“MYAW MYAW! Meow meow meow meow meow!!”
“No trespassing!”
“No one is allowed past this point!!”
The brown tabby Gardener Cat cried out to me persistently. She stood on her back legs, spreading her arms out to show me that I wasn’t allowed past her.
“She certainly is menacing for a simple cat,” Lucian muttered under his breath at my side, sounding a little exasperated.
The Gardener Cats of the second field were only getting more vigilant as the days passed. Aside from Lucian, myself, and a few others, they were now stopping everyone else from getting close to the field at all. I was the person they trusted most of all, but they still ran over to stop me if I got anywhere close to the corner of the field with the mystery crops.
“You don’t have to be so careful. I won’t get any closer to those plants, okay?” I promised. Even when I backed away, the Gardener Cats just closed the distance between us again. They were like an impenetrable fortress. “…I didn’t want to get closer anyway,” I said quietly enough that they couldn’t hear me.
But to be honest, I was extremely curious about what they could be growing.
The mystery crops were steadily growing thanks to the care and attention of the Gardener Cats. The buds at the ends of their vines were about fist-sized now, glossy and sparkling under the light of the sun.
Judging by the way the stems extend, they sort of look like tulips?
The Gardener Cats were constantly focused on those buds, even as they tended to the rest of the field.
“Just like I promised last time, I’m here to build a fence to keep others out,” I said to the cats. “King Glenreed granted me permission in a letter, and it won’t take long, so can I ask you to be patient for just a little while?”
“…Meow.” The cat nodded. She seemed to remember our promise.
I would have to get this over with quickly if I didn’t want to get in their way.
I followed the carpenters I’d brought with me, focused, and unleashed a spell.
“Blade of wind!”
An invisible blade shot downward and carved out deep chunks of land.
Following the holes I left in the ground, the carpenters plugged them up with wooden sticks from their wagons, which I used an earth spell to secure in place. Spells that would semi-permanently change the shape of the land were inefficient and required lots of magical energy, but I had more than enough of that, so it mattered little to me.
“Excellent work, Your Majesty. Please leave the rest to us.”
“Of course. Thank you for your help.”
With that, I returned to the edge of the field.
These were the same carpenters who’d helped me work on the area around my villa before. I knew they were talented, and I decided to ask for their help when I learned they happened to be free that day.
Next, the carpenters added railing and hammered the pieces together until they were firmly in place. After a little bit of noise from all that hammering, the fence was complete in no time at all.
A ten-foot space in the Gardener Cats’ second field was now enclosed by a waist-high fence. Not only was there a sign to forbid trespassing, but King Glenreed would be informing palace visitors to stay out of this area, so it was almost guaranteed to remain safe.
“I’m excited to see what kind of plant grows there.” I felt a bit sad about how this new fence separated us, but for now, all I could do was pray the mystery crop grew safely.
I took a look around the fence to make sure it was all sturdy. Then I noticed the Gardener Cats watching me.
“Okay, we’re going to return to the villa now…” I announced to them. “We’ll be having an outdoor luncheon I’ve been planning now that it’s a nice, sunny day. Would you care to join us?”
“Meow? Meow, meow meow meow…”
Their eyes glinted when they heard the word “luncheon,” but then they seemed to snap out of it. The cats shook their heads, reluctantly turning me down.
“Meow! Mraw mraw meow meow meow!”
“As much as it pains us, we have no choice but to decline.” That was how I interpreted the response.
There was a lot of sadness and disappointment in the Gardener Cat’s meows.
It was extremely unlike the gluttonous Gardener Cats to choose guarding their mystery crop over a delicious meal. They’d been taking turns watching over it during the nights too, with the lookout cats staying in the field instead of returning to the villa. I could tell just how attached they were to these plants.
“Is that so? Very well. I’m sad too, but it sounds like you’re busy. Let’s have a nice meal some other time, okay?”
“Meow!”
“Of course!”
I waved goodbye to the Gardener Cats and headed home to my villa.