Chapter Text
The cat curled up next to him, wrapping its tail around his arm. He let his idle hand wander to the animal’s head, gently scratching behind its ears.
Glancing out his window, he sighed. The boats were always moving, back and forth across the river. All filled to the brim with souls for him to guide.
He didn’t mind the job, per se. As sad as it could be sometimes, he wasn’t opposed to showing the souls the way. He frequently pitied them, especially the younger ones. He hoped that he could offer some sort of comfort to them as they made their way through his realm.
He stretched his arms above his head, jostling the cat that was sleeping soundly in his lap. He needed to go out, needed to direct the souls as they stepped off of the boats. He always felt bad when he left his apprentices on their own for too long.
The cat followed him as he stepped out of his cottage, joining the other felines waiting for him on the porch. With a gentle hand, he distributed head pats to each and every one before leading the way to the riverbank. The cats traveled in a pack behind him, and he chuckled to himself. They offered comfort to some of the souls, which he loved. There was nothing better than a young soul put at ease after giving a cat a few pats.
One of his apprentices waited for the next boat at the riverbank. “I’ll take over for now, Saja. Go get some rest.”
The girl smiled gratefully and bowed before scooping up one of the cats and making her way over to her cabin.
A boat approached the riverbank, and the many souls aboard began filing off. With a gentle voice, he welcomed them to his realm and began giving directions. The cats took care of the rest, leading the souls all the way to their destination while offering comfort.
A young soul caught his eye, probably around the age of four or five. They stood apart from the rest, clutching a stuffed cat close to their chest and sniffling softly. He approached slowly and knelt before the soul.
“Hello there, are you alright?”
The soul shook their head. “I don’t know where I am, and my mom isn’t here.”
“Ah, I see. Well, I promise that you’re going to be fine. Do you like cats?”
“Yeah.”
“So do I. Here, look at this one.” The man clicked his tongue and called one over. “Soonie, come here.” The cat in question came over to them, flicking her tail. She nudged against the young soul’s hand, and he watched as the soul’s eyes lit up. “This is Soonie. She’s my cat, and she’ll guide you to where you’re going, okay?”
“Okay. Thank you.”
He stood back up and smiled down at the young soul. “Of course.”
Another boat had already come to the riverbank, and Soonie led the young soul to the group. While he was tending to the young soul, another one of his apprentices came out to the bank.
“Anu, what are you doing out here? You’re not due to start for another hour.”
The young man looked over his shoulder. “I was awake anyways, and you were looking after a young one.”
“I can handle it for a bit longer if you’d like to get some more rest.”
“Nonsense,” Anu smiled, “I’ve got it.”
The man sighed and accepted defeat. His apprentices truly were hard workers, and he was grateful. It felt as though he rarely had to do his job these days, so he mostly focused on other things. Recently, he had taken up baking, much to his apprentices’ pleasure. He supposed a batch of cookies wouldn’t hurt anyone, and returned to his cottage to make them.
- - -
After dinner that night, he walked out to the fields.
The stars were always bright out here, but with the new moon tonight, they were even brighter. He sat down in the tall grasses and connected the constellations, naming them all in his head from years of practice. He could still see the river with the boats full of souls from afar, and he watched as Saja began her night shift.
The wind rustled through the grass, and he took a deep breath in. His realm was truly a tranquil place, and he was at peace.