Like a big cat with an even bigger toothache

[Loki]

Loki slunk through his castle in a very dark mood. It had been silent around his borders lately, his neighbors were far too quiet, and he was feeling restless because of it. For the third day in a row sleep had eluded him. The last time he had slept his dreams were far from calm and soothing but instead were filled with torturous nightmares (an ironically named thing such as horses were one of his problems). In these grotesque visions of a twisted reality he saw his tribe being slowly obliterated by ways that were too horrible to even contemplate using for his own devices.

As he rounded a corner he saw three guards playing a gambling game, rolling strangely marked bones while cheering or jeering on the outcome. Normally he didn't mind these foolish activities, as the old saying goes all work and no play and however else it went, but today was different. His eyes narrowed as he went into a rage, kicking at the nearest guard so hard in the side that Loki would have sworn he made him go cross eyed for a moment.

"You are the best hopes that this tribe has? We might as well hand ourselves over to our enemies now!" Loki yelled and cursed while expending his rage on the helpless males before they scurried away. The chief snarled but let them go, knowing it really wasn't their fault but it did make him feel better as he continued his patrol through his castle.

[Paxx]

Sleep had not been kind to another it seemed, for at the late hours of the night were not wielding sleep. The oracle, Paxx had been out wandering the castle, for what seemed like hours. The cat however was not sulking, nor wandering for no reason. The sly cat was following another it seemed.
The chief. He appeared to be in a strange mood lately. he was off, he was not his normal self. Paxx had not seen him in his normal sleeping courters, he was keeping to himself more; not sleeping. No sleep was not too harmful to a jaguar, but for days on end clearly meant something was bothering the jaguar.
Paxx did not like to see her master off. A happy chief, meant she and her kingdom would be happy.
Paxx stalked her master as if she was hunting her prey, not sure if she should relieve herself to her chief just yet. She following him, close to the wall, hugging it almost. paxx's deep black rose like spots helped her cover herself in the dark. Her padded feet kept her noise level down, and she followed her chief with a death like silence.
She wished to help him, she wanted to answer any questions he would ask her,that was what she was there for. Her ears twitched, and she followed the chief with her ghost like quickness.
She watched him growl at the guards, and did her best to avoid catching any of their eyes, and keeping herself quiet. She watched her chief with her blue eyes, wishing there was something she could do, if it wasn't for his brute strength which frightened her; she would reach out for him. For the time being, as of now, keeping her distance was the best she could do. When the time presented it she would go to him, and do what she does best.
He had been saying he had been experiencing odd dreams lately, and studying his sleeping patterns and behavior maybe she could get to the bottom of this. Perhaps it was the spirits attempting to send him a signal, but not being connected with the spirits, how would he know how to communicate with them? That was where she came in handy, she would help her master with the spirits, and solve any problems she could.
As the chief continued to stalk the castle grounds, so did his oracle.

[Loki]

Loki didn't expect to be followed, especially be his oracle, so his defenses were down somewhat. After all if he wasn't safe here then all was lost anyways and he felt like he deserved some place where he didn't have to walk as if on eggshells. Also with all the smells of felines in the past he wouldn't have thought to let his nose warn him of his shadow. So instead he kept walking, glaring at those he passed and almost daring them to speak to give him a reason to blow up. Yet those that were still in the hallway this late at night sensed that upsetting the chief could be hazardous to their health and wisely snapped to attention or got out of his way.

At the end of one of the halls he reached his destination. The war room was a large room with a solid oak table taking up most of the area. Maps covered the table along with deep claw marks that had been gouged into the wood from previous intense arguements. Along the walls were the various suits of armor and other weapons of war from previous rulers. No one dared disturb these holy artifacts so it made it feel like these ancestors were their guarding over the room and passing on their wisdom. Loki walked by each one and paused for a moment, noticing his reflection in each bit of armor before continueing on to the next. The only one that he didn't stop at was his predecessor's suit. Finally he sat at the head of the table and began looking over the maps.

