who are you to judge me

{ cat witchers headcanons 002 }

There are two fragments in the first short story that brought my attention.

The way Geralt moves and how he distracts striga is a work of art. I do believe that Cats put that ‘slowing and quickening, sword rhythm not the same with movement of the steps’ on an even higher level. 

For Cats, it’s like a dance but the movement never appears twice, there are some patterns, but they do it in a way that it's impossible to figure out how they gonna place their feet. Will they go accordingly do the rhythm, will they break it in the middle of the movement already having their muscles twisted in the hit? It’s up to them. It can be related to their mutations, too, because even if they don't have this mental stability, maybe, in their ‘frenzy’, they can focus on many things at once, perfecting the distracting movement with rhythm of their swords/daggers, because everything moves, nothing is still, nothing is in perfect harmony and that's exactly the point. 

@ohkraken​ ; very old starter call

❝ If you want to get that move, you need to bend your knees, Arian. ❞ There is amusement present in his voice. He looks at them with a shit-eating grin, coming back to his initial stance. ❝ And when I say bend, I really do mean bend. You won’t move without it. We don’t do fighting on stiff legs, you need the movement and bounce. Especially when you want to learn Cat ways. ❞  

He shifts his weight from one leg to another, still smiling. 

@tempred​ ; very old starter call

Aiden smiles at the cup of strong herbal tea placed just in front of him. It emanates of warmth and the Feline Witcher sticks to it like a moth to the light. The cup has a neat pattern of juniper and he vividly remembers that he saw similar dinnerware in one of the cabinets somewhere... Maybe in Metinna. 

He had ended up in the middle of downpour before he reached Rette’s door. He was completely soaked, a picture of misery and despair truly, surviving through a series of jokes about wet cats. Now, draped in furs, Aiden was sitting next to the fireplace, observing his friend working. The patience Rette had was to be admired. Aiden couldn’t even muster a quarter of it with such ease as she. He was about to ask what herbs she is preparing, but the thought slipped and something else reigned in his mind. 

               >> 🐈 <<                       ❝         I HAVE    .  .    but when have we not done something horrible,   dear    ??    we were created to shake the nest of hornets.   we pushed and pulled too far thus strygga is no more,   no   ??        ❞          they murmur,   fingers reaching out to gently pat the younger feline’s hand with their own.   it lingers for a moment before it comes to rest at their lap when they pull it away.   

their frenzy brings about death    ;   whether wanted or not.   it will happen out of control and humans will never understand it.   call them monsters and untrustworthy.    they weren’t wrong at times but it    still    did hurt.    their eyes sadden at his reminder,   head dropping in a nod ‘fore they sigh.                       ❝         quite right.   you’d think in my old age i would accept that.   i wish it wouldn’t be our curse.        ❞          

LIPS LIFT WHEN HE SPEAKS OF    his supposed death.    brows raise however when he speaks of messing up the    contract    on purpose   ————-    which would have of course led into the rumors being true of the feline school.    they were sure that the noble family would think twice ‘fore trusting witcher’s again.   hopefully they had little influence in the surrounding continent.   that’d be frustrating.   jad karadin   ??    a nasty one he was.

                       ❝         i see    .  .   well i’m glad you live,   aiden.   what of karadin   ———   he still live   ??        ❞          if so,   they wanted to pay him a visit.

❝ We are made to shake the nest of hornets, but no one taught us how to avoid them. ❞ He answers simply, truthfully, hands clenching slightly on his lap. The contact is not UNWELCOME, yet Aiden nearly flinches. He trusts Illy with his life, without them, he’d probably not make it through Stygga’s harsh upbringing. Still, old habits die hard. Aiden relaxes under the touch eventually and he feels a pang of sorrow that it ends so quickly.

Illy and he were rather calm members of Feline School. No one really saw all that self-restraint hidden behind their peaceful behaviour and pushing the DESIRE to lash out deep so it doesn’t tempt. Stygga left problems. Reminders. Suspicion ingrained under their skin.

❝ I don’t think you will be ever able to accept that. It’s a DISEASE, Illy. You learn how to live with it, because you can’t do anything else. Our brains are wired in this way and the best we can do is to distinguish the symptoms before they hit us. ❞ Aiden shakes his head, eyes focused on the point in front of him... As if he tried to read something from the fire itself.

He messed the contract on purpose. The girl wanted it so, for her own reasons and Aiden was the last one to judge her when he heard her story. Death was a MERCIFUL option, a permanent route to escape. Who could have thought that her loving father would go mad and offer money for Aiden’s head?

@antarsgimsenis​ ♡’d for Aiden’s graying husband

❝ … I’m no medic, Aiden, but I think you’ve put enough layers of bandage on me already, ❞ Lambert spoke softly, an exasperated expression tainting his white-bearded face. It was hardly his husband’s overprotectiveness in the regard of patching up his wounds that spoiled his mood. He had been noticing some kind of deterioration of his overall condition, something that shouldn’t be any of a witcher’s concern. It was but a pack of nekkers & he returned from the contract in an urgent need of a healing potion as well as swathing his middle with linen stripes. Usually the one to chatter with the Cat, he sifted every word through his mouth slowly & half-heartedly. Much could be blamed on dull pain in his abdomen, but Lambert’s head wasn’t cutting him slack either.

❝ I’d rather you brought me something to snack on instead. Am hungry like the wolf. ❞

❝ If you admit it already then SHUT THE FUCK UP. You’re no medic, I am such in this household and I decide on how many bandages you’ll get ❞ . Aiden’s words sounded more like a growl. He worked quickly, stitching deeper cuts with neatly tied knots, putting the ointment generously before he covered everything with linen material. When he was satisfied with the dressing, Aiden moved to clean his hands from the blood. He was visibly irritated with the whole situation and he was far from hiding it. Through the years, Cat’s vitiligo spread even more, leaving patches of DEPIGMENTED skin all over his body. White eyelashes of Aiden’s left eye stood alone, joining the white strands between ginger curls.

               >> 🐈 <<                       ❝         YOU KNOW THAT    its near impossible to hide things from one another,     mój brat    .  .          ❞          they hum,    glancing up from the wood carving they were focused on    ;    now turning it completely to him.    they wanted to know what he was keeping from them    ———    they were siblings    .  .    and very few.    they wanted to know if it was trouble or not.    

@antarsgimsenis​  liked for a starter

❝ I wouldn’t say. I always thought that I am EXCEPTIONAL liar. Maybe you just know me long enough to notice when my words wander away from truth. ❞ Aiden smiles and shrugs, just to put one of his hands in his curls to dishevel them even more. The older Cat seems to see through him and read his mind like an open book.

✧･ﾟ @fechmistrz​​ said: ❝ A little bird told me Cat Witchers have nine lives. About how true is that? ❞

❝ Oh, incredibly true. We are CATS after all. When mutations kick in, the gods start to keep a list, crossing out our lives before death can grace us with their presence. ❞ He gives Lambert a shit-eating grin.