Not Lost, but Found

[DoF Archive]

Date: 10/18/1998 5:20 PM Central Daylight Time
From: Maetel Cat

Maetel stretched and yawned, waking up from her late afternoon nap, her tail brushing against her newest decoration.....a slightly bloody chainmail sleeve. She'd gone down to the waterfront like she usually did, nosing around for fish. The boat crews had gotten used to her now and were happy to see her.....when she was there, the local thugs stayed away.Today had been different though. Today, a man in armor kept yelling at Maetel. She wasn't sure what he was saying, but she was pretty sure he was angry at her. When she bounded over to ask him why, he drew a sword and stabbed her in the shoulder! Understandably upset, the cat-woman lashed out quickly at the man's shoulder.....John was very unhappy about his current assignment. The Foundation had sent him to observe Subject Seventeen and, through various means, find out what it's capabilities were. He knew she often went down to the waterfront, so today he had hired a mercenary to go down there and either subdue or kill her. When the mercenary started goading the Subject, John began filming the encounter. But when the mercenary's arm was torn from his body in asingle strike.....that's when John realized just how much he truely didn't like this assignment.Maetel hadn't meant to tear the man's arm off..... she had only meant to pull the metal covering off of his arm. But she was hurt and upset that he had poked her with the sharp metal thing. As the bad man lay there in shock, bleeding, one of the older ship captains approached. "Are ye a'right Maetel?" he asked, completely ignoring the dying man."Maetel okay. Maetel no for to mean to break bad-person-man, Maetel sorry."The Director was not going to be happy about this. Apparently the Subject also had become accepted by the local fishermen to a point even greater than had been accepted. No one at the Foundation had anticipated that the local humans would accept such an obviously dangerous non-human, especially after she had killed a fellow human right in front of them. To say the least, John was not looking forward to turning in his next report."Don' worry yesef none kitty, ye did good." The old captain kicked the dying man in the side. "Rhy-Din be full o' men lahk this."Maetel slumped down, unhappy with herself. "Candle-lady and Goon-friend tell Maetel for is to be bad to make dead. Tell Maetel is bad all time, even when make bad person-mans dead."He grinned and squatted down next to her. "Ye be a good li'l lady, an' ye done what ye had ta do. Now, lemme see yer arm. Looks like ye bin bleedin a bit."Maetel nodded and turned to show her shoulder to him. Meanwhile, a few of the ship's crew had come up and were stripping the armor off the mercenary, one of them unobtrusively slitting the man's throat before they began.John was shocked, to say the least. Where he came from, where the Foundation was based, anyone who wasn't human was automatically a second-class citizen, if not property.....and yet, these men treated the Subject better than they treated a fellow human! It was insane, it went against every logical understanding of the natural order of things. Slowly, John was beginning to realize just how hard this assignment was going to be."Well nae, ain't this a wonder!" said the captain after carefully brushing at the bloody fur around Maetel's shoulder. "Ye ain't bleedin no maer." He grinned over his shoulder to his shipmates. "Our li'l kitty's got nine lives fer sure." They laughed and grinned back, one saying "can she spare one fer me captain? It'll make fightin them storms you love so much alot less stressful!"There was more laughter at that, all of which Maetel found very confusing. "Maetel no know what for to mean to say Maetel have nine lives. What for do Captain-Sam-friend mean?""It jest be a good bit o humor kitten, don worry none bout it." He grinned and ruffled her hair, so like a human's hair, yet different as well. "We jest be meanin that ye be a lucky li'l lady, an Billy over there be wantin' a bit o yer luck."Maetel smiled happily. She still didn't understand, but at least the fisherman-peoples still liked her, despite what she had just done. "Maetel give luck, what is?" She fished around in the pocket of her vest, coming up with a small length of bright silk ribbon. "Maetel find shiny stuff today, is luck?"Billy and his shipmates laughed and he moved closer to the captain and Maetel. "Aye, that is lucky indeed kitten."Maetel immediately thrust her hand out, holding the ribbon to him. "Billy-man-friend say want luck, Maetel give."Laughing again, he nodded and took the ribbon. "Well then, I'll have to give you something in return. You like shiny things, right?"Maetel nodded rapidly, her tail waving behind her. "Maetel like shiny, is pretty when light make.""They're throwing the body into the water!" John whispered under his breath, barely remembering to keep filming the scene. "How can they accept that.....creature so easily?" This was even more insane than the old woman who had given the subject shelter three years ago.One of the sailors tossed the chain-mail sleeve over to them. "Gi' 'er thet fer a trophy, Bill. 'e warn't wearin' nae jewe'ry."Billy shook his head with a chuckle and tied the silk ribbon into his hair. "I know what to give you kitten." He then unclasped the plain gold earring from his ear, looking to his captain for a sign of assent. At the captain's nod, he presented the earring to Maetel. "I'll give you this, and now your a shipmate, one of the crew of the Blessed Dancer." Smiling, he leaned forward and carefully poked the clasp through Maetel's ear, clicking it inplace.Maetel sat very still as he did this, then twitched her ear a few times, the earring flopping about. "Is mean Billy-man-friend and Captain-Sam-friend for to be Maetel family?"Billy grinned and nodded, the captain nodding once and adding, "The whole crew be ye family nae, Maetel. An' ifin ye need help, we'll be sure ta come a runnin."Maetel hopped up, first hugging Billy, then the captain. "Maetel happy! Maetel for to go tell all Maetel friend Maetel have family now!"Billy laughed and scooped up chainmail sleeve. "Don't forget your trophy, little sister."Maetel nodded happily and took the sleeve, turning and bounding down the street, pausing every few seconds to turn and wave to the men on the docks."Utterly inconceivable." John shut off the camera and started towards the main streets. He didn't relish the report he was going to have to write, nor the response he was sure the Director would have.



Maetel

Truth is but an illusion... illusion, truth.