Part 3:
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Kimpa’s been acting really strange today. Ever since last night, he’s... he just hasn’t been acting right. Maybe it was ‘cause I insulted him by saying he’d get hurt if he came with us? No, no, not Kimpa. He’d never get offended by something I’d say. ...Great, now I sound stuck up.
I sighed and glanced at him.
We had decided to stay in the forest and walk trough it instead of on the street. Kimpa knew the forests around here well, so we won’t get lost.
Suddenly Kimpa stopped with his eyes locked forward. Hina, Isai, and Flare sensei looked forward and stared too. I kept turned toward Kimpa and asked,
“What is it?”
“Princess, ...don’t turn around.”
But as they say “curiosity killed the cat”. And whenever someone says not to do something it always makes you want to do it more. So I slowly turned around and noticed a large group of cat people dropping to their feet and bowing.
“What’s this?” Hina asked in shock.
“Ay, dios mio!! Is this all for us?!” Isai asked shocked.
One of the older looking male cats stood slowly and looked directly at Kimpa.
“Kimpa-kun, you succeeded,” he said.
Kimpa just stared back.
“Kimpa, what’s this about?” Flare sensei asked turning toward him.
“This is why I told you to hide yourself, Princess,” Kimpa said with his eyes still locked on the cat. Then Kimpa broke his stare and looked at me and smiled. “I know you don’t like a lot of attention.”
I just stared back at him looking confused. Then the sound of a stampede came from the front of us. Over a dozen young male cats rushed over to me and crowded around me.
“Princess!” one shouted.
“Your highness, what is your name?” another asked.
“Uhh, uh, uh, Zelda?” I said confused as I tried to take in everything that was going on.
“Ah! Zelda, truly a lovely name!” a blonde haired tom said. *(Tom meaning male cat, queen meaning female.)*
“That of an angel!” a brownish red haired one agreed.
“A true Hyrulian name!” a gray colored one shouted.
“Princess Zelda, is there anything that you require? Please allow me to-“ a black haired one began, but a cream colored one pushed him away and said,
“No allow me, Princess Zelda!”
Then a light brown haired tom grabbed my hands and turned me toward him. “Please, Princess, allow me to be the father of your royal litters.”
“Litter?!” Hina exclaimed looking super shocked.
“PLURAL?!!” I shouted my eyes wide.
Soon the questions were coming a mile a minute and the whole group of toms were getting closer and closer pushing each other out of the way and trying to get closer.
“Guys, guys, please... I-I don’t know about any of this,” I began, but they didn’t notice. “Guys, please... I’m just...” The crowd kept closing in. “H-hey! Y-you’re getting too close! W-wait a minute!”
Suddenly a flash of red, brown, and white came in front of me and swept me off to the side. Kimpa set me down and gently pulled me by my wrist behind him as he used his other arm to block them from me.
“She said stop. She doesn’t like being crowded around. If any of you try to speak to her in that manner again, you’ll have to go through me,” Kimpa said seriously as he glared at them. I’d never seen him mad before, and this was the closest to it. It was kind of scary. Or at least, it would be if it were me he were frustrated with.
“Kimpa-kun’s right, you’ll scare the poor girl,” a rather plump brown haired woman said walking over to Kimpa and laying her hand on his shoulder. “Welcome back, Kimpa-kun.” Kimpa seemed to relax a bit and his expression softened as he looked at the woman. “Welcome, Princess Zelda. Please don’t mind all the boys. They’re just excited to see a new face around here.” She then bowed slightly. “It’s an honor to meet you.”
“Uhhh, um nice to meet you too, Miss. But listen, I’m not really... well, I am. But I hold no power. So there’s little point to addressing to me as ‘princess’. I’m just normal, like the rest of you,” I explained modestly.
Soon an eager young golden haired cat-boy ran over and exclaimed, “But you have human servants! You must be important!”
“Servants?!” Hina, Isai, and Flare sensei asked at the same time.
“No, no, no, no, no, no!!” I began waving my arms back and forth rapidly. “They’re not my servants! I don’t have any servants. That’s just mean. These are my friends, my companions. My teammates!” I explained.
“Mean?” the young boy asked.
“Nevermind him, Princess,” the woman said smiling warmly.
“But mom-!!” he began.
“Hush, Cherion!” she said putting a finger to her lips and placing her other hand on his little shoulder. She looked up and said, “I’m Calypso.”
“Nice to meet you,” I smiled back. “But please, just Zelda.”
“But why? Don’t you realize who you are?!” the cream color haired boy asked.
“Well, nnn, sorta. But I don’t see why I’m any different then you,” I said.
The boy looked shocked by this, and honestly, so did the other toms as well. But soon the older cat who spoke to Kimpa first stepped over to me.
“My name is Kerran, I’m in charge of this village. Please excuse their rude behavior, Zelda-sama,” he said kindly smiling. He was almost like ...Old Deuteronomy! ...But younger and thinner. It took me a while to stop staring at him wide eyed.
“Please, Zelda-san at the most, sir,” I said bowing slightly toward.
He began laughing. “Haha! My dear girl, there’s no need to bow to me. Not someone like you. Your very, very modest aren’t you?” he asked.
