Morgan

Morgan’s a medium-large rusty brown marbled tabby with smooth, glimmering short fur. Their marbling is two-toned against the rest of their coat, having a darker outer section and a lighter center. They’re a quarter Egyptian Mau and are of partial Bengal descent. Their Bengal blood shows in their fur’s chaotic pattern of asymmetrical swirls and splashes with a horizontal flow.

The very tips of their hair shafts are translucent, causing light to glitter across their pelt. This trait was inherited from their mother and maternal grandparents. Their eyes are gold with light green around their irises. Their Mau blood shows in their body shape. They’re tall and muscular, and their back legs are slightly longer than their front legs. Their belly is spotted and they have a primordial pouch.

They’re microchipped, and they usually wear a studded woad blue collar with a gold star-shaped tag and a silver bell. The studs of their default collar alternate between little silver stars and spikes, but their human has various other collars they can wear. The collars are all the same breakaway style as Ceridwen’s and include their human’s information and a violet-colored attachment to hold a small, thin tracker. Morgan also has a midnight blue harness and a variety of leads, but mainly wears them when their human wants to walk with them.

Morgan’s human also loves to dress Morgan up in little outfits, which Morgan allows partly because their human gives them the best treats for tolerating it. The clothes often have matching harness covers. Morgan’s become so used to wearing the clothes that they sometimes keep them (or at least the harness) on while exploring outside, but they can easily remove the clothes.

Morgan thinks they’re clever and they’re comfortable with subterfuge. They believe that ends can justify means, although they’d try to weigh the benefits and detriments first. For less ideal situations, they trained to think quickly and take stock of their options, but they are young and inexperienced. They have yet to contend with life-altering issues. The worst they’ve dealt with so far was peace-keeping between gossipy neighbors or getting an overly excited dog to go away.

They can become obsessive. Sometimes it’s only temporary and they’ll lose most of their drive after a period of intense focus. They can’t always tell a true interest from a temporary one, as both feel the same when their pursuit starts. This can make them indecisive and unreliable, but it has led to them gaining moderate knowledge of various things. When they truly commit themself to something, they do it with a full heart and mind. They try to focus on what they enjoy or at least what engages them, because doing what they absolutely dislike or can’t concentrate on is its own form of torture. If they can’t get something off their mind, they can keep themself awake thinking about it over and over.

They describe themself as the “grandchild of the last princess of Camelot” and for Ceridwen’s sake, they want Camelot to stay in the past. They think its laws and customs were harmful and too restrictive. They learned much of what they know of Camelot, Arthurian legend, and royals from their grandmother Ceridwen, including etiquette that Morgan’s never had to fully use. The most they’ve needed to do was speak politely and be poised, which they like because they think it enhances their presence.

Their grandfather Tinunil taught them of the stars, their mother Kathani taught them of the world, and their father Idris taught them of ethics and morality. Their housemate Alda taught them to be a witch and reminded them that pleasantries could only get them so far. Words could be very satisfying weapons, but so could a strong stare and a slight change in posture. Morgan thinks it’s in their interest to be cunning. If asked for help, they’ll first ask what’s in it for them. Even if they fully intend to help from the start, they want to keep an aloof air of mystery about themself and not seem too approachable.

Morgan was taught to take charge of situations through force of will, but they’re not sure how much they want to be in charge. In unfamiliar territory, they think it’s good to let someone else lead first. That way, Morgan can see what goes well and what doesn’t. Morgan also thinks they’d be willing to hold back and let others do their dirty work for them, but if the matter was very important to get right, Morgan would rather do it themself.

Thanks to their mortician human taking them to work, they have some knowledge of mortuary science, are comfortable around the dead, and they’ve learned dogspeak. They think of their human as a guardian rather than a mere servant. They like to hunt, but they try to avoid hunting for sport where humans can see them. Hunting displeases their human and leads to them being kept inside. Aside from some very basic self-defense, they know little of combat since they’ve never needed to fight. They were taught to flee physical danger instead, since they can run swiftly and love traversal.

Morgan has a kit-bearing body, but doesn’t think much of it or their gender. They are them–first, last, and always. If they must pick a royal title, they would follow their grandparent Azem’s example and call themself a royal scion. They might not mind someone gendering them if they can use that perception to their advantage.

