NOTE: I hope you like these short stories. Every time I write them I find I enjoy them more, and I hope you do, too. Be aware that this one has two parts. The language is a bit strange, for it is set in medieval times, so every time you see a (*), that means I have explained it at the bottom of the chapter, so scroll on down. I will also explain the context of the story after the second part (the cat, the monastery, medieval times,...). Enjoy!

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It was brother Gerald who first saw the creature.

Spring had just begun, and flowers bloomed in the sunshine, bees buzzed about to and fro and the few fluffy clouds in the sky gleamed like snow. The good weather had come earlier than the previous year, but this was no motive for sorrow. We were only in Lenzin-mānod  (otherwise known as the Month of Wildness)(*), but the strawberries had already shown positive signs of life. So on the third day of the week, after our morning reading and prayers, several of us went down to collect such fruits. Their scarlet appearance glowed like one's blood, and they looked greatly succulent indeed. By the fourth hour ante meridiem(*), we had collected three whole baskets of them, enough to feed a pack of lions (or so brother Sadon(*) insisted).

But out of the blue, as we made our way back to the warehouses, brother Gerald came rushing to us, a couple others at his tail.

"You...won't believe it" he panted, completely out of breath.

"Steady, steady!" I stopped him "What happened?"

"Brother Gerald says he saw a cat!" brother Francis piped up.

The small party was startled at the sound of this.

"A cat?"

"Yes, yes... a black one" said Gerald.

"What? Wh-where? When?" asked brother Sadon, clearly just as shocked as everyone else.

"By one of the olive trees. I was working out in the fields, and it caught my eye. It was real, I swear to God!"

"Ah! May the Lord forgive you for using his holy name in vain, brother" I exclaimed angrily.

"But I really did see it!"

"Enough, enough!"

The boy finally shut his trap. He was only a novice(*), and clearly my air of superiority was enough to keep his wits about him. He had only been accepted as a monk little moons ago, so he still had a lot to learn. His acceptance to devote his life to Christianity had never agreed with me, for his undeveloped behaviour and poor sense of judgement tired me, but I could hardly blame him for it. He was the younger of two siblings in the family of a farmer. We couldn't exactly turn him down, for it wouldn't have helped to portray the correct image of our monastery, but it wasn't like I could make an influence anyway, for novice dealings (among many other tasks) were dealt by our dearest Abbot Hadrian(*).

The group of men turned their attention toward me, waiting for the slightest piece of information about what to do next. 

"Well" I said, my mind reflecting on further guidance "The obvious thing to do is wait until chapter meeting(*) with everyone else, for they have the right to know too, and something needs to be done. Abbot Hadrian will guide us. In the meantime, try to spread the word as less as possible (and with this I gave brother Gerald a good stern look), matters will be discussed later. Do not let your mind slip during morning mass. Stay focused, and if what you saw back there really was... that creature, well you might as well pray for Christ's protection. May his holy hand shield us from malice."

And with that, I proceeded to the warehouses once more. But I somehow got the feeling that everyone else that heard the conversation wouldn't be able to take their mind away from the matter, even for one minute.

***

Chapter meeting finally arrived, after what had seemed like an eternity. Morning mass hadn't been much of a success, as I had predicted. As I looked around, I saw troubled looks and uneasy postures all about. Yes, the word had spread, there was probably not one monk in this place who hadn't heard the news. I internally tried my best not to give brother Gerald the blame, but it was hard not to.

Everyone shuffled about, looking for a spot in the great rectangular-shaped room. Muffled whispers and chatter filled the room, and little glances of curiosity were darted here and there. Oh, this was going to be quite the meeting, I hadn't seen such excitement in years. 

Finally, Abbot Hadrian rose up from his seat, at the front of the room.

"Silence, silence!"

The noise quickly vanished as the last few grabbed their seats.

Hadrian looked around at us, apparently deep in thought. This was what he did when he was about to say something important. We all very well respected our dearest Abbot. He truly was a man of devotion, perhaps the most wisest of us all. There was something about his presence that made... well, quite the atmosphere. His long, gray beard gave him quite the look, and his deep, dark eyes could penetrate just about anything in this world.

