Celta Cats

  Celta Cats

  Robin D. Owens

  Copyright

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is purely coincidental.

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  Except for the use of brief quotations (under 250 words) in a book review.

  COVER ART

  Cover graphics and art is also copyrighted by © Rene Folsom and Phycel. www.phycel.com

  Excerpt From: Robin D. Owens. “Lost Heart.” iBooks. My Book

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Introduction

  Peaches Arrives on Celta

  Zanth Gets His Boy

  Pinky Becomes A Fam

  Zanth Claims Treasure

  Baccat Chooses His Person

  Zanth Saves The Day

  Extra Scene

  Celta HeartMate Series in Reading Order

  Also by Robin D. Owens

  About the Author

  Celta Cats Cover Copy

  Introduction

  I started writing FamCat’s (intelligent cat Familiar Companion’s) point of view stories for my blog and newsletter. After I got three, I thought I’d do several more for this collection.

  Two of these stories tell about events that readers have requested (Zanth Gets His Boy, Pinky Becomes A Fam). A couple fill in events in the timeline that I wanted to show (Zanth Finds The Treasure, Baccat Claims His Fam). And the other two explore characters that readers want to know better: Zanth, the all-time favorite FamCat, and Peaches, the first FamCat we see, traveling through space on the starship Nuada’s Sword.

  The last section of this volume contains an out take. I tend to write long and cut scenes and stories. Usually this is because the scene has a lot of background and world building I don’t actually need to show. This happened while writing the stories, too.

  My newsletter readers will have seen three of these stories before, but three are completely new. The older ones were, in chronological order: Zanth Gets His Boy, Pinky Becomes A Fam, and Zanth Claims The Treasure. The new stories are: Peaches Arrives On Celta, and Baccat Chooses His Person, and Zanth Saves The Day.

  None of these stories have previously been published in ebook or in print.

  I hope you enjoy your journey to and time on Celta, and appreciate the FamCats…

  Peaches Arrives on Celta

  I introduced Peaches in the story Heart And Sword, a sexy romance that takes place on the starship, Nuada’s Sword while it still journeyed to Celta (while it was lost). So, in the history of Celta Cats, he’d have been the first major Familiar Companion.

  Here he is again, in events that start a little after the main problem of Heart And Sword resolved, but showing the landing of Nuada’s Sword on the planet that became Celta.

  On the Starship Nuada’s Sword, 275 Years After Leaving Earth

  Peaches, the smart Familiar Companion Cat, sat on a thin couch cushion in the dark, small lounge. He looked out a huge porthole that showed the planet which would be his new home. So did nine other Familiar companions who’d joined him. Four other Cats and five dogs.

  He studied the darkness of outer space beyond the window, and the hanging sphere of the planet. Even the Fams had become accustomed to the notion of a planet as a new home, and could recognize the round ball floating in space as their target. They would live outside the Ship where they’d all been born and grown up. Scary idea. His fur ruffled at the thought.

  He twitched a sore ear, still scabbed over from his last fight.

  Last month, Peaches’ FamMan, Randolph, had fallen in with bad people and joined a conspiracy. Randolph hadn’t discovered how evil the group was until after they’d killed the former Captain and shot Grandmother Chloe.

  Needless to say, Grandmother Chloe was having a hard time forgiving FamMan Randolph. But enough time had passed that she should forgive him. Lately she’d been mean.

  But FamMan Randolph had lost face when his friends had been revealed to be bad guys, and Peaches’ own status had plummeted. So he’d had to fight and do other stuff to regain status for both himself and his FamMan.

  Peaches had managed to finagle the treat of a Fam-only viewing from the new Captain of the Ship. That had spared Peaches several more fights to prove himself, again, Top Cat and Top Fam.

  He’d used his smarts instead of teeth and claws.

  This time.

  And someone continued to spread rumors about the Captain and FamMan, telling lies. One of the Fams had been telling lies about Peaches, too. So he continued to need to prove himself Top Fam, the Fam the others would listen to and follow.

  They—he—had to find the bad person and stop him or her, both the human and Fam.

  But who were they?

  He sensed two more Cats and one puppy still doubted his primary rank. Didn’t help that the unattached Fam puppy had her eye on the new Captain Lady of the starship, Nuada’s Sword. That woman had more prestige than Peaches’ FamMan, Randolph Ash.

  Status meant everything to Cats. Less for dogs, but all the Fams knew their place in the order of things. Smarter Cats like Peaches made better decisions than lower Fams who did not think as much and did not talk well with their humans or among the rest of the Fams.

  Deep in his throat he grumbled to himself. He would not have had to prove his status again if his human hadn’t been foolish. But his human, Randolph, had made bad friends. Those bad friends had done bad things without Randolph knowing, then got caught. And now lies about FamMan and Captain and Peaches were being believed.

