Chapter 7: Cat Save Them All

I stretch my legs and jump up on Jasper's bed next to him. It's nice to relax now that the whole ordeal with Ceryeas has been dealt with last night. Being in Jasper's old college room with him almost reminds me of being at our old house in High Rock.

"So, you never told your new friends about me in the two years you've been with them, huh? You weren't that ashamed of me were you?" Jasper asks with his arms crossed behind his neck.

I felt an intense rush of guilt and embarrassment when he said that.

"Well, I mean...I wanted to, but...I only just learned how to speak last night, and after I heard what happened to you, I made a vow to never write again. I did tell Ma'ketra though! I've always planned to tell the others eventually but-"

Jasper laughs, interrupting me. "I'm just messing with you Smallpaws. I'm not mad...but, why did thinking I was dead, make you decide to stop writing? You used to love writing, it's how we talked...and you're an Alfiq, writing should be especially important to you, it's how you record your memories."

I was surprised to hear him say that. I didn't think he knew that last part. How did he know?

"Yeah...Well, that's the thing." I start, still feeling embarrassed. "I only found that out about Alfiq after you were gone when I already started to forget some things and I felt...Well...I felt that if I couldn't remember anything about my best friend in life, then nothing else was worth remembering."

Jasper frowns, and lifts me up onto his lap and starts to pet me again.

"Smallpaws, as much as I feel honored that you find those memories so important to you that you would do that, don't let that throw the rest of your life's memories away. I'm not the only best friend you're ever going to have."

"Yeah, I guess...I know you're right, but...How did you know about that anyway, about Alfiq memory loss?"

"Well, after I moved out of the house, and into college, you'd be surprised how many books they have about any number of topics, and one of them was about Alfiq. 'The Chroniclers of Elsweyr' I think it was called. Interesting book. It was all about that topic, and so when I found that out I decided to write a book for you. Your own Krozijkajabo. Thought-book. I intended to give it to you when I headed back home after leaving college, but...well as you can see, there were some complications. So here. I'll give it to you now."

Jasper set me aside and opened one of the boxes in his room and, after some searching, pulled out a big book and set it down in front of me.

"Wait...You mean...Is this, really?"

"Yeah. I wrote about everything I could remember of your life since the day we adopted you until I left for college. I knew that you probably would have started to forget by the time you found that out about yourself and took it upon myself to make up for that. After all, it's the closest family relatives duty to write the first few years of an Alfiq's life. I just wrote a few extra years for you too. Right?"

"I...Yeah..." I sniffle and start to tear up again. "Yeah..."

It was hard to take in. Sitting in front of me was the complete story of the first 12 years of my life. Memories I'd long forgotten by now...details I would have never been able to recall. I had thought all hope of remembering them was lost, but no...I'd given up on ever hoping to remember them that I wanted to forget everything else, I wanted to forget Jasper even, to ease my pain, but now...

"I've missed you, Jasper. I thought I was going to forget you forever, and now you're here, alive, and with all my lost memories, just here sitting in front of me. This is...more than I could have ever hoped for."

"I've missed you too Smallpaws. I've missed you too. Since my first day of college here, I kept telling others about you, and our adventures. There were always things I wish I could have told you about, or wished you were here with me. Then, I thought...I was going to leave and get to see you again. Then Ceryeas happened and...I didn't think I'd see you ever again, or anyone for that matter. You really saved me, and you know how I don't like admitting that sometimes...I mean it."

We both sat there in silence for a little longer. Then I remembered something that I had to ask about.

"So...I heard the name mentioned a couple times, in your journal, and then Ceryeas mentioned her by name-"

"Cylesse." Jasper says, interrupting. He looked down and closed his eyes, and I could tell they were starting to tear up...and now I felt bad for bringing it up.

"You don't have to talk about it, Jasper...I'm sorry."

"Yeah...No, it's okay. I just...don't know when I'll be able to accept that she's gone...He tried to do the same thing to you, you know...He was about to-"

"Yeah but he didn't, we stopped him."

"Yeah...we did didn't we. You did. You saved me...I just wish...I could have saved her."

I sat there and let silence say the rest. I knew that feeling.

"I don't even know...if she's still alive in some way, you know? I don't know what happened to her...I just-"

"Whatever happened, she is still alive in some way, you know. Even if it is just in Aetherius."

"Yeah...I guess you're right."

We were silent for a little longer until I decided to change the subject.