"What are they planning and why haven't I heard anything from their borders." He spoke as he looked over the maps as if he expected the suits of armor to answer his questions.

[Paxx]

Paxx followed the chief, keeping on her toes. Her paws tip toed around on edge, not wanting to upset the chief. She hugged the wall and blended in with the shadows. Her coat, which was usually snow white, often tended to blend with the dark as if some sort of dark magic posed her coat.
She kept low to the ground, and often slipped into deeper shadows as she shadowed the chief with every move. As he would look back every now and then the oracle would grow with the shadows. Shaping inward to the shadows, making herself look practically invisible.
She wondered and pondered for a moment as to where her master would be going. His den was in the opposite direction, and the dining hall was no where near this location. They were near the west wing, the war room seemed plausible. Paxx had observed her master before, on sleepless nights he would wonder down to the war room.
Her master seemed to be concerned with nothing but war. She could feel her master constantly stressing over the war between the kingdoms. Yes, it was at a hold, nothing new seemed to have happened in many moons. The spirits as well as Paxx were concerned with Loki, he was pushing himself, and making himself stressed when he didn't need to be.
Paxx saw him slip into the war room, and she noticed as the door began to slowly creep closed she found herself slipping through and deep into the shadows which covered the part of the room which was not lighted by torches. She hid, close to a suit of armor, watching the chief with her deep blue eyes as her ears twitched, watching him. Waiting.

[Loki]

Loki sat down and put his head in his paws. He was in a mental break down of sorts and wasn't exactly sure what the cause of it was. The big cat preferred solid things, like prey or enemies, that he could attack and rip apart before watching it die slowly. This, well this was something totally different. In his mind was a storm, one of epic proportion, that felt as if it was tugging the cat in hundreds of different ways. He was at the point now that he wasn't even sure he knew who he was. So he sat there for a few moments in hopes of collecting himself as if the answers were written on his paw pads and spots. His breathing was slow and he focused on that and nothing else in hopes of clearing his mind.

As he sat there he flexed his ears and tail a bit to keep the circulation flowing and his senses keen. The sound of others moving around the castle seemed to echo through the halls, to his left was a small cricket who was incessantly chirping (he would have to squash the insect later he mentally noted), and even the faintest sound of a kit crying somewhere for his mother who soon after was singing to the little one. Something was missing and for some reason it made him all the more aggravated. Yet it was something that was just beyond his reach so that he couldn't figure out what it was.

Ah yes now he knew. There was no howling tonight. Those mangy mutts with their hideous voices and non stop yapping were actually quiet. What should be a blessing to his poor eardrums was a resounding alarm in his head. First off because he, though he wouldn't admit it, somewhat enjoyed their stupid songs. Secondly though, and this was more important, it meant that something was amiss in the canine kingdom. What could it be he wondered as he woke from his self induced trance and slammed his paws on the table. If something good was happening there certainly they would be thanking their heinous Light. If it was something bad than certainly they would be mourning, wailing, and/or lamenting. Instead it was just plain quiet and it was driving Loki nuts wondering why.

[Paxx]

The sounds of the castle that filled the room was like music. Music that played day in and day out, repeating itself; but was never the same as the day before. The noise was now a lullaby to Paxx, however, in the beginning of her days in the castle; were a night mare.
Noise was something that in her early years Paxx did not know even existed. With life in the temples; noise was a rarity and often raised alarm when it was heard, Between her and her teacher there was usually little to know talking. Paxx would go days without speaking, weeks without hearing a sound; it was said to teach her 'discipline.'
As she first came to the castle, the noise level was almost unbar able. The constant crying, howling, growling, and misc. noises were noises of nightmares. It took a long while before the snow leopard could adjust to the new life. Her ways of life changed within days, and she had to learn to accept it quickly.
It was a good week before the cat got sleep, her sensitivity to noise slowly fading as the cat grew to love the castle.
The castle became her home, her love, her mate. This place, it seemed was filled to the brim with dark and mythical magic and spirits. This castle had years and years, generations upon generations inside of it, living; and non living.
It was when her master's aggravation grew that Paxx could feel it remnent to her. Her own master was struggling, with some sort of inner demons. she had never seen her new master this way before as she hid in her shadows. The pain that came from Loki seemed to fight en her. There was something inside him that was making him uneasy, his mind; was a hurricane, and she knew it was her job to get to the bottom of it.
it wasn't until the struggle inside of Loki grew to the point where Paxx could feel it make her quake that she spoke. She knew better then to frighten her master, so she slowly took a step out of the shadows, making her presence known before she used her words.
"Master. You are troubled."

