Ni-hao! This is "A Golden Day: Part 1", a part of the Arcana Saga.

It’s the start of the Fall Season in MegaKat City! But, is it a good time to celebrate? Are some things best left unsaid as it regards to Feral? Lokii gets to work using the Arcana Spell Books. Also, Kandi thinks she’s figured out a way to keep Callie out of her fur.

Author’s note: This is a case of starting out with one idea and evolving it to another. It went from being two separate stories, to one combined story, to
being a two parter (Gomen, Kris!). Expect "A Golden Day: Part 2" soon.

As always, send any comments or questions to AkaneKitty@aol.com. Or, drop me a line in my review section at Fanfiction.net. Enjoy!

Ja ne,
AkaneKitty

*********************
The Arcana Saga:
A Golden Day: Part 1
*********************

"Are you all right, Abi?"

"I'm fine." Abi smoothes her clothes. "But, we lost a valuable book."

Callie helps Abi as she and the SWAT Kats free the curator from her office.

"What did Lokii steal?" Razor asks.

"The Major Arcana Spell Book," Abi replies. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Why's that?" Callie asks.

"If Lokii wanted to wreck havoc with kat's love lives, the Minor Arcana Spell Book would be just fine." Abi explains. "But, the Major Arcana deal with Fate. It wouldn't do much good unless that couple was meant to be. . .So I've been told."

"I see. . ." Callie looks around. "Anybody know where Feral went?"

"I think he went to examine that exhibit." T-Bone says. "But, speaking of Feral, what's going on between him and Turmoil? The seemed a little to close for comfort."

"A lot close." Callie starts to walk out the office. "Might as well find the kat."

************************************************************

"The Major Arcana, eh?" Feral looks into the exhibit case. "I wonder what that spirit is up to. . ."

Still looking at the exhibit, Feral begins to hum to himself.  "Tara-Tara-Tara-Ta. . ."

"Nice tune." T-Bone chuckles.

Feral flinches. That was the SWAT Kats, and he knew the Deputy Mayor wasn't that far behind. "I'm showing my age."

Callie walks up along side Feral. "Oh?"

"That's a tune from my kittenhood," Feral replies. "'The Rabbit's Dance'."

"I think that's in a lot of kittenhoods," Callie says. "I remember that."

"Really."

"So, care to explain this tête-à-tête with Turmoil?" Callie asks.

Feral smiles to himself. Leave it to Calico to be blunt. "Sorry. Can’t say."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It means that I can’t say." Feral glances at Callie. "Classified, per Top Brass instructions."

"All of it?"

"All of it." Feral tosses his hair behind his shoulder. "Besides, some things are better left unsaid."

Callie blinks. "Like what?"

Feral smiles a bit and looks into her eyes. "Calico, curiosity killed the kat."

Callie feels her face grow warm. "I see."

Meanwhile, Razor shuffles his feet. "T-Bone, does it feel like we’re spying?"

T-Bone crosses his arms. "If this isn’t spying, I don’t know what is."

***********************************

A day later. . .

Chance and Jake lounge around the garage, their workload non-existent due to one of those nice days off. Jake lies on the couch while Chance slouches in a chair.

"This is too weird. I feel we should be out there doing something!"

"Well, there's nothing we can do right now, Chance. All we can do is wait for Turmoil's next move."

Chance positions himself directly in front of the Television.

"You know, her and Feral seemed to be a bit to close for comfort." Chance continues, flipping through the channels. "What's the story with that?"

"Who knows?" Jake shrugs. "Feral seems to be all over the place these days. . .Hey! Stop!"

Chance stops clicking remote. "What?"

Jake looks at the screen, his eyes glowing with excitement. "The Golden Week!"

"Huh?"

"The Golden Week. The start of the Fall Season for us western kats," Jake sits up on the couch. "I almost forgot about it!"

"What's so important about it?"

"According to tradition, we use this week to celebrate the harvest," Jake trails off, looking at Chance slyly, "And to find our potential date to court for the whole season."

"You only have one season to date?"

"No, no, no!" Jake sighs. "We can date the whole year. It's just that in the Fall Season it's much more important."

"Oh." Chance returns his eyes to the television. It was on Orion TV

"Say, why don't we join the celebration that's happening on the western side of town? It'll take our minds off Turmoil."

