Edited: Sept, 17, 2020

===============

Pinti eyed the Halfhuman called Lalina with suspicion as they sat around a coffee table on light gray sofas and sofa chairs. Lalina was a Haundai type Halfhuman with a dog's head and a Human body but with dog feet. She kept adjusting her red-rimmed glasses that somehow rested on her face without falling off.

"Blue to the roots," she muttered, staring at Pinti's fur. Galag brought a tray with tea and pastries. Deel grabbed a pastry before the tray was on the table, stuffing it into his mouth and making crumbs fall on the rug. He sat cross-legged on the sofa, of course, still in his Human form.

How can he enjoy being Huamanoa? Pinti frowned and when she flicked her tail it slapped Lalina in the face because she was leaning in, inspecting Pinti's fur.

"Whoa, fluffy floof!" Lalina said with a smirk. Pinti ignored her and tried to control her irritated flick, but sometimes a tail had a mind of its own.

Galag shrugged off his cloak. "Is it just me or is it hot in here?"

Lalina laughed. "Just you. But you have been by the oven."

"Help yourselves as Deel has already. Puff pastries, my own making."

"Consider me a part of it," Lalina chimed, "I kept watch while you were gone." Galag tipped an invisible hat to her and she gave a satisfied nod with a smile playing on her lips.

If Deel's eating it, it's probably fine, Pinti reasoned and helped herself to a chocolate puff pastry. They came in five flavors—fish, custard, chicken, chocolate, and plain. While Pinti ate the fish and chocolate, though not together, Deel stuffed everything in his mouth at once and ended up gagging at one point. The pie crusts were buttery and flaky and bits of it crumbled onto her napkin and onto the floor, but she didn't have to worry about the mess. Galag had small broom creatures, the size of her paw, that came over and opened their bristle mouths to eat up any crumbs that fell.

"I call them the Sweeper Creepers," He chuckled, "or just Creepers. Moves and lives on magick. Occasionally have to charge them up with strawberry leaves and oak bark, but other than that, you just let them do their stuff."

She flicked crumbs from her chin and watched the Creepers feast. Unlike Kathula magick that could only be used to heal both mentally and physically, Sorcerer magick could do all kinds of things including projecting their magick and using it to attack. If only she could use her magick like that, Pinti knew she would have fought to the death for her clan.

And then I wouldn't be here, surrounded by Sorcerers and an idiot. She licked her chops and cleaned her whiskers of crumbs using her paw. She caught Lalina staring at her with an open mouth and bristled a little. Other races always stared at her mannerisms to see how much alike or not Kathula and cats were.

"So, now that you've all filled your bellies a bit," Galag set his cup down with a clank, "let me just say, how nice to have you all h—"

Lalina let out a soft bark. "Oh, cut the sentiments, Galag. I didn't just ditch my vacation home in the Second Ring to hear you being all sentimental." She popped half a pastry in her mouth and licked her fingers. "Get to the main topic."

"Galag!" Deel said. "Look, chocolate fingers!" He grinned with chocolate cream all over his fingers that he licked one by one until just a pinkie was left. "Wanna lick?" He held his hand out and when Galag made a move, he quickly stuck it in his mouth with a grin. "Not sharing!" He laughed.

Pinti twitched her whiskers at his childishness but remained silent. He was their problem, not her problem, and she hoped that after this, she would be on her own.

I don't need company. I can do it myself. She took the last chocolate pastry and Deel watched her with jealousy, licking his lips as she ate. Galag stood from his seat, brushing crumbs from his lap. Creepers gathered around his feet to feast.

"Alright. We've gathered to exchange notes. Every couple of months we do this and since the incident in the Third Ring, hints and clues of the whereabouts of the Scepter of Tamido have exposed itself, so—"

"Looking for it real hard and good!" Deel said with a big smile on his face and rocked back and forth. "Right?" He grinned at Lalina.

