I play ferryman in the early part of the morning, after launching the boat, delivering two cat people to the slope at the north end of the field. Less than an hour later they are back down having found and marked the road. They begin discussions with the soldiers on how to make the move across the water and up the hill. I pull a fair amount of rope from my supplies and deliver it to the soldiers making the plans. I then head off to find Awseeka leaving a group of wide-eyed soldiers behind. Why do I have so much rope? Nobody leaves rope behind in a survival situation. It is just too useful and should be scavenged whenever it is found.

When I found Awseeka she was chomping at the bit.

“I have been watching the people from the house. They have been working around and in the large collapsed building. I can see the cats moving in and out of it.”

Awseeka has large dark circles under her eyes. She was up most of the night to finishing binding to the staff that I gave her.

“Are you sure you’re up to this? You don’t look so good.” I know she can hardly wait.

“Are you a cruel man or a kind one?”

Chuckling I turned and started walking toward the barn. After a few steps, I pick up a leg entering my awareness sphere. Awseeka is inside of my awareness but this person is keeping their distance just occasionally leaving a sign of their existence. I don't know what is going on but it is starting to creep me out. When we reach a distance that I can talk to the woman who noticed me, and had walked to the barn ahead of me, I stopped suddenly. Kayvan stumbles into my awareness zone. I turn and look directly at him.

“Did you want a cat too?”

Kayvan has a surprised look on his face. Awseeka looks at me, then hiding a smile behind a hand turns her head.

“How?” Kayvan is trapped in his shock.

"We can talk about it later. Are you here for a cat?"

“But... Yes, please see if you can negotiate a second cat.”

The woman now has a puzzled look on her face. Crap, starting off with a foreign language in front of her is not a good start. But, I have misread the situation. Her puzzled look is reserved for Kayvan.

"Oh, there were three of you. I didn't notice at first. You must be James. I'm Ruth, Jerry's wife, he said you would like some cats. Most of these are half-feral. Even the friendly ones are spooked by strangers. I'll try to help you spot them. Good luck catching them. And try to be gentle with them. It's late winter so I think that at least two of the females are pregnant at this point. With careful handling, the next generation should make good pets."

“Let me translate.”

Awseeka hears the word kittens and she is sold on that idea. Kayvan however would prefer not to have that responsibility. With this, the cat hunt begins. It ends far quicker and easier than Ruth expected. An orange and white striped tabby was claimed by Awseeka. Kayvan snared a young male, a short-haired cat with black and brown stripes. The spell simply froze the cats in place for a few seconds before they trotted over to the two wizards and started rubbing against them. Awseeka had no trouble using her new staff and Kavan had pair of open-fingered gloves with crystals mounted on the back that he used as a focus. This is a totally different experience than what Cheeter went through.

Both mages offered profuse thanks. Translation was unnecessary.

On the way back Kayvan started the conversation.

“How, just how did you know I was there?”

“Why don’t you answer me first, were you sneaking over there to steal a cat?”

“They are just farmers.”

"They own the land they farm. Besides, how is it that you being a better class, which I question, keeps you from being a thief?"

“I may be the third son of a baron and unable to hold title or land but I was still borne a noble.”

"So what? If you take another person's property, you are a thief. Does being a noble change who or what you are? All it does is change the opportunities that you will have in life. In our society being a noble is just a fancy label. It grants no special privileges."

This seems to be a very bitter pill for both Awseeka and Kayvan.

“So you are also of noble birth Awseeka?”

"Yes, serving the Duke's family may give me the opportunity to improve my status since I refused to let my father marry me off."

“Hold up. You still haven’t said how you were able to tell I was there.”

“I didn’t know it was you till I turned around and saw you. I just knew that there were three of us going across the field.”

“My magic deadened all sound I made. My magic made me seem unimportant, unworthy of notice.”

"Had the opposite effect on me. The longer we walked the creepier the feeling I had that someone was behind me."

A light bulb seems to have gone off over Awseeka’s head. “Monstrafication!”

Kayvan responds with, “He doesn’t show any of the classic symptoms.”

My response is just, “Hu?”

Awseeka misunderstands my puzzled look. "Monstrafication is a condition that rarely occurs. It happens to people who are exposed to extreme amounts of both noosha and cooisma without having a blessing. You probably have a mana stone or two forming in your body. It could explain so much of why you seem so abnormal. We will do a full aura reading when we get back to camp."

“It doesn’t hurt, or do anything to me. Right?”

“Not at all. If we can get L’halis to help then we should be able to get a very detailed map.”

"Mmm," I am not so sure I like this idea but have no idea how to sidetrack them without calling extra attention to myself.

When we arrive at camp I am saved. My chainsawing skills are needed. I begin turning fallen trees into usable poles and the plan for moving across the water and up the hill begins. By evening the soldiers the cat people and myself are exhausted. Two rows of large heavy poles have been driven into the hillside. Set in pairs slightly wider than the wagons and thirty feet between pairs, they will allow us to incrementally haul the wagons up the hill.