He inhaled sharply.

"I believe" he started "That we have a situation pending to discuss"

And then his eyes landed on me.

"Well-"

But just as I started to speak, someone else piped up at the other end of the room.

"If I may, father"

It was brother Gregory. Of course, who else?

Hadrian turned his head. "Yes?"

Gregory cleared his throat and stood up.

"Now, our newest member, brother Gerald quite clearly stated that he saw..." there was a pause "a cat"

There was a murmur of voices as everyone returned to their gossiping. I rolled my eyes ever so slightly. Oh, Gregory just loved the suspension, didn't he?

"Silence" scowled the Abbot "A cat?"

"Yes, a black one, too" 

Another murmur. Another scowl. Hadrian slowly sat down in his seat, and began to scratch his beard.

"I see"

But then Tristan, our mealtime lecturer, stood up.

"Hadrian, even though I am fully aware of the signs these cats bring, I believe that we shouldn't be troubled by it. For all we know, it could just be passing by, and we may never see the thing again"

At this, a whole uproar of voices echoed out into the chamber, everyone giving their point of view and what they thought. But obviously, Gregory was the loudest.

"We can not be sure of the circumstances of the arrival of this creature. Is it an omen? A sign? Or worse-"

"Alright, alright!" bellowed Hadrian "Stop arguing like pigs, hear yourselves! We shall proceed this meeting with order, I will not have this room transformed into a market! May The Lord give us wisdom in our decisions."

There was another huge silence as everyone realised what they had done, and sat down again, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Now" continued Hadrian "I guess I will have to coordinate this myself. Fendrel?"

I raised my eyebrows and got up.

"Right. Well, I must say that Gerald's act was pretty convincing, even if he wasn't telling the truth."

Why was I defending him? I was internally confused as to which position to take on to treat the matter. I continued.

"Gregory was right in something. We can't be sure what this creature here means, but I know that if it is some sort of Omen, it's certainly not a good one. And-"

"Exactly" interrupted Gregory, again "See? We all know what we really have to do here. Kill it!" And before he was drowned out by other voices, he added "If it is a bad omen, then great, and if it isn't, well then who cares about a lonely cat?"

There were a few frowns and grunts of disapproval, but the room was mainly filled with shouts of consent. Things weren't looking great.

"Abbot Hadrian, I cannot agree to this. I suggest we wait, and so if the creature appears more times, we get rid of it then!"

"No, no!" shouted Gregory "That cat is the devil, I tell you. And who are you to defend it? Perhaps you have a demon inside you, how can we know?"

Hadrian stood up "Brother Gregory, may The Lord forgive you for saying such a thing, what nonsense! SILENCE!"

And the noises vanished once more.

"We need to make a decision, now" he continued.

I sat down and rubbed my face. This was going the wrong direction completely.

"All in favour of killing the creature may now rise"

Fifteen monks stood up. Hadrian nodded and they were seated again.

"All in favour of waiting until further guidance may now rise"

The remaining nine got up, including Tristan and I.

"Alright"

The abbot remained in his chair, deep in thought, as the biggest quietness yet dominated the room. We waited for an answer.

A couple minutes later, the abbot rose, and so did all of us.

And then he said it.

"The cat dies. We begin the hunt at first light"

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Definitions

*Month of Wildness: The month of march

*Fourth hour ante meridiem: Fourth hour before midday (eight am). It is old latin. Monks got up at first light, so this could be from five to seven am, depending on the time of year.

*Medieval names: For the story to be more real, I needed to give them common names from those times, I hope you like them!

*Novice: A new person accepted into the monastery. Usually young guys from age 10-20, and the younger sibling of a family, because the older one is needed to work the fields for the family business. The monks adopted these boys and taught them to be Christians.

*Abbot Hadrian: The abbot of a monastery was the leader. He made the big decision and did many jobs, and sometimes he or his family could have been the founders of the monastery.

*Chapter meeting: The monks' daily meeting in a room where they discussed topics that they considered important. This place was also used for making punishments and setting new rules to the monastery.