Lalina shook her head and sighed. "Sure. So, Pinti, right," She paused to adjust her glasses. "As a historian and anthropologist specializing in the history of the Anthropomorphics which were my ancestors, I had been searching for more texts on Kathula. The Kathula race is incredibly intriguing and fascinating for me because Kathula are the only pure Anthropomorphics that exist in the entire world." She stressed her words and spit flew from her mouth. Her bushy white brows lifted and her eyes gleamed as she leaned forward.

"And so, I had found this..." Lalina craned her neck over at the dining room. Pinti followed her gaze to a black bag which opened when Lalina made a gesture in the air. A red leather-bound book slid out of the bag and floated over to her. With a gesture, Galag cleaned up the table and the dishes went to the kitchen to wash themselves.

A wonder Sorcerers aren't all fat with all the convenient things they can do. Pinti grimaced.

"This book was previously blank. But after the Massacre of the Third Ring, words have appeared. Most of it is written in an old Kathulan language which have no records available for translation but Pinti, you might recognize." Lalina set the book on the coffee table and faced the title towards her. The book's title was written in squiggly writing and what looked like six claw marks between the squiggles, but she couldn't make out what it said.

"I don't rec—" In a flash she saw it. The words tugged at her with a familiar understanding. Her brain caught the squiggles and deciphered their rather archaic nature. Each squiggle was a tail movement. The claw marks were also that, but they meant numbers.

"Six," she said and moved her tail like the squiggle when she realized it was upside down. Pinti turned the book until she was reading it with the spine on her right.

"That's the direction!" Lalina breathed out in astonishment.

Pinti narrowed her eyes at being interrupted, and then right to left she signed with her tail, feeling the movements. The first part was written as individual sounds—the first Kathulan language which was only oral. No written form existed prior, so when Kathula did write it out, it was a direct interpretation of individual sounds. At least, some version of ancient Kathulan was like this. There were so many versions and all of them equally confused and confusing. Pinti had learned all this from her father years ago.

When she finally made out what it said, her throat tightened, her heart thumped, and her whiskers quivered with excitement—something she had not felt in a long time.

"Sce—," she began when Lalina barked, startling her into a bristled puff. She twitched her whiskers and growled deep in her throat at Lalina. Out of the corner of her eye, Deel had draped himself over the back of the sofa for no apparent reason and Galag was trying to get him to behave. Instead of behaving, Deel pushed off the seat, fell over on the other side, and bounced away laughing.

"Hecklebees! Why is there no spell to summon stationery?" Lalina jumped up to rummage through her black bag that lay on the table in the dining room behind.

"Deel," Galag scolded him, "you get back here. This concerns you, too."

"No, I want to play. I'm bored." Deel pouted, crossing his arms.

"After we talk." Galag tried to console him back, but Deel stomped off.

"I'll play by myself and you can join me later!" He yelled over his shoulder. Pinti was glad to see him go. One distraction less.

"Notepad, notepad, wait, Pinti, don't say anything yet, I need—Ah! Found it." Lalina adjusted her glasses and sat back down on the chair. "Begin!" She commanded and Pinti scowled. She almost didn't want to do it now. Obviously Lalina was only interested in this to study, not to save Kathula. All they were to other races were objects of interest.

Lalina took her pause as not understanding Universal. "Begin means to—"

"I know what it means," Pinti snapped, "but I don't think I want to tell you. You don't actually care about Kathula." She picked up the book and held it on her lap, claiming it. "All you want to do is study us, not help us. We'll die out and you won't care, will you?" Baring her fangs for effect, Pinti growled at Lalina whose rounded dog ears drooped.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way." She rubbed her arms and lowered her gaze.

"Pinti," Galag began in a stiff tone, "I saved you from the Sorcerers, not just because you race is invaluable. Your life matters."

She scoffed at this. He was just trying to get her to tell them. Galag leaned over and reached for her paw, but she moved away. How could she trust the words of a Sorcerer?

