The Flood Cats
At some point during the war, the Flood began to mutate. No one really knows how, or why for that matter, only that it did, and it began infecting smaller beings. My case, it was cats. These are the cats I lived with for around two years of my life. They're like brothers to me, and two of them really are. Kolt here, and I'll be giving you a tour of the Flood cat world.
We were the Memory Keepers of the Gravemind, charged with taking care of them memories he passed down to us. We were to give those original memories to the next Gravemind, should anything happen to the one we were currently serving under. We were never sent out onto the battlefield for any reason; there were too few of us and the Gravemind needed us to stay alive. Unlike the rest of the Flood, though, we were relatively free of the Gravemind's control; we were able to think for ourselves and do as we pleased, as long as we didn't get in the way of a firefight, as Flame calls them. Other than that, we were free to roam around High Charity after it had fully been taken over by the Flood.
Below are the cats I used to live with, of all shapes, sizes, and breeds.
We were the Memory Keepers of the Gravemind, charged with taking care of them memories he passed down to us. We were to give those original memories to the next Gravemind, should anything happen to the one we were currently serving under. We were never sent out onto the battlefield for any reason; there were too few of us and the Gravemind needed us to stay alive. Unlike the rest of the Flood, though, we were relatively free of the Gravemind's control; we were able to think for ourselves and do as we pleased, as long as we didn't get in the way of a firefight, as Flame calls them. Other than that, we were free to roam around High Charity after it had fully been taken over by the Flood.
Below are the cats I used to live with, of all shapes, sizes, and breeds.
Jek
Jek is our self-proclaimed leader. He handed out orders to us to keep us safe. He is the Keeper of War and Rebellion, which did nothing to help his already nasty attitude. Still, he cared for us and made sure we were never in any immediate danger.
From what I understand, he was nothing more than a short-haired stray at the time of his infection, scouring the streets for his next meal when the Flood hit. I think he was the first of us to be infected--just another reason why he fell into place as our leader.
From what I understand, he was nothing more than a short-haired stray at the time of his infection, scouring the streets for his next meal when the Flood hit. I think he was the first of us to be infected--just another reason why he fell into place as our leader.
Chirurgo
By age, he's the oldest of the Flood cats. Everyone thinks he's around ten, but he could be older than that, considering the infection extended our life spans. He's the healer of the group, and he's the Keeper of Medical Procedures and Ancient Healing Techniques. Even his name fits him; it's Italian for "surgeon."
Chirurgo doesn't speak any English when he stops speaking Cat. To the humans, he speaks only Italian, and he did to us sometimes to, but we always managed to understand him. He usually used it only when he was angry and the Cat tongue escaped him, though he's generally a patient cat.
We're not really sure how he lost his leg, or if he lost it at all and he was just born without it. Either way, he's never had any difficulty getting around. Believe me, he can run when he needs to. It's as if he was never missing a leg to begin with.
Flame has a hard time pronouncing his name. I think the rolling r syllable is hard on her mouth. She's just not used to it. So she calls him Cherry, and he doesn't seem to mind much.
Chirurgo doesn't speak any English when he stops speaking Cat. To the humans, he speaks only Italian, and he did to us sometimes to, but we always managed to understand him. He usually used it only when he was angry and the Cat tongue escaped him, though he's generally a patient cat.
We're not really sure how he lost his leg, or if he lost it at all and he was just born without it. Either way, he's never had any difficulty getting around. Believe me, he can run when he needs to. It's as if he was never missing a leg to begin with.
Flame has a hard time pronouncing his name. I think the rolling r syllable is hard on her mouth. She's just not used to it. So she calls him Cherry, and he doesn't seem to mind much.
Verro
Verro's name is Italian, too. I learned from Chirurgo that it comes from the future tense of the verb "venire," meaning "to come." I think what Verro really wanted to be called was "Vorro," the future tense of "voloere," "to want," but somewhere in the process he must have gotten his verbs mixed up.
He doesn't speak any Italian, when he speaks at all. You see, Verro is deaf. He doesn't speak very much, and when he does it can be hard to understand him. He can't hear himself, but he learns from the vibrations the rest of us give off when we talk. I think he's a decent lip-reader, but just to make sure he understand what we're telling him we put our throats over his head and repeat the statement. He understands the vibrations from that and goes about his business.
