FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

***Chapter 6***

The surprise waiting for them when they returned to the more urban centers of the city was unexpected. There were groups of people waiting for them, dressed in their finest robes and attire, all black with golden outlines and each wearing a headdress with angular claw marks decorating the blank space. Praise of all kinds came in the direction of the injured soldiers, prayers of safety and health filled the air. These priests moved out of the way and allowed the civilians to come and give their thanks.

Lorif smiled at them all. He worked with Sovu to carry the tired and frail Abir through the city, a robe and a mask to hide his face and frame from the onlookers. Hands reached out to touch the captain and his entourage, Tok'kaj greatly loved the attention. Sovu looked over at the captain and gave a small smile as they walked through the growing crowd. They pushed on to meet with Sarif, the old cat from their first journey into the city, with Prince Ayriss by her side and they both gently came to take the frail man from their arms.

"<What is behind this mask is for your eyes only. I will explain later>," Sovu whispered into his brother's ear. The Prince nodded and took the man from them and almost as soon as he left, the many people of the city came to congratulate the Captain and his followers, in particular a young dark skinned woman with braided black hair, golden adornments holding the braids. She came and kissed Lorif's hands, saying a phrase in her native tongue and then kissed his hands again, tears in her eyes.

Upon her first touch, all others came to the captain, placing their hand upon his body. Anywhere they could touch, his shoulder, his hair, his face, his arms, legs or hands, anywhere. All of them gave their congratulations and it felt as if the entire audience was of one mind.

Celebrations soon followed. Lorif and his soldiers were celebrities in the city, everywhere they went, they were accosted by someone thanking them and kissing their hands. Lorif was happy that the people were happy, everyone making their way to the palace where the other Prince's jumped out to greet their rescued brother.

"Thank the Hadaii!"

"We've heard nothing from anyone all day!"

"We feared the worst!"

"Nice scars! You fight your way out?"

"Brothers!!" Sovu laughed as they all swarmed to hug him. “It is good to see all of you! Truly!" He hugged them all personally, none of them caring that he was still dirty from the caverns. Rasi in particular had come bolting from the side, practically leaping into the arms of the white cat. Sovu caught him effortlessly, the two spinning for a bit as Rasi buried his face into the cat's robes.

“I am alright," he spoke softly into the young kitten's ear. Rasi could feel the vibrations of his brother and struggled to hold back his tears. Captain Lorif smiled at the reunion, Kamath patting his shoulder with a smile on his face. It was then that Sovu turned around to Lorif and took his hand, bringing him forward.

“My brothers, I would like to offer thanks to our protector, Captain Lorif, and his soldiers! I would like to have a day of celebration for these brave warriors! They have risked their lives to save mine! I wish for these people to have a day of praise all to themselves! Let the people of the city see the faces of the brave men and women who came and saved me!" Sovu kissed Lorif on both cheeks before going to Ahsee and doing the same. The Prince's laughed but no one disagreed, but first these armored heroes all had to clean themselves up. The celebrations could come later. For now, everyone rests.

*****

“Wooohoo! Another job well done!" said one of the soldiers, quickly rushing into the washroom. All of the soldiers and guards who went to help rescue Prince Sovu had come to the bathhouse to detox and wash up. It was a truly beautiful room, brilliant arches lined the entrances to the various baths, enough room to host a party if so required. Ahsee imagined that all of the servants in the palace could all fit in here with some room to spare. Beautiful spiral patterns lined the walls and floors, almost hypnotic in their appearance. The sunroof overhead was marked with a star that allowed the sun to peer down and the star shadow below covered the entire floor. Small glowing crystals lined the large rectangular bath in the center, smaller baths off in the corners, just at the points of the shadow of the star.

“Hey! Wash yourself off before you rush into the main bath!" One of the other soldiers called, quickly racing to block her companion from slovenly throwing himself into the biggest bath in the room covered in dirt and muck. He scoffed and started to turn around, smirking to himself as he then quickly raced back to his fellow soldier and picked her up in his arms.