  Peaches clicked his tongue at the waste of time of it all. Everyone on all of the starship, Nuada’s Sword, should just know Peaches was Top Fam, and a good Fam.

  Randolph’s grandmother also grumbled much, and out loud and with anger at FamMan.

  And she fussed about the name FamMan should take. Peaches understood the importance of good names, and some Family names had been reserved for those who had paid for the trip. Grandmother had been one of those. She and Randolph had taken a name and now she doubted the wisdom of her choice. Because FamMan had smudged it or something.

  Peaches also thought Grandmother, like many people, was afraid of going down to the planet and took out her fear on FamMan Randolph.

  As he squashed his own fear into a tiny ball, he noticed the planet had moved and showed more land than ocean.

  Pretty! the puppy burbled the words into all their minds. Pretty blue and pretty green and pretty blue and green.

  puppies.

 
; A Cat older than Peaches snorted. Pretty means NOTHING. My FamWoman says we don’t know enough about it. Other animals or even plants or dirt might hurt us.

  My FamMan says we aren’t going to land safely, a dog said gloomily. We will all die. Here or there.

  I think I will hide on my pillow under my blanket when we land, decided another dog.

  All the Fams living on board the starship turned their heads to stare at Peaches. He understood the most about this landing-and-new-home business. His FamMan was smart—a genius—about science and the planet. Randolph had finally helped good people figure out how to get to a new home.

  Captain and Captain Lady had sent labs and probes to check on planet. Labs had crashed, but the probes had come back. Smart scientist FamMan Randolph had studied and studied the dirt and revealed the world would be good to live on.

  And Peaches knew the Captain and the Captain Lady, and the Pilot. All three who’d traveled in tubes in a special room and had to be Awakened to handle bad people, but that had finished days ago.

  An air of gloom pervaded the small lounge, some negative feelings leftover from humans’ sad emotions. Cats—Fams—were sensitive to that.

  Peaches hated gloom. He pumped up his own optimism, said what needed to be said, truth or not. Of course We will make it! My FamMan is the best and he helped a lot with the discovery! THIS IS AN ADVENTURE!

  doggy smiles with lolling tongues and drool.

  Cat sniffs and snorts.

  Peaches ignored the nasty twinge in his gut. He also knew, and wasn’t talking, about how Pilot had kill-everybody buttons on the arm of her chair. If landing went really, really bad, or if the planet was poisonous, she could explode them all.

  Such fear curled in his belly and would make him scared if he let it.

  They would land. Yes.

  And the planet would be like FamMan Randolph said. He reminded the Fams mentally, MY FamMan says being on planet will be like being in Ship’s Great Greensward Park. They all loved playing in the park, sniffing the scents others left.

  More happiness flowed from them, less sad and fear. Cheerful Cat and dog and puppy mutters sounded in his mind and ears.

  “Fam viewing time in the small lounge is now over. Please leave the area,” announced the Ship.

  Time to remind Peaches’ fellow Fams of why he was Top Fam. Because of his smarts. He addressed the also smart being who housed them, the intelligent starship, Nuada’s Sword. Ship, Landing will be fun, right?

  “An adventure,” Ship agreed.

  You have been on a planet before, too, right? Peaches pressed.

  “Yes,” Ship replied. A pause and all ears cocked. “I have fulfilled my purpose. I am looking forward to not traveling and being responsible for all the lives of my friends. I would like a new and solid home to sit on.”

  Peaches hadn’t heard that before. He would tell his FamMan and the Captain and the Captain Lady.

  Outside is like the Great Greensward! Peaches emphasized for the less smart Fams.

  “So we believe,” Ship said, talking about the top people, including Peaches. Ship opened the doors that slid into the walls.

  Sighs from the Cats and dogs as they hopped down from the porthole ledge and filed out the door. On the whole, they radiated satisfaction.

  Peaches had fixed some of the negativity.

  And he’d watched the other Fams so he would figure out who might be lying about him, so he could fix that.

  He’d have to fix grandmother, too, so she wouldn’t be scared and wouldn’t continue to hurt FamMan’s feelings. And maybe break their little family of three.

  He sent one last glance at the pretty planet and wondered with sweaty pads whether they would really get there.

  The Fams moved into the bright corridor and mixed around as a group. Very rarely did they gather together in the huge Ship. Now they murmured together in Cat or dog, and in mental mumbles along their shared stream. They enjoyed their own furry company, not just being with their FamPerson and a bunch of other humans.

  The hallway looked different than a while ago. When the new Captain had come Awake from his tube, he began fixing things and making people happier. Peaches approved. And when Ship woke up Captain Lady, she filled the Captain with joy.

  Peaches ticked off the days on his claws, more than eighteen days had passed since that happened. If the time was longer than four paws of claws, he ignored it. Humans cared too much about time. All good now.

  Still, he sniffed in approval at the pleasant scent of the pretty flowers in the new boxes along the wall. The tint of the wall looked different to his cat eyes, seemed to please human eyes more.