"I did so with Deel, helping him when he was lost. We've been searching for the scepter with very few results. We've been lucky to find you, Pinti. No other Kathula were we able to find. They are all hiding or hidden." He pressed his lips together, pausing and looking at everything but Pinti.

"Look, I know..." He shook his head. "I understand you can't trust me," he said in a quiet voice. "I know it's hard for you. I saw what Deel went through and to this day it affects him. That's why he acts the way he does, to escape the reality even just a little."

"Post-traumatic stress disorder," Pinti whispered, recalling something she read in a Human library while learning Universal. Galag blinked in surprise and nodded. She heaved a sigh now understanding his antics were all because of that. She shouldn't have judged him so quickly, labeling him as immature and childish. Deel had his reasons for being the way he was. His brain was protecting itself.

When Galag lay a hand on her paw, she didn't snatch it away although she bristled.

"We might have our secondary motives, but our aim, all of us," He glanced at Lalina who still hung her head, "want to save Kathula. There is no other race like yours and maybe not even in the entire universe. I can't turn a blind eye. I want to help." His intense gaze bore into her eyes when she met them. "We have some knowledge on the scepter. You can read written ancient Kathulan unlike Deel who has suppressed memories of most of his clan life—"

Pinti blinked. "He can't read this?"

Galag shook his head with a sad smile. "I wouldn't ask for your assistance if he could."

"My assistance?" Such a word answered to her deep desire to be useful. It was a dangerous wish, but she so desperately wanted it.

Galag nodded with furrowed brows. "Indeed, Pinti. You can help us learn more about Kathula and we can help you save your race. Kathula can't be pushed into the shadows or secluded in the Third Ring. They need to be known." He stood and gave a nod to Lalina. "That's what we do. We study, learn, and spread the word. We show the world what Kathula are and that they're not to be feared and show how incredible and smart they are."

She bit her lip, sensing genuine kindness—something that had been foreign to her for too long. This wasn't the soft blanket of deceptive warmth she'd felt from Lai-ikolo. This one touched her in her heart. And Galag was right. The world needed to know Kathula weren't just blue cats. They were an intelligent race with a rich history—as far as she knew—which was worth sharing. Other races feared or hated Kathula because they didn't understand and were unwilling. But maybe that was because a Kathula kept trying to tell them?

If someone of their own race, like Galag or Lalina, teaches them about Kathula, maybe they would listen? Maybe there's hope left in this world? Pinti returned the book to the table. She still felt like she was taking a risk, but maybe it was a risk worth taking.

"Scepter Tamido Six Ring History," she said. Lalina sat up straight and scribbled it down. Pinti was in disbelief as to why history on the scepter was written in ancient Kathulan. Apart from the fairy tale called, 'The Legend of the Scepter of Tamido', she had never heard of any connection between Kathula and the scepter. As far as her understanding went, it was most likely a Sorcerer thing.

Tracing the embossed lettering on the cover with her paw, she opened the book to parchment paper. Squiggly text mingled, surprisingly, with some Universal words which were all sprawled and squished on the paper. There were even text designs on the paper itself in partially faded ink she couldn't read.

"Keep turning the page, somewhere in the middle is a drawing," Lalina said, hurriedly scribbling something down in her notepad. Pinti carefully turned the pages, not wanting to ruin them.

For a while, the only sounds were the flipping of pages and the soft crackle of a fireplace somewhere until she came across the drawing. Her head spun and she stared at the drawing almost not wanting to believe that this was it—the Scepter of Tamido.

This is what it looks like! Pinti hadn't particularly imagined it in any form, but it was somehow shocking to see an actual drawing of what was most likely close to the real thing. Caged on top of a rod was a red stone with inscription pointing to every part of the scepter. Pinti signed the squiggly lines with her tail and read it out loud.

"Ruby of Moons. Rod Inscription Huamanoa, Halfmanoa, Sorcerer, Kathula. Embedded end in rock." She shifted her gaze to the next page. "Created for peace, the Scepter of Tamido lies in the..." She paused at her tail movements. What she read, couldn't be right. She tried again, but Pinti was certain that was what it said.