“H-hey! Put me down! Not while we're naked you pervert!" She exclaimed, her face going red as she was carried off her feet, kicking and flailing, giving an indecent display to her colleagues who simply laughed as she was carried off to one of the smaller baths closer to the side. It was enough to hold a small gathering of people and there were even benches for others to sit, but the male soldier took no time to sight-see. He practically jumped into the bath with his friend and splashed her with some water.

“There! All clean!" He mused, his hair now wet and covering his eyes. “Unless… you need some help scrubbing those hard to reach places?" He teased as his friend slowly leaned away from him, splashing him in the face with water before escaping.

“Go scrub your own hard to reach places," she said quickly, but no one could deny she was hiding a smile. Men and Women both enjoyed the bathhouse with no issue at all. They had all been together for years and had long since abandoned shame when around each other. Everyone had a towel with them, freely gifted by the palace servants, but not very many used it to cover up. Ahsee herself only had hers around her neck. Everyone comfortably washed themselves off before disappearing to whichever bath they wished. Some picked corner baths, little pocket groups of soldiers speaking with one another in more personal areas while Ahsee remained with those who took the main center bath. She took her time getting in, the warm waters almost bubbling as steam could be seen emanating from it. But it felt soooooo relaxing getting in! She could hardly believe it! She had never had baths like this back home. She might have to look into buying a place here when this was all over…

“Hey boss!" called one of her companions, a handsome gentleman with short black hair that one of the female guards was scrubbing clean for him. “Is every day gonna be like this? Relaxing in a nice warm bath in a rich Cat city?" The man had such a carefree attitude towards it all, leaning against the bath as his companion helped to clean him. He was one of the more injured fighters, scars across his chest and arms and a pretty bad scratch at his neck. A blonde haired woman was helping him wash up as he seemed to wince at any movement of his arm. He moved some hair out of his way and gave Ahsee a view of his bright green eyes.

“Likely not. We're an extra security force so we'll help patrol the streets and keep the peace. So enjoy this while you can!" She spoke loudly so everybody could hear and nearly laughed when she heard a few groans in displeasure.

“Sad," the soldier said. “Was really hoping to take in the sights here. Get to know some of the girls here." He stuck out his tongue in a salacious sneer, earning a tug on the ear from the woman washing him.

“Everyone here is a cat, Syn. Is that really what you're into?"

“Why not, Erah?" The man named Syn replied. “Nice soft fur, those lovely tails that just curl around you, and I bet they purr real nice when you get 'em riled up hehehe!" He flashed a smug grin and was met with a groan from his washer, the woman purposefully scrubbing hard on the wound on his chest, making him yelp in pain.

“And I bet those claws will feel really nice on your skin too," she chimed.

“This city ain't a brothel, man. It's not like you can stroll up to one of them say 'Hey, let's fuck!'."

“Why not? They already freaking love us after rescuing the Prince's AND taking down those weird robed guys! We've saved this city from certain destruction on our SECOND DAY. If that doesn't impress the ladies, I don't know what will."

“Respect, compassion, kindness, humility…" Erah began.

“Learning their language, learning their culture, a bundle of flowers even…" Another soldier joined in, laughing as more began to dogpile in and add more and more pleasant options. Ahsee laughed as Syn pouted and began to sink into the water.

“We're only trying to help, Syn. Don't be such a baby." Erah helped him back up, sitting him on the edge of the bath.

“You're killing my fun, that's what you're doing," He mumbled as Erah rolled her eyes and left him to sulk on his own, finally getting to clean herself off. “Don't tell me you guys aren't at least a LITTLE BIT interested in having some fun while we're here."

“We never said that!" One soldier called from a distant bath.

“Of course we wanna have fun!"

“But there are other ways to have fun that don't involve takin' your clothes off, Syn!"

“Sounds boring to me," Syn waved a limp hand in the air. It seemed like he was getting a few people to agree with his sentiment though, a few of the soldiers nearby began to nod their heads. Ahsee simply listened as everyone began to speak more and more about their relaxing stay in the city. Not just enjoying the locals, but the city itself! It was a marvel of a city, beautiful as can be. Ahsee in particular was in awe. She had rarely seen Feraci so a whole city of them was new for her to get used to, and the true beauty of the city was unlike any that could be described in her books back home.

