This un-subtitled piece, like Catrina's ill fated campsite conversation, once again sets the mood heavily for the roleplays to come!

It draws on the connection between her and the two enemy felines. Additionally, while insight into Catrina is a common thing for missions, this gives some insight into Blahking, whom we've seen considerably less of over the missions thus far.

The mission's got a lot of rats and cats in it, and a few bats.. but for no, check out the confrontational meeting between Catrina of the Whiteclaw clan and the Prince of KOKOL!

(Note: The opening "Co Written" line was a part of the actual roleplay)

(Co Written with Sebastian Dash, who provided insight into the mind of Blahking for me)

Catrina purred as she walked with Dash, her paw firmly in his hand, feeling little shivers of joy going up her arm from the contact she had waited so long for. They had been summoned to the Prince's office to receive their orders, and she was eager to get going on helping beat this threat- especially since Feena had been caught up in it with near disastrous results!

They arrived at the Princes offices- Double doors that somehow showed both the ornateness of a Prince's domain, and the fact he didn't really stand by the trappings of state. As they arrived, a secretary stood, smiling a thin secretary's smile as she welcomed them. "Miss Whiteclaw?" She intoned, emphasizing the miss. "The prince will see you now...alone, if you please.”

Dash smiled, giving her paw a surprisingly gentle, supportive squeeze in his powerful hands. "Go get 'em, kitten."

Catrina’s tail flicked, partly from nervousness at having been asked to see the Prince alone, and part from a reaction to the secretary’s subtle barb. She gave Dash a kiss, perhaps turning up the heat a bit to annoy the bitch. “OK, hon- won’t be long!”

She entered the door, and strode forward to the desk where the Prince sat, taking care of some matter or another- the daily grind of being a ruler, Catrina guessed.

Blahking seemed almost relieved to have a distraction from his duties. Mounds of paperwork sat, ignored, as the Prince stood in in the middle of the room, focusing his energies into the space before him. Catrina knew better than to interrupt. Out of seemingly nowhere, in front of the Prince, dots of pure white light connected, like lines between stars, and then, with a soundless woosh of magic energy, they became substance.

The Prince of KOKOL caught another strandful of dry, crisp noodles midair, placing them in a medium sized container that was already half full of similar noodles and such. The prince then turned his attention to her. "Ah, Catrina. I trust I didn't leave you standing ignored for too long?"

Catrina smiled. "No sir, that b- your secretary just let me in." She caught herself before she said anything that might offend the Prince. "How can I help you? And why do you need to see me alone?" She could not help but give a playful smirk...as f she knew the reason- even though she didn't.

"A simple matter of privacy," the Prince admitted. Catrina, oddly enough, wasn't totally sure if he was speaking the truth. Although he seemed to be. "I've taken the liberty of having a fresh snack hunted for you. I hope you don't mind."

Before she could answer, the Prince of KOKOL removed a small, previously unnoticed serving platter. It contained a rabbit under, which looked almost as if it could hop up and jump off the plate of it's own volition. From the way it's body hung, limp, and judging also by the small, hardly noticeable line of fur matted by blood, Catrina knew it would be doing no more jumping.

Catrina started, as no human had ever done this for her, for reasons that she knew too well. “I…I’m honored, sir, but…I prefer to do my own hunting…and eat away from human eyes…I know how you feel about my diet."

His eyes gleamed with understanding. "You might be surprised at the lengths one's forced to take when he must rely on himself in enemy territory. Have it your way, then." That smile of his.. Catrina couldn't put her paw on it. It was genuine, no doubt, and warm beyond what she'd expected, but.. there was something about it she didn't like. "Before I go where I must, I"d like to sincerely thank you for your service in the name of the Kingdom of KOL. You've been an invaluable assistance to my allies and clansmen."

Catrina’s ear flicked at that phrase Before I go where I must…. “Thank you, sir. I’d like to think of this of my new home…but are you leaving?” For some reason, she felt an empty pit growing in her gut, and it wasn’t because she had turned down the bunny!

Blahking shook his head, a sad sense of irony to it. "No, but there's some serious matters we must discuss on this day."

Catrina’s smile faded, as she felt a chill run up her spine. His scent…was almost adversarial? “Such as?” Her voice took on an edge, as if it were a weapon, on guard for attack, ready to defend her in need.

"Tell me something," he said, tending to his newly summoned noodles. "Have you heard the.. rumors.. floating around Seaside Town?" He kept his question deliberately vague.