One of the maids Canisia has with her is a marvel when it comes to cooking. She has taken canned peaches macaroni and other odds and ends and turned it into a great dinner. However, it has turned into a trap. I am surrounded.

“Et to L’halis?”

“Hu? I’m sorry but with these two there is no way you can escape this. So, I might as well learn what I can as well.” His smile shows no remorse.

I continue dinner while the three set small objects in a pattern around me. There are slight disagreements about placement but soon that all ends and each of the three wizards are pointing their chosen focus crystals at me.

It seems that several of the soldiers have magic abilities as well since shortly after the procedure begins I hear gasps and expressions with a few unfamiliar words. I think these words are not ones they should use around the young lady. But, what they are looking at has loosened their tongues.

“By Haugers holy light” Kayvan also seems quite animated by what he is seeing.

“Hello, the victim can hear you. Will someone let me know what is so exciting?”

For a while, no one wants to say anything. L'halis finally breaks the silence. "What you have seems to be like monstrafication but completely different. A thin film of cooisma has grown into your bones in a complex pattern. Noosha veins and finer structures are tied to it or painted onto it. Like cats or wolves but at a complexity level that I can not understand"

“Does that mean I do or do not have mana stones growing inside me?”

“I wouldn’t say what I am seeing is stones.” Kayvan

“More like some sort an impossible ink painting but not anything you could ever understand.” Awseeka

“So what is it that you are seeing?” Silence follows my question.

Again it is L'halis who breaks the silence. "One of the main uses for mana stones is magic ink. This is used for creating complex designs on paper or with a different formulation and process applied to objects. If someone were to use this ink to write with an impossibly fine pen the densest indecipherable pattern possible that would describe what we are seeing written onto the bones of your skull."

“There are also some fine lines and small patterns written on the bones of his arms and hands” Kayvan pipes in.

Awseeka follows in. “Really? I was fixated on his head. Look, they run out onto his leg bones as well.

Even when I look as close as I can the pattern is indistinguishable.”

"It is nothing like scroll patterns or weapon enchantments," L'halis comments while tapping his upper lip.

At this point, I chose to remain silent and finish my dinner.

"Do you think others of his people will develop these patterns? Maybe all of them?" Awseeka continues the discussion.

“Perhaps there was a unique trigger.” Kayvan postulates. “He did kill a small earth dragon early on.”

“His friend Dan was with him but shows no unique abilities.” L’halis counters.

“His cats are also unique creatures. Perhaps” Awseeka’s eyes wander over to my tent.

“Remember what happened last time someone went after my cats?” My warning tempers the excitement of the three magi.

“Maybe the trigger was a function of location when our worlds merged,” L’halis ponders. “James, were you close to the cats when our worlds merged?”

A golden opportunity for a misleading truth. "Yes. As close as from here to our first campsite next to the water. Which reminds me I think the water is getting a little close for spending the night here again."

Krysal then pulls the conversation further off track. “James do you have any idea on how to get your tractor across the water and up that slope?”

"No. I will probably leave it with the farmers who live here. It should be able to help them move to the corner crossing area. Do you think there will be enough room in your wagons for my stuff?"

"Half the food we are eating comes from your supplies. We better make room for it." This earns a few chuckles from those listening in.

The magic which illuminated the digital circuitry which is now written into my bones has faded. I would be kidding myself to think the interest in it has faded as well. At least it has not been equated to some form of blessing. Or, is this viewed as some sort of curse? Guess I need to dig deeper. “Is cooisma that different than noosha?”

L'halis goes into teacher mode. "There are three magic aethers. Noosha, you are familiar with, is a gift from the gods. Cooisma is an aspect of nature. Unlike noosha which becomes one with the body, it remains separate from the body. It attempts to improve the body it colonizes. It often does this through structural changes and or the growth of mana stones. Finally, there is miasma. This is the opposite of noosha. It invades the body to dominate and consume it.

Mana stones are said to be the blessing of the god of the wild places. It is considered to be a truly neutral god. People with mana stones can sustain far more noosha in their bodies giving them greater strength, stamina, and recuperative abilities. They usually have two or three abilities that they can use. Demons, cats, and wolves all use cooisma."

"Demons, cats, and wolves? They all have cooisma as part of them. What makes them different?"

For a change, it is Awseeka who answers. "Wolves and cats each have a god who blessed their kind with a specific shape, defined powers, and abilities. The cooisma in them is set to a specific form and lines their bones to a small amount. It is very rare that it jumps these boundaries and begins monstrafication. The people who end up as demons end up with a random mix of form, power, and abilities. The cooisma in demons does what it can to promote the survival of the host."

"Do you think that my little cats and I were touched by the god of the wild maybe a splash of something new?" Let's try planting the seeds of a new narrative. A story that will let me coexist within their belief system. I have a reasonable-sized audience hear this should kick things in a direction that is favorable to me.