"So, what do you think you'll do now?" I ask.

"I don't know...It feels so strange to have that choice again, to do whatever I want. I'll have to think about it more, what I want to do, but I know at least that whatever it is, it involves getting as far from this college as possible."

"You could always join us on our travels, Jasper. We like to call ourselves the Pride of Portneu – one of the places we saved. It's exclusively made up of Khajiit, but you could pass as an Ohmes-raht, maybe...We'll just say you lost your tail...and you could wear a hood."

Jasper laughs. "As much as I would love to go out traveling the world with you and your friends Smallpaws, I think I should stick closer to home for awhile. I still feel very weak from the whole thing, and I can't seem to be able to use magic anymore, I wouldn't be much help."

"Ah, yeah, well...I understand. Maybe I could come with you then, and we could go back to High Rock together, see the old family...see how frightened they are when I can talk-"

"Someday, perhaps, but you have a long journey ahead of yourself already with your friends first." He laughs before continuing. "And if yesterday was any indication, they need you, Smallpaws. Just as much as you need them. I wouldn't want to be the one to break up the Pride of Portneu."

I frown a bit and sway my head side to side thinking of how to respond.

"Yeah you're right, they'd probably be dead without me." I laugh. "And I wouldn't want to have that on my conscience now, would I? Someday, then, after this is all over and the moons are back..."

I stay silent again, drifting into thought. I feel sad to leave again so soon after just being reunited with him after thinking he was dead the past 2 years, but he's right.

"So, any good pranks you've been doing since you started traveling the world?" Jasper says, changing the subject.

"Oh you bet, the stuff we did back in High Rock was small-time compared to some of the things I've been up to lately, you wouldn't believe it!"

"Oh yeah? Tell me about it then. I find it hard to believe that plaguing half of Wayrest of that ugly skin rash for a week - on Heart's day, even - was small-time."

Both of us laugh together and continue our talk of stories, new and old, for what feels like hours.

I walk into the dining room and see most everyone else seated already, talking among each other. I stroll around the room looking for Khinashi, and see her sulking at the table, silent and staring at her food. I sigh.

Poor girl, I'd heard about her being trapped in a wall and that's why she wasn't with the rest of us when Muffin broke the spell over us. I can't imagine what she must be feeling right now, she was in there for hours, and it took longer even to just dig her out since magic wouldn't work anymore after Jasper was freed.

There's still so much I don't understand about this place, and what happened last night. I was suspicious of Ceryeas, but I didn't think...anything like this would have happened. I go from falling asleep in the room they let me stay in, to waking up inside another plane of existence with everyone shouting, loud thunder and lightning and lights and shaking, to Smallpaws suddenly being able to talk, reuniting with his old friend none of us ever knew about, and Khinashi being trapped between the walls.

Back then I tried talking to her through the wall, while it was being taken down, but she didn't say much then. A part of me feels like she needs more time to herself before she'll want to talk, but I feel the need to at least tell her that I don't blame her for what happened. I was pretty blunt with her last night about how I felt about the experiment. Sure, those concerns turned out to be warranted, but none of us could have foreseen this, not even Khinashi.

I walk around the table and sit in the chair across from Khinashi. She doesn't look up at me or touch her food. I decide to not press her further right now. I'll wait until after breakfast.

I raise my hand to signal to Wilxton for something to eat, and he looks agitated. I guess that's understandable, he'll have to be making food for everyone at the college now without any magic to make it easier.

"Hey, it's the man and Khajiit of honor! Nice to see you up and about Jasper!" Muffin says excitedly. I look toward the entrance to the room and see Jasper and Smallpaws walking in.

"Yeah, well a good rest and some good food and drink is the best cure for any wound. I like to think so anyway." He says as he sits down.

"Really? You feel that much better already after what you've been through for the past 2 years?" Divyral questions.

"Well, I think it could take many years before I fully recover, and I'm not sure if I'll ever really be the same. I can't seem muster so much as a simple spell anymore, at least for now."

"What? Really? You can't use magic anymore?" Muffin says.

Jasper shrugs. "I don't know if it's permanent. In a way though, it almost feels like a relief. When I was trapped in there, anytime someone used my magic, it was as if I was casting it myself. I knew everything about the spell. How it was cast, why it was, where, when, and who cast it. I pretty much have a complete understanding of it all and - because I do, magic almost...frightens me when I know what it's truly capable of, and what it's capable of doing to people."

