On this night, Baldwin allowed them a small fire. Akiko’s feet were still tied together, and she
was secured with another rope with her back to one of the wagon wheels, but she was left with a long
rope between her hands so that could eat another meal of cold gravy and some kind of unidentified
meat. Her guards made it clear, however, that she would have to sleep sitting up against the wagon
wheel, and they searched where she was to sit and removed anything they thought she could use to
untie or cut her ropes.
The night was warm, and Baldwin did not order the fire to be put out after their supper. A dozen
soldiers surrounded it, and more sat behind them in the darkness of the forest. Nanna, Ethan, Ella, and
Junius all moved in close to the fire, and Akiko—sitting just behind—could also hear what was being
said.
The conversation began with the trials of their journey, and what they expected to find at
Adhara. It turned once to the assassination of the King, but that subject was quickly dropped, as the
Prince and Princess were present. Akiko only half listened after that, until suddenly she realized that the
conversation had turned to her.
It was the wizard who was talking. He was sitting on the other side of the tiny fire, his staff
propped up and leaning against his shoulder. He had a beard, like all wizards, and thick, heavy eyebrows,
and his ridiculously large necklace with its huge pendants hung down from his neck. His hat was pulled
down low, casting his face in a deep shadow, and he was speaking in a low whisper that easily traveled
through the silent forest.
“There are six kinds of elves,” the little man said. “And none of them can be trusted. They all are
a nasty bunch, and they’re always at war with each other—or with us. In fact, it is known that they are
even now gathering armies in the north to attack us, and this assault on our king is only the most recent
kind of their usual warfare. No elves are to be trusted. They are all deceitful, prideful, and full of
unnatural tricks. And…” the old man added, “…they are just plain ugly. Especially the Moon Elves.” He
glared at Akiko. “White hair, white eyebrows, pointed ears, large, almond-shaped eyes, and them
damned marking on their faces.”
“I thought they all had horns,” someone said.
“I thought they drain blood and eat human flesh,” another person added.
Akiko shuddered. She did not like where this conversation was going. She noticed that both Ella
and Ethan were staring at her with apprehensive expressions.
Junius spoke again. “I don’t know what they eat. It could be blood or human flesh. It might be
worms for all I know. I just don’t know, but it wouldn’t surprise me. And as for horns, you can see that
this she-thing doesn’t have any.”
“What are they? Those markings on her face?” someone asked.
“They’re called tartans, and only the Moon Elves have them. All the elves, however, have four
fingers instead of five. That’s just strange, having four fingers instead of five.” A half dozen people all
shifted in their seats and stared at Akiko, and she hid her hands under her legs. The little wizard
continued speaking, still in a low, rasping tone, “Those things on her face… those tartans… they mark
this one as a Moon Elf. They are nasty, mean creatures, the worst of the elves. You just can’t trust
them.”
There was silence for part of a minute, then Junius spoke again, “And now they’re… the elves I
mean… raising armies right now to fight us men. I don’t know what’s got into them, or why they’re doing
it, but they’re supposed to be raising big armies, with war elephants and such, so that they can attack
us. Maybe they mean to wipe us out. I don’t know. But it is obvious…” the little man glared at Akiko
again, “…that they are sending assassins to murder our kinfolk, and to kill our king.”
“Can’t the Endunnlin protect us?” This was the young soldier who had been guarding Akiko.
The little wizard turned toward the young man. “Son,” he said solemnly, “There hasn’t been an
Endunnlin in a hundred years.”
“What’s an Endunnlin?” another soldier asked.
“What’s an Endunnlin?” Junius repeated in surprise. “What’s an Endunnlin? Are you stupid or
something? Why they are a human who protects other humans. They’re always men and they’ve got
secret powers. Not powers like a wizard or witch. They can’t do magic. But they got secret combat
powers. They are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to a fight. But like I said, there hasn’t been
one around for a hundred years. Or more.”
“Where do they live?” “How many are there?” came the questions.
“There can’t be but one alive at any one time. Don’t know why that is, but it is just the way of
things. And where do they live? Well, they live anywhere they are born. Some have lived in Nivava, some
in Adhara, some in O’ojova, some anywhere there is people. They are just born, random-like, no one
knows where or how, ‘bout every sixty or eighty or hundred years. But they are always humans,
protecting humans, and they fight against the elves. There’s only been a few dozen of them, since the
beginning of time. And no one knows how or why they come about.”
“And they protect us from the elves?” The question was asked with some anxiety.
“You’re darn right they do. Why, if a whole army of elves came marching down this road right
now, and if we had an Endunnlin with us… why that Endunnlin would just wave one hand and sweep
them all away. We’d be in no danger at all. And the Endunnlin could do that even if the elves was Snow
Elves or Sea Elves.”
Little Cat Reviews
In Little Cat, Akiko, a Moon Elf, finds herself a prisoner and a failure in her first job as an assassin. She
feels destined to be a nobody, if she lives. An encounter with Micah changes that, as he sees what she is
to become. Under Micah’s guidance she starts to realize her potential as Little Cat, the next Endunnlin.
Dasher weaves a magical tale of Little Cat, Micah, and flying dragons uniting good men and elves to fight
the dark armies trying to destroy their world. I could not help myself, I had to read the sequel: The Silver
City.
G. Fielden, Bluff City, TN, Nov 2024
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LITTLE CAT by GR Dasher. Dasher spins a wonderful fantasy tale involving elves, dragons, and the fates
of kingdoms. Don’t try and guess where the story is going, let it take you there. Bad guys become good
guys, mysterious strangers are more than they appear to be, outcasts become heroes. This story has you
wondering “What the heck can happen next?” Excellent character development and plot lines kept me
reading well past my bedtime.
J. Pearson, Roanoke, VA, Nov 2024
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Little Cat series by G.R. Dasher. This two-book series, Little Cat and Silver City, introduces Akiko, AKA
“Little Cat.” Akiko is a Moon Elf who has moon-elf powers and is found to be a special person with
extraordinary powers. The plot is imaginative, and interesting with characters that includes royals, elves,
men, wizards, and dragons. A captivating story.
G. McCoy, Front Royal, VA, Nov 2024
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I enjoyed reading Little Cat. I felt that the protagonist was a strong, many-sided character. She was
gutsy, yet sympathetic and caring. Little Cat being a noble figure, I could root for her success. The plot
was interesting, and the action never-ending, and thus it kept my attention throughout the story.
L. Devine, Potomac, MD, Nov 2024
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