The small red-headed girl looked up at her Sensei with an eyebrow quirked. "Really? Catch cats?" Her voice was dripping with derision as she looked up into the golden amber eyes of Uzumoreru Toushin, the swordsman/assassin Amy's father had hired to train the young girl in sword play.
"Yes. Catch cats," he replied, his mouth turned down in his permanent grimace. "I want you to catch every cat you can find, and I will know if you come back without having completed your mission."
"Ugh...fine," she said, rolling her eyes a little before turning on her heel and running off down the street before she turned into the first alley she came to. There, at the end of the alley, sat a fat orange tabby with half his ear missing, licking the dirt from his left front paw. Amy crouched, her bare hands held in front of her, ready to grab hold of the cat as she moved forward slowly. Once the girl had started moving, the cat's green eyes raised from his paw to stare at the girl, though he didn't shift his weight to try and run, he just sat there like the lazy cat he was.
Only a few feet away from the cat now, Amy grinned, ready to pounce, but the cat stood, stretched a little, and walked forward to curl himself around her ankles. She reached down to pick up the orange fur ball and held him to her chest, he immediately started purring and snuggled into her warm body.
"Well you didn't put up much of a fight..." Amy said, chuckling a little as she scratched him behind the ears before setting him back down on the ground where he laid down and went back to grooming himself.
This cycle went on for a few hours, the small girl running around the village until she spotted a cat, then stalking it and catching it. Some of the felines took a bit longer than others to catch, being much less used to humans than others. After her face and arms were covered with scratches and bite marks and she had caught her 37th cat, an underfed calico that had given her quite a bit of trouble she spotted him.
The mangiest looking black cat she had ever seen. He was missing patches of fur in places, his coat was dirty and matted, and his left ear had a large chunk missing from it, but his most distinguishing feature was the hole and copious amount of scar tissue where his right ear should have been. Amy stared at him, her emerald eyes glinting with the challenge this creature was likely to provide, crouching down once again to stalk the tom-cat, and took a step.
As soon as the tom saw Amy step forward he took off back down the alley, climbed a pile of trash bags, and jumped over the back wall. The girl took off after him, jumping onto the trash bags, sinking just a little into them as she hopped over the wall. Just as she hit the floor the cat was turning the corner onto the deserted street.
She followed.
The tom cat led the girl all through the village, through crowded streets, into yards, up onto roof tops and under all manner of structures. Soon enough the tom had worked himself into a corner.
The pair were standing on the peak of a shingled roof-top, Amy's fiery red braid swaying slightly as her body balanced on the narrow peak. inching toward the mangy cat with her hands out in front of her once more. The cat hissed and spat at her as he tried to find a way down. They were much too high up for him to jump, and there wasn't anything soft for him to land on as far as he could see. Hissing even more violently, he raised his paw, clawing at the air between them.
Amy pounced on top of the cat, wrapping her arms around his stomach as he kicked, scratched and bit at her already mangled arms. Having lost her footing, she rolled off the side of the roof and dropped when she reached the edge.
She fell for a few long seconds before hitting a trash pile on her back, peels, shells and general refuse flying up around her and the struggling feline. "Gotcha!," she cried out with a triumphant cheer before opening her arms once again to let the furious tom-cat run off, still hissing and spitting as he darted under a trash can.
"Yes. Catch cats," he replied, his mouth turned down in his permanent grimace. "I want you to catch every cat you can find, and I will know if you come back without having completed your mission."
"Ugh...fine," she said, rolling her eyes a little before turning on her heel and running off down the street before she turned into the first alley she came to. There, at the end of the alley, sat a fat orange tabby with half his ear missing, licking the dirt from his left front paw. Amy crouched, her bare hands held in front of her, ready to grab hold of the cat as she moved forward slowly. Once the girl had started moving, the cat's green eyes raised from his paw to stare at the girl, though he didn't shift his weight to try and run, he just sat there like the lazy cat he was.
Only a few feet away from the cat now, Amy grinned, ready to pounce, but the cat stood, stretched a little, and walked forward to curl himself around her ankles. She reached down to pick up the orange fur ball and held him to her chest, he immediately started purring and snuggled into her warm body.
"Well you didn't put up much of a fight..." Amy said, chuckling a little as she scratched him behind the ears before setting him back down on the ground where he laid down and went back to grooming himself.
This cycle went on for a few hours, the small girl running around the village until she spotted a cat, then stalking it and catching it. Some of the felines took a bit longer than others to catch, being much less used to humans than others. After her face and arms were covered with scratches and bite marks and she had caught her 37th cat, an underfed calico that had given her quite a bit of trouble she spotted him.
The mangiest looking black cat she had ever seen. He was missing patches of fur in places, his coat was dirty and matted, and his left ear had a large chunk missing from it, but his most distinguishing feature was the hole and copious amount of scar tissue where his right ear should have been. Amy stared at him, her emerald eyes glinting with the challenge this creature was likely to provide, crouching down once again to stalk the tom-cat, and took a step.
As soon as the tom saw Amy step forward he took off back down the alley, climbed a pile of trash bags, and jumped over the back wall. The girl took off after him, jumping onto the trash bags, sinking just a little into them as she hopped over the wall. Just as she hit the floor the cat was turning the corner onto the deserted street.
She followed.
The tom cat led the girl all through the village, through crowded streets, into yards, up onto roof tops and under all manner of structures. Soon enough the tom had worked himself into a corner.
The pair were standing on the peak of a shingled roof-top, Amy's fiery red braid swaying slightly as her body balanced on the narrow peak. inching toward the mangy cat with her hands out in front of her once more. The cat hissed and spat at her as he tried to find a way down. They were much too high up for him to jump, and there wasn't anything soft for him to land on as far as he could see. Hissing even more violently, he raised his paw, clawing at the air between them.
Amy pounced on top of the cat, wrapping her arms around his stomach as he kicked, scratched and bit at her already mangled arms. Having lost her footing, she rolled off the side of the roof and dropped when she reached the edge.
She fell for a few long seconds before hitting a trash pile on her back, peels, shells and general refuse flying up around her and the struggling feline. "Gotcha!," she cried out with a triumphant cheer before opening her arms once again to let the furious tom-cat run off, still hissing and spitting as he darted under a trash can.