I notice Khinashi made a reaction to this. Closing her eyes and clenching her hands and sighing. Still, no attempt has been made to touch her food.

"I understand, Jasper." Divyral says. "A traumatic experience like that will take some time to get passed. In that case, I take it you probably won't be staying with the college for much longer then?"

"Yeah, after I heal some more first. I was planning on leaving just before that all happened, and, no offense to anyone here, but for now I just kind of want to put magic and this college behind me for awhile. Especially now." Jasper says.

"You are welcome to travel with us if you wish, Jasper. Magic or not, your insight could prove useful for helping us find out what happened to the moons." Jizad suggests.

"The mystery of the Void Nights is a tempting offer, but I'm afraid I'll have to turn you down Jizad. I wouldn't be much use on the road now without my magic - I'm not good at any other form of defending myself, and I'm still pretty weak from it all in general. I may seem alright now, but I can feel I'll already have to get some more rest again soon. Although...since you mentioned it, there are some things I've been meaning to tell you all about that experiment Ceryeas did on you, and something else too."

I feel a little uneasy when he said that. I notice some of the others do as well. I think I've heard enough about magical experiments for one day.

"Like I said, when people used my magic, I knew a lot about the spells being casted, including the one Ceryeas was using on all of you. I know it was wrong for him to force you into that, but it still happened, and if you're curious, I could tell you what I learned from it."

"What did you find out?" Jizad asks.

"Well, I found that there is indeed a connection between what forms of Khajiit you are and the moons, down to the signatures in your soul. It's very indistinguishable. If you know how to read the energies a soul gives off, and have something to reference it against, you could tell what form of Khajiit is – or was in life – just by that alone."

I notice Khinashi's ears perk up at this.

"So, was Ceryeas right? Can that connection be used with any magic you know of to bring the moons back from where ever they are?" Jizad says.

"The connection is very weak, but I can tell it was probably stronger with Khajiit newborns before waning off suddenly after birth, after their form was determined. So, no, it wouldn't bring the moons back. Not without sacrificing thousands of Khajiit newborns and using their souls in an ongoing spell maintained constantly by dozens of powerful mages, and I can't tell if that would even bring the physical moons back or just replicate the effect they have on your people at birth."

"Well, it's a good thing Ceryeas didn't learn that or he might have actually considered doing that." Muffin says, and laughs weakly, but then stops when she realizes no one else was laughing.

"There was something else I found peculiar from the experiment though, specific to the signature left behind by your soul, Jizad." Jasper says, as he looks at Jizad closer, inspecting him.

"Oh? What would that be, hmm?" Jizad asks.

Jasper is silent for a few seconds before responding. "I don't know, maybe it was a fluke, but remember that I mentioned how Khajiit souls have a stronger connection to the moons only when they're newborns, before their form is determined? Well, yours hasn't seemed to wane off, it's still just as powerful a connection as when you were very first born."

"You could tell all of that about this one's soul just from that spell?" Jizad asks incredulously. He seemed surprised, and a bit offended.

"I don't think anyone would have been able to if they hadn't been in my situation. Like I said, I had a pretty intimate insight of any spell that was cast with my magic, but there's always a chance that it could have been a fluke. It could have some very interesting implications however if it is true. A few simple tests would reveal if-"

"No no no, this one has had enough tests performed on him, thank you." Jizad interrupts him.

Jasper shrugs. "No problem, I understand."

All of us sit in awkward silence for several seconds. I decided to try to change the subject and move things along.

"So uh...What do you plan to do with Ceryeas?" I ask.

"We'll let the rest of the college professors know what happened when they return, and they can decide. In the meantime we'll leave him stuck in his dimension, it is, unfortunately, the only real way we can contain him until then. After that, who knows? But no one deserves to go through that kind of constant pain and suffering I did, not even Ceryeas." Jasper says.

"So I guess this really does mean no more using magic to sort my books and clean my room for me huh?..." Muffin sighs. "But you're right, not even Ceryeas should suffer like that. I just hope he doesn't learn how to control the college like you did before we get him out of there."

"Oh, I'm sure we'll be fine. It took me months to be able to focus myself enough to do even just what little I was able to, and let's be honest, I was a lot more in-tune with magic than even Ceryeas is." Jasper chuckles.

"I see a couple years of magical imprisonment hasn't changed your attitude, Jasper." Divyral says.