  He flexed his claws, the non-skid floor felt cleaner on his pads than since he’d been a kitten.

  “Whatcha see in the viewing lounge, Fams? Huh, think of that, a private viewing session for Fams!” a man jeered.

  The stupid man’s own FamCat, black-and-gray Stripey, hissed at him.

  The guy sneered down at Peaches. “You’re afraid, aren’t you? Of burning up in a fireball when landing, or a poisonous planet?” Man said scary stuff no one wanted to hear. Old fear sweat seemed to coat his whole body, caught in his clothes, lingering on the centuries-old recycled Ship air.

  I’m not afraid! Peaches said, a little uneasily. To prove it, even to himself, Peaches put his tail up—too many Fams walking with their tails down—and waved it back and forth. Again, he stated, loudly this time for the stupider humans in the corridor, The planet will be like the Great Greensward park!

  Me love park! rumbled an younger dog, also waving his tail, too thick and plumey for Peaches’ preference. Me love park best except FamMan’s bed.

  Stripey grumbled under his breath, but went over to strop his cranky FamMan’s ankles.

  PEACHES IS RIGHT! I LIKE PEACHES, loudly projected the oldest dog, the one with much white on his muzzle. He moved slowly, but had smarts and hadn’t ever challenged Peaches, so Peaches liked him the best of all the Fams.

  Peaches is a stupid name, Stripey said.

  Peaches narrowed his eyes and looked at the Cat who’d never said anything to him before about his name. A challenge.

  And now he sensed Stripey had been the one telling lies about him.

  Stripey. Of course it had to be Stripey. Stripey, older than Peaches, who wanted to be Top Fam. He and Peaches had fought before.

  Stripey had let his lying FamMan influence him poorly, instead of Stripey persuading his FamMan to make better decisions. That showed a lack of character on both their parts.

  Stripey and his FamMan must be stopped from telling lies.

  Peaches would deal with Stripey first. STRIPE-EY, he sneered back. Ey-names are for young ones. My FamMan is RANDOLPH. Only Rand-Y when boy. He paused, deciding whether to add another insult when the man picked up his Fam and Stripey purred.

  “Stupid Peaches. Stupid name, stupid cat,” the man said.

  Peaches hunkered down and flattened his ears. Yes, this man had influenced Stripey!

  Peaches didn’t care much for his name based on his coloring, but no one should mock him for it. He’d gotten it as an adorable kitten, of course. He remained completely adorable, but it didn’t quite fit the tough and dominant Top Fam he’d become.

  He stared at the man with mean creases in his pudgy face. The guy had fat face and round little belly and stick arms and legs. Not as good looking a human as Peaches was Cat. One of the reasons Peaches was Top Fam was because of his looks. Fine legs and back, athletic torso, beautiful whiskers, beautiful orange and white fur, adorable cream tufted ears.

  Peaches lifted his nose, trod over to the man, whisked around and lifted his tail as if to spray.

  The man yelped and hopped back and fell off balance and dropped Stripey. Who had to twist to land on his feet and hissed disapproval.

  Pity you for that FamMan, Peaches said privately to Stripey. I remember his sire, a much better and nicer man. One who liked Cats. Peaches sniffed at Stripey. Pity you.


  Then Peaches made his mental voice loud enough for all Fams and humans to hear in their heads and said, Be glad you didn’t learn that I don’t smell like peaches. Other people laughed and Peaches sauntered down the corridor, tail up, white tip waving.

  Without looking, he sent last words back so now all Fams could hear. We will settle this later, Stripey.

  “Hey, Peaches, there you are!” Randolph FamMan turned into the corridor and hurried down it. Peaches put on some speed and shot toward him. Randolph opened his arms and Peaches leapt into them. FamMan caught him and laughed. Peaches’ purr filled the hall along with a couple of human chuckles.

  FamMan said a magic-spell Word to use his psi power magic, Flair, and made a spell to keep Peaches easily on his shoulder. Felt like an invisible, solid shelf big enough for Peaches’ backside.

  Randolph, too, was skinny, not growing into his full form yet since humans considered him just turned into an adult at eighteen years.

  Well, most humans. Randolph’s Father’s Mother, Grandma Chloe, now nagged and picked at and scolded like he’d dropped back to boyhood for his foolish mistakes.

  “Stupid Fams,” snapped Stripey’s man, red in the face. His lip curled. “And there’s Peaches’ equally stupid human owner.”

  Peaches growled, no one owned him.

  Randolph stiffened under Peaches. “Foolish I may be, but not stupid. I chose my friends poorly, against my Fam’s and my Grandmother’s advice. I’m not stupid enough to call Fams names.” He reached up and scratched Peaches between his ears. “You should know better than to insult Fams, Lewis-Y Munz.” Randolph inclined his head, then turned on his heel and walked away.

  Well done, Peaches complimented His human.