[Loki]

Loki was so deep in thought that he hadn't been paying attention to the signs that he had been followed. Lucky for him it was a friendly creature and not one that wished to slit his throat. Upon reflection later on he would make a mental note to start trying to find himself a proper group of guards. Sure he could take care of himself but such constant vigilance distracted him from focusing on matters of the tribe and the reverse was true as well. When the Oracle spoke he didn't realize at first who it was. With a growl he jumped up from his spot and lunged towards the sound, catapaulting himself off his seat.

"How dare you try to sneak up on me. Just who do you think you are. I will have your head hanging on my wall and your pelt will be used to wipe the scum from my paws." He had planned on landing on top of the speaker but realized who it was in midleap so he twisted himself sideways so as not to land on Paxx. He rolled on the ground, nose over tail tip, until he smacked into a nearby set of armor. Just as quickly as he had changed directions in mid-air he jumped back up onto all four paws. He gave a respectful bow to Paxx, the only creature he would show such a movement to, before sitting down and wrapping his tail around his legs.

"Excuse me Oracle Paxx, I didn't realize it was you." He said in a level tone before uttering a sigh. "You are right of course. My tribe has become fat and lazy in these times of tentative peace and subjugation that the last leader put us under. They have become happy being tossed into these conditions where we have to fight with alligators and mosquitos for our next meal. We deserve better and yet they don't see anything wrong with sitting on their tails." Loki jumped up and began pacing with a growl.

"On top of that it is all too quiet from the canines and equines. There should be threats of war or some other activities but there is nothing."

[Paxx]

It was true. Paxx knew it was a danger to sneak up on her master, Loki. She braced herself for whatever he would attempt to do in suprise. A part of her knew what he would do, but the more mortal side tended to be oblivious. This cat was cut in half, between her spiritual side and her mortal, common feline side. It was odd to find a bridge between the two, but seeing as she was already the bridge between the abiotic world and the biotic world, she assumed she could master this odd cut no problem. Paxx armored herself with quick reflects and sharp eyes; ready if she startled her master.
From the instant she spoke she knew he would lash out, unaware if was her. A part of her wanted to curl itself inside and out; but she stood her ground. She was the one --proclaimed by her subjects-- who walked with spirits. And she was always protected. The feline had no change in body language as her master lunged at her. It was almost as if she knew he would realize his mistake and miss. Her ear was the only thing to move as it twitched with every move Loki made.
She looked at her master with up most respect, as a poker face was painted across her face. She moved her tail up and then let it rest on the ground, a natural and un commanded action her tail moved.
The oracle, with all respect bowed to her master, lowered her head to avoid his eyes; as a sign of respect. She then moved her head back and arraigned her posture. Her ears twitched, as she sat her bottom to the ground.
"Master. I apologize, but I could sense a great deal of stress from you. I would have notified I was here earlier, but I was told not to."she referred to her spirits as her ears twitched. She examined Loki as he got to his feet, his strong ego and powerful confidence did not seem as high as it normally was; he was troubled and on edge.
"Master, if I must say...the stars do not predict of any wars in the close future, and this stand still is a sign of relief. Many warriors were lost in the last battles, and they still speak their minds of the terror they went through. As for the other species, they need not know what is best for their own kind, they are infieior to us...there have been many births since the last moon, many warriors taking their first breath...master, you are in some kind of pain I am told...why does this silence bother you so much.." Paxx knew the answer to this question; but wanted to hear it in his own words.

