Elemental Cats

It wasn't as urgent as checking on Scrael and Joshua's health, but Toz still wanted to clarify the situation before everyone relaxed. Considering their island was now tied to the whale, it would be best if everyone could get along with the whale and the blue cat. Though, Toz didn't think there would be any discord. It was more of a formality and how things would be in the future.

They also hadn't gotten the chance to introduce themselves to each other properly. Toz and the others had called on each other using their names, so the blue cat might have picked up the names of a few of them, but it would still be proper if they actually told the blue cat their names, and the blue cat told the rest of the island its name. The blue cat would also have to speak for the whale since the whale had fallen asleep soon after Stitches finished healing it and connecting the island to its back.

The blue cat was still stunned and out of sorts after seeing Toz and the others defeat three ninth level void beasts while exhausted, so it diligently followed them to clearing on the ground. They sat down on the ground since no one could be bothered to bring out tables and chairs and cushions.

Toz, Hods, Nil, Lucy, and Mindle sat down in a half-circle facing the blue cat. Toz sat in the middle with Nil and Hods to his left and Lucy and Mindle to his right.

The blue cat seemed to come back to his senses when it saw everyone sit down and look at it. There was no hostility or resentment in anyone's eyes, so the blue cat could let go of some of its worries, but it still bent down its head and expressed its sincerest apologies. If it weren't for it and the whale going for the island and asking them for help, Scrael wouldn't have lost her paw, and Joshua wouldn't have ended up comatose. And that was aside from the fact that they had put everyone's life on the line due to the endless swarm of void beasts they had amassed before asking for help.

Toz looked at the blue cat for a couple of seconds while it apologized. With it bending its head, Toz couldn't see the blue eyes with dark as night and deep as the abyss pupils, but Toz had already seen those, so this time he looked more at the cat's body.

The different colors and patterns of blue reminded Toz of the spatial vortexes he had seen in portals. The mostly deep blue fur had small crystal shapes of white or light blue, and there were large patches of darker shades of blue spread out over the cat's body.

But as Toz looked closer, he noticed stripes of fur that were a dull colorless grey, as if the color had left the fur, or maybe as if there had never been any color there, to begin with.

Toz found the cat and the grey streaks interesting. He could understand how the Starry Sky Whale traveled freely through the Void, but until they were powerful enough, ordinary humans and spirit beasts weren't capable of the same. Yet the blue cat, despite being at the sixth level, still moved around in the Void as if it was second nature to it. And Toz didn't think it was thanks to the way it used the space element to blink short distances. But if things proceeded the way Toz hoped they would, he would find out the answer to his wonderings soon enough.

"You don't need to be that apologetic. You didn't force us to help. It was our decision, and we can take responsibility for our actions. Don't worry yourself too much."

Toz interrupted the blue cat right before it was about to unleash another tirade of apologies.

The blue cat looked up at Toz, and although slightly doubtful at first, its gaze filled with gratitude after realizing Toz's sincerity.

"How about we begin with simple introductions?"

Since the cat wasn't forced to apologize, it looked slightly curious as to why they had gathered. Toz got rid of the blue cat's confusion by talking. He introduced himself and the others. He didn't tell any life stories or anything since that could wait until they had rested and recovered.

The blue cat looked at everyone sitting in front of it and repeated their names to make sure he got it right. Since they were introducing themselves and all that, it meant they wanted a civilized conversation, further removing the blue cat's fears about any possible resentment it and the whale had incurred.

"It is my utmost pleasure to meet you all. My name is Asilean. And my sleeping companion's name is Taienra. You have our deepest gratitude for saving our lives."

Asilean expressed his thankfulness with another bow of his head.

"I'm sure I'm not the only one itching for sleep. So now that the danger's passed, let's leave the rest for when we wake up. Asilean, the island isn't too big, but it should be enough for you to find a place to sleep in comfort. Let me know if you need help with anything."

Toz finished his sentence with a yawn before he rose and headed for the place where he usually slept with the cats.

Before entering the house, Toz saw Asilean headed to the front of the island, close to where Taienra's head was. Considering she was the only one Asilean knew, it made sense for him to want to be close to her.

Toz was too tired to think more about it, and he went straight to bed, joined by Nil, Lucy, and Mindle, who either laid down next to him or curled up on top of him. Later, he also noticed that Scrael jumped onto the bed and squeezed herself close to Toz. He wrapped his arm around her.