"The King of Cats Wears a Suit of Bells, And None Ring Out"

"And you shall know him, the King of Cats, for he wears a suit of bells that do not ring as he walks"

"The King of Cats wears a suit of bells, and as he dances, none sound"

Poise. Grace. Fluid motion. Even the lowliest of cats has more than a shred of these. Silent hunters and graceful dancers, they remain unseen and unheard until they desire to make themselves known - in a flash, and a clash, and a swipe of claw, for that a cat that is life, culture and law.

And so as the average housecat can wear a collar with a bell and have it not ring as they do their deeds, you may find the true King of Cats, the greatest of that breed, with many - and none sing.

"The King Of Cats", a voice whispered to me in the dark, to might thoughts, while patrolling one night, "Wears a suit of bells. And none sound as he walks." This was in 2007 that this line was first uttered, and in my mind it has remained. For six years it has remained solely in rare text, solely an image in my mind.

Out of my last... drunken unpleasentness, this came about. I had ordered a commission and was going to get something... porny of Uriel Photius, my skunk superhero, but then, as I was typing out that request...

"The King of Cats Wears a Suit of Bells..."

It was clear. It was time for the King to make an appearance. His will was clear - he remains unseen, until allowing a glimpse of himself to be shown, a flash of joy of his dance through life, a paladin of grace, fluidity, and poise.

Is this is true form, these boots and gloves, and the vest with the latch? Is that his true fur, the white with the calico markings, and the yellow eyes? I cannot say, but it is what came to me when describing.

Perhaps it is only an aspect. The King of Cats himself is no God, but a Legend. Perhaps there are many King of Cats throughout history. And we shall know him, as the wording goes, so perhaps the suit of bells is in of itself both a test, a musical sword in a stone - and a crown, so as to identify.

And we shall know him and glory in his dance, and marvel that he makes not a single sound he does not intend, a single movement out of place.

Art by   kaputotter

Concept... in theory, by me.