lazy. She doesnât use telepathy, she talks instead.â
Samba looked up at him and made a chirruping sound that he knew was agreement. He blinked.
âYouâll soon understand her.â DâAsh sniffed. âSheâs fat, but part of that is because she chose to be spayed. She didnât want kittens. Sheâs also very curious and loves adventure. Sheâll make a good companion for you.â
Sambaâs purring increased, then broke for a moment as her ears rotated. She strung a few syllables together in mews and rumbles that Ruis could have sworn meant Fun! Adventure. Letâs go play . He stiffened in astonishment.
DâAsh smiled. âYou see what I mean? She talks.â
âI donât need a cat.â But he didnât release Samba.
âRrrfff.â The muttering sounded piqued. I am not Cat. I am FAM .
DâAsh chuckled, then stroked the top of Sambaâs head.
âHhhmph, rrrff, phsppth!â Not your Family anymore. Finally I get the most attention. HIS. My FamMan. Take your hand away .
DâAsh jerked her hand back. Ruis felt dazed that he understood the cat by the angle of her ears, the position of her body, her wordlike mews.
âYouâve won her already.â DâAsh looked him up and down. âHandsome and a man of good character.â
He laughed shortly. âThere are few who believe so.â
She sighed. âYouâve too much anger. Master itââshe smiled ruefullyââjust as my TâAsh mastered his feral nature.â
âEasier said than done.â But as he stroked the catâhis Fam, he thought with wonderâhe felt more peaceful than heâd been for a long time.
DâAsh glanced around and reached through the slit in her tunic to her wide-trous pocket and pulled out a fat wallet. âHere.â She slipped it into his trous pocket.
He looked at her warily. âWhat is it?â
âGilt.â
The pouch weighed heavy. âSo much?â
âTwelve thousand.â
Shocked, he jerked. Samba jumped down and sat at his feet, curling her tail around her paws. He felt her warmth through his boot. He had someone on his side now. And twelve thousand gilt!
âIâve never had that much gilt in my life.â The words sped from him before he could stop them.
DâAsh stared. âItâs a month of my noblegilt for being DâAsh. Youâre a FirstFamily FirstSon, you shouldâve received noblegilt every month as a childââ
âI didnât.â
DâAsh frowned.
Screeching broke the night silence. Samba arched her back and hissed.
A huge, battered tomcat jumped into the twinmoonslight. Ruis had tangled with Zanth, TâAshâs Fam, before.
Samba hissed again and took a stance before Ruis.
Zanth growled.
âTâAsh comes,â DâAsh said. She stood tiptoe and brushed a kiss on Ruisâs cheek. âGo with the Lady and Lord. Start anew in another place. Blessings upon you.â
Samba jumped Zanth, her sire, and the cats rolled in a whirling, spitting ball.
âZanth, come!â DâAsh ordered as she ran toward the city gate. âIf you donât come with me, right now, youâll eat no cocoa mousse for an eightday.â
Zanth hopped away from Samba, curled a lip and sneered at her, then snarled at Ruis and spit on his boots.
Samba growled back and lifted a clawed paw.
Zanth disappeared.
Samba grumbled cat noises. I showed him . She glanced up at Ruis, and a pink tongue came out and swiped blood from her whiskers. Her smile held glee, undimmed by the red scratch on her nose. Her gaze glittered with excitement, and she uttered a string of murmurings Ruis had already learned. Letâs go play !
âNot yet.â Would DâSilverFir approach? To his surprise, his spirits had lifted.
A moment later DâSilverFir stepped from the shadows of the gate tower. The air seemed to shimmer around her,
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