I didn’t expect to stay in the dream any longer than I had to, and especially not to hang out with her Shadow. Turns out the wolf makes for decent company when she’s not spending the time seething and hating your guts, the two of us even sitting…not side-by-side, but close enough. She’s no socialite, far from it really, and yet, she’s chattier than you’d have expected, even if being a bit louder than pure silence isn’t terribly much. Still, I do appreciate the way this wolf fills the void from time to time. It ain’t perfect, I can still hear apprehension in each of her overlaid voices, but it’s a start at the very least, and that first step seems to ripple through this forest dream yard. I wouldn’t call it reborn by any stretch of the imagination, but the wind blows as opposed to howling, the cold stays at the tips of my fur rather than biting at the skin…more hospitable is probably the best way to put it. As such, we’re able to welcome Fox back home after a time, the girl looking pleased at the sight of her Shadow and I on more peaceful terms.

“Heya, hun. You find this Penny character of yours?”

The fox smiles and nods, glancing over at her Shadow and taking a seat next to her once she shows no opposition, the three of us forming a triangle between each other.

“Yeah. I’m not sure how we’d go about doing it, but I’d like you to meet her sometime. A-actually, that reminds me, there’s something you should know about Coyotl–”

I hold up my paw before she says anything else, shaking my head and smiling softly at the snow drifting down from the darkness hanging overhead.

“I know, I’m pretty sure. I’d have to have been pretty dumb to have not put the pieces together after all the time we’ve spent together, but…I want to give them a chance to explain themselves. Something to look forward to tomorrow night, on top of you coming back from your little adventure.”

My partner stares at me with a bit of surprise, before smiling back at me.

“Yeah. Yeah…”

That smile falters somewhat after a moment of silence between the three of us, her gaze drifting into the darkness around us, prompting me to reach over and place my paw atop her claw to pull her attention back.

“I know it’s scary, for you more than I could ever imagine, but more than that, I know you two will make it through. You kinda just…do that. Find a path through your problems, no matter how ridiculous a solution it sounds to me.”

To the side I can see her Shadow rolling all four of her eyes, clearly no more amused by the vulpine’s antics any more than me, getting said fox’s spirits to rise out of her in the form of a giggle.

“Hey, if it works, it works.

“And you better be damn happy it does work, or else I’d have to kick your ass for how much you worry me.”

The two of us end up chuckling at one another while her Shadow sighs, though, it seems like less of an annoyed type, and more like…just unamused, which I’d consider a win for us. Even if there is something of a barrier between us in the form of this dream, between both her Shadow and I, and Fox and I  as well, it’s…so…so nice to be with her like this again. God, I missed this so much. I don’t think I’m completely comfortable around her Shadow, but the least I can do is not treat her like some kind of monster. Honestly, her stoicism and silence complement our chatter well in a way.

Eventually, the dream must end, however. Cherishing this time together, we awaken without even realizing it was about to happen, blinking our eyes open and smiling at one another. It’s decently early, so we definitely have time to cuddle before needing to get to business.

 

“G’meowrning, Nia– Oh, Goddess, hi?”

After having bundled myself up in a warm sweater, scarf, and skirt combo, I carry Fox into the Kitchen and find Niamh, clad only in an apron, frying pan in hand as she swings her hips to some unheard tune while she cooks up bacon and eggs.

“Weren’t you clothed when you went to bed?!”

“Am I not still clothed~?”

Shaking my head, I place Fox on the table and yank at one of the chairs, taking a seat and scrolling through my phone. Between bookmarking posts to share with Fox and Sue-Zee later, my eyes wander to the drooling critter sitting atop the table, attently tuned in to the sizzling and crackling of breakfast. I hope she’s back in time for supper…not sure even the heartiest of meals will last her through what’s planned for the day.

“Nia, pass the bread.”

The snake’s hips don’t stop swaying even as her tail slithers up to the cupboard and pulls out a loaf, chucking it my way with a knife in tow, which Fox expertly catches midair by the handle.

“My my, she’s still got it, doesn’t she~?”

“With how much she obsessed over blades when we were younger,” I begin to muse, taking the knife from Fox and cutting the bread into slices, “she was destined for either a life of crime, or lesbianism.”