“Not really, sir. I just don’t think things like that are right. I wasn’t raised a princess, or even a cat. So I don’t see any reason for me to be treated like that on just because now I know who I really am. And things like that just don’t sit too well with me. I don’t like that people are given more respect because of their linage, or who their ancestors are. Respect is earned, not a birth right,” I explained. “Modesty has nothing to do with it.”
“Words of wisdom,” the gray hair tom said putting his hand under his chin and closing his eyes.
“Zelda-san, this is Komadia. He is my son,” Kerran motioning toward him.
“Nice to meet you, Komadia-san,” I said politely.
“Zelda-sam-I mean, -san, there’s no need to be so formal. Komadia-kun is fine, or just Komadia, if you wish,” he said bowing.
“I haven’t earned that respect yet. Not after only knowing you for less then five minutes. Komadia-san,” I said.
“Wow, I’ve never seen Zelda like this before,” Hina whispered to Isai.
“I know. This isn’t where she came from is it?” Isai asked.
“No, it can’t be. Zelda would know more people if it were. This must be another clan of cats,” Flare sensei explained.
“So is Zelda that well known?” Hina asked looking at Flare sensei as Isai shrugged.
“I don’t know,” sensei replied.
“Um, these are my friends, Hina Lee, Isai Aziha, and my teacher, Flare sensei,” I said motioning toward them. “And I don’t think I need to introduce Kimpa.”
“Not at all, dear!” Calypso laughed. “That boy has lived here since he was six.”
“Are you guys humans?” Cherion asked.
“Yep!” Hina smiled.
“Fascinating!” exclaimed Komadia.
“They look so similar to us,” the cream colored tom said.
“Hey, what’s going on guys?” a girl cat asked pushing through the boys with three other queens following. The first queen had dark creme, almost caramel colored hair and ears, and the other three had auburn, medium brown, and blond hair.
“Is that Kimpa?” the auburn haired girl asked in shock.
“Oh my gosh!” the blond squealed and all four girls flocked around Kimpa.
“Wow, Kimpa’s popular,” Hina said.
“Yeah,” I smiled. “It kinda makes sense.”
“How’s that?” Isai asked confused.
I turned and looked at Kimpa and saw the girls talking to him excitedly.
“‘Cause he’s so nice and everything,” I said smiling again.
“Kimpa, is that really you?” the caramel haired girl asked while holding his left arm.
“It’s been so long since we’ve seen you!” the brown haired queen exclaimed.
“He looks so much more mature,” the auburn girl whispered to the blond who nodded.
“Yeah, and he’s hot!” the blond agreed.
I couldn’t help but laugh when I heard them say that.
“So this is where he came from,” I said almost thinking out loud.
“It seems really nice,” Hina said.
“Yeah,” Isai agreed.
“I wonder why he left,” Flare sensei said.
“Hm?” I asked turning to sensei.
“It seems peaceful here, and the people seem to like him. So why would he leave?” Flare sensei asked while looking over at Kimpa. “Look at him. Not the girls, him. What’s his expression?”
I turned to look at Kimpa and saw the girls giggling and grabbing Kimpa’s arms. They were really excited and happy to see him, but he...
“He doesn’t look happy. He looks... blank...” I said softly.
“He does...” Hina agreed realizing it too.
Isai stopped smiling too and watched the girls continue and not even realize that Kimpa had no interest. I watched it for what seemed like a few minutes, but I know was only a couple seconds. I focused on Kimpa’s face, his expression.
“Why is he just letting them flock around him like that? Why doesn’t he do anything?” Hina asked.
Next thing I knew I was over in front of Kimpa making some distance between him and the girls. I brushed one of the girls hands off of Kimpa’s arms and looked at them sternly.
“Don’t you see?” I asked.
The girls just looked at me confused.
“Kimpa’s not interested, you’re annoying him. So, just back off,” I said softening my stare a bit.
Kerran stepped forward and looked at the girls.
“I think you four should run along now. Let me, Kimpa, and the princess and her friends talk,” he said warmly to them. Kerran smiled warmly at them, and I felt my eyes start tearing up. Suddenly I felt a warm breeze that made my hair blow in it. But only my hair moved.
“...Old Deuteronomy?” I asked looking up at the sky.
“Zelda? Are you okay?” Hina asked taking a step toward me and looking concerned. My eyes were still on the sky.
“...I felt...him, Old Deuteronomy,” I said softly.
“Are you okay?” Hina asked.
“...yeah...,” I replied.
“♪Well of all things can it be really
No. Yes. Ho. Hi. Oh my eye!
My mind may be wandering but I confess
I believe it is Old Deuteronomy...♪”
The breeze kicked up again and I began humming along to the song I so dearly recalled and remembered my grandfather and his warmth. *(Want to hear the song? Go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8MjrLuKQAQ )*
“I have a way for you to see him,” Kerran said. I heard what he said, but somehow couldn’t believe it. My eyes widened and my body froze.
“W-what did you say?” I asked turning to him stiffly. Kerran just stared back at me. I could see in his eyes that he was telling the truth. “...H-how...?”
*(Next Part 4: Reunion: Grandfather, ...Old Deuteronomy See ya then!)*