They wanted to explore, wander the markets and take part in the plays and games. They wanted to entwine themselves with the day to day of the city and began to see this stay as less of a military matter and more as a vacation. Which brought to light a question…

“Lieutenant, what now?" Syn asked, a note of confusion in his voice. Ahsee took a moment to think of an answer and every passing second she could feel more of her companions looking her way. “If we've saved these people from their hidden assassins, helped solve a kidnapping problem we didn't know was a thing, and saved two Prince's from being killed… What's left?"

“Good question…" That was all she could say before sighing.

“We're security." At last, Captain Lorif had come into the room, his towel around his neck in much the same vein as Ahsee. Everyone almost immediately straightened up at his presence, all conversations halted as the Captain walked into the room, passing by some of the injured soldiers and offering his sympathies.

“Extra security. We earned these people's trust with our actions. Every day we are here, they are asking the exact same question we are. 'Why are they still here? Are they staying? Is this an occupation?'" The Captain spoke with such an ease, not chiding any of his companions but also not letting them think themselves as Gods in this city.

“So then… what do we do?" Syn asked.

“We will remind them all every day that this is not an occupation and we're not simply taking up space. We will do our job, keep the peace, protect the people, but we will also listen to them. Learn their language, their culture, traditions, customs. Anything and everything is useful knowledge. The more we know about them, the more comfortable they will be around us until eventually…" he leaned back in the bath, placing his warm towel over his eyes. “They don't even bother to ask."

***Chapter 7***

Nightfall came after the bath, Lorif allowing his soldiers to partake in the celebrations the Prince's threw for them. It was truly extravagant, the entire time Lorif was mostly standing watch. Kind Cats came and offered him drinks (he had one) and some came and offered him… other services (they were quite loose around here it seemed) but he wasn't one for accepting celebrations or rewards for doing his job. Of course he was happy that everyone else was happy but there was a part of him that was less enthused. Seemed… wasteful.

But he wasn't going to let his own personal gripes get in the way of the festivities. The people here just loved to party. He let them be, wandering the palace halls instead. If he was going to be here for a while, it would be best to familiarize himself with the layout.

Light blue crystals lined the hallway, providing more light than any torch of fire could and leaving the halls with a gorgeous ethereal glow. His room was located on the highest floor of the palace near all of the Prince's should they have need of him in the late hours. The doors were closed of course, locked as all the Prince's had retired for the evening. But there was one door that remained open.

Glancing in the room, Lorif saw that sitting near a window looking out to the city was Prince Kamath, almost invisible in the shadows of the room. In his lap was Prince Aziqi, resting soundly and purring softly at the gentle petting of his brother. The room was cool, a calm blue lighting highlighting the walls as a soft blue carpet lined the floor. Incense flowed from the room, a pleasant scent of roses. Kamath turned to look at the Captain who gave a simple wave.

“Evening Captain." The Prince said, motioning for Lorif to come inside.

“Evening. I didn't want to disturb you."

“It's no issue at all." Prince Kamath looked back out the window. “I've never been one for celebrations myself." Lorif looked at him with a slight smirk and saw that the cat had the same smirk across his muzzle, knowing he had the Captain's attention. The room was cool, inviting, the only sound being the shuffling of the curtains and the light purring of Prince Aziqi.

“It's a beautiful city you have," Lorif said quietly.

“Every city is beautiful from a distance," Kamath said simply. Despite his tone, he was clearly thankful for the comment. “Your soldiers seem very happy to partake in the festivities. I hope they will not forget their primary task."

“I'll make sure they don't." Lorif leaned against the window, looking out at the city. Roaming lights of lanterns and torches, people partying and the latent sounds of vendor's calling for the sale of their wares. A night city in motion. “So, these rebels we took down. The ones that kidnapped the Prince's…" Kamath seemed to tense slightly, but said nothing. “How did you know they were hiding in the underground of the city? And why was it still standing?"

