• That night as the men slept fitfully, nightmares of their fallen families fresh in their tortured minds, Tal slipped away. She took with her some food, a canteen of water, her other dress, the dagger that killed her mother, and a dagger of her father's.
    As she reached the outskirts of the village, Tal looked back at her home. Unlike the men who were still crying, tears did not spring to her eyes. She merely glared and softly snuck off.

    Tal traveled for quite a while due to some insomnia she sometimes had. She supposed it was probably another cat-like trait, but it didn't bother her. Instead of worrying her head off as many are wont to do, she calmly, peacefully took in her surroundings. Logs and trees covered with moss, animals making noises as they were either settling in their sleep or hunting like she sometimes did at night, the soft whistling of the wind and crunch of leaves beneath her clawed feet, crickets singing their soft, rhythmic lullaby of chirps, and the hoot of owls proved the forest crawled with life. The fresh, crisp night air tickled her nose and expanded in her lungs as she breathed it in. The girl gazed up at the starry night sky. The stars twinkled far off in that deep blue, velvety blanket of the sky. The moon hung like a white glowing pearl. Tal loved the night.
    She sat down to rest. She drank some water out of her canteen and refilled it in the slowly trickling stream gurgling lazily next to her. She also ate a strip of the dried meat in her pack to satiate her mild hunger. She stretched and waved her tail like a flag before settling down for a brief period of sleep and curled up on the earthy forest floor.

    Tal was a sandy pelted wildcat, running freely within her domain of the forest. The wind whistled past her ears like a wolf's lonely howl. The scents came rushing through her nostrils at a wonderful breakneck pace. Every touch there was was saved within her cat's mind. Every sound reached her ears, from the howling of the wolves to the very leaves rustling underneath her paws. She was free. Free as was possible for a cat. And happy.
    She came to a halt when she came to a snowy owl perched on a low hanging branch. Hunger gnawed at her belly. The owl was just within her reach. She prepared to pounce, the bushes hiding her lithe cat form. She licked her lips in anticipation.
    But just as she leapt, the bird flew off and gracefully landed on her. It wasn't even an effort for the bird. Tal fought, hissed, bit, and clawed furiously. But the snowy owl just dodged and parried her blows until she could fight no more. She ceased, breathless and exhausted, ready for the owl to take her life. Her gold eyes admitted defeat and asked for a quick kill.
    The owl however, instead of killing her as prey, merely gazed down at her for the longest time. Tal could've just run, but a cat has more pride than most creatures, and was just as strong in Tal. If it couldn't kill her, she would kill it. Yet she couldn't kill it while it examined her, probably searching for her weakness.
    "You are a formidable opponent. And a lovely one as well." hooted the owl in a soft, musical voice. It sounded male. It's mysteriously blue eyes shined.
    Tal hissed. "What are you talking about? Who are you? And how could you defeat me and not have the courage to kill and eat me, just as I was to do to you?"
    He chuckled. "My name is my own for the moment, Tal Cat's-Eyes. And I mean what I am speaking about. You are a formidable opponent. As for why I didn't eat you, there are two reasons. One, you are needed greatly within this century. Though I personally think the Elders need to be a little more optimistic in their prophecies."
    "And two. . ." Tal continued.
    "You're too pretty to eat. Good-bye, Pretty One." he replied with a chuckle and flew off.
    "WAIT!" yelled Tal. But it was too late.

    Tal awoke with a start. The dream had been so real, so strange, and so. . . improbable. Just a crazy dream. thought Tal. Nothing to worry about.
    Birds chirped their cheerful song of morning. The sun was low in the rosy dawn sky. But those weren't the only things that had happened while she had slumbered.
    Her pack was moving and squirming. Tal took out her dagger and made her way to her pack. She quickly opened it and stuck her dagger into it. Then immediatley she thrust it out, so as not to get bit.
    "Hey! What was that for? I was only lookin' for some vittles to eat! It's not like you were gonna eat em'! You were sleeping!" cried a small male voice.
    Tal stepped back as a pine martin slunk out of her bag. It shook itself and looked up at Tal's face. Then he smiled good-naturedly.
    "Sorry about that. Just got a little angry when ya poked that dagger at me, Missy. The name's Fenwick. What's yours?" he greeted, holding out a small paw.
    "I'm Tal. What were you looking in my pack for? I know you wanted food. But couldn't you just as easily get it by hunting?" Tal replied with a raised eyebrow.
    "I'm lazy, that's why. But I can sure move when I want to. So where you off to, Tally? Don't mind if I call you Tally, do ya? Sounds a bit more feminine if you ask me." the weasel answered, rapidly climbing up to her shoulder. Tal looked at him and pat his head.
    "Well, I don't exactly know where I'm going. But I know I'm off to settle a debt. And no, I really don't mind being called Tally. I actually don't care whether you call me Tal or Tally." Tal replied with a shrug.
    "Then may I come with ya? Get's a smidge boring bein' in the forest all ya life." Fenwick asked with a twitch of his whiskers.
    "Um, sure. I guess I could do with the company of someone who's more animal-like than I am." the girl replied with yet another shrug.
    "Then let's get a move on!" cried Fenwick excitedly.
    With that, girl and weasel readied themselves and left off for the rest of the adventure.