"Lies where?" Lalina whispered. Pinti bit her lip. The excitement faded. Finding the Scepter of Tamido was suddenly deemed impossible.

"I-It says," She lifted her head and turned to Galag, "the Sixth Ring."

"By stars! Are you sure?" He leaned forward and she nodded. "Does it say anything else that you can read?" Galag pressed on.

"But that's Edgling territory!" Lalina exclaimed and whimpered. "No one can go there. Even if we could, we can't survive! It's made of volcanic plains and the toxic air is unbreathable. We'd be dead in minutes!"

Of all places. Pinti threw her arms up in defeat. "Why there? Does the scepter have anything to do with Edglings?"

"Anything more?" Galag pressed again. "Anything at all? Maybe..."

Pinti lay her eyes on the squiggly text. "...in the Sixth Ring." She continued. "It is more powerful than anything in the world. Only one can use the powers once in a hundred years."

"A hundred? Does it need to charge up? Or to prevent others from using it?" Lalina said, tapping her pencil on the table.

Pinti traced her paw along the remaining text. "Only the Keeper of the Scepter can activate the powers or one who possesses Lunar Magick."

At the last part, she fell silent. Lunar magick was something told in Kathula legend and fairy tales. It didn't exist in real life, or, if it ever had, no one had it anymore. It was different from the usual Kathula magick which could only be used for healing and making potions. Lunar magick was like Sorcerer's magick—it could be projected and used to attack.

Fairy tales, fairy tales, heizak.

Although there was text at the bottom of the page sprawled out in messy pawwriting, she couldn't decipher it. Three pages after that were torn out and the next part was about the nature of portals. This was all they had. How was this even a book about the scepter is there were only a few pages about it?

"When is a hundred years next? When was it last?" Lalina's voice cut through the silence. "How do we know the scepter can be used now?"

Galag brandished a wad of papers from behind his back. "That's where I come in, I suppose," he said. "Texts written in the ancient Sorcerer's tongue describing a red stone, I'm guessing, is the one caged in the scepter. The stone answers to the call of Aurvandil, the first Kathula to walk the Rings as legends say. If he—or she, don't know which—calls for the red stone, it will bring the stone into existence or activate it."

Aurvandil? Something clicked in Pinti's mind, but it was such a slight memory that it slipped away before she could grasp it. Frustrated, she raked her mind for it while half-listening to Lalina and Galag.

Lalina put her pencil down. "That sounds like nothing exists until the call of Aurvandil."

"Well, that's what it says. Aurvandil calls, red stone comes into existence. And, I'm just guessing, that it will help make the scepter ready to be used."

Lalina arched her bushy white brow. "So, Aurvandil is what? A god?"

"That's what Deel was supposed to be looking for after searching for a way to decipher another form of ancient Kathulan. But now Pinti's here, maybe she can decipher it and we can all start looking into this Aurvandil. If he or she is a god, how to get him to get us to the scepter?"

"Or bring it to us. We can't go to the Sixth Ring. Maybe a god can, but we're flimsy mortals." Lalina lay back in her chair. "But I don't believe in a god. He's probably just a wise old male."

Pinti's mind was working to dig up schooling memories. It irked her that 'Aurvandil' sounded familiar. It was like a knot in her mind that she couldn't loosen. She cursed her childhood self for not paying attention to history classes. Back then, Pinti often snuck out of lessons with her best friend or sister.

At the thought of them, her chest tightened and along with it came the sense of failure. Shaking those negativities to the back of her mind, she poured over the text one more time, to check if she missed anything at all. Maybe the scribbled text design did mean something?

Just at that moment, a high-pitched scream made her bristle. Galag bolted out of the room shouting for Deel. The scream soon subsided and was replaced with a wail that rose and fell until at last a quiet blanketed the house.

===============

Note: Halfmanoa = Halfhuman in ancient Kathulan language