“Sovu wished to keep them. Personal memorabilia…" Lorif could tell he was holding back but so he waited for more. It was a while before the cat spoke again. “And perhaps a reminder for the others of the city."

“What do you mean?" Kamath looked at the Captain for a moment, his purple eyes glowing in the dark.

“We were at our best during the siege of the city. Everyone loved us. Would have done anything we wanted."

“Is it not that way anymore?"

“Not as much." Kamath's ear twitched as Aziqi yawned, blinking his eyes open before laying eyes on the Captain, a smile overtaking his face.

“Ahhhhh the hero of the city! Blessings to you, Captain Lorif." Lorif chuckled as the cat stretched.

“Blessings to you as well. Sleep well?"

“I always do! I must! A lot of work is coming in the next few days. The celebrations will begin soon and they are likely to be the most bombastic of any we have ever had given the recent victory." Aziqi gave a small blep and grabbed the scarf nearby, whispering a word that made some letters on the fabric glow and rush around his head, neatly tucked into a comfortable headscarf. “Sovu wants decorations, the Clan Mothers want a space in the main square so I have to move those already there, I have to buy the tools for Rasi to harvest his food for the humans, we'll need laborers to actually harvest the crops, I need to gather their wages… Sand and Skies, I need another nap." Aziqi immediately collapsed onto his side, closing his eyes as if going back to rest. Lorif and Kamath shared a laugh.

“Well, my soldiers are here to help. True it's for extra security but with the main opposition dealt with, I can have them help you with everything needed. After all, a good celebration makes people happy and happy people don't cause trouble, thus security." Aziqi nodded slowly, a smile curling upon his lips as he looked up to Kamath who shrugged.

“If you can get Shah to agree. He runs the day to day." Lorif looked at the small house cat who licked his paw nonchalantly.

“Prince Shah'ryar. One of my younger brothers. He is responsible for administration of the city since Cyrus is unable. A long story, do not ask." Prince Aziqi cut off the question he knew was coming as Lorif quickly put his hand down. “Grab that pillow for me. Hold it in your arms." Lorif did as commanded, grabbing a dark purple pillow with golden frills and holding it in his arms. Not a second after, the house cat jumped onto the pillow, resting comfortably in its center and smiling proudly.

“Aziqi…" Kamath began, already chuckling.

“What? Samira is asleep and I need to get to bed somehow. I have a very busy day in the morning. My bed is down the hall, third door on the left. Take your time, the walk helps me sleep." The housecat rested his head on the pillow, dozing off already as Lorif followed instructions.

“I will let Shah'ryar know you wish to speak with him in the morning," Kamath smirked, following Lorif to the door. “In the meantime, try and get some sleep."

**********

Sovu and Ayriss sat in the center of a large room, the walls lined with rows and rows of shelves of books, some even hovering above their heads. Abir rested nearby, sitting on a bench with a female cat coming to hold his hand. Sovu and Ayriss sat on a beautifully decorated blue rug, Incense burning nearby and the both of them looking down at the item between them. A pale white mask, broken into pieces…

“This was in the underground catacombs?" Ayriss asked softly.

“Worn by the robed humans, yes."

“Have any others survived?"

“Lost in the fire. I was unable to get any from the bodies and digging underground for the canals would destabilize the integrity of the city."

“Hmm…I'll send Ose to fix them in the morning." Ayriss replied. The mask was placed into a bowl of mana dust, crushed up crystals that burned but gave no smoke, a light sizzling of lightning rumbling beneath. Ayriss took an inhale and the pieces of the mask slowly began to merge together, the cracks healing together, however it was still missing some pieces. The mask was incomplete and unfortunately the material wasn't as common as ceramic. Neither of them knew what and that was the first thing they needed to find out about.

“Does Shah'ryar know?" Ayriss asked.

“I have not told him. I want to be as sure as possible of what we are looking for before I make it such a grand issue." Ayriss looked at his brother incredulously. “Yes, I know, but he's… busy. He has more pressing matters to attend to. The Clan Mothers will be here by the end of the week and I need to make sure this does not go awry."

“They're still coming?"

“You know we can't turn them away. We need the money and even one - ONE mess up from us and they'll never trust the city again." Ayriss hissed under his breath.