[Loki]

Loki sat down with his back to Paxx as he looked out a window. It was still late but there were enough stars out that he could see what was going on outside. Not that there was much to see really but he still liked to keep abreast of every little detail. He was fearful that something miniscule could undo all his work, all his planning, and all his sacrifices. That was why he was always on constant vigil, always on edge, and usually in a really grumpy mood. Behind him his tail was still except for the tail tip constantly flicking up and down like a mother wagging her finger at a naughty child. A large plant was nearby as it had grown threw the cracks in the wall. Loki had realized that it had a pleasant aroma and also a nice taste with a calming effect. So, as he usually did when he was upset, he took a leave from it with his teeth and casually chewed on it. The vine plant's tendrils were almost bare from just how much he pruned it.

"I should have known I couldn't hide anything from you or your spirit allies." He said in a friendly tone and a forced smile on his muzzle. There was more to Loki's problems than even he wanted to admit. He liked to think of himself as perfect, even to the point of lying to himself about the faults he had, so weaknesses of any kind were hard for him to say outloud. The chief didn't see his arrogance and egotistical ways as a problem like most others did but instead saw them as a birthright, almost a blessing from the spirit world in someways, and let those who thought otherwise be cursed. However Loki also had a deep respect for the Oracle who he put all his trust and faith in as well as her powers. It was never a good idea to anger the undead or those that worked with them. That's when battles were lost and things began to unravel.

"I'm not sure who I am anymore. I mean I know WHAT I am but I don't know the last time that I was like I was in my youth. Sure we all grow older and wiser but, well I'm sick of constantly being, well, me." Loki shrugged though more at his lack of being able to articulate his feelings. "I know I am the best cat for this job, no one could even come close, but sometimes I still miss the funner side of life. Maybe I am just hoping for one great battle to rekindle my feelings or to put an end to it all togethor."

[Paxx]

Paxx moved herself closer to her master, to listen to his story. She pulled herself up to her table, and lifted herself up onto the table. She sat on the table and moved her tail back and forth. The ears of the oracle twitched as she listened. She looked at her master with large blue eyes, wanting to hear what was wrong. Paxx knew her master must have had something up with him, and rightfully so. There had been no advances in the war in many moons, which could easily upset any chief. The peace between the kingdoms would not last, and Paxx knew that. Any king, chief, or leader would be concerned that the silence would not last.
"Master, this peace in the world is what is bothering you.The silence is killing you I see. There is always a calm before the storm, which you must ready yourself for when this comes into action. It is possible that the other kingdoms are planning something, but we cannot know for sure. This war is eating away at your soul, master. You are concerned with the outcome, your people, your pride. There is more to this world then this war. You have all of your concentration on this war...which is not healthy. this has become an obsession."
She looked at her master, lowering herself to the table, holding her head up and moving her tail from side to side. She sat across from Loki, on top of the table with her paws outstretched. The cat continued to think to herself. What else could be bothering the big cat? Was his entire mind on the war? Or was there...something else.
Paxx's ears twitched as she looked at the cat, and she suddenly became interested.
"Unless..." She forced all her attention to the male, and her interest sparked. She dug deep into his soul, wandering about looking for what was wrong, searching for an answer in his stormy mind."There is something else bothering you...Or someone else?" her ears twitched as she looked at the male, perhaps love was biting him in the butt like a nasty little flea that wouldn't let go.
She doubted this was true, but it didn't hurt to ask--usually--.

[Loki]

Loki hadn't wanted to mention anything further, so much easier to focus on war and battles then to delve into one's emotions. Emotion weren't tangible, he wasn't able to wrestle with them physcially, and this was very frustrating to the chief. He considered himself the master of masks, even if it was just in his own mind, and he was actually good at keeping a non-emotional expression. Well that was except for around two felines, the Oracle and another certain female. How many leaders had fallen due to allowing some bit of emotional attachment distract them? How many great minds had been derailed because of the fairer gender?