“You know that makes as much sense as anything considering what is going on with you. Especially since your friend Dan shows no signs of having your abilities.” L’halis overheard my conversation with the cats. He may be more of an ally than I thought.

Awseeka isn't convinced but seems to be heading in the same direction. "It wouldn't explain how quickly you picked up the language but it would explain why your strength and agility are nearly equal to the cats."

Kayvan seems far more interested in drawing in information than letting it back out. He is measuring the expressions on people's faces. I may have misread him. He is not so much the duke's daughter's guard as he is the duke's spy. Next conversation I have with him I will poke him some more. These guys need to be ready for what they will find when they return to their world. The duke's daughter seems like a good kid. If her family is dead, and she has yet to receive her blessing when she shows up, will she be killed or used as a game piece? This crew needs to wise up.

Dinner is finished and cleanup as well. Camp is moved another hundred feet away from the water's edge. As dusk descends a few of the cats gather with me as I take a walk before bed.

“Is it true? Is what you have a blessing of the god of the wild?” One of the male cats is upset by this possibility.

“I can’t say it is impossible but my dreams started right after I killed a big bear and was covered in noosha. The abilities didn’t show up until the dreams had progressed to a point where it was reasonable for them to show up. You heard the mages, I don’t have defined mana stones in me. That is what is supposed to define the blessing of the god of the wild.”

Krysal then smiles. “So you encouraged them to believe something that makes them comfortable and you safe.”

“That is exactly what I am trying to do.”

The cats are, like their little distant relatives, very curious. I don't think they have made the connection yet between my small pets and their own existence. Their color patterns do not have the singularity of large wild cats but display the random nature of the small domestic house cat. They are filled with questions about our technology. They have seen the power of my tools. I spend a large part of the evening talking about engines. The cats could benefit so much from interaction with the remains of modern society. The survivors of my world would likewise benefit greatly from the relationship. Something for me to work toward. A lot will hinge on just how big of a mess the duchy is in. If it has devolved into chaos half this crew may be racing in the opposite direction in a few weeks.

That night I pull guard duty with one of the older male cats.

“Seksal, what does it mean when a cat brushes the back of their hand across the side of someone else’s face?”

“Lip to ear, or ear to lip?”

“It makes a difference?”

"Yes. From ear to lip it is to tease or cause a bit of annoyance with someone you are close to. From lip to ear it is saying I take your scent for myself. It is an invitation to become closer in a relationship. I already know Krysal has her tail in the air because of you."

"How much of her interest is because of the nature of my abilities and the duke's daughter asking her to learn about me?"

"You are asking me to look into a woman's heart? My seventy years is not half of what is need to see into such darkness. Your sad smile reveals much. Humor aside I am sure she has a genuine interest in you. You need to understand two things. You will never be able to have children with her or any of our people. Second, she will outlive you by one hundred and fifty to two hundred years. Plenty of time for her to have a full family filled with grandchildren."

“If we are both still alive in five years it will be a major accomplishment. Staying alive for the next five weeks will be a challenge. But, I understand your point, the longer I manage to stay alive the greater the things you just said will matter.”

"If she were a little less headstrong I might have a bit of a talk with her about this. Given her nature, I have to wonder if such a talk would have good results. Whatever path you take be kind. She is more naive than she will admit and therefore foolish, as so many young women are."

I look into the starless sky and say, "If she is willing to be honest with me and herself, I may let this play out."

“You had dealings with a dishonest woman?”

“Our society took personal freedom to excessive extremes. Many people ended up emotionally confused and damaged. Norms and beliefs shifted to make people feel good about themselves. People with mild forms of insanity were declared normal and normal people were expected to accept these changed norms without question. The girl I was involved with dove headlong into the new normal. The deeper she accepted these ideals the less happy she became. One branch of thought she had embraced placed the root of all female unhappiness at the feet of men. So, rather than question her new belief system she found it easier to blame me and her father for any dissatisfaction in her life. It got crazy toward the end. It was impossible to have a rational conversation with her. I suppose the person she was most dishonest with was herself. I wonder what happened to her? Probably berried under some skyscraper.”

“The only thing you just talked about that I am even remotely curious about is, what’s a skyscraper?”

“You did ask if I dealings with a dishonest woman. A skyscraper is a building over forty stories tall. The taller ones have over twice that many floors.”

“You are just teasing this cat, no?”

"Absolutely honest. Though all my peoples' big cities are now scrapyards filled with scavengers."

“Are you so sure that none are still standing?”

"No matter how well you build a tall building if you tip it and shake it, it will fall."

"I would have liked to have seen such a tall building."

"Hmm."

“What is it?”

"The phase of the moon hasn't changed."

“It’s only been one day. What do you expect?”

That night’s dreams informed me that my audio enhancement would be undergoing calibration testing today. When I wake up I can almost hear Dan laughing at me and making jokes about my superpowers.