I think the Gravemind was especially worried about Verro. He would never be able to hear commands if the Keepers were ever attacked, and if that were the case, there's no time to spare in battle to let him read the vibrations of our words. Unfortunately, he gets easily confused in situations like this. But on the bright side, we always thought to make sure he would be the first one herded away from the situation to avoid losing him.
He doesn't speak any Italian, when he speaks at all. You see, Verro is deaf. He doesn't speak very much, and when he does it can be hard to understand him. He can't hear himself, but he learns from the vibrations the rest of us give off when we talk. I think he's a decent lip-reader, but just to make sure he understand what we're telling him we put our throats over his head and repeat the statement. He understands the vibrations from that and goes about his business.
I think the Gravemind was especially worried about Verro. He would never be able to hear commands if the Keepers were ever attacked, and if that were the case, there's no time to spare in battle to let him read the vibrations of our words. Unfortunately, he gets easily confused in situations like this. But on the bright side, we always thought to make sure he would be the first one herded away from the situation to avoid losing him.
Fervus
I don't think anyone ever liked Fervus. He really only ever cared about himself and his food. All he ever wanted to do was eat anything he found-human, Covenant, inanimate, it never mattered to him, so long as he could fill his stomach. I've still never told Flame that Fervus once tried to eat Cortana. Jek wasn't happy with that and neither was the Gravemind, but he let Jek take care of it. I can tell you that Fervus has been cuffed more than once by all of us, Chirurgo most of all. Fervus has tried more than once to eat the herbs Chirurgo stored to use if we ever needed them, and you can bet that there was a long stream of angry Italian coming from his den. I heard words those days I didn't know existed!
I don't know much about Fervus before he was infected, only that he's what the humans call a Norwegian Forest Cat, which I think is a large breed and probably what explains his huge appetite. He's bigger than I am, and I'm half Maine Coon!
And before I forget, Fervus is the Keeper of, you guessed it, Food and Drink.
I don't know much about Fervus before he was infected, only that he's what the humans call a Norwegian Forest Cat, which I think is a large breed and probably what explains his huge appetite. He's bigger than I am, and I'm half Maine Coon!
And before I forget, Fervus is the Keeper of, you guessed it, Food and Drink.
Klovic
Klovic speaks just about every language there is. I've heard him speak Russian, Italian, Cat, English, and even Sangheili, which Flame tells me is a difficult language for those without four jaws to speak. I think it's Klovic's twisted jaw that makes it easy for him to speak Sangheili. According to him, be broke it on a rock while he was trying to run from the Flood infection, and even after he was infected it never healed. In fact, I think it's only gotten worse over the years, because he got to the point where he could just tip his head and his jaw would line up on his face the way it should. He'd be able to carry out a whole conversation for as long as he wanted.
The tail he has isn't even his real tail. He's a Russian Bobtail, and his breed has very short tails, like Chirurgo, who I forgot to mention is a Japanese Bobtail (that speaks Italian, no less) and also lacks a real tail. Chirurgo's tail was extended by a tentacle, though he still has his real one, but I think Klovic's is gone altogether and replaced with the spiked on he now has. He seems happier with it, since he's always swishing it around and finds it funny to smack Fervus upside the head with it. Though he's generally a grumpy cat, he knows how to have fun.
Klovic is the Keeper of Languages.
The tail he has isn't even his real tail. He's a Russian Bobtail, and his breed has very short tails, like Chirurgo, who I forgot to mention is a Japanese Bobtail (that speaks Italian, no less) and also lacks a real tail. Chirurgo's tail was extended by a tentacle, though he still has his real one, but I think Klovic's is gone altogether and replaced with the spiked on he now has. He seems happier with it, since he's always swishing it around and finds it funny to smack Fervus upside the head with it. Though he's generally a grumpy cat, he knows how to have fun.
Klovic is the Keeper of Languages.