“Harridans…"

“Is there any way you can find out about what this mask does?"

“Not without the whole of the piece. It's missing too many parts." The Mask was practically in pieces, the left half of it nearly shattered, the blue mana streaks of power that once coursed through it now dissipated and released long ago. Shards and pieces of the mask that were lucky enough to be salvaged were collected in the dust but even when you put the whole thing together, it had too many holes. The right half was burned, almost melted and smaller bits and pieces were gone forever leaving holes all over the mask. The only thing they could properly guess was that the mask was for a human based on its appearance but whatever use it had was difficult to guess.

“We're stuck."

“Maybe. I'm sure I have an answer here somewhere but I don't have enough hands to help me clear these books. Most of my servants are going to celebrate the Mahajrahn and I can't comb through these books by myself.

“Luckily…" Called a third voice from the shadows. Kamath had slowly walked into the room and leaned against a bookshelf. “We have just received some help from the Captain and his friends."

“Really?" Ayriss and Sovu asked together.

“The Captain Offered his aid just an hour ago." All three cats smiled confidently as they looked over the mask. Ayriss was first to speak.

“I know just how to use them. But I am going to need time to train them. In the meantime…" Ayriss looked over at Abir. He was dressed in long white robes and had a scarf covering his face. Kamath slowly brought him over to the other Prince's and when Sovu touched him, he freaked out, shaking before feeling the cat's paw pads and calming instantly. He pulled down his face coverings and placed the Prince's hand against his cheek.

It was still eerie seeing a human face with no features. No eyes, nose, or mouth, no expressions could be given or discerned. Despite all that, Abir was kind, slow in his movements, almost graceful. There was an earnest passion behind his actions and genuine care as he placed the cat's hand over his face. His breath was slow, but he felt his hand begin to shake. He clutched the Prince's hand so tightly, pulling Sovu close so quickly that Kamath moved in to try and separate them but he was stopped. Abir wasn't trying to hurt him.

He was crying. A man with no eyes desperately trying to cry.

“Is there any way we can help him… recover?" Sovu asked quietly. Ayriss sighed.

“I don't know. I've never seen something like this before. I'll need more time to figure out what's wrong with him first before I can reverse it." Sovu looked unsatisfied with the answer. Hopefully a better one could be found in the coming days.

***Chapter 8***

“Alright everyone! Fall in!" Ahsee commanded, the various soldiers all rushing in and standing at attention at her command, a stern look of obedience on every man and woman's face. “With our recent successes, the city is starting to perk up at the sight of us. To keep this good will, Captain Lorif spoke with one of the Prince's and got us some jobs. We're gonna be additional helping hands for the festival." Not a single soul dared to speak any dissent, all agreeing upon the instant she finished speaking. “Captain! We're ready." Ahsee turned around to face Captain Lorif as he walked into the room with a few special guests at his side.

Three cats came into the room, ever bit the grandeur and prestige you would imagine of a Prince of the city. All three of them were different breeds of feline, differing heights and body types, but nonetheless were all royalty.

The tallest was truly massive in size. For comparison, Lorif and Ahsee were similar in height, both being average height for an adult male and female. Ahsee would need to stand on the Captain's shoulders in order to meet eye to eye with this tiger and even then he'd still have some inches on them. He was fit as an ox, nearly every bit of him that was visible was muscled and defined, yet also scarred and grey. If one looked close enough, you'd see some of his tiger stripes were broken, faded scars across them and they only increased in severity the further up his body you went. His neck and face were lined with scars and yet somehow he still looked handsome, a proud smile on his face and bright green eyes that gave the sense of joy and confidence. He was dressed in less extravagant clothing than his contemporaries, wearing a red overcoat with a mostly white gown with a black belt to tie it together and armor clearly placed underneath. He seemed ready to jump into a fight wherever it appeared.