"You have a very annoying habit of not stopping when you should and digging where you shouldn't my faithful Oracle." There was a smirk on his muzzle and his words, though with a slight edge, were said in a friendly tone. Yes those who really knew the chief (at this time there was only two that could even come close to claiming such a thing) knew he wasn't always the hard nosed homicidal maniac that he was in most creatures' minds. Yes he was cruel, conniving, and cut throat. He was also fun loving and a thrill seeker. It was like two sides that made up one coin.

"There is a female I met recently named Renn. She is quite remarkable, probably the most outstanding creature I have seen in a long time." His voice trailed off as he continued to look out the window though his tail twitched less and there was a slight purr in his throat as the words trailed off.

[Paxx]

Paxx listened to her master, like a child would listen to its mother. Very amused at what she heard. None of this seemed new to her; the feeling of knowing this before hand dwindled in her mind. It was her spirits, they knew all, and as they lived through her; she got a strange feeling that she knew everything as well. Paxx moved her tail from side to side, and looked at her master with all due respect. She smirked as he spoke; yes, it was wrong for her to mention things along the lines of the chief's love life; but she had to ask. It was her place, her job to get to the root of any issue that the chief had in his life. The oracle was not only the spiritual one, the one who walks with spirits; but in a strange way, the chiefs personal psychiatrist.
Paxx nodded her head, and shrugged her shoulders forward slickly. She relaxed her body as if listening to a story. She stretched her front legs forward and then took in a deep yawn, the oracle rarely grew tired; and even more rare, ever showed it.
"Why Master, it is my job to be the annoying feline that picks at your problems like an open wound.If you cannot tell your problems to I, then who can you spill them to?" She smirked, watching him, it seemed as if her dark spots glowed an unhealthy black color. She shined in the dark; and even with a pure white coat, her dark spots blended so well; she could not be seen. The rooms dim lighting only made her look like an outline to the untrained eye. However, with the chief's cat like night vision; he would be able to see her perfectly. She was amused by the chief; and listened to him dwell deeper.
Renn. This feline, was that the root of his troubles? Could a female be the bothersome thorn in his side? His toothache? Paxx pondered about this. Perhaps this was the perfect medicine for the chief, a healthy romance would be just what the doctor ordered.
"Master...If you don't mind me saying this; but...It seems this female...Renn could not only be the root of your problems, but also the solution. Master, You are nearly 9 years old. You are getting old Master, not too old...But your age is, quit frankly, not getting any younger. You have not had a female in your life since you were young. Perhaps a female that could draw your mind away from the war every now and then for bits of time; would be just what you need. With you constantly dealing with the war...your brain has no outlet for troubles. You need something, or someone who can...tame this little beast and youthful feelings inside of you. It would be most healthy for you. A male such as yourself should not be mate-less, Master." She paused for a breath, looking at her master, wondering if what she said was the right thing.
"As for your constant dreaming...Your dreams are telling you something Master, this war...not only is it damaging your health, but your soul; you must not concentrate all your effort onto it; for if you do, you will grow weak and other things will come up from behind you; such as disease or...even worse. Master, you are taken off more than you can chew, you have done an excellent job at bringing this kingdom to what it is currently, but it is time to take some time for yourself...relax your nerves master..." She bowed her head, waiting for a response, or a hit to the head.

[Loki]

Loki sighed as he listened to Paxx talk. It wasn't in his nature to sit idly by and let things run their course. Nor was it his nature to focus on himself. Sure he was egotistical and arrogant plus he acted as if he was incapable of mistakes, even if history had proven otherwise many times, but he wasn't the kind of beast that put himself before the tribe. The chief pawed at the ground by his feet as he chewed the mint like leave for a few moments. It was also against his nature to argue with the Oracle, especially when deep down he knew she was right. That didn't mean he was above some good natured sarcastic comments.