Carn
Carn by far is the youngest of us. I think he was only around a year old when he was attacked and infected by the Flood. It always made me sad knowing that he was so young when he was infected, but the fact that he's another in our ranks never seems to bother him. He's taken it upon himself to be Chirurgo's assistant. I guess that's kind of fitting when you take into consideration the fact that Carn is the Keeper of Technology, and a lot of the healing techniques Chirurgo knows about involve machinery of some kind. And luckily Chirurgo has never needed to use any kind of technology to heal any of us, but unfortunately for Carn his memories don't help us much. There's nothing we ever could have done to repair High Charity. It was too big and there was too much damage for it to ever be fully repaired. But from what I've seen during my time with Flame and her humans friends, I figure that Carn would be much more useful to the humans when it comes to technology than to the Flood cats.
Burnell
Burnell is the Keeper of Artists and Artwork. He can name artists from every time period, from Leonardo da Vinci to Vincent Van Gogh and every other artist in between. He can recite whole poems from Edgar Allen Poe and Robert Frost, and flawlessly repeat long speeches from Shakespeare. Over the course of a month he told us the whole story of Lord of the Flies, details and all, right down to the fine print. I once heard him put Carn to sleep with the Illiad. In Burnell's own words, art is anything that can be created by the mind and brought to life by the hand, whether it's The Great Gatsby or the Mona Lisa. Both were created by the mind and brought to life by the hand, and so both are works of art.
He always had a strange way of thinking, but then I guess it comes from the memories he carried with him. Even in the middle of the Flood he managed to find a hint of beauty in it. I'm not sure what that was exactly, but he found it.
I like Burnell, everyone does. He was the most entertaining of all the cats. He was never a dull story teller. I remember he attempted to act out the story of the pirate Blackbeard at the same time he was telling it. Needless to say, it made for an interesting night. Even the Gravemind was amused.
He always had a strange way of thinking, but then I guess it comes from the memories he carried with him. Even in the middle of the Flood he managed to find a hint of beauty in it. I'm not sure what that was exactly, but he found it.
I like Burnell, everyone does. He was the most entertaining of all the cats. He was never a dull story teller. I remember he attempted to act out the story of the pirate Blackbeard at the same time he was telling it. Needless to say, it made for an interesting night. Even the Gravemind was amused.
Lyrical
In some ways, Lyrical is a lot like Burnell. He has a strong connection to past arts, though in Lyrical's case it happens to be music. Unlike Burnell, though, Lyrical never shares it with us. I think the only time he let us hear his music was when Burnell was telling us a slightly edited version of Romeo and Juliet. Other than that one time, we've never heard Lyrical's music.
I think Lyrical has always been distressed by his situation with the Flood. He constantly has this glassly look in his eyes, and I know it's because he turns to his music as a source of comfort. He only comes out of his trance long enough to listen to the orders being given out.
All I know about Lyrical is that he was a stray cat called Levi before the Flood infestation. Once he was infected, he took an unusual interest to the music of the Gravemind's memories, and so he became the Keeper of Music.
I think Lyrical has always been distressed by his situation with the Flood. He constantly has this glassly look in his eyes, and I know it's because he turns to his music as a source of comfort. He only comes out of his trance long enough to listen to the orders being given out.
All I know about Lyrical is that he was a stray cat called Levi before the Flood infestation. Once he was infected, he took an unusual interest to the music of the Gravemind's memories, and so he became the Keeper of Music.
Arn
Arn, formerly Alastair, is my oldest brother and the Keeper of Emotions. He is one of three cats who don't look like they belong with the Flood. But if you look closely at their eyes, you can see that they're the same shape as an obviously infected cat.
He was the first of the three of us to be infected, after he went out alone at night doing who knows what. He'd been doing that a lot lately before the Flood infestation, but he always came back. One night when he didn't, my brother, Leara, and I went out looking for him. When we found him, we didn't realize he'd been infected, only that he looked different. He had been born solid gray, but when we found him his pelt was splashed with tear drops. I don't know why the Flood never infected him like it did the rest of us, but I do know that it changed him in some way. Whenever he was close enough to someone to pick up their emotions, the tear drops on his fur changed color. I couldn't list all the colors of them if I tried, but I can tell you that they matched up to what the other being was feeling.
