The Prophecy and the Familiar

THREE

 "She's lucky you found her." A young man in gray clothing peered down at Ivy. "It doesn't look like she has any serious injuries, but lying out there in the gutter, in the cold and wet..." He shuddered.

"And on Halloween, too." A woman—clearly older than the man, perhaps old enough to be considered elderly—rose from her chair and left the room.  "Let's see if she'll eat something."

The man sighed. He was quite young, Ivy judged, dark of hair and eyes, and would have been handsome—for a human—but for his dull, ignorant expression.

"Don't worry, honey," he said, and held out his hand to her. "No one actually sacrifices black cats, at least not around here."

"You might be right, Seb," she whispered, and hissed at the hand. "He doesn't seem like a real healer."

Sebastian waffled. "Well, he did examine you like a healer would."

The little dragon, barely larger than a sparrow, fluttered about the man's head. The breeze from his wings ruffled the man's hair, making the human brush absently at his face.

"He can't see me, so perhaps the prophecy means someone different."

"Maybe..." Ivy's head pounded. She couldn't think. It was said that creatures from the Distant Lands had their own magic, but if so, why could the humans see her?

Maybe I'm not really a Cat, or not meant to be a Familiar.  It was less comforting a thought than she'd have imagined.

She managed to right herself, settling onto her chest and folding her paws underneath. She glared at the purported healer's hand and hissed again.

"All right, then." The young man chuckled. "Maybe you'll be more friendly after some food, huh?"

He straightened and turned his back to them. A door of black wire slammed shut in front of Ivy's face.

"Merciful moon," Ivy swore. Her addled mind hadn't acknowledged the cage.  A lot of good Sebastian was; he could just slip through the bars, of course.

"I'm just going upstairs for a few minutes," the young man called. "Do you need anything?"

The woman reappeared, carrying a small glass bowl. "No, thank you, Doctor."

Ivy's nostrils flared as she picked up the scent of chicken.

Sebastian slithered in through the bars of the cage and landed near her right forepaw. "She called him doctor, did you hear? He is a healer."

Her tail swished as she contemplated the man's retreating back. "Maybe you're right. The Queen would be surprised, but..."

"Your Queen doesn't know everything," muttered the dragon.

Ivy pinned him to the floor with her paw, but her claws were sheathed. "Hush your mouth." Her whiskers quivered as she chuckled. "I'm not certain she can't hear us, even in this world."