Rannis stood upon the bow of the small schooner as it cut the waves, sending up a mist of salty water to wash over him. For a cat, he took the water quite well, his sleek black fur sparkling in the noon sun and not a cloud in the sky. The sails on the two masts flapped wildly in the winds, pushing the vessel onwards through the Khir Khiran sea. Men and women went happily about their duties onboard the polished deck, some humming, singing, and many laughing.

Rannis, however, was not laughing. He was intent on finding the portal which the Circle gave him the task of closing. His luminous green eyes scanned the depths of the water, his tail twitching in annoyance each time a fresh wave brought salty water across his fur.

"Damn Charit... *SPLASH!* Damn Circle... *CRASH!*" Rannis muttered, but low enough so as none of the crew could hear. He thought they might think it eerie to hear a small black alleycat with tattered ears and a slightly bent tail speaking, much less, cursing.

"Captain! Crow's nest spies a storm front approaching from the east!!" Shouted a crewman from halfway down the mast.

Rannis looked over to the Eastern horizon, off the starboard side, saw a quickly forming thick line of darkness, continued to mutter, "Oh great... another bath. Yippee. Hoorah. Hooray." He shifted his balance on the bow, continued to look into the waters, "Okay portal, where are ya?"

Still he got no answer, gazing into the deep blue sea. He sighed slightly, wishing for a burrito or an order of nachos to keep him company as he lay down across the bow, resting his chin on his paws. His eyes began to close as the rocking of the boat soothed and relaxed him, sending him into a gentle catnap.

He awoke with a start as a sharp wave of water slapped across him, almost tossing him into the now churning ocean. He leapt from the bow to the commotion on the deck, the sky now darkened and rain beginning to pour down in sheets. Thunder and lightning played through the skies as he hopped madly about, trying to avoid being trampled by the scrambling crew. He bolted through the legs of a startled crewman, rushed below deck quickly, water pouring down the stairs. He hopped up lightly onto a barrel and curled up, feeling wet and miserable as he proceeded to lick down his soaked fur.

The ship heaved to one side, tossed into the air almost, by a massive wave, and slammed back down again. The ship groaned, sounding as though it were about to cave in and thunder crashed loudly overhead.

Rannis hopped to his feet as the barrel tipped over, spilling bait all over the floor of the ship. The barrel began to roll towards him as the ship made a sudden movement. He jumped to the side quickly to avoid being smooshed, cursing loudly as the barrel rolled over his tail and crashing against the hull of the ship.

He looked up sharply as the hull splintered and water began to rush in. The ship responded to the onset of water by lilting sharply to the side. Above deck, a voice shouted "She's breakin' up!! Man the lifeboats!" "Yeah.. sounds like a good idea.. think I'll do that." Rannis muttered, leaping to the stairs to avoid the water. He bolted across the deck to where men were piling in lifeboats when lightning struck one of the masts, severing it midway, toppling it to the deck. Splinters of wood flew up into the air, along with several planks, as the ship began to fall apart beneath the fury of the storm. Rannis dodged as a bit of wood hit down near him then felt a sharp crack to the back of the head... everything went dark...

Rannis opened his eyes slowly, the sudden rush of light hurting as he did so. He looked up at the unfamiliar faces, stroking his fur. His fur?? Wait... he thought. I'm a cat?? He picked himself up slowly, the action hurting too much and a soothing voice came down to him... that of a young dark haired woman. Her voice was spoken with an almost songlike tone, calming him slightly, "Shhh. Rest, kitty. You're safe here."

In saying this, she continued to stroke his fur. He looked up at her with his luminous green eyes and thought to himself... well... if I'm a cat, 'spose I'll act like it... but she sure is a beauty. He let out a soft "Meow," which was so strangled by his own throat that he could barely understand it and ended up coughing.

The gathered crowd chuckled slightly with echoes of 'cute' and 'darling' coming back to his ringing ears. He blinked, clearing a bit of the fog from his vision, meowed again, a bit more insistently, feeling a growling in his stomach.

'Come on guys... this is nice and all but I'd like something to eat... like a burrito. Hmm... what's a burrito anyway... what's my name, for that matter...' "I am glad you survived your travels, Derahm," She said, addressing him. 'Derahm? Tis my name?' He thought to himself. 'Funny.. doesn't sound familiar.'