Jasper shrugs and holds up his hands. "I just say it how it is Div, you know me."

Everyone laughs and continues eating their breakfast. Except for Khinashi. She pushes back her chair and stands up to walk away, and I go to follow her after a few seconds.

Jasper and the walkers keep talking among themselves, while I move across the table to sit next to Ma'ketra. I smile as I look at her.

"So, you have not forgotten about this one after all, now that your best friend has returned. This one would have thought you did not need her anymore, now that you have him, and you can speak to the walkers." Ma'ketra signs, sarcastically, but I can tell there was a hint of sadness in them.

"Don't be silly, Ma'ketra. No one can replace you. I mean, after all, none of them have as fluffy a head to sit on," I sign and laugh.

Ma'ketra laughs too. "Oh, so that is all I am to you, Snorepaws?"

"You know you'll always be my best friend too, Jasper or no Jasper, that won't change. It's because of you that we came to this college, after all, so I owe this all to you. You made that vote to come here end the way it did. You pushed me to seek out the truth when I was too scared to. Thank you, Ma'ketra, and for once I say that without any joke."

"So you are saying for once, it is not Ma'ketra that was the scaredy-cat that needed pushing?"

I chuckle again. "Yes, for once it was me who was the scaredy-cat...At least, until after I got over that initial scare - after that, I was super brave and like, saved you all."

"That passing moment of humility did not last long, no?" She signs.

Before I can respond, I see Jahirr growl for our attention, and he signs to us.

"Do not let your easy victory get to your head, Smallpaws. There will be many trials still before us, and we might not always be so lucky as we did this time."

"Oh come on, Jahirr, can't we get one victory-breakfast before you start being all doom and gloomy again?"

"Evil does not wait to strike until breakfast is over. We must be ever-vigilant." Jahirr signs.

"Wise words, oh mighty Jahirr. This one will keep her claws sharp while she eats." Ma'ketra signs sarcastically.

"Yeah, and where was your ever-vigilance last night? You got mind-controlled just like the rest of them! How come you didn't see that coming?"

"Would you believe this one if he said he was not possessed, and that all of his actions last night were his own?" Jahiir signs.

"Uh, no. I wouldn't." I sign.

"Good, because that would not be true." Jahirr signs as he turns and walks away.

"...Wait, he didn't actually answer my question!" I sign to Ma'ketra, who shrugs.

I follow Khinashi out of the dining area and into the hallways, away from the others. I try to be quiet so she doesn't notice, but I don't really know why. I don't even know why I started following her, all I know is Khinashi is hurting, and I can't help but want to help her, but I don't know how.

"You know Khinashi knows you are following her, yes?" Khinashi asks at last. Still walking.

I stop for a second and feel awkward, and then walk up faster to her.

"Khinashi, wait-"

"Stop following this one. Go back and eat." Khinashi snaps, still walking away.

"I just want to talk to you-" I start saying.

"This one does not want to talk!" Khinashi shouts, turning around. The expression on her face changes from anger, to sadness, and then to guilt. The fur on her cheeks seems damp from crying more again. "Sorry...Just please, leave her alone right now." She says, turning around to walk away more.

I stand still, not sure of what to do. I still don't even know what I was planning to say. I don't know whether all she needs is to still be alone or if she doesn't know what she wants, but my feet won't move the way I tell them to right now, and they start moving me toward Khinashi again.

"I don't blame you for anything that happened Khinashi, no one here does." I say at last.

Khinashi stops, and her head drops even more. She sighs. "You should. This one almost got all of you killed."

I keep walking toward her. "No...No, Khinashi, that was Ceryeas. Not you. You didn't do that."

"But this one...she brought you all here. Khinashi suggested it."

"We all had a vote, and we all decided to come here based on that vote. We all made the choice, not just you Khinashi." I say, as I reach Khinashi and stand behind her. She turns around to look up at me.

"This one should have known...should have seen through to what Ceryeas was like, what he would do...Khinashi was stupid and naive...everyone else saw it, but not this one..."

"Hey, if we all thought that Ceryeas was going to go crazy and mind control us, wouldn't we have been more prepared for it? He caught us all off guard, not just you Khinashi. There's no way you could have known what was going to happen, and neither did we."

I hold out my arms for her, and Khinashi walks toward me and hugs me tighter than I expected she would. She rests her head against me and I rub and pat her back.

"This one is sorry, J'shabi...She is so sorry..." Khinashi says through her sobs. I feel my shirt getting wet from her tears, but I don't care.

