Tale of a Cleric (book)

The Tale of a Cleric.

by Rouslan Teploh, Cleric of Tamsine.

Pink light filled the room, created by sunrays streaming through a round window covered with mama's favorite drapes. I was alone in the room, halfway asleep in the middle of a huge bed, when a cat walked in. It was a huge striped gray animal, almost as big as I was; but I wasn't afraid. Then the cat jumped in with me, and I laughed loudly and happily, grabbing her soft fur. That's when my parents rushed in and took the cat away, excitedly saying something I didn't quite understand. I was about one year old, and this is probably the first thing I remember.

Strangely, most of my other early memories involve that cat. Playing chase, going to sleep, or lounging outside, I was always followed by that cat. She had a name, I am sure, but for me she was just "Cat." My sister claimed that it was the second word I learned to say, the first being "ta-at," for "tart." There is no way to check if she is right. You see, our parents got caught in an invasion on their way to a festival when I was just two, and Aly was nine. That's when we were taken from our farm and put into a small orphanage in Arthe Dale. That's when I saw Cat last, in a way.

I don't remember much of my life at the orphanage, except that I was always trying to run away. I don't think it was that bad there, but there was a whole world outside, just out of my reach. Very tempting! Only once I actually succeeded, and wandered far away from the orphanage. At least, it seemed far to me.

It was an adventure -- I was wading through grass taller then myself, pretending to be a ranger in the woods. The meadow did turn into the woods pretty soon, but I was too excited to notice. On and on I went, aiming my trusty bow (made out of a twisted willow branch and some rope) at invisible monsters. I had borrowed some tarts from the kitchen, but when the last one was gone, it seemed like a good time to go home.

It was a nice thought, but how was a three-year-old to find home? All I could do was huddle under a bush and cry, while the last of my bravery disappeared with the last rays of the sun. Then, in the dark, I heard that sound, -- "Meeeooow," and again, closer -- "Meow!" "Cat!" I cried out, and started running towards the voice of my friend, for I was sure it has been her. But the sound didn't get close no matter how I tried to get near its source. Excited, I kept chasing Cat as "Meow" after "Meow" beckoned me -- all the way to the orphanage gates. There I got an earful from boss the lady in charge and Aly, but I didn't get to see Cat again. Still, I think she saved me that night, but I will never know if it was my Cat or something else.

Soon after that a middle-aged halfling couple came to the orphanage, looking for a child to call their own. He was a retired mage, and she a cleric, now trying to settle in Arthe Dale again, as proper Olvi should (so I was told later, on too many occasions to care). They brought someone with them. Someone with whom I fell in love at first site -- a black kitty with white socks, so unlike Cat yet somehow still like her. Daisy the cat liked me too, for she jumped into my lap immediately, thus making a choice for her owners. I knew what it was all about, many kids left the orphanage with their new parents. I couldn't remember the faces of mama and papa anymore, but I remembered how it felt to be held, and cared for, and loved. New parents! I ran to tell Aly, only to find her crying on her bed. She pulled me close and insisted that I remember her, always. I couldn't understand what was there to be upset about -- we get parents! If I only knew that they didn't want Aly, only "the baby."

I missed my sister a lot at first, but her image eventually faded. I loved my adoptive parents, and I loved our 5 cats; Daisy was not the only one. My favorite time was at night, when we would sit near the hearth and Ma would tell me stories. Her stories were of heroes and villains, beauty and danger, but most often they were of the Thirteen Immortals. Oh, how she told those stories! Every night I dreamt about dolphins, and unicorns, and lions, but most often I saw the great tabby cat of Tamsine. She looked a lot like my lost Cat, and was so very comforting and reassuring, I always attempted to conjure up her image when I had a nightmare. And she always came, banishing my fears and guiding me to safety -- just like that night in the forest.

The time passed, and as I grew older I asked more questions of Ma and Pa. Most often I asked after my sister, but they have never given me a straight answer. The day I turned 16, Ma gave me a cambrinth tabby she used to rely on as a cleric.

I didn't want it. I wanted to know why they didn't take Aly too, and I wanted to know where she was. Angry, I left my home of over twelve years and stalked away, taking only a few things with me. The tabby wasn't one of them. Daisy followed me a bit, but she turned away soon, leaving me all alone with the big world.

It wasn't hard to find the orphanage, where I finally got some of the answers. I knew now that Aly left for the big city, to join the Empath Guild. I also knew that my parents where not such bad and cruel people as I thought them to be in the past months. I had to return and apologize to Ma I was almost too late. Ma was ill -- something with her heart, she said. She didn't want to be cured, she just wanted to see me again. She begged me not to be angry with them about Aly, while I begged her to forgive me for my leaving. They did have a reason, I learned now. Pa made one of his last predictions before they went to the orphanage. He told me that it came out even more confusing that they usually do. All Ma and Pa knew when they went in the orphanage was that they were to choose through the cat, and not to tell anyone there. And so they did, as Daisy made a choice for them.

Ma survived the illness, but I wasn't happy at home anymore. In my dreams, Cat ran from me in the dark forest, beckoning me to follow. Finally, I muster up the courage to tell Ma and Pa that I was leaving. Ma only smiled. "You see, dear," she said, "We knew it was time for you to leave us. My Lady is calling on you, and I am very proud that you will follow my path. Your Pa thinks that this was why we had chosen you for our child, and I agree." After that, there was some crying, of course, and packing, and more crying. Soon I set off to the Crossing, laden like a mule with things Ma thought necessary. When I got robbed on the road, I can't say I was terribly upset. I still had my cambrinth tabby that thieves didn't find on me, and I was determined to make it out there on my own.

First thing to do, of course, was to join the Cleric Guild. And second -- finding my sister. People knew her, and I was eventually able to meet with Aly in a distant city, Shard. And of course, there was some crying again, on my part as well. I returned to the Crossing, to strive hard for my first task for a glimpse of My Lady Tamsine. That meeting was everything I dreamed about, and more, though my heart is heavy for I cannot return to Her home again. From then and forever, I became My Lady's servant. She, who gave me safety and home, will be with me as I walk the lands in the light of her eternal hearth.