He looked at the other faces staring at him and his surroundings. He sat on his haunches, on a bed made of straw, supported on what seemed like another bed, made of stone. He was in a tiny dwelling which appeared to be a cave with smooth polished rock for walls. Around him stood about 5 people, an elderly man, a young boy, two grown men and the woman who addressed him."

"I say we eat it," One of the men spoke. He was just barely a man, with curly brown hair, and a goatee. He was dressed in plain brown leathers, as were all of them, save the woman, who wore a dress made of cloth.

The woman looked shocked, especially at the agreement of the others. She flung her arms around Rannis protectively and looked at the one who spoke, "Eat him??? John, I believe being down here for so long has addled your mind. Tis a cat! And a beautiful cat, at that."

Rannis chuckled, getting a good view down her dress, thought to himself, 'Yeah. I was just thinking the same thing.'

"How can you say we not eat him, Coral? The beast has more meat on its bones than we do."

Coral glared at him with her hazel eyes, "I'll not allow it! We've survived perfectly on what we can catch and what washes in from the ocean!" John glared at her for a long time before turning and storming out of the room. The elderly man tapped the other man on the arm with an aged hand, "Eldry.. go talk to your brother."

"Yes father," Said Eldry, turning from the room on his heels, striding carefully after him.

The old man spoke carefully, his brown eyes twinkling in the dim torchlight, "He's a very nice cat, isn't he, Coral?"

She lowered her gaze, "Yes father.."

"Would you like to keep him?"

"Yes, father. More than anything!" Came her reply.

Rannis chuckled inwardly, looking down, 'I wouldn't mind it that much either.'

She stroked Rannis' fur lightly, eyes alight with kindness as she spoke softly in his ear, "Where do you come from, my little Derahm? Twas quite lucky I found ye when I did."

'Yeah', Rannis thought to himself, 'Found? Was I lost... why can't I remember...'

Softly, she began to sing in his ear, a sorrowful, yet soothing tune. He found himself starting to purr, then lay back down on the bed, his eyes closing, and he drifted off to sleep.

Rannis awoke as a gentle breeze stirred the air in the room and the soft padding of footsteps across the stone floor. He looked up to see Coral, her face smiling with happiness when she saw him. She knelt next to the bed, opened her palm to him to reveal a handful of berries, which Rannis gulped down hungrily.

"Shhhh... don't tell John about this, Derahm. Tis a treat only for us to know about." She giggled lightly to herself, then strode to the door to pull a curtain made of sail material across the doorway. She hummed softly, removing her dress, exposing all of her milky white skin and curvaceous figure to Rannis's luminous green eyes. He watched intently, inwardly whistling, thinking 'hey, what a babe', as she picked him up gently, laid down on the bed, then, covering herself up with a bedsheet, laid him on her chest.

He once more drifted off, bobbing up and down with her breathing, continuing to purr softly to her... he began to dream... he dreamed of a circle... the circle turned slowly and a blue mist appeared within. The face of an ancient man appeared in the depths... it spoke... 'Rannis... where are you, my friend... show yourself to me... where are you?'... the figure faded back into the mists, vanishing from sight, but the circle remained, as did his words... 'Tis I... Charit... hurry home, my friend'... and even the voice faded into nothing. Rannis found himself on a grassy meadow, staring at the sky, 'Who is Rannis?' he asked it, speaking with his own voice, awaiting an answer... 'Who is he??'... still no reply. 'I am Derahm... Derahm the cat... nothing more... nothing less'... a thundering voice from the heavens replied, 'Search within'... 'What does that mean??' he shouted up at nothingness... no reply... and the grassy meadow began to swirl around him, engulfing him. Nightmares began to rise up at him, things that tore with claws and bit with bloody fangs.

He awoke with a very human scream, jumping on Coral's chest. Her scream joined his as she awoke, sitting bolt upright, staring at the feline now cowering in the far corner of her bed.

"You.... twas a scream!" She exclaimed in disbelief.

Rannis frowned, realizing it was, began slowly, testing, "Yes...it....was..."

Her eyes grew wide, "You speak!"

He considered for a moment, then looked at her with his luminous green eyes, "Aye... call me Rannis" For some reason, the name from his dream seemed to fit him perfectly... so he accepted it. He continued, "Please be not afraid... I'm not going to hurt you."

She softened in her expression and slowly, she held out a hand to him, "I know... And I also know that you are most likely a figment of my long isolated imagination".

Rannis ventured forth and sniffed her fingers, "No m'lady.. I am very real." 'I just don't know who I am' He thought to himself.