"It's okay Khinashi...All's well that ends well, right?" I say to her, still holding her tightly.

"She just wanted to come to the college to find out...about the moons. To bring them back."

"We'll figure something out. We aren't giving up Khinashi." Khinashi nods, but still sobs some more.

"This one heard...your screams, and the others...This one thought it was too late. She thought-"

"We're okay, we're all okay Khinashi. Smallpaws stopped Ceryeas, he can't hurt us anymore."

"Yeah...This one is sorry that...that Khinashi could not be the one to save you."

"Hey, we're all a team right? We're the Pride of Portneu. We all save each other sometimes, even Smallpaws. You still helped though, you found out that it was dream magic and told Muffin and Divyral. Who knows what would have happened if you didn't do that?"

"Khinashi guesses...This one is sorry that her feelings about magic made her...naive to what was going on. Khinashi will not let that happen again."

"Apology accepted. And I'm sorry to you, if sometimes I seem too untrusting of it. Magic can be dangerous, but...to be honest, Khinashi...it's also what saved us. It's saved us a lot of times, and I know, sometimes, I forget that. I'm sorry for that." I say.

Khinashi sighs. "This one does not know if she wants to continue learning magic. What if she learns too much, and becomes like Ceryeas someday?"

I thought a bit on what she was saying.

"Well, follow your heart. Let that decide for you. I'll tell you though, I would miss some of the things you can do with magic. You do a lot of good things with it."

"'Follow your heart'...That is the same thing Ceryeas told this one...Khinashi does not think she should do that...This one's heart...She worries, would lead her down a dark path of no return."

"I don't believe that, Khinashi. I don't. In all the time I've known you, even when you were being mischievous, or sometimes too curious, you always had a good heart. You cared about me when it felt like no one else did, and you do for everyone we meet. You use your magic like your father to protect people, like the people of Portneu, and Corinthe."

"Maybe...This one hopes you are right, J'shabi. Khinashi wishes she had the same confidence. This one is still not sure what she will do, but thank you."

Khinashi pulls away from me and wipes her eyes and muzzle. I give her a bright smile, and she tries to smile too. Weakly, and only for a moment, but still a smile.

"So, would you be ready to come back to the table with the rest of us? You still haven't eaten yet."

Khinashi chuckles. "Oh, you know Ma'krin will have already taken both of our plates and licked them clean when we left. But yes, this one will join you now...Thank you for talking to Khinashi about this. It means a lot to this one."

"Of course, Khinashi. You're always there for me when I need it. I want to be there for you too. That's what friends do." I say, and smile at her.

"So, where does the mighty Pride of Portneu plan to go next on their quest to return the moons?" Muffin asks, as both J'shabi and this one walk back in.

Khinashi gave the question some thought...where would we go next? We only thought of the College of Whispers because of that newspaper. If Jasper is right and there does not seem to be any magical connection that can be used to bring them back, at least conventionally, what else can we do?

J'shabi shrugs, as do most of the other pride members.

"I've been giving this some thought, and I might have a suggestion, of sorts..." Jasper says.

"Please, do share, this one is clueless as to how to proceed." Khinashi says.

"Well, from what Smallpaws tells me, it seems like a bit too much of a coincidence that this Ra-Zara'chi upstart kills and impersonates the Mane around the same time that the moons disappear-"

"What? The Mane of Elsweyr was killed and impersonated?" Muffin asks wildly.

"Oh, uh...I thought they might have told you already." Jasper looks to us looking guilty and embarrassed.

"It is okay. We have to be careful who we tell that to, but we can trust all of you. This one saw Ra-Zara'chi's betrayal with her own eyes, but Khinashi and her friends have only had the chance to tell a few others before he sent assassins to try and kill us, before we escaped Elsweyr."

Muffin and Divyral look at us with gaping jaws.

"Wow...This goes a lot deeper than I thought." Muffin says.

"Khinashi has friends in Elsweyr who are already planning to deal with Ra-Zara'chi, but it will take time. In the meantime, we are looking into how, and why, Ra-Zara'chi might have caused the moons to disappear."

"I'm still not sure it's Ra-Zara'chi, it just...still doesn't make sense. How can one Khajiit make the moons disappear?" J'shabi says.

"The moons do not simply disappear without reason." Jizad retorts.

