Nowell woke up maybe an hour before the sun rose. She had to walk home, go to a farm to get freshly killed and cut elk for Rek, and then walk to the shelter. It was the first day she dealt with the Terra Cat, and she wanted to do something nice for him. She had been busy the past few days trying to get a runt to be accepted by a mother who recently gave birth. Its own mother rejected it. Nowell finally found a female who lost its only cub to accept it. She had milk too, so it worked out perfectly. She spent the night with the two to make sure the cub was fully accepted.
When she entered the shelter for the second time that day, she was a bit tired walking so much. Nowell was known for walking everywhere. She didn’t trust horses after one threw her when she was five. Since she hadn’t bonded with a Terra Cat, her father decided it would be good to buy her a horse and teach her to ride it. So now Nowell was stuck with a distrust and small fear of horses. Before she went to feed Rek, she checked on a few mothers who gave birth. She noticed the other keepers feeding the cats, but decided to wait before she fed Rek.
Today was her first time dealing with a cat as bad as he supposedly was. Nowell was a bit nervous, but she was more confident that anything else. She knew she’d be able to deal with the feral cat. Her hair was tied up into a messy bun. She wore a fitting cotton green tunic with short sleeves, black tights, and black leather knee high boots. She adjusted the tunic to be fitting as the last thing she wanted was for a cub to rip any loose clothing off of her. She picked up the two buckets of elk she had in a wagon before she walked over to Rek’s pen.
All eyes were on her as she made her way to the pen. She knew they were only looking at her as she was going to feed Rek. Nowell knew some found working at the shelter a bit boring, and Rek was the new thing to talk about. As she neared the door she sensed Rek pacing near it. Nowell felt a tingle in her heart, but ignored the odd feeling. She simply watched Rek as she approached. Nowell was ready to flash the cat a smile, but then she heard a voice in her head. All emotions left her face.
Rek’s pen was far away from everyone else, so no one was around. Did the cat just speak to her? Shock filled her eyes and made them wide. Did she bond with the cat? Wasn’t she too old to bond with a Terra Cat? She had long given up hope of bonding with one. Slowly she placed the buckets down while staring at him. She took a deep breath before replying to the rude cat. His words had irritated her. He was called Rek for a reason. It would be my luck to finally bond with a cat, and it ends up being a bad feral one. She cleared her throat, and she now gave him a stern look.
“Haven’t you heard of not biting the hand that feeds you? The last thing I am is a stupid human Rek,” she paused to move the buckets of food behind her. A small bitter laugh escaped her lips. She looked the cat up and down slowly.
“I went out of my way today just to get you some freshly killed and cut elk, but since you are so rude, I can just give it to some cubs who can eat meat. Also, I am the only one willing to deal with you Rek. If you dragged me through and killed me or harmed me too badly, your death would quickly follow. No one in this town wants to deal with you. Lots of townspeople want you dead for killing their animals,” she said.
She picked up an elk leg from one of the buckets and held it in her hand. Nowell examined it as if it was something interesting. A second later, she placed it close to the slot for feeding. She did make sure it was far enough so that Rek couldn’t grab it. She slowly smiled at Rek. It was a small smile.
“If you apologize to me, I will feed you. If you don’t, then you will go without eating today,” she said in a matter of fact tone. Nowell knew she’d feed him before she left for the day. He’d likely be starving by then, but it would be his punishment.