19 Bedeviled

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Tarou trailed behind Boss who looked for his human translator. He was reluctant to surrender his treasure but he had to. Between a paper meal and a real one, he clearly wanted the tastier meal.

'Boss, wait up!'

Tarou could only shake his head while looking at Boss who looked docile in front of the human. Right after receiving the letter, the man did not even give Boss a pat as a sign of gratitude.

'Boss may have claws, but I have never seen a more ignorant cat in my life. He should have been firmer with the human, after all, we are doing them a favor!'

Remembering all the struggles he went through earlier and how he begrudgingly handed the letter over to Boss, he was in a sour mood.

'I risked my life for that letter!'

Tarou's tail wagged while staring at the direction of Boss and the human. When he found his way towards the clearing, he caught the scent of something sweet close to the rocks.

'This part of the forest has a lot of plants.'

'Meat can wait, right?'

'I surrendered the treasured meal to have something more nutritious. Snacking on fresh plants is simply irresistible!'

Tarou just had two bites of an irresistible plant when he heard a swishing sound and a tall and imposing figure entered the tent closest to his foraging ground.

'It's the general!' Tarou quickly retreated back to the shadows, expecting Boss to trail after the man. But he did not detect the familiar scent of the cat. Preening over to take a closer look through the tent's small opening, Tarou saw the general come closer to the princess.

'I'm too far. What are they doing?'

Tarou stealthily found a better spot to hear them but it was impossible to see clearly from his position.

'This is rich!'

'Boss, I'll find out your human's weakness! Maybe you will change your mind. I don't trust him.'

Tarou strained to hear movements inside the tent.

"Where...who..." the gentle voice of the princess sprang with wonder followed by a shuffling sound. "This...letter" the voice resumed after a long pause.

A strong gust of wind blew at the moment and Tarou couldn't help but feel frustrated hearing only snippets.

Eventually, Tarou heard shifting clothes and labored breathing. One body fell on the ground followed by another and there was some movement on the ground. Hushed tones laced with tension followed but it almost impossible to eavesdrop. The princess spoke in whispers and the general made almost no sound --and he couldn't help but gnaw on one paw.

Tarou couldn't remember how many minutes have passed but he stood rooted on the spot while waiting for someone to say something.

"No one should know about this," the general's dominant voice splintered the agonizing silence. Tarou's head was instantly up, intent on hearing every word while sneaking closer to the tent.

"As you wish," the princess conceded reluctantly in a voice devoid of its usual arrogant flair. When the general left the tent, Tarou could vaguely hear "for the sake of the Kingdom of Covin" before a series of stomps and muffled screams. After a while, the princess quieted down but Tarou remained curious.

While making his way towards Boss, Tarou continued to mull over the conversation between the princess and the general. He heard about Covin from mice who came by the village. All those brothers agree on one thing --the place is not fit for a mouse, more so for a human. After hearing the intriguing exchange, he wanted to consult Boss. His greedy stomach wanted a piece of rabbit meat too.

Sniffing, Tarou finally caught the delicious scent of food.Right now, his main goal is to urge Boss to grab the reward for surrendering the letter. But before he could get close to the cat, he noticed the presence of a man who smelled like lemongrass.

"Leaving home for the first time is hard. I did it too. Survival is always the priority," a gentle voice advised while looking at a black cat lying on its stomach close to the fire.

Tarou saw the cat's head move up to look at the person speaking and the man continued in a voice filled with admiration.

"You have a good eye. He has two expressions --cold and colder but he is a good person."

'Good person? Hmpf!' Tarou couldn't help but groom himself vigorously when he heard the man's words.

"The capital is not the best place for a cat but being his cat would afford you some level of protection."

Tarou shifted his paws while hiding in the shadows. This guy was selling the general to Boss like a father sending his daughter off to marriage. Tarou saw a black tail swish from one side to another.

'Boss, don't even consider it! You should be less gullible. Don't listen to that man. The general is dangerous!'

"You're a smart cat. You can win him over," the man said while crouching down on the ground to give Boss a piece of meat. The man did not mind the cat's silence and in an enthusiastic voice filled with mirth, he continued.

"This is the longest conversation I had for a month," the enthusiastic voice said in a tone filled with mirth.

Tarou was about to dash close to Boss when someone appeared behind the man.

"Barca, you are talking to a cat who is not even meowing back. That does not count as a conversation," a loud voice interrupted.

'So, this cat who pimps Boss to the general is called Barca.'

While studying the scene in front of him, he heard a chuckle before a tone laced with ridicule raised the same question he wanted to ask.

"Are you muddleheaded, why would you advise a cat on how to win over the general?"

"Can't you see how this little one tries to be tough?" Barca retorted, appealing to the other man's emotion while motioning to the cat who looked too bored to respond with a meow.

"All I can see is one proud cat."

"Luca, that animal has no home," Barca reasoned only to be told off like a grouchy child.

"He will bring trouble to the general. We should lose the cat." After a quick pause, Luca continued in a voice reverberating with unsettling concern.

"Why would he choose a cat for a pet. A panther or even a tiger will be better than a cat. This animal will only invite trouble."

"The cat chose him."

"The cat can choose someone else, the general should stop tolerating the presence of this cursed animal," Luca said firmly.

"The cat can hear you," Barca quickly interjected to reprimand Luca.

"If that cat understands us, it should know its place. You know cats are not exactly welcome at the capital," Luca insisted, his head shifting slightly while eyeing the cat."He continued in a voice filled with disdain, "It's not just a cat, it also happens to be a black cat --the symbol of the devil. Being labeled as a devil --"

"will be useful in sowing fear. Terror is an effective tool in any battlefield," a sharp voice interrupted without a hint of hesitation.

When the general spoke, Tarou's jaw dropped. He did not notice when the man arrived, he could not believe what the man said either.

Feeling the man's intense presence, Tarou rushed towards Boss who was now on all fours standing alert with her tail up and her head raised up towards the human.