"What about you Paxx? Don't you deserve to be happy and with a mate? Certainly a fine looking lass such as yourself can find some company in some beast more solid then the spirits. You lock yourself away in much the same way I do and it can't be healthy for your soul or mind either. I need a well rounded oracle my dear." Loki chuckled and jumped down from his spot, stopping for a moment to pluck another leave to chew on. He enjoyed a bit of verbal 'tit for tat' ,for lack of a better term, even if it wasn't always a good idea to rile one who was friends with the dead. That was one of the things he enjoyed about Renn, the challenge that was the battle of wits the two had engaged in. Too many of the females were empty brained, seeing only their own interest in becoming connected with the chief. No Renn and Paxx were different and that was probably why he could be himself around them both. Both seemed so confident to him and so sure in their gifts. While others wanted to lie about and be fed the finest pieces of venison all day without earning it Renn had seen the hard parts of life. Now if he could just be sure he wasn't making a full of himself by telling her his feelings.

[Paxx]

Paxx watched him move about, he was always restless, ever since she had met this male, he was constantly on the move. From her new day in the castle as the new oracle, he was always moving, very rarely saying hello. As the previous oracle met an uncertain demise Paxx took new rein in the castle. It was easy for her to make it her own; after the first week she panicked in. In the beginning all of the coming and going of other creatures was such a culture shock, this feline did not know any better before she entered the castle. As she got used to it, she made it her goal to get used to her new master.
The chief, Loki, would be her new master, and in some way her partner. The chief and their oracle would go side by side, one without the other for advice; just did not seem right. Paxx devoted her life to her new master, almost as much as she devoted her life to her spirits.
"But master, I cannot spend my time with others. I have given my life to you, my chief, and the spirits. There are things in life I can enjoy, but having a mate is not one of them. My spirits are more company then you may think, Master Loki."
Paxx kept her position on the table as her master got up and roamed about. she found it comfortable, and unlike her master, she could keep herself still. She pondered the thought for a moment; a mate. it sounded so strange in her mind. In her own words. A..mate. What kind of oracle would she be if she gave some of her attention to something other than her spirits. It was unnatural to her. Her spirits were her mates, all of them.
"Master, If I do say so myself, I am indeed well rounded I take care of myself, and my spirits are all I need to be happy...other than being your oracle of course master." She chuckled to herself as she watched him move. Her large and fluffy tail moved about. Back and forth it moved, like a pendulum on a clock. She was content, and was not afraid to show her obedience to her master every now and then.
Her master's nerves seemed to calm at this moment. The storm inside his head and mind were calm, but for how long she was not sure. For once, in a long while. Her masters nerves seemed to relax as she spoke, perhaps company was all this busy chief needed.

[Loki]

Loki always had a deep respect for the Oracle of the tribe, even the previous one who had helped him raise to his current rank though he eventually had her killed. He was a suspicious creature who knew better than to go against omens and saw those who could speak to the spirits as above any sort of military or political ranking. In fact it had been the previous oracle that had come to Loki in the first place. The female had told the young arrogant jaguar that the spirits had told her that he was to be chief soon even if the current leader showed no signs of illness. The two had come up with the plan togethor, had executed it togethor, and would be ruling togethor if she hadn't gotten just a bit too cocky. Right after the death of the previous chief as they were preparing his funeral she began telling Loki that she was going to expose the plan and his part in it if he didn't make her his queen. This had shaken Loki deeply and would have given in to her, as he figured it was just the spirits way, until he found out that she was a charlatan who had lost the spirits gifts a few moons back. That was when Loki had her killed as well. When Paxx came to replace her he hadn't been able to let himself trust her at first but various circumstances showed that she was indeed trustworthy. He was at the point now that he would trust Paxx totally even if she was leading him to his demise, it was a good thing the spirits had sent him such a loyal feline.

"Well if you say you are happy then I will not pry. I just feel bad for the males that would enjoy sharing some more private time with you." Another shrug and he made his way towards the door. He thought he may have heard some one listening to the conversation and wanted to be sure they were indeed alone. So as not to spook whoever was spying on them he kept talking.

"So how do you think the spirits want me to proceed? I mean, I feel like a kit unsure of her feelings yet I can't just come out and ask. It would be too kittenlike."