Chocolate Cat's Beginning: Talisman

Once upon a time there was a girl who took care of a local clowder of five lovely cats.

The cats were treated kindly as if they were the pets of the city itself, often fed and pampered, and this girl, being the one they like the most, was the one allowed to name them.

"This one is Cream!" She said, patting the head of a white cat with black splotches, and the people behind her took notes.

"Strawberry!" She smiled, booping a pink cat with a white underside.

"Chip! Or Cookie!" She held up a calico with his only bits of white (not counting his nose) being on his ass.

"Reeses!" She said, pointing to a brown cat with peanut butter colored splotches.

"And…" She said, setting Chip down and holding up a brown cat with browner marks on his ears and a white underside. "Groff!!"

 

The cats knew the people behind the girl, yet not how you may think.

To the cats, they were Guardian Humans. If you brought someone sick or injured to them, they could live another day, that, and, for some reason, they appeared when cats were getting names.

Cats quite liked having names- after all, names were bestowed upon them by the Guardian Humans or with their blessings.

And such, the recently named cats played amongst themselves in celebration.

 

Chip had just knocked over Strawberry, Reeses had scaled up a wall, and Groff had hit Cream with two paw swipes when the girl came back again, four pieces of cloth and a collar in her hands, and the cats ran up to her, awaiting.

She wrapped a black one around Cream's neck, one that would be shaken off as soon as she had left. (Nothing personal, of course- they just didn't like the feeling of things on their neck. The cloth would make a great bed, however...)

She wrapped a white one around Cookie's neck, and he meowed in happiness.

She wrapped a pink one around Strawberry's neck, and he leaned into her touch.

Reeses got the collar, it clicking onto her furred neck, and he beamed, feeling special.

But Groff's favorite part was when she wrapped a chocolate brown bandana around his own neck, the gift making him purr.

He'd treasure this! Of course he would, it was a gift from the girl after all.

 

One day, Groff fell into a tear in reality.

But how? It was simple.

He wasn't looking and ran towards what appeared to be a mouse, only to end up running across a particularly thin patch of reality, so thin it could barely support his weight... and then-

Snap!

Poor little guy fell, and he tumbled deep.

At least until he woke up in an inn...

 

"Hello?" Groff spoke- in human words? In human sounds? "... I..."

"You must be new here." A... human?... with pointy ears and blond hair spoke. "My name is Martus, and I am an elf."

"...Elf?" Groff did not know of elves. There were humans- tall and mighty- cats - like himself and his friends- dogs -the beasts the humans also watch over- but. There weren't elves.

"You're from a world without elves?" Martus asked. "Ah... We've been having a worrying amount of new arrivals from worlds without elves or paperdemons or magic. Did you fall in from a tear caused by a bus, too? And now are thinking you died? If so, you barely did." Martus muttered under his breath something about 'At least a damn cat is a change of pace'

"... I was chasing a mouse." Groff's tail thrashed, thinking about the failed hunt, and he sighed. At least another cat could get it. "The ground fell behind me, and I ended up here."

"Alright." Martus said. "... Since you've came here, I believe you'll need a class in Traveller 101. Your elemental and talisman powers should develop soon, and we should get you used to those as fast as possible. First, what item on your person means the most to you?"

Groff put a paw on his bandana. "... The girl gave it to me."

"Ok, that is your talisman." Martus explained. "Many people put the badges we give on them, but you don't have to do that." He then slapped his palm to his face. "Ah! Right! There's so so much I have to explain to you, actually! Come this way!" He ran off, and Groff followed after him.

"You see, we travel to all these different worlds via these things called 'Portals'..."