The Lost Cat [Cyrus Private Mission]

[Kincaid]

Cyrus had trekked across the land, searching far and wide....well not really, he knew exactly where he was going. Mt. Three Head, and how aptly named too. Cyrus had taken a mission to go find a cat, yes, a freaking cat, in possibly the single deadliest place this side of the world. Why or even how a simple feline had managed to make its way to this godforsaken place, he wasn't sure and the only reason he took this mission was to have an excuse to travel to the mountain. The place screamed of evil and death, he liked that, he liked that quite a lot actually. Perhaps he would be able to find a pet to tame or even just kill and become stronger from it. For Cyrus, everything was a learning experience. Whether it was taking down a tiger, fending off a dragon, or finding a stupid cat, he could take something of use from the simplest of tasks.

-------Flashback-------

Cyrus had watched the man enter, swinging a dark wooden cane that obviously wasn't really used for the purposes it should have been. The man didn't seem to have a care in the world but he did have something important to Cyrus. In the man's other, non cane swinging hand, he held a piece of parchment paper with some scribbling on it. The man marched right up to the mission board and pulled out a nail. He lightly tapped the head of the nail with the handle of his cane, securing the paper to the board before turning and preparing to leave, but Cyrus stood in his way. You're requesting someone to travel to Mt. Three Head for a cat? Cyrus asked, actually showing an emotion for once. Today it was skepticism. Even he found the request a bit odd and figured there had to be something more to a mission that required travel to such a dangerous place.

The man simply smiled and nodded several times more than he really needed to, Indeed indeed my good man. My beautiful kitty cat, Yoroichi, has run off for reasons I can not even begin to fathom. I have always treated her like the angel she is but whoa is me, she left. The strange man held up an arm to his forehead, throwing his head back. The green and white striped hat struggled to hold onto the tuft of blonde hair that sat atop his head. The man's green sleeve covered his eyes but from beneath it Cyrus could see one of his eyes poking out and watching for Cyrus's reaction. Cyrus said nothing. The man had come to a guild filled with killers and assassins and requested they find...a cat, a freaking kitty cat.

Then again, it was Mt. Three Head. Perhaps the members of Tartaros were the only ones crazy, or curious enough, to travel to the mountain for such a lowly D-rank mission. Surely the panizes over in Fairy Tail would request the mission's rank be brought up to at least a B-rank. Cyrus merely side stepped the man and tore the paper off the mission board before turning and leaving. From behind him he could make out the man praising him, Oh yes! Thank you kind sir. Please find my kitty, find my beloved Yoroichi and bring her home safe! Daddy misses her, oh yes he does! It was people like him that made Cyrus hate the human race as a whole.

----Present Time----

So here Cyrus was, searching for a freaking cat in the mountains. He had arrived less than an hour ago and was currently making his way around the base of the mountain. In all probability the cat was beyond dead, probably sitting in some creature's stomach being digested, but still, he had taken the mission so he had to see it through to the end. As he walked he would check trees to see if the cat had scaled one, or crevices in the rock face in case it had fallen in or gotten one of its paws stuck. Hours passed with no sign of the cat and finally Cyrus had made it all the way around the base of the mountain. He decided it was time to start making his way up. Of course he knew the closer to the top he got, the deadlier it became. He wasn't worried about his own safety, he could handle anything that came his way. He was worried about the cat because if it was dead, he somehow doubted that flamboyant owner would pay him for his services.

Words: 765/1200

[Kincaid]

As Cyrus made his way up the mountain, his thoughts began to wander back to Quorra - no not in that way you perv - she was quite the mysterious girl and he'd have to figure out just what exactly she was capable of. After all, seeing as they were the two newest recruits odds were better than not that they would be placed on a team together. If not a team, then surely they would simply be paired up because of their similar skill levels. As Cyrus was lost in thought, he was mildly surprised when the bush about 2 feet ahead and a foot to his right decided to rustle unexpectedly. Completely forgetting his mission and simply relying on survival instinct, Cyrus chucked two senbon needles at the bush. He could hear them click against the ground, obviously missing whatever lay behind that bush. He knew the creatures that lay in this mountain, the ones that made nests from the bones of humans and smaller creatures alike. Going into this mountain, his first instinct was to kill now and inspect later. It was better than being killed himself after all.

Cyrus began walking to the bush, seeing as how he missed his mark, the creature was either really small and nonlethal or simply wasn't there at all and he had been imagining things. It was most likely the former, Cyrus never imagined things. He bent down to retrieve the needles from the bush when a black blob of hair darted out from the bush. It jumped at his chest, landed, and without hesitating continued up and over his back, leaping off his shoulder blades before continuing its run down the mountain. Cyrus didn't hesitate for a second. Black blob of fur? Yellow eyes with black slits running down the middle? There was his target, the damned cat.

Now I don't know if you've ever chased a cat before, but those buggers are damn fast. They're not fast so much as agile and move in such ways that humans can't help but envy. This cat was beyond any cat Cyrus had ever seen, its feet looking as if they were floating over the ground rather than pushing into it as it ran. The thing was agile too, bobbing and weaving, zigzagging across terrain not meant to be walked across. As Cyrus pursued he nearly stumbled several times. Not because he was clumsy or bad on his feet but simply because he was running across the mountain at roughly a 60 degree angle and the ground beneath him was the equivalent to gravel.

As it neared a tree, the cat suddenly stopped, which actually surprised Cyrus greatly as it came quite unexpectedly. The cat turned back, looked at Cyrus, and then lunged at the man. This too was unexpected and although Cyrus tried to stop, the gravel beneath his feet kept moving and so his feet were thrown out from under him. The cat hit his chest, all 20 pounds of it or so and that only helped his travel to the ground. The impact was so great that it caused a mini avalanche of tiny rocks. So down Cyrus and the cat went, both clutching on to one another for dear life as they were helpless to get out of this small scale landslide. The rocks took them all the way to the bottom of the mountain. Mildly confused, Cyrus stood up and grabbed the cat by its tail, holding it in the air. The cat simply cocked its head to the side and stared at Cyrus. Cyrus sighed and grumbled, You're more trouble than you're worth, feline. With that the masked man made his way back to the guild and would return the cat to its rightful owner.

1395/1200

[Mission Complete]