The Cat

The mysterious creature has fought against the Queen for years, ever since her arrival in Arilon in 0 RE.

He claims to have nine lives - a claim that is bolstered by the fact he appears to have been killed by the Queen on multiple occasions. How many times this has happened, and how many lives still remain, is something he generally avoids giving away.

In general, the Cat conceals much about his life, past and even what he is truly thinking. As a result, it is difficult to believe a great deal of what he says.

What is undeniable, though, is that he has formed Arilon's only line of defence against the evil Queen.

Magic

The Cat is a small, black... well, cat. He is a powerfully magical creature, in tune with the many energies and forces that maintain and bind Arilon together.

He has used this magic to hide his name. He knows that a person's name is a powerful tool that can be used against you by your enemies. Very few people have the power to successfully hide their name. One of them is The Queen.

Despite seeming to the eye to be so small and harmless, there is something fearsome and dangerous about the feline creature. Though jovial much of the time, he has a presence that commands respect and even fear, when he exerts his influence. The fact that the Queen - a phenomenally powerful individual - expends so much energy trying to destroy the Cat and constantly fails, speaks volumes for the Cat's power and abilities.

The Noir Ladies

In his long battles with the Queen, he has defeated many of the monarch's top lieutenants - the Noir Ladies. The Queen only ever has one Noir Lady at a time, serving as her right hand, controlling all of Arilon with a steel grip. However, over the years, the Cat has eventually beaten each of them - starting with Lady Kray, then Lady Taranteen and several others.

The Queen's most recent Noir Lady is Lady Eris. Under her stewardship, the Queen's activities have actually been extremely successful and the Cat has found Lady Eris a very difficult proposition indeed. (He claims to have lost at least two of his lives to her).

Waterwhistle

The Cat travelled to the Human World and to the Nottinghamshire village of Waterwhistle in 25 RE to spy on Lady Eris. She was weaving some kind of spell in the human village which the Cat feared was linked to the greatest, most dangerous scheme the Queen had yet created - the Agency Engine.

The first human he met was Teresa Smith. The ten year-old had tried to alert her fellow villagers to the dangers that Lady Eris posed. The Noir Lady had captured the girl and thrown her in the dungeons of Castle Eris in Arilon. As Teresa was escaping on board the Galloping Snake she ran into the Cat and the two of them teamed up against Lady Eris.

The second human the Cat met was Arthur Ness. Lady Eris was travelling between Arilon and Waterwhiste via a portal woven into a tapestry. One end of the doorway was in Castle Eris, the other was in Waterwhistle's biggest house - the house she was living in. The previous owners, Lord and Lady Roberts, had volunteered to take in evacuee children as the Human World was currently gripped by World War II.

The Cat had sneaked into Castle Eris house and was spying through the tapestry when he saw Arthur Ness, a small, scared ten year-old. He soon befriended the boy and, seeing he might prove to be the key to defeating Lady Eris and saving Waterwhistle, took him back to Arilon, there to meet up with Teresa.

The three of them would go on to cause much trouble for the Queen.

The King of Ends

Much about the Cat's past is still unknown even by those closest to him. But one rumour persists - that he is royalty.

Various people claim - and he never denies, nor confirms - that the Cat is, in fact, a reincarnation of an ancient Arilonian cult figure. The King of Ends. The King used to live on Ender Island until the Queen's arrival in Arilon. She attacked the King and there was an almighty, cataclysmic battle - one which shattered the very island itself. Afterwards, the King was never seen again.

If this is the case, it would certainly explain the Cat's endless battles against the self-appointed Queen of Arilon.

Whether or not this is actually true remains to be seen.