From: The Gray Mouser
Subj: Kat4a  mf/fantasy

    "This is insane!", thought Kat as he leapt back from yet another slashing
strike from the blade of the woman now trying to kill him. His mind raced
back over the previous twelve hours as he tried to determine just *what* he
had done to deserve such harsh treatment... 

    Kat's steps were swift and silent as he made his way from the still quiet
town of Behlar. Dawn was a half-hour away, and the night fog still hung low
to the ground. He breathed in the chill morning air and drew his cloak closer
about him. His heart was hopeful, as he had passed through the town without
being attacked, swindled, or seduced for a change. He was starting to learn
how to pass through without attracting unwanted interest.

    He followed the path revealed to him by the tavern keeper the previous
night. Kat smiled as he recalled the way he had massaged the information from
him with a combination of gold and ale. South along the forest to the main
road, then west to the Valley of the Fang, where waited his mortal enemy
Jar'nell. "Soon, fiend. Very soon", growled Kat through clenched teeth as he
made his way south.

    Around midafternoon, Kat decided to rest a space. The lands had become
hilly and travel a little more tiring. He sat beneath a large tree and
loosened his pack. Drinking a bit of water, he suddenly heard a scream from
down the road. He sprang to his feet and after stowing his gear took his
sword and sling to investigate, keeping well within the tree line to prevent
being seen. As he cleared the second hill he caught sight of four burly men
clad in light leather armor, the type typically worn by thieves. They were
gathered in a loose circle and seemed to be peering at something on the
ground.

    "She's a cute one, she is!", laughed one of them.

    "Aye, she'll give us a bit o' fun", howled another.

    "Back ye dogs, before I thump your heads the same as 'er!" roared a
third, a large balding man with a close-cut black beard. "I'm going to
teach this one a lesson first. Then you can have what's left of 'er" he
sneered.

    He reached down and picked up a girl, tossing her senseless body over his
shoulder like a sack of meal. He took her to the trunk of a large fallen tree
and roughly laid her upon it, his comrades following close behind. With one
large gloved hand he tore the white smock she wore down the front from neck
to waist.

    Kat burst from the forest with his sword Talon drawn and whirling his
sling above his head. He loosed the leaden shot with a sharp crack and it
hit the nearest thief in the back of the head, knocking his unconscious body
into the bearded one, who swore and tossed the man to the ground. Looking
up, he saw the onrushing form of Kat. Enraged at the interruption of his fun,
he roared "Kill him!" to his men and drew his sword, just as the lightning
quick sword of Kat ran him through. His mouth fell agape and his sword dropped
to the ground as he saw this gray-clad avenger then dispatch his two remaining
men with similar unnatural quickness. This gray demon then ran to him and
without ceremony gave him a clout to the head similar but much harder than
that he had given the girl. The man fell hard to the ground and with his last
moments of life saw his killer look down at him and curl his mouth in a small
wry smile. Then all was darkness as his eyes closed forever.

    Kat returned to the spot where the girl lay. Looking down, he saw a thin,
plain girl of around seventeen years with a tangle of close-cropped
brown hair half covering her face. A cruel bump raised above her left ear
where the brigand had hit her. Wincing, he cast a small cantrip and gently
touched the lump. It reduced visibly at his touch until it was gone. He then
carefully lifted her up and took her to a clearing beneath a nearby tree.
Placing her on the ground, he noticed a small silver chain about her neck
with a charm bearing a seal he did not recognize. He spied the girl's small
breasts, capped with dainty pink nipples. Smiling to himself, he covered the
girl's chest with the smock and proceeded to survey the rest of the scene.

    He saw the leader's crumpled form upon the field and his two comrades
lying nearby in similar state. The man he had pelted with his sling had
regained his senses and was running away as fast as his wobbly legs could
carry him. Kat chuckled softly as he watched this fool racing from his
friends' fate. The smile slowly evaporated from his face as he saw two more
bodies a bit farther from the rest, outfitted the same as the other men.
Coming closer, Kat examined the bodies. They were quite dead and similarly
wounded, their privates hacked from their bodies. Upon the ground rested
a bloodied long sword. The pommel bore the same seal as the girl's charm.
Raising an eyebrow, he gazed back at the sleeping girl and recalled black-
beard's threat. "'Teach her a lesson' he said. For this?", he pondered.

                             *    *    *