"And that's what brings me to my suggestion. I thought to myself, 'If I wanted to make the moons disappear, how would I go about doing that?'" Jasper says.

"Well, magic, right?" Khinashi asks. "That is the idea that made us come here."

"But let's say conventional magic doesn't work. What else would you do to try to find answers to something you have no idea of the answer to, or maybe you don't even know the question you want to ask?"

"This one does not know...what would you do?"

"Look for an Elder Scroll!" Jasper shouts.

"Oh dear, here we go." Divyral says.

"Something as big as the Void Nights has to be something someone's seen in one of the Elder Scrolls at some point, right? Everyone sees something different in them, and there are dozens in the Imperial City. At least one of the Moth priests must have already foreseen all of this happening, and maybe even how it will end!" Jasper says.

"But then why wouldn't they have told anyone if that were the case? Why haven't they already been bringing them back themselves, or telling the right people how to?" Divyral asks.

"Because maybe someone won't let them," Jasper says, holding up his finger so that he can continue. "Ra-Zara'chi probably would have at least considered the Elder Scrolls as an option at one point, so he would have needed one of them to help him. Except, it wouldn't do any good if that Moth priest then told everyone else about it and how to stop it after it happens." Jasper says.

"Would he not have just had them killed after they helped him, then? He has shown he is willing to take lives to achieve his goals. We would still have no lead." Jizad asks.

"Perhaps, but even if so, a Moth priest doesn't just die without a major investigation taking place, but nothing like that ever happened. If it did, someone wanted it kept quiet enough to never reach the public. Regardless, to even get to the Moth priests in the first place, he would have needed the aid and influence of someone very high up the chain of influence in Cyrodiil. One does not just walk into the Elder Library of the White-Gold tower and ask for their help." Jasper says.

"So you think there's a conspiracy going on from the heart of the Empire, with Moth priests and what, probably an Elder Council member involved? That one of them is working for Ra-Zara'chi and keeping the Moth priest from telling people how to bring the moons back? I think being trapped in that dimension has separated you from reality in more ways than one, Jasper." Divyral says.

"Maybe, but then you have to ask yourself...Why is it that the Empire doesn't seem to care at all that they're gone? I mean even Ceryeas here jumped at the chance to investigate it when the opportunity presented itself. You can't tell me we're the only ones that are curious - or who want the fame and prestige of being the one to bring them back." Jasper says.

Divyral stands expressionless and furrows his brow for a few seconds.

"I suppose it was a bit strange that our fundings were cut almost immediately when we started our research project on it. So was the Synod's, or so I hear." Divyral says.

"So Ra-Zara'chi has ties with someone in the Empire that helped him use the Elder Scrolls to find out how to make the moons vanish, and also to keep anyone afterward from investigating it." J'shabi summarizes.

"Yeah, exactly. So if you find that person and convince them to tell you what they know, then you know how to bring the moons back. " Jasper says.

"I think you might be forgetting the part about how this is someone close to the heart of the Empire, Jasper? Are you really suggesting these kids go around kidnapping and interrogating an Elder Council member on the basis of what is essentially a gut feeling? You're basically telling them to commit treason. That's a death sentence." Divyral says.

"In more ways than one. Even if we are right, if they're working with Ra-Zara'chi, they probably know what we look like, and even may be on the lookout for us – and we kind of stick out like a sore thumb around here. If we get too close, he could just have us captured and sent back to Ra-Zara'chi, assassinated directly, or framed for any crime he wants us to be and sent to prison. That's a lot of ifs and a lot of ways to get killed." J'shabi says.

"Sometimes the only way to get the cheese, the rat has to walk into the trap." Smallpaws says.

Jizad scoffs. "This one thought we would be safer from Ra-Zara'chi outside of Elsweyr."

"Even this one must admit, as much as Khinashi wishes to find how to bring back the moons...us getting ourselves killed will not help that. We only narrowly avoided danger here, how would we fare any better in an even more chaotic and unpredictable situation?" This one says. J'shabi looks at this one in surprise.

"Well...I have a few old magical prank trinkets that could help you remain undetected. Items that could make some of you look like ordinary humans - Imperials, to be exact. I also have an old friend of mine that owes me a favor in the Imperial City that could help you further." Jasper says.

"Why exactly do you have trinkets that make you look like someone else?" J'shabi asks.

"Nothing like pranking someone by making them think you were someone else. The possibilities are endless!" Smallpaws says.

