew a lot about them. The Iriote depended on the sturdy lumber from the Schurian forests to build and repair their ships. Trais heard they were inhospitable towards most visitors, but his father said they were honest and polite.

The cobblestone street merged into a giant circle along with three roads from the other corners of the port city. They came together in the middle like the spokes of a wheel. There was a marble fountain in the center of the circle and towering stone structures around the outside. The city den, library and vault were among the buildings that lined the perimeter.

Trais noticed a young Iriote clad in a brown tunic and loose pants lounging on the steps outside the den. The cat lifted his hand as Trais passed by.

“Oiya Trais! What are you doing up here? I thought you went home for the night.”

Trais walked over to the steps and sat on the thick stone railing next to his friend.

“Not much, constable Thican,” he said.  “I just wanted to walk around for a bit.”

“Ah. Well, it’s a great evening. The stars are bright, the air is warm. It just feels like a good day to be alive.”

“What’s her name?” Trais said.

He smiled slyly as his friend raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“Wha… How did you know? I haven’t told anyone yet, and I doubt she has.”

“Nah, it was just a guess. I figured there was a reason you were in such a good mood.”

“Huh. Well, yeah. Sella is one of the prettiest cats I’ve ever seen, and she’s nice too!”

“Oh.”

Trais didn’t expect to hear his cousin’s name. Sella was painfully shy and didn’t talk much. He wondered how his boisterous friend managed to befriend her.

“Oh?” Thican said. “What’s that supposed to mean?"

“She’s my cousin.”

Thican’s eyes widened and he scratched his head for a few moments before responding.

“Oh... Er, you aren’t mad are you?”

Trais laughed.

“No, not at all,” he said. “I’m just a little surprised. How did it happen?”

“Well, it was earlier in the day. I went to the basement to have my lunch, and she was there. We were the only cats down there,” he said. “She was just sittin’ and staring at the wall. I asked her what she was doing, and she said she forget her food at home.”

Thican jumped from the railing and plopped on the wide step. He stuck his leg out on the stone slab and reached down to touch his toes.

“Cramp — anyway, where was I?”

“No lunch.”

“Oh, so I told her to have some of mine, cause I wasn’t that hungry.  She said no at first, but I kept bugging her till she said yes. You know,  I couldn’t just sit there and eat by myself like that.”

“Of course not,” Trais said.

“Well, she liked it. She told me it was the best notch-fish she ever had. I could tell that she liked it, she ate her half in a few bites.”

Trais laughed. He couldn’t imagine his reserved cousin finishing anything in a few bites.

“She asked me who made it. I don't think she believed me at first when I told her it was me."

Trais nodded.

“She was really impressed. We talked for a while and it turns out she doesn’t live too far away from me, so she asked if she could come over and have me teach her how.”

“Well, there you go,” Trais said. “Even I’m impressed with you right now, and that hardly ever happens.”

“Hey now…”

“So, is she coming over tonight?”

“I think so. She left work a few hours ago, but I told her I’d be done here right after dark. Honestly, Krissi should be here by now. She’s always late at night. I wanna go home and clean up.”

“Hmm, what time is it now?” Trais asked.

Thican pointed above his head towards the spire that rose out of the town den roof.

“Ask him.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot.”

Trais craned his neck to get a better view of the clock on the front of the tower. The hands were hard to see from the stairway, but it looked like it was a few minutes past eight.

“Ugh. I thought it was later than that,” Trais said. “It’s starting to get dark earlier every day, I hate it.”

“It’s still so warm, ya know?” Thican said. “But, winter is less than a month away.”

The two cats turned at the sound of yelling from the far side of the cobblestone circle. The tall female waved her hand in the air as she jogged towards the steps.

“About time,” Thican said.

She panted as she came to a halt in front of the building.

“Sorry!” she said. “Hiya, Trais.”

“Hey, Krissi, Thican was just telling me that you always keep him waiting at night.”

She squinted and glared at the young cat.

“Yeah? Well, he keeps me waiting when I’m on the morning shift. He always shows up at half past noon with some lame excuse.”

“Never!” Thican said.

She rolled her eyes as she straightened her brown tunic and adjusted the belt around her waist.

“Well, you are free now. Go home.”

“I am!”

Thican hopped down the steps. He turned to wave at his two companions as he trotted off around the southern rim of the circle. Trais yelled his farewell as the lanky cat disappeared down the street towards the harbor.

“What’s he in such a hurry for today?”

“Eh, nothing much,” Trais said. “I should probably get going too. I’m a busy cat, you know.”

“Yeah, sure. I’ll just sit here by myself then. It’s fine.”

“It’s your job!”

She crinkled her nose and stuck the tip of her pink tongue out from between her lips. Trais was tempted to stay for a bit. He actually enjoyed her company, but he wasn’t really in the mood to linger on the steps anymore.

“I’ll see ya Krissi,” he said.

“Bye!”

Trais walked down the stairs and turned to follow the road back the way he came. He felt tired, even though it was still early.

Maybe I’ll just go home. If I climb in through the window no one will know I’m there.