The second tallest one was far shorter than the tiger but still a bit taller than Lorif. He was skinny, almost frail and sickly looking but dressed in beautiful blue robes with white accents and designs. It seemed more leisure wear, the kind of thing one would wear around the home. Blue glowing mana crystals rested at his wrists and ankles and even some intertwined into the braids of his hair. His arms and legs were exposed but had white bandages wrapped around them, he had a long blue coat with the hood placed overhead, two holes for his black tipped ears to stick out. He seemed to have some stripes of his own, mostly marking around his neck and thighs. His eyes were glowing even in the brightly lit room and his face was docile, kind and inviting and they were the prettiest blue, matching his crystals.

The shortest of them all was an orange Abyssinian cat dressed in orange garbs. There was a white sash around his waist with golden frills and coverings over his feet as well but he left his arms exposed, with an assortment of jewels to adorn them instead. An Emerald necklace lay around his neck, an amethyst anklet on his right ankle, sapphire bands on both arms and wrists and a topaz circlet upon his head to match his amber eyes. He placed his hands on his hips and stepped forward, his tail curling behind him as he looked over the soldiers at attention. Unlike his brothers, this Prince had no kind eyes. They seemed to glare at everyone indiscriminately, as if searching for a weakness.

“Sei-al soldiers of Kaius," he said proudly. “I am Prince Shar'ryar, Prince of Peace and - for now - Administration. With me are my brothers Tok'kaj, Prince of War, and Ayriss, Prince of Scholars..." He gestured to the large Tiger and White tiger at his side respectively. They both gave their own greeting, Tok'kaj smirking as he gave a wave of his hand while Ayriss gave a full on bow, the blue crystals chiming slightly. “Your captain has kindly offered up your services to keep the city running. I intend to make good use of you all." Lorif then stepped forward.

“Alright. Listen up. We'll split into several small groups, each one helping a different prince. Ahsee! You'll be in charge of group A and you'll be charged with helping Prince Tok'kaj with patrols and training. Apparently he has some new recruits he's hoping to learn from us about Humans and how we fight." Ahsee smiled as the large Prince stood at her side, chuckling slightly.

“I am eager to work with you, Lieutenant," he said softly. His voice was smooth with the hint of an accent that wasn't like the others.

“Next! Syn. You're with Prince Ayriss. He and his scholars are in need of extra hands for the work at the Library." Syn did his best to fight the disappointment as Prince Ayriss came to his side.

'Spending my time here wandering around a dusty old palace with some egghead cats. Greaaaattttt.' Syn put on a fake smile as Ayriss took his hand and held it firmly.

“I promise you, spending a bunch of time with my 'egghead' companions will be far more interesting than you think!" Syn's eyes widened as Ayriss winked at him. “It was written all over your face." Lorif chuckled as Syn immediately stiffened up, trying to pass as professional as possible.

“In the meantime a small band of you will stay with Prince Shar'ryar and myself to make sure the palace remains safe. Everyone, stick with your Prince's and take your tasks seriously. Remember, we aren't here to play. We may have cleared out an underground threat but we still need to be vigilant. Clear?"

“YES SIR!" Everyone responded. They split into the appropriate groups, varying levels of comfortability clearly visible on their faces. Ahsee walked up to the massive Prince Tok'kaj and cleared her throat, waiting for his attention. She hadn't realized but he was apparently talking to someone else, a lithe female cheetah who was only slightly shorter than Ahsee was herself. Even in the light armor she had, she was a thin woman, long blonde hair styled into a single braid reaching down to the small of her back. Her fur was like that of a natural cheetah, a dusty gold color with black spots going down the length of her body. While Ahsee couldn't see everything, she imagined that the spots truly covered the whole of her body as her arms and legs stayed exposed in the warm air. Her eyes were an intriguing blue and when she noticed Ahsee behind the Prince, she smiled and drew his attention to her.

“Ah! Lieutenant Ahsee!" Prince Tok'kaj spoke with such a jovial tone that Ahsee found herself smiling involuntarily. She just couldn't help but feel at ease around this massive Tiger. He reached out and immediately grabbed Ahsee's hand, kissing it softly. “I look forward to seeing what you are capable of these next few days."

“I hope I get the chance to show you," she replied with a slight flush to her cheeks as he stepped out of the way and introduced his cheetah companion.