"This friend does not also happen to be an Elder Council member by any chance, no?" Khinashi asks.

"No. He's...a member of the Blades. Specifically, a part of the old intelligence network for the Empire, before the Penitus Oculatus. A spy. If anyone who knows how to help you get the information you need, it's him. He's a professional. He'll keep you safe." Jasper says.

"Are you sure we can trust him? It has been two years since you last could have talked to him, yes?" Khinashi asks.

"Yes. I have faith in him that you can. He'll probably be particularly interested in helping when you tell him about Ra-Zara'chi, actually. I helped him out with some magical enchantments on a few of my trips to the Imperial City during the summers here. It almost felt like he knew my life story before I even told him my name. He already knew that too." Jasper says.

All of us stand there in silence, pondering over everything, very uneasily. This one frowns, looking to J'shabi, who is shaking her head slowly.

"Come on, Khinashi, you out of all of us must at least understand, right? This is our chance to get to the good stuff - the meat of the mystery, isn't that what you've wanted?" Smallpaws says, walking over to this one.

"Yes, but...this one has been careless before, she does not want to decide something like this that could put us all in harms way again." Khinashi says.

"Whatever way you look at it, bringing the moons back was never going to be easy, Khinashi. There was always going to be danger involved. Ra-Zara'chi probably spent years of his life planning for this, he was never going to be someone easy to take down and thwart his plans. If you truly want the moons back, you're just going to have to accept that, well...some of us, maybe even you, might not make it all the way, alive, to see them again." Smallpaws says.

This one frowns and looks to the ground, full of guilt and torn between what to decide. J'shabi comes up to this one and puts her arm around this one's shoulder.

"But just remember. If not us, then who? Who else wants the moons back as much as we do, that's close enough to the Empire to do this and knows the truth about Ra-Zara'chi? It's not the College of Whispers, or the Synod, or any other big organization. Ra-Zara'chi's man is keeping them out of it. It's not the other little guys either, they either don't have the passion or the information we do, and anyone else who's still trying is probably being picked away one by one by the guy we'd be going after to stop. Sure, we're just kids. But we're also Khajiit. The one and only thing that's ever brought our people together was the moons, and as Khajiit, we should all be willing to do whatever it takes to bring them back."

This one is surprised by the conviction in Smallpaws. Has this always resided in him, and was only able to come out now because he can talk? Khinashi looks up after pondering his words and looks everyone in the eyes to see their feelings. Mixed, among most. They do not seem convinced.

Khinashi is not sure she is either...but...suddenly, this one remembers something.

"...'And Khajiit must be the best climbers, for if Masser and Secunda fail, they must climb Khenarthi's breath to set the moons back in their courses'." This one says. "Khinashi has always wondered what those words might have meant from the words of Ahnissi, but Khinashi thinks she understands now. To climb is to never give up, to keep going until you reach the top, to persevere against all odds set against us. Khajiit were meant to be able to keep going despite any obstacle, despite any opposition, and through all hardships, to do whatever it takes to protect the moons, just as they protect us from the infighting of each other. If we stop now, then we as the climbers let go, and let the fate of the Khajiiti fall as the moons have...and this one cannot let that happen. Will you?" Khinashi spoke to her friends.

There was a lot of signing going on, and J'shabi and Jizad looked at everyone to see how they felt about this. Eventually, J'shabi sighed, and everyone looked over to Khinashi and Smallpaws.

"So what do you say, fellow Pride members, do you want to go to the Imperial City and get to the heart of this mystery directly, and really find out what happened to the moons?" Smallpaws asks.

All of us looked at him with a determination that would rival Ra-Zara'chi in every way, until we bring back the moons and remove him from his throne and save all of Elsweyr from his dark ambit-

A bowl of soup splashes into Jasper's face, and he stands up drenched and picking off wasted noodles and vegetables from his robes.

"I told you I'd get back at you for that, Jasper." Smallpaws says.

So that's that! The end of the College of Whisper's story arc! I really liked this one, and I hope you did too. Be sure to tell me how you felt about Smallpaws being the star of the story arc here, and anything else you liked or didn't like about it, so I can keep that in mind for future chapters. Well, I'm excited to see how the Pride's venture into the Imperial City will go, but before we go there, we'll be taking a trip back to Dar'Zhar-do's POV story where I last left off. I won't say much about it, but I will give you a little teaser: Right now the planned title for the arc will be "Blood and Sugar in the Streets of Senchal".