She cautiously stroked his fur, "How..." She frowned, feeling foolish talking to a cat, but continued, "How did you come to be here?"

"I don't know... I'm just... here." He replied, nuzzling into her petting.

She smiled slightly, "Who are you then? How can you talk? Are you some enchanted prince?"

Rannis smirked inwardly, 'Yeah right. Prince Ranarak... wait... what name is this... Ranarak Tarandis...'

"I wish I knew myself, m'lady.. I'm just here.." He sighed slightly, feeling frustrated, then looked up at her, "You know.. you have the most beautiful eyes... like a piece of the heavens, placed so neatly in one wonderful package.."

She blushed profusely then flicked his ear, "Stop that, cat... I might be lonely at times... but I certainly won't be courted by a cat!"

Rannis' ear twitched and he licked the back of a paw, looking up at her, "Sorry, m'lady... I don't know what made me say that." He spoke literally, for he couldn't reason why a cat would feel attracted to a human... or why a cat could speak at all, for that matter.

He looked at her, "Please, tell no one of me talking, m'lady."

She laughed merrily, then looked at him, "Derahm... I mean... Rannis, I wouldn't dare, for fear they would tie me up and brand me insane!"

Rannis chuckled slightly, then laid back down on her lap, "Too true... too true." He dozed off soundly again. She sighed, continued to pet his fur for awhile before laying back down herself.

Coral picked up Rannis, jarring him from his sleep, "Time to get up, sleepy. Time to go for a walk."

'Oh boy..' Rannis thought to himself. "Oh boy!" He exclaimed.

Rannis allowed himself to be carried out of the hollow in the cave wall which formed the hut. He looked around marveling at the massive subterranean cavern, a small lake in the center, with a river flowing into it from a seemingly underground feed. Various debris was piled up along the shores and John was sorting through it miserably.

Coral carried Rannis to the end of the lake and followed a small stream along the cave wall, "Shh. I'm taking you to my secret place." Rannis watched through luminous green eyes as she cleared away some debris covering a tiny hole, just large enough for her to crawl through. She picked up a torch from a pile laying nearby, and a tinderbox, then got down on her hands and knees to begin crawling the length of the tunnel.

Rannis padded lightly across the tunnel floor behind her, waiting as she pushed her way through to the other side and stood up. There was a slight 'pop' noise, followed by a hiss as the torch flamed to life, illuminating the interior of this smaller cave. In the center, a clear, shimmering spring lay, surrounded by smooth stone. Coral set the torch in a homemade sconce, then stripped down and dived into the spring. Rannis walked casually to the edge of the spring and sat down, staring into the depths. He watched her smooth form glide through the water, finally coming up for air, shaking her dark hair around as she looked at him with laughing eyes.

"Come Rannis. Join me. You're not afraid of a little water, are you?"

'Afraid?' Rannis thought, 'Petrified, more like it.' "M'lady, I am a cat," He spoke. "I'm supposed to be afraid of the water."

He managed a small grin, but drew a sad sigh from her. She swam to the shore, climbed out, and sat dripping on the rock next to him. He turned to face her, watching as she spoke to him, "I wish you weren't... I wish you were human... John says... and father agrees... that we're never going to get out of here... tis impossible... sharks roam outside... crushing tides... Oh Rannis, why were we ever stuck here? Why?"

Rannis rubbed his head against her leg, "I don't know, m'lady... tis fate, I suppose."

She looked down at him, tears beginning to flow from her eyes, "Fate?? To be trapped down here?? To be marooned and having to scavenge for food? Twas enough when mother died... no place to bury her but the bottom of the lake... why... why..."

She broke down, started sobbing and Rannis reached out to her, a spark from somewhere within wanting to comfort her... his luminous green eyes began to glow... an aura enveloped him... and as it cleared he was no longer a cat. He was average height and weight for a young man, looking about 25 years of age. He had deep green eyes and wavy black hair. He was dressed all in black... a black tunic, black cloth pants and a black cloak, fastened by a small gold pin. He looked down at himself in surprise... "I'm not a cat."

She looked up at his words, gasping in shock, eyes trained on him. "Don't be afraid, m'lady... tis still me. Rannis... " She reached out a hand gently to touch his cheek, "R-rannis..?" "Aye, m'lady... don't be afraid."

Without answering, she leaned forward against him, burying her head in his shoulder, sobbing softly, "Rannis... Rannis... why?"

