Just Another Day

"Bloody great," Ryoichi sighed as he listened to the muffled frightened yelps of those who were trying to have their breakfasts in peace.

"What... just happened?" came the confused question from Zara as she tied her dress behind her neck.

"Apparently your kind can become big, hairy brutes with the personality of a hungry badger," Ryoichi said boredly.

"I've never heard of that," Zara said, an ear laid back in doubt.

"I'm sure you haven't," Ryoichi said in condescending tones, "and I've no intentions to educate you now."

The cat exited the inn and walked down the street a ways to where he knew of a tree to grow in town. With a few deft jumps, he climbed high enough in the tree to gracefully step on to a nearby roof.

"Live by the claw, die by the claw," he said quietly as he watched the Brelland Seacat.

Turai was in fine form when he landed on the ship. Eight of the remaining fifteen pirates were still on board and quite surprised to see who they assumed was Turai start tearing into them. His senses were keener than they had ever been before and helped him hear and smell each defending pirate as they came at him.

One, two, three... Each one fell quickly under his claws. Years of pent-up disgust at some of their actions and the very stressful past year with his niece and created plenty of the anger needed for him to slay each of his crewmates without remorse. He had a few surface cuts from daggers on his body, but he was barely aware of it.

Those of the crew still on shore had heard the commotion and came rushing onto the ship. Turai turned quickly on his heel and lunged at them. A deft swipe of his claws here, a bite there, and he quickly maimed and killed each one as they came aboard. The one at the end of the dock turned to run. With a snarl, Turai leapt from the deck railing and landed on the fleeing pirate.

"Turai!"

Turai turned a bloody muzzle from his newest victim. There stood Captain Dodger, scimitar drawn. The one who had condoned all the malicious conduct and had ordered his niece's execution. The one who had also kept him trapped on that blasted ship for fifteen years.

Captain Dodger readied himself as Turai walked up the gangplank. A pause to trade glares, and Turai lunged. Dodger swung his sword and Turai ducked. Turai coiled and sprang, and Dodger brought an elbow fiercely down on the kurach's head. Too dazed to avoid his captain, Dodger sternly kicked Turai in the stomach to knock him back a few paces.

Turai groaned and clutched his bruised stomach, and barely rolled out of the way in time as the pirate lodged his sword in the deck where Turai had been. The kurach lashed out with his claws and caught Dodger across the face. Blinded by pain and blood, the captain was hit as Turai lunged again and knocked the pirate to the deck. They wrestled together, trading blows and curses.

Another well-placed kick knocked Turai off of Dodger for a moment, but he recovered quickly and was back on the fallen pirate. Biting, clawing, trying his best to land a killing blow. Dodger's arms were quickly being torn to shreds but he struggled to get a grip on Turai's neck and end the fight.

Finally, Turai lashed out a final time, and caught Captain Dodger clean across the throat. The tired kurach stood back, panting and heaving, as he watched the life drain away from his former captain.

Turai looked around him at the deck, covered in blood and bodies. Slowly it began to dawn on him what he had done. A knot began to form in his stomach, and he knew it was only a matter of time before the other brigands in the port took notice. It was early morning. Barely an hour had passed since Ryoichi had delivered the news to him.

Quickly, he descended from the ship and disappeared into town before the guards could discover what he had done.

"Are you quite finished?" an annoyed Ryoichi demanded from an alley as Turai limped towards him. He was back in his natural form, covered in blood, cuts, and bruises. Ryoichi was fairly certain by the scent of him not all the blood was his.

"Where is she?" Turai snapped as he braced himself on the wall of a nearby building.

"In a safer position than you," Ryoichi grumbled. "Your judgment clouds when females are involved."

"Not in the mood for your criticism," Turai growled. "Besides, you're worse around queens."

"They are irritating teases," Ryoichi curled his tail over his back with a strut, "and irresistible bearers of kittens."