— Life before Whitehart —
Morgan was born in late November 2018 to Kathani and Idris. Their human officially named them Morrigan and nicknamed them Mori, but everyone else called them Morgan for convenience. Morgan’s mother Kathani is the daughter of Kiran, who hailed from across many seas, and Azem, a descendant of the Egyptian Mau Azim of the Tojours Nuit cattery. Morgan’s father Idris is the son of Ceridwen and Tinunil. Through Azem’s and Ceridwen’s lines, Morgan and their siblings are considered royalty on both sides by their feline family.

In Tinunil’s opinion, his bloodline was less exciting. He was just an orphan with an estate (as the family described the house), but his parents had been named Miranda and Sterling. Tinunil loved all things celestial. Morgan developed a fondness for stars thanks to him. “Her grace Princess Ceridwen of Camelot, First of her name, daughter of King Pendragon I and Queen Valiant I of Camelot” was Ceridwen’s formal title and styling, but she preferred simply being Ceridwen or Carrie.

Before coming to Whitehart, Morgan lived with their parents, paternal grandparents, and another cat who’d been there before all of them. Their house had a backyard with an angled barrier atop the fence to deter would-be escapees. That yard was the only outside space the cats could be unaccompanied in. If they wanted to be outside the fence, their humans insisted on chaperoning them and tethered themselves to them with harness and lead. The fence didn’t stop the neighbor cats from socializing with them either, because they just needed to get a human to let them in or out. Morgan loved to run and their human enjoyed having them chase something along a straight track.

Morgan would also see their maternal grandparents during some occasions when their human families got together. Morgan learned from Ceridwen that Azem’s relative Seraphina had been a member of Camelot’s court, although Ceridwen hadn’t learned that until Azem explained their family history in detail. Azem had never met Seraphina and they knew nothing of Camelot, so it wasn’t a topic that Azem and Morgan ever discussed. Still, it seemed to Morgan that Azem’s great-grandfather Azim had been the most successful of his litter. Azim was a highly regarded king of the cattery and Azem was but one of his many descendants, dubbed royal scions. Azem also accepted princet as a title, which Morgan liked. Kiran is one of Azem’s royal consorts and therefore, Kathani is also a royal descendant.

Kathani thought Camelot sounded strange yet fascinating. Tinunil was more interested in the stars than anything. Idris enjoyed moral philosophy and its intricacies. He was ambivalent towards his heritage and believed Camelot was a silly place anyway, though that never stopped him from discussing it with his peers. When Morgan asked if he was a prince, Idris would go into long lectures about social ranks and equality. Morgan decided that, being the son of a princess, he was a prince, even if he didn’t claim the title. Kathani agreed.

Tinunil and Idris’s human was a professor and frequently brought them to work, as did the professor’s colleagues with their own cats. Kathani’s human, a librarian, did the same. Ceridwen and Morgan loved it when they returned with new information. It was common for Morgan to become intensely interested in a subject and think about it constantly. Their family indulged their interests, but there were times when their deep study only lasted a short time. Ceridwen recognized similarities between that and her own inattentiveness, but had few long-term solutions to offer.

When Morgan was big enough, their human also took them along to their workplace, which was a mortuary. Another human brought their cats in as well, and a third human brought their dog, who calmly supervised the cats when their human didn’t need them. The pets weren’t allowed in the rooms where their humans prepared bodies, but they could watch from the window of the room next to it. Morgan learned much about death and funeral practices there, as well as dogspeak.

Back at home, Ceridwen would teach Morgan whatever they wanted to know about the Cats of Camelot and the legends on which they were based, as well as royal etiquette. She also indulged Morgan’s musings on what their family members’ titles would be if they bothered to use them. Morgan reasoned everyone was royalty. The only ones of somewhat uncertain origin were Tinunil and Kiran, but both had their statuses elevated through their respective pairings with Ceridwen and Azem.

Morgan could tell Ceridwen enjoyed passing on her knowledge, but they noticed that Ceridwen rarely spoke fondly of the kingdom. This led to Morgan developing a negative view of it. While Camelot was interesting to study, they decided they wouldn’t want to see it restored in full.