"Jake, I'm not western."

"Who said you had to western?" Jake says. "It's just to have fun."

"I don't know. . ."

"Did I mention there is a lot of free food?"

"Hmm?"

"Yeah. Like Mongo peppers, Tuna. . ."

"Why didn't you say so before? Let's go!"

***********************************

"Hai, my usual order, the best you got. . .Card? Not this time. . No, I'll deliver it. Charge it to my account. Thank you."

Feral hangs up his phone, and sits back in his chair. Worrying about Terri wouldn't do any good, so he decided to go about his regular routine.

"Today's the start of the Golden Week, Uncle." Felina walks into Feral's office, shutting the door behind her.

"Hai."

"Any plans on doing the 'courting' this year?" Felina perches herself onto of her Uncle's desk.

"I'll probably have to." Feral says. "The western katizen population has grown too large for me not to. I'll probably go through the motions."

"That means the Deputy Mayor, huh?"

"If she's up for it. . .Are you going to do it?"

"I will if you are. It wouldn't look right."

Feral looks at her. "You just do it right, okay? No skipping."

"No skipping" Felina says, crossing her claws behind her back.

**************************************************

"This spell would be perfect!" Lokii exclaims, the Spell book in front of her. "It's just what I need cause havoc!"

Terri looks over the spirit's shoulder and crosses her arms. "I don't know. I tried something like that years ago on Cabreti and he didn't bite. The kat's
immune."

"Terri, darling, it wasn't potent enough that time." Lokii returns her gaze to the book. "And, who says it has to work on him?"

"Meaning?"

Lokii smiles. "I'm sure if the Queen wants it to work, it will."

***********************************************

"Anshi, remind me never to answer Feral's phone before I return it to him.  That's the fourth call today!"

Callie sits behind her desk, paws on the keyboard to her computer. Anshi sits in the seat in front of the desk, jotting notes.

"Briggs-sama, it is the Golden Week" Anshi continues to scribble, "And, oniisama is available."

"I almost forgot about the Golden Week." Callie sighs, sitting back in her chair. "That means social obligations."

"Have you been worrying about it before?"

Callie shakes her head. "The western katizen population wasn't that large before this year. We didn't have to do anything relating to the Fall Season. But now. . ."

"Tradition mandates that you have to go through with it for appearances sake," Anshi finishes, "Since the western katizens look up to their Queen and
Knight."

Callie nods. "Maybe that'll stop some of those she-kats. . .Speaking of which, I need to make an appearance on the other side of town. Help me get
ready, all right"

"Hai, Briggs-sama."

Meanwhile, Kandi flattens herself outside of Callie’s office. "Social obligations, huh?"

A small smile spreads over Kandi’s face. "This may be what I need to get that she-kat out of my fur. . ."

***********************************

"They love me. . .They love me not. . ."

Turmoil pulls the pedals off a rose, which fall to the ground around her.

"My darling T-Bone was upset, but Cabreti hardly flinched." Turmoil thinks to herself, continuing to pull the pedals off of the rose. "How typical."

"So all roads lead to the Queen, eh?"

Turmoil pulls the last pedal off of the rose and smiles. "A Selfish Queen, indeed."

*************************************

"Manxy! I have a suggestion for you!"

Kandi strolls into Manx’s office, where the Mayor as practicing his putting.

"Now, Kandi, I can’t be interrupted now." Manx checks his swing. "I have important business."

"But, Manxy," Kandi snuggles up to him, "This is about getting you votes."

Manx drops his club. "I’m listening."

"Why don’t you have the Deputy Mayor and the Commander do the Fall Season together?"

"What’s that?"

"I’ll spare you the details." Kandi walks over to Manx’s desks and sits on it. "But, if you have them do the Fall Season, it will secure the western katizen vote for you."

"So, all I to do is get them to this Fall Season together?"

"Pretty much."

"How will I get them to do that?"

Kandi smiles. "I have an idea."

************************************

"It's the Golden Week! Think you'll find somebody?"

Kia looks at her friend, Meg. "I don't know. . .Haven't been lucky in theyears before."

"Of course not. At least for this year," Lori pipes up, chewing on a piece of Pocki. "Kia's got on her eye on a certain mechanic she meet a few days back."