“This is MY lieutenant, Wafiya. You'll find no better fighter in the city. Aside from myself of course," he chuckled confidently as the cheetah gently took Ahsee's hand and kissed it as well. She did her best to not laugh.

“Sei-ala Ahsee," she said sweetly. Her voice was sweet but… secretive. The epitome of poise and elegance. Not what you would expect from a soldier.

“I'm happy to help the both of you on whatever needs to be done. My friends and I are happy to help."

“Fantastic!" Tok'kaj wrapped an arm around both women, pulling them into a tight hug. He had crouched down to the height and lifted the both of them off their feet. Ahsee felt her heart race immediately. He moved so quickly for one so big and she felt his claws graze her side. “I will leave Wafiya to show you around the city. We could use the help patrolling the shopping district. We have to move a lot of the people there to a more open area for when the Clan Mothers arrive. The Mothers love the shade the bazaar provides."

“Can they not share the space?" Ahsee asked and the faces the two cats gave her made her immediately regret it. Tok'kaj wasn't angry, more… frustrated but it wasn't directed at her. Qizarra however was very much frowning at the lieutenant but a soft paw on the shoulder from the Prince seemed to soften her expression.

“The Clan Mothers are a bit particular with the people they hang around with. They only trust themselves and their family. We need to give them a special part of the city so they can… make it closer to home, so to speak," Tok'kaj sighed. “But for now, a simple migration. Help everyone gather their stuff and move them to the Obelisk near the middle of the city."

“You aren't coming with, My Prince?" Wafiya asked.

“Unfortunately!" Exclaimed Prince Aziqi, climbing up the back of the large tiger and resting on his shoulder. “He will be helping me with some… monetary concerns."

“Taxes," Tok'kaj said unenthusiastically. “He's using this time of movement to tax the people who haven't paid yet. He's also using me to intimidate them." Prince Aziqi gasped.

“Intimida-Nonsense! I simply wish to spend some time with my beloved little brother!" The small cat rubbed against the Tiger's cheek.

“'Little' brother?" Ahsee asked.

“He's one year older," Tok'kaj groaned.

“Seniority!" Aziqi cheered. “Now come! Before they escape! I've memorized all of their faces!" He laughed confidently. Tok'kaj chuckled softly and left the two women to run the affairs.

“Follow me," Wafiya said softly. While the two lieutenants got acquainted, Syn spoke with Prince Ayriss. The white furred Prince was beyond happy to have a new collection of guards to order around. His ear twitched as he looked over all of the available soldiers.

“If you are going to be here, all of you are going to have to learn to do things the way we do! All of you, for the next coming weeks, are going to be spending most of your days in my district, in my halls, in my library." He snapped his fingers and a feline servant came to stand right next to him. She had a lithe figure, much like many of the other cats in the city, but the look on her face was strict. Her eyes were an icy blue and she was a beautiful snow leopard with short white hair and blue robes and blue crystal earrings dangling from her ears. Her ears had pointed tips like a lynx and she was carrying a good number of scrolls and books in her arms.

“This is Hiva, my main scribe and scholar. You will learn absolutely everything about this city, about its people and about our language and culture…" The Prince tapped the snow leopard's shoulder. “From this one right here. So everyone come with me! There is no time to waste!" He quickly turned around and the leopardess turned to follow him with Syn bringing the soldiers with him.

Lorif was happy to see that his guards seemed to be working rather well with the Prince's so far. He had high hopes for what this was going to be.

“So what will you be doing with all this time?" Lorif was startled at the question, turning to see Kamath leaning against a pillar. He wore a rather flamboyant gown of purple, his long hair left unbraided or styled and an amethyst necklace. His eyes had a special glow to them that Lorif had never noticed before.

“I want to stay here by the main palace and make sure the other Prince's are safe. I haven't had the pleasure of interacting with this Prince Shah'Ryar. Is there a way I can meet him while I'm here?"

“Funny, he said something similar about you and requested the same thing." While it was hard to tell with his shadow black fur, Kamath gave a small smile, a hint of his white fangs showing. “Follow me."