The other cat in the house, the one who’d been there the longest, was Alda. She was Idris’s godmother and had been a close friend of Tinunil’s parents. Alda was a small cat, but her commanding presence could take up a whole room. She was already old when Morgan was born, but she hardly acted it. Alda shared Tinunil’s adoration of the heavens, but there was more to her focus than star-gazing. Alda claimed to be a witch and claimed that her human was one as well. Ceridwen told Morgan that witchcraft was forbidden in Camelot, but with her newfound freedom, Ceridwen had studied under Alda anyway because she found the subject enticing. Ceridwen didn’t call herself a witch, but Alda recognized her as a full-fledged one.

Before they’d even seen half a year, Morgan endeavored to learn from Alda. They too wanted to be a witch and they wanted to know why Camelot feared witchcraft enough to outlaw it. To Morgan, it didn’t seem scary. At first, they weren’t sure it did anything at all or how it was different than prayer (not that Morgan exactly revered any deities to begin with). There was no flashy magic or shape-changing humans like in fairy tales. Fancy tools were unnecessary, although Alda enjoyed using a few of her human’s things, like socks and balled up papers, for fun or for their emotional connections. Alda had her own style of spells and such that had been passed down by her own mentor.

Alda taught Morgan her techniques, but she also told Morgan that magic would not do the work for the witch. It just helped it along. The witch had to make the world work for themself. Alda’s kind of witchcraft was about intention and problem-solving. Morgan was enthralled. They wanted to know everything. Alda instructed Morgan to study the hearts and minds of others, as a skilled witch needed to understand them and the actions they caused.

They also needed a flexible mind to adapt to different situations and set things right, and to set something right, they needed to know how and where it went wrong. They needed to find those edges and stay sure of themselves, even if others were not. Sometimes they had to interfere. Morgan sought out the tutelage of Idris, because he was the most introspective cat they knew and he could talk all day if they let him. Idris emphasized that he was only giving them an introductory foundation, but Morgan would leave their lessons with thoughts upon thoughts upon thoughts about thoughts, both theirs and others’. They didn’t know how anyone could keep so much in their head.

Time went on and on. By the time Morgan was in their thirteenth month, Alda declared their training complete, but that didn’t mean they were finished. There would always be more to learn and do, and Morgan would need to learn and do in order to learn and do. They had a whole life ahead of them for that. Morgan also asked to Alda and Ceridwen to teach them fortune-telling. Ceridwen thought of fortune-telling as a little hobby and liked humans’ Tarot cards for how shiny they could be. Alda thought that Morgan’s request was far too vague.

Alda’s opinion on fortune-telling depended on who was doing it and why. She didn’t do it to tell others what they wanted to hear, although in her youth she’d known cats who did. Alda only did it to get an idea of what could happen, and what could be could be dubious. And then there were omens, cultural differences, and much more to consider. Alda considered it deep observation more than seeking pre-determined fates. She taught Morgan a few ways to get started, but told them to look to the present to learn the future. For example, instead of waiting for a omen of rain, one should go outside and look at the sky.

About four months later, when Morgan was in their seventeenth, Alda passed away. The family had a small ceremony for her and the cats mourned her by joyously celebrating her life. Alda had described herself as ancient and she’d already ordered everyone not to make a fuss when she departed or she’d find a way to haunt them maliciously instead of benevolently.

— Life in Whitehart —
In late March 2020, one month after Alda’s passing, Morgan and their human found themselves moving to a new home in a new town. They were going to Whitehart, the birthplace of Ceridwen and the Cats of Camelot. Ceridwen and her human would join them later, but Morgan and their human would be on their own for a time.

Morgan’s human quickly found a new job at the local funeral home. Morgan thought the house and graveyard were the most impressive places they’d ever seen. Morgan was also astonished that the humans in Whitehart let their cats run freely and tried to keep the town streets safe for them to cross. Ceridwen had told them of it before, but seeing it was its own experience. Morgan’s human soon became comfortable letting Morgan go out alone in and around the funeral home. Their new house also had a backyard with a fence like their old one, but there was also a large catio.

From the few visitors to the funeral home who even knew about the Cats of Camelot, Morgan learned that Pendragon’s kingdom was no more. It had vanished some years before, its members scattered across the vast lands. Morgan was glad. When Ceridwen arrived, she wouldn’t need to worry about court or any of that ridiculousness. Naturally, Morgan wanted to investigate the kingdom’s fate and what led to its downfall, but they were content to do so at a relaxed pace.