Kia, Lori, and Meg were sitting in a little café, watching the streams of traffic that the Golden Week produced. Kats and she-kats were everywhere, taking in the spirit of the day.

"What's wrong with that?" Kia asks, grabbing one Lori's Pocki sticks.

"What's wrong is that you've been devising ways to meet him again." Lori retorts. "And, short of breaking the car again, it isn't going to happen."

"Says you."

Lori rolls her eyes. "You're hopeless."

"Am not. I believe in Meg's pendant." Kia scoffs. "Speaking of which. . ."

"No, I did not get the readings on Lokii's latest caper." Meg sighs, slouching a bit. "She's become very good at cloaking herself."

"And, her movements are not making sense at all." Lori says. "I can understand her getting that spell book, but what's the deal with breaking out that
Turmoil she-kat?"

"Hmm. We know that she masks the evil things by putting a good spin on things." Kia muses out loud. "But, this just seems. . ."

"Jake, what is this?"

"Pocki, Chance. Chocolate cover pretzel sticks," Jake says, crunching on one

"It's what?"

"Hi! I didn't expect to see you again."

Jake and Chance look around. "Who said that?"

"We did." Kia stands up.

Chance looks her over. "Oh, you're that she-kat we helped the other night."

Kia nods. "Yep. Thanks a lot."

"No problem." Jake says.

Kia stands up. "This is an usual place to meet you again. Are you two western?"

"I’m not." Chance says, pointing to Jake. "But he is."

"I am. But, technically, I’m a Draconian. . ."

"Draconian, eh?" Meg pipes up. "Isn’t your season in the Spring?"

"Yep." Jake crunches down on his Pocki stick. "But, I can enjoy the best of both worlds."

"Oh! I’m forgetting my manners." Kia walks up to them. "My name is Kia. The blonde is Lori and to the left of her is Megumi."

"Pleased to meet you." Lori and Meg say together.

"Same here." Chance says. "I’m Chance, and this is Jake."

"So, any plans for this week?" Kia asks.

Chance shrugs. "Jake’s the expert around here."

"This is first time I’ve seen a fully celebrated Golden Week in MegaKat City," Jake muses. "Have you seen anything?"

"Well, there is this concert that Jem is starring in that starts soon," Kia says. "The rest I don’t know about."

"Jem? Where?" Jake ask.

"In the open air stand in a couple of hours."

"Oh."

"Hey, I wonder if the Queen and Knight will do anything." Lori speaks up.

Chance looks at her. "Huh?"

"Since they are the pillars of the city, and both are single," Lori explains, "It would make since if they did the Fall season together."

"Why would they do that?" Chance asks.

"Social obligations." Kia shrugs. "Westerns expect their representative to follow the same facets of life that we do. We’re quirky."

"Speaking of which, we need to go and find a good spot for that concert." Lori grabs Kia’s arm.

"But, we have two hours!" Kia protests.

"I know." Lori tightens her grip.

"Well, I guess we got to go." Kia frees herself from Lori’s grasp. "Nice to see you again!"

As Chance watches the she-kats go, Jake asks. "Jem, hmm? Maybe we could ask them about Lokii. They’re after her, right?"

"Mmm, hmm."

"What’s wrong?"

"Since when does Callie and Feral have to this courting thing?" Chance crosses his arms.

"Chance, it’s a cultural thing."

"Why haven’t they done it before?"

"Probably because the western population wasn’t as big." Jake walks off.  "I’m sure there’s nothing to it."

"We’re you looking at the same scene I was yesterday?"

"Yes. But, we can’t worry about that now." Jake motions to Chance. "I say we change and get back here so we can talk to Jem."

*****************************************

Lokii perches herself on top of a Downtown office building, the wind swirling around her. The spirit grasps the Spell Book firmly in her paw, opening it
in front of her. In the same motion, Lokii extracts the Ace of Cups from her Tarot Deck and tosses it to wind.

"Winds of Change, I Command you! Take the effect of this Tarot throughout the Land!"

Lokii narrows her eyes. "And, let the Queen reap the benefits."

The Tarot disintegrates, leaving a fine powder, which is then caught up by the wind. Lokii looks down on her perch. She sees the masses of kats in the
streets, enjoying the celebration.

Lokii smiles. "Enjoy the Fall Season, my Queen."