The serpent, seeming content with the quality of her protein, deftly flips one sunny egg into the air with one hand, and catches it atop a plate with the other, repeating the process until each pan is empty, and three plates find themselves sunny and sizzling.

“I guess both turned out to be true.”

I get a chuckle out of Nia, Fox being much too consumed with consumption to pay attention as she devours her meal, and almost the plate with it, teething at it playfully. The snake joins us at the table, at which point I offer to cut her some slices as well, but she turns me down with a wave of her hand, content with her knife and fork, to which I shrug and load all the contents of the plate between two pieces of bread and dig in.

“...I can’t help but rue this peace and quiet knowing what kind of day it’s gonna be,” I sigh, my claw idly spinning the knife on the table while resting my head in my paw, Nia looking to add onto my thought after dabbing a napkin on her lips.

“If you want my two cents–”

“I don’t.”

“--I’d say you should cherish this moment. The calm before the storm is a respite most gracious, after all, and I would say I’m quite the expert on storms~”

Groaning and grabbing Nia and Fox’s plates, I stand up and start washing everything to take my mind off of things. Maybe she’s right though…taking this time to prepare may just be the best course of action, even if I can’t prepare for everything. Once the plates are set aside to dry, I wipe my paws clean and pull out my phone, begrudgingly preparing the only way I can at the moment.

 

7:42 - Cat Kitten - [Brat, give me details on my next mark]

 

Before I put my phone away, however, I glance over at Nia and Fox…one of which is in no shape to help in a fight, the other, planned to be in an entirely different reality soon enough. The rat has shown herself to be capable enough, but I’d be a lot more comfortable with a bit more backup, preferably one with a skill set to match and complement my own…

 

7:44 - Cat Kitten - [Legion, I’m calling on our allyship. I need an assassin by my side today. Could you send one to meet with me and the rat at 9:00AM? We’re meeting at her headquarters.]

 

Surprisingly enough, it doesn’t take long for the pirate to respond. I guess you think things through pretty quickly when you’re something of a hivemind, if I’m guessing correctly.

 

7:45 - Legion - [ (^-^)b ]

 

…I’ll take that as confirmation. A team of three should be enough, Rat Queen willing…honestly, it’s really comforting to be able to call upon others like this. Definitely a lot easier to ring up a space pirate assassin than it is to ask anyone close by, at the very least. I’d ask Liz to grab Poison, but…knowing what I do, and I’m sure Poison knows I know at this point, there would definitely be a bit of tension in the air, something that’s sure to impede work in some form or another.

 

While waiting on a reply from Liz, I turn to Nia and Fox and smile wearily.

“Well…I’ve probably got half an hour before I need to get going anywhere. Should we get Fox and her Shadow all set up to go?”

Nobody seems all too happy about it, but they nod all the same. Fox hops off the table and the four of us stand in the middle of the house, where I got down on a knee to give the girl a pet.

“Promise me you’ll come back in one piece. That’ll be all I need to push me through to the end of the day.”

The critter gives me a nod and the strongest smile she can muster.

“You too, her Shadow. I’m counting on you as much as I am Fox.”

I can feel Nia’s surprise as her Shadow coats Fox’s form, the much bigger wolf closing her eyes and nodding more solemnly. That deserves a pet too, I think, and as much as she pretends to protest, her wagging tail tells me she doesn’t mind as much as she wishes she did.

With that, I stand up and step back, side to side with Niamh as Fox takes the reins again, lashing her tail from side to side before dragging its tip across the floor, drawing a circle with its motions. The sound of chalk on pavement follows her motions, and her scarf glows faintly, the circle she stands in shining like a light reflected upon a mirror, and the fox hops off just before it opens up, revealing the odd world below. Glancing over at Niamh, she nods, slithering over and picking Fox up in her arms.

“Take care, Kitten. May my love guide you once more~”

“Yeah, yeah, love you too, whatever…”

At last, the two of them slip into the Radiant World, and the hole closes behind them, leaving not a trace in their wake. Sighing, I pull out my phone, finding no reply from Liz yet, surprisingly enough…oh well. As nice as a head start on info would be, not having to hear from her is also nice. Throwing my coat on over my hoodie, I begin making my way towards Aspen Town.

