Reulan, the village priest of Sweetwater, Karse, finished the sunset service in the village chapel and stepped into his room in back. Settling in to dinner, he discovered a large, cream-colored tabby cat watching him from the other chair. He gave the cat part of his sausage, then pushed out the door for the night. Over the course of the next several days, he gave up trying to find the owner of the cat and accepted that he had been adopted.