Catrina smirked. “I’ve heard many rumors in Seaside Town- most beyond belief.”

He nudged her a little, prodding without yet revealing anything. "Those tend to be the most accurate rumors of all."

Catrina smirked. It was obvious he was fishing- trying to find out what she knew before he revealed anything. She could not understand why he wanted to play this game, especially now that they needed to get to work, but two could play just as well. Time to spank. "Well...i did hear one about a certain Prince and his secretary...."

"Amusing," Blahking conceded, quickly adding, "that you'd think I actually have a secretary, I mean. No, I'm speaking of the rumors of the rats."

Catrina cocked her head, trying to figure that one out. "There's no rumor of rats in Seaside Town, they're all ov- Oh Goddess!" She growled and the fur on her back and neck stood up.

Blahking leaned in a little closer to her. "The word on the street is.. the Knobs have been investing rather.. heavily.. in allies of the murine nature."

Catrina's face was stern, a fire in her eyes. "These 'rats', are they about my height, muscular, so ugly their own mothers refused to suckle them?"

He tilted his head. "I've heard rumors some of them are.. Others are closer to the size of a couple Fluffy Hamsters put together. None are cute. .. why do you ask?"

She growled again her claws expressing as she spoke. "The Murri-dan are well known to my people."

"Hmmm.." He considered it. "Yes, that's becoming a familiar name. If I understand it right, those types of rats are being hired out as muscle to the Knobs elite."

"Then you had better know this. A full sized Murri-dan is strong, agile, almost as stealthy as a cat...and has no honor in battle. They generally use short swords and daggers- often poisoned. and they use their tails like whips in battle. The leader of a pack often wears a piece of jewelry- a blade affixed to the end of his tai that can slice you open badly if it hits- and is often poisoned as well."

"Naturally." Blahking let out a bit of a sigh. "So you've had your run ins with them, I take it?"

"In my land they are assassins, murderers, thieves.... If it is devised by the Dark Ones you can bet a Murri-dan will put it into effect. Whenever my people see one of these... filth we immediately attack. Even the Goddess speaks ill of them!"

He seemed to think it over. "Strange," he finally declaired, "that they would be working with two of your own kind."

Catrina's head snapped up as if struck, growling. "What do you mean?"

His eyes narrowed, as if he's taken it as a challenge. "I'm sure you know quite well what I mean. Your brother and your .. ex mate, is it? Consoling with the enemy."

It was Catrina's turn to narrow her eyes, approaching the Prince face to face- a look in her eyes that would have made a less battle hardened man flee in terror. " Now let's get one thing straight, Prince or no Prince! My brother is in the thrall of that...that monster! I don't know how he fell- but I plan to rip the explanation out of one of them when I get the chance. As for my...mate..." She said the word as if it sickened her. "He was NEVER that in my eyes- as I have proven before! But I don't see what that has to do with the Murri-dan.... unless... "She growled deeply, and the fire in her eyes deepened as she actually bared her fangs at the Prince. "you pig..."

"True, but regardless," the Prince responded, unwilling to break eye contact with her, "I'm a pig with a rather large responsibility to my clan. You don't denounce your ties with either enemy, regardless of how you try to minimize their meaning."

Blahking looked at her, an emotionless look on his face, giving no clue if he even knew what she was talking about. "What ARE your feelings on your fellow pride members, then?"

"For my brother, I feel pity, and sadness. But for HIM? For that monster I feel only anger. Anger at what he did to me, anger at what he did to my Brother, anger at what he did to my FRIENDS!" She began hitting the Prince, adding physical emphasis to her words."Anger that he made YOU even THINK of this STUPID...."

The Prince held a solitary hand up, causing a sudden and somewhat surprising silence to cut short Catrina's words mid sentence. He'd been nodding, in apparent empathic situation. "Indeed, you've done much to make me think your motives towards Sebastian have been heartfelt, but surely, you can see the other problem this leads us to?"

If the Prince had thought to quell her emotions, his words had just the opposite effect. She stopped in mid hit-. "You...you mean you even thought I'd....AARRGGGHHHHH!" She screamed in sheer bloody rage, then bolted for the door before she did something worse. running out the door, past the bitch, past Dash and out into the bustling Seaside Town, just wanting to be anywhere but there!

Blahking shook his head, unimpressed. "Girl's temper is going to be the end of someone."