 

Though I’d prefer to talk with them after all is said and done today, I do ask around for Sue-Zee, and yet, no one seems to have seen them since yesterday…Shit, maybe I should have waited to ask, worrying about more is the last thing I need right now. Thankfully, I do still have time to unwind before throwing myself at any particular problem, giving me a chance to check in on Jasper, hard at work at her diner despite having just Ascended the night prior. The tall blue wolf lady looks happier than ever, even as her coworkers insist she take it easy, there’s no step too high for her stride.

I set a course through the town, looking to check in on friends and family before getting knee deep in rat shit.

Meow.

Speak of the devil…just as I’m about to make my way to mom’s, my phone buzzes, the rat having finally replied. Took her long enough…

 

8:25 - Bad Rat - [sorry toots, queen needs her beauty sleep~]

8:25 - Bad Rat - [thanksfully for yous, y’ain’t got much ta wade thru today~]

8:26 - Bad Rat - [next stop on da hit list is…the Frigid Anomaly]

8:27 - Bad Rat - [the place oozes Radiant Meddling, i mean, the whole thing is an upside down clocktower, but my rats have never seen a single minion or da like, so it’s really just about convincin’ da head honcho~]

8:28 - Cat Kitten - [So what’s the deal with this boss?]

8:29 - Bad Rat - [real mysterious one this Janus fella is, from what i’s seen when we bosses gotta meet, they look human, but in an uncanny kinda way]

8:30 - Bad Rat - [honestly looks real fake, both literally and figuratively~]

8:30 - Bad Rat - [ain’t sure how well you’ll be able to verbally convince em, so once again, win by any means necessary~]

 

…Janus?

Why does that ring a bell…

…

Oh fuck.

I speed towards Coyotl’s place without a second to waste, zipping through the streets of Aspen Town and turning heads as my paws leave melted puddles of snow in my tracks. Upon arrival, I knock on their door maybe a bit too hard, but the sinking feeling in my gut urges me to treat this as dire. The chimera opens the door, rubbing at their eye tiredly but jolting awake upon seeing who their visitor is.

“C-Cat! What is the matter? You appear distressed.”

Ah, shit. Collecting myself, one deep breath after another, I calm myself a smidge, more worked up emotionally than physically.

“Sorry, sorry, but I don’t have much time,” I explain, Coyo inviting me inside to take a seat at their table, the dark green interior lacking much lighting besides that from the morning sun. “What can you tell me about Janus? The one you mentioned yesterday.”

They tilt their head at me as they take a seat across from me, tapping at their chin thoughtfully.

“They are referred to as ‘The Faithful Liar’ within the tomes of the Inktons. As I had explained previously, Janus tricked Broila– Ah, they refer to your goddess as such because she had only become Yombroila after attaining godhood–by betraying their supposed friendship. Yombroila had assisted the time manipulating Radiant through her journey to godhood, but for whatever reason, they agreed without hesitation to assist the Inktons in capturing the goddess.”

Furrowing my brow and leaning over the table, I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

“And now they reside under the very town which the Inktons reside in–”

“Resided.”

My thought is interrupted by Coyotl’s interjection, prompting me to cock an eyebrow at the chimera.

“Resided?”

They nod.

“There are no more Inktons within Monorise. Waywright was the last.”

I blink at Coyo before shaking my head and standing up, my fur raised and mind on edge.

“S-sorry, I don’t have time to think about that. I’ve got 15 minutes to meet with Liz and teach this time bender a lesson on betrayal.”

Coyotl squints, standing up as well.

“J-Janus is a leader in Subterfuge?!” they exclaim, seeming to close their cloak more as something under it shakes.

“Apparently,” I nod, already making my way for the door of the dark and bright house, “and now I’ve got about five reasons to march on down there and kick their ass into the next century.”

“Please, let me come with–”

But I shake my head, standing under the frame of the entrance and frown at Coyotl.

“You still need rest, and I work better in smaller groups. I promise, if I need you, I’ll call on you. But I promise you, I’ll be fine.”

The chimera grumbles, gripping at their cloak anxiously before nodding in defeat.

“Okay. I understand. But I will prove myself to you. That’s my promise.”

Giving them a smile and a salute, I take a step out of the house.

“I’m not the one who needs proving to, but I get the sentiment. Take care, sis.”

Without looking back, I charge forward, wasting no time in making my way to Monorise and below.