Andre Norton - Catfantastic III

THE SECRET WORLD OF CATS

is about to be revealed in this all-new collection of tales about those mysterious felines who rule the animal and human kingdoms. Whether they are intently stalking their prey, making humans cater to their every whim, or communing among themselves, these furry beauties are always in control of everything around them.

Now, with the aid of such human scribes as Andre Norton, Mercedes Lackey, Charles de Lint, Clare Bell, Ardath Mayhar, and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, cat lovers everywhere can prowl their world and share in their adventures.

From a regal Persian able to hear as much with his mind as with his ears... to a shipwrecked cat who just might rewrite the future of Tahiti... to a musician who undergoes a magical transformation...to a wizard-snared feline who finds an ally from beyond the mortal realm...here are twenty original stories to capture the heart and imagination of anyone who has ever been owned by a cat.

Copyright 1994

CONTE N TS

INTRODUCTION

Tails hither, tails yon, once again upheld in pride and satisfaction. The feline histories which appeared in CATFANTASTIC I and II have brought suggestions from a flood of readers asking for more, especially, in some cases, about favorites.

SKitty, that unflappable space traveler, makes a second appearance. Hermione gives another detailed report on the serious duties of a reputable familiar. Drop, the bespelled cat-man, has a narrow brush with runaway magic. And Ede's earrings alter lives in a most drastic fashion while Noble Warrior upholds the honor of his royal race.

There are also newcomers who will f i nd their own advocates, or so we believe. The venturesome felines herein range afar, but always to a purpose, and with strong effects on life, history, mere humans, and their own surroundings.

A ndre Norton

A WOMAN OF HER WORD

by Lee B arwoo d

This story is in memory of Jack, who loved all animals; Twee, who loved cats; and Butterscotch and Sweetie, who loved dogs.

Tarberry could smell the grief on Nessa's friend Nell the moment her car pulled into the driveway. He knew the scent well; Nessa, too, had smelled of grief when she picked him up and brought him home. Grief, and anger. Her grief had saved his life; her anger had saved others.

But Nessa had not smelled of the Bright Paths, as Nell did. Her grief had not led her to think of following her beloved one into the beyond-dreams he'd found. But Nell apparently thought of little else from what Tarberry could tell. He'd heard Nessa talking on the farspeaker to her friend, and in the way he had of understanding human thoughts he'd known that Nell longed to follow her lifemate no matter where he'd gone. Life had become an ordeal and a burden for her; she felt abandoned and alone.

The big black Persian stood by and watched as the two women fell into each others arms and cried. He understood hi s Person as few animals, even cats, could; if he'd thought about it in such detail, he might have wondered why he knew what Nessa thought and said in ways that Doc, the big shepherd next door, didn't, or Tina, the delicate Siamese down the street, couldn't. But he merely closed his china-blue eyes and waited in the sunlight till the women were ready to pay attention to him.

Occasionally humans who cheat death are supposed to acquire an extra sens e p rescience, telekinesis, clairvoyance. But humans are not the only creatures paid in unco mm on coin for an extra brush with the Reaper; animals, too, may find that they know, or can do, things that were previously alien to them.

Tarberry, the product of a breeding mill, had been on the point of death when Nessa had bought him from his "breeder" and brought him home, literally, from a flea market nearly two years ago. He had understood her thoughts almost from the time she'd first held him, and so to him his ability was normal.

He understood them now; they were filled with worry for her friend Nell. Nell was considering taking the Bright Paths before she was ready, to look for her mate. She had admitted that to Nessa a few nights ago, and that was when Nessa had begged her to come and visit first.

Nessa did not want Nell to take the Bright Paths yet. That was a hazardous undertaking, to follow that road when one was not ready for it. He himself understood Nell's longing; he had felt it a hundred, a thousand times since he'd recovered. Every time he heard the cries of other animals suffering in breeding mills, he would see the shimmer of the Bright Paths as they beckoned to the living, offering solace and peace, freedom from pain and, above all, reunion with loved ones already on the Paths.

But even he knew that it was not yet time for Nell to go. Nessa had gotten her here, hoping to give her a reason to stay. But she would need help.

Tarberry sat patiently and groomed his already immaculate coat as the two women clung to each other. He would help Nessa. He wasn't quite sure how, but he would find a way. Nell wasn't ready yet to take the road so many others had taken. He, Tarberry, would have to help her prepare.

Nell cried a lot, he decided as he followed them inside at last. But there was nothing healing in her tears. Nessa had cried a lot in those first weeks, too; she had cried for her dead littermate and for Tarberry, although he was getting better, and for all the other animals she had not been able to s ave. Tarberry had groomed tears from her face many times in those weeks, as he grew stronger and healthier, and he could tell when they began to taste of healing grief instead of despair. Although he had not yet tasted Nell's tears, he knew what he would find. He could tell by the smell. There was only despair.

He lay down nearby where he could watch them disposing of the luggage. Nell had had no one to groom and console her; she had no one to share her grief and pain. No wonder she was so unhappy.

When the two women at last headed for the kitchen, Tarberry followed. No sooner had Nell seated herself at the kitchen table than she found fifteen pounds of soot-black Persian in her lap, purring and kneading his claws gently against her chest.