He laid a hand to the back of her head, stroked her hair softly, comforting her with his presence... he closed his eyes, rested his head against hers, feeling relaxed... he felt a small twinge somewhere... a slight tingle in the air around him and a bit of a shimmering appeared in the air, which he felt, rather than saw... he saw visions flashing before him... his name carried on whispers... Rannis... Rannis of the 5th... 5th Circle... Circle of Spellcasters... Rannis... Rannis......

"Rannis?" She looked at him with concern as he appeared distant. "Aye... I'm here." He spoke, "Rannis of the 5th Circle... of the Circle of Spellcasters... Guardians of Khir Khira."

Her eyes went wide, "You're with the Circle???"

"Yeah... kinda hits hard, doesn't it... I still don't remember how I got here... but I was looking for a portal... something that needed closing... my task..."

She looked up at him, ignoring most of his words, hope and joy filling her face, "You're of the Circle! You can help us! Free us! Please... I'll go tell the others!" Coral stood up, grabbed her dress, hastily donned it, then turned to Rannis, who still knelt on the cave floor, put her hands on her hips, "Well?"

Rannis shook his head, sighed, "Coral... I don't know how to help you." Her face fell, and she frowned for a moment before locking gazes with him, "But you're of the Circle... you come and go as you please. "

"Coral... for the same reason I can't remember how I got here, I can't remember magic.I know I possess it and the talent but I can't remember... I'm sorry."

"B-but... you're of the Circle..." She sobbed lightly again, then sank to her knees.

"I'm really sorry, Coral... perhaps I'll remember in time but for now... I'm as stranded here as you." He paused, "I don't even remember how to return to the cat form..."

A malicious snickering arose from a dark corner of the cave and John stepped out, brandishing a hand crossbow, "You know why he can't get us out of here? It's cuz he's a lying bastard, after only one thing... YOU, Coral. Are you that blind??"

"What... what do you mean?? John, listen...he can help. He just needs time."

Rannis watched the crossbow John aimed at him, most notably watching the finger, remembering the tail end of a spell which might be useful, but not knowing how to cast it.

"You're crazy, Coral... grasping at any hope he feeds you. He's as stuck here as the rest of us. You heard him. But... why not test it? If he's really of the Circle then he won't mind if I do this." His finger tensed on the trigger and with a clack the bolt streaked to its target.

Coral screamed, threw herself in front of the bolt, lurching backwards as it sank deeply into her chest, clutching at it with both hands, falling against Rannis who supported her. Rannis then looked up to John, anger flaring through his deep green eyes. He snapped out a hand towards him in a fit of rage, "ENERGY BLAST!" A solid blast of pure energy shot from Rannis's palm, jerking back with recoil and slamming against John's chest, throwing him against the opposite wall, shredding him into two halves, the crossbow dropping to the ground next to his corpse.

He looked down to Coral, blood frothing between her lips as she tried to speak, "R-R-rannis...."

"Shhhh... don't try to talk." He spoke barely above a whisper, a tear running down his cheek as he tried to think of something he could do that would save her... ease her suffering... one spell came to mind as she painfully tried to draw a breath... his memories came flooding back to him all at once, invading his mind with pain. He winced, bit his lip to avoid crying out as he knew everything... about the Circle... his past... his spells. He looked down at her.. cast 'Energy Adjustment', trying to mend her wounds, and bring her out of her suffering... but it was no use... she was too far gone for his limited healing abilities to save. He wished, for a moment that he had access to the Life Sphere of magic... but nay... only the death sphere. He looked down at her tense form, struggling to breathe and suffering immensely, a bolt jutting out of her chest.

He breathed in a breath and held it as he cast a spell that would ease her suffering... "Life Drain..." a glow formed where his hands touched her body then whisps of her lifeforce traveled into him, absorbed... her eyes grew lifeless.

Rannis passed a hand over her face, closing her eyes, then lay her body aside. He kneeled next to the spring, washing her blood from his hands, washing his face and washing his hair, then sat silently, staring into the spring... at his reflection... his human reflection. He then looked to the human in two pieces... and the one with a bolt in her. He sighed then an aura enveloped him and his eyes glowed and he reemerged as a black alleycat with tattered ears and a slightly bent tail. Sighing sadly, he turned to look at the cave entrance, vowing to send help for the others still stranded then twitched his tail, opening a swirling blue portal before him... he walked in with head and tail drooping and vanished into the depths, the portal flickering out of existence.

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