Amethyst, The Puss in Boots

Chapter 1

Once upon a time in the kingdom of Dymond, there was an old miller who was returning home after a long day in the village. It was already dark, the miller was on his cart that was being pulled by his only donkey, and his only source of light was a lit lantern that hung on a hook.

The travel was rather peaceful until he heard a loud commotion behind him, he turned his head and saw another cart rushing towards him. He didn't get a good look at the driver because they were wearing a hood and they kept snapping a whip at the horse pulling the cart, which was covered with a drape.

The stranger whirled past the miller's cart at such speed that the miller feared that he would be toppled over. He yelled and cursed at the stranger driver but the stranger did not stop. Suddenly, the stranger's cart hit a pitfall in the road and a box fell out of the back-left corner of the cart because that side was not tied down properly but the stranger kept on going.

The miller noticed the box and was curious as to what he should do. As the miller's cart slowly approached the box, the miller stopped his donkey and, taking the lantern with him, the old miller hopped off his seat. Upon closer inspection, the old miller saw that the box was made of iron, it had a small caged opening on one side, and there was an inscription on another side of the box.

=Amethyst, F-5 =

'What on earth?' the old miller wondered. But then his thoughts were interrupted by a small noise.

"Meow"

The old miller whirled his head. 'What was that?' he thought.

"Meow!"

There it was again... then a thought accord to him and brought his light to the small opening of the iron box. When he looked inside, he saw two glowing eyes looking back at him. At first, he thought it was a frightful beast but then he took a second look and saw that the thing in the box was, in actuality, a small kitten. The old miller was astonished to see such a little kitten in such a state, he decided then and there to take the kitten home with him.

When he got home to his mill, the miller took a hammer from his toolbox and tried to break the iron lock that kept the box closed. Soon the box was opened and he saw the kitten scooting away from the opening in fear. The kitten hissed at the miller and made a sound that said, 'Back off! I may be small but I'll bite you if you get close'. But the miller was not afraid, instead, he smiled, he knew what he could do.

The old miller went to the pantry, got the milk and a saucer. He poured milk into the saucer and placed it on the table in front of the iron box for the kitten to see. Curiously the kitten pawed, slowly but surely, to the saucer and gave it a sniff. After an experimental lick, the kitten quickly drank it up and the old miller got a better look at the kitten now. She was small, with messy pale lavender fur on her body, and big, dark indigo eyes.

As the kitten continued to drink the milk, the old miller gave a small stroke on the kitten's back. The kitten reacted quickly to the touch and bit down on the miller's finger. It stung for a moment but otherwise, it was not painful, for the old miller's hands were rough and worn from years of labor. The kitten continued to bite down as hard as she was capable until she began to realize that the old miller wasn't fighting back or getting angry, he just smiled at her. The kitten then released her hold on his finger and started licking the small wound. This time when the old miller stroked the kitten's back, she was not afraid and she purred instead.

At that moment, the old miller decided to care for the kitten and he couldn't wait to show his son and nephew their new cat.

Five years went by and under the care of the old miller and his boys the cat, now known as Amethyst, grew up healthy and strong. Her pale lavender fur was so soft but occasionally messy with flour and the small dark purple spot on her chest took on the shape of a star. As young and as feral as she was, however, Amethyst wasn't the best mouse catcher which as it turned out was a bit of a problem at the mill.