Arn was never happy on High Charity, I could see it in his eyes. I knew he stuck around because he hand no choice, we were in the middle of space and there was nowhere else for him to go. I don't know why he was unhappy, but if I had to guess I'd say it as because his two younger brothers had been infected and looked as bad as the rest of them, and he felt guilty for not having been able to do something. I never blamed Arn for what happened and neither did Leara, but that didn't stop him from feeling bad. The minute High Charity crash landed on Earth, Arn took off. His connection with the Gravemind was completely severed, and none of us could sense him. To this day I have no idea what happened to Arn or where he went, but I only hope he found a place where he could be happy.
He was the first of the three of us to be infected, after he went out alone at night doing who knows what. He'd been doing that a lot lately before the Flood infestation, but he always came back. One night when he didn't, my brother, Leara, and I went out looking for him. When we found him, we didn't realize he'd been infected, only that he looked different. He had been born solid gray, but when we found him his pelt was splashed with tear drops. I don't know why the Flood never infected him like it did the rest of us, but I do know that it changed him in some way. Whenever he was close enough to someone to pick up their emotions, the tear drops on his fur changed color. I couldn't list all the colors of them if I tried, but I can tell you that they matched up to what the other being was feeling.
Arn was never happy on High Charity, I could see it in his eyes. I knew he stuck around because he hand no choice, we were in the middle of space and there was nowhere else for him to go. I don't know why he was unhappy, but if I had to guess I'd say it as because his two younger brothers had been infected and looked as bad as the rest of them, and he felt guilty for not having been able to do something. I never blamed Arn for what happened and neither did Leara, but that didn't stop him from feeling bad. The minute High Charity crash landed on Earth, Arn took off. His connection with the Gravemind was completely severed, and none of us could sense him. To this day I have no idea what happened to Arn or where he went, but I only hope he found a place where he could be happy.
Leara
His name may have changed from Kervan to Leara, but he's still nervous and skittish in new surroundings and around the humans and the Covenant. He's that one sibling that never liked leaving the house in case he broke the rules. He's still like that.
Leara is my youngest brother. We were both infected at the same time, that night we went to find Arn. I think he's fared the worst of us. He started falling apart, literally, only a little while after the full infection of High Charity. We went around the ship and found a decent piece of old Elite armor and a rag, and tied that around him to protect his open areas. He still has to be careful when he goes places in case he hurts himself even more, but he still gets on well enough.
He's the Keeper of Writing and Literature, which has the tendency to conflict with Burnell's memories. They can both quote famous works by famous authors and lesser known works by lesser known authors. It's pretty amusing to watch them tell the same story at the same time, although Leara is particularly good at telling the spookier stories, mostly because of his skittishness. It gives him sort of a paranoid air.
Leara is my youngest brother. We were both infected at the same time, that night we went to find Arn. I think he's fared the worst of us. He started falling apart, literally, only a little while after the full infection of High Charity. We went around the ship and found a decent piece of old Elite armor and a rag, and tied that around him to protect his open areas. He still has to be careful when he goes places in case he hurts himself even more, but he still gets on well enough.
He's the Keeper of Writing and Literature, which has the tendency to conflict with Burnell's memories. They can both quote famous works by famous authors and lesser known works by lesser known authors. It's pretty amusing to watch them tell the same story at the same time, although Leara is particularly good at telling the spookier stories, mostly because of his skittishness. It gives him sort of a paranoid air.
Irvin
I think it's fitting that Irvin is the Keeper of Rituals and Cultures. He came from a small tribe, though on which planet I'm not sure. He was called Black Fox then, and he was the only survivor of his tribe's extermination at the hands of the humans. I don't think he's ever had any trust in humans, and certainly not after something like that. I don't think I could ever trust humans again if they killed my family and destroyed my home. I can only imagine how hard that must have been on Irvin.
Irvin is more like Arn in the sense that he isn't as heavily infected as the rest of us. Sylirgh is like that, too. They're the only three that are minimally infected, though their eyes give them away. And except for his eyes, nothing about Irvin changed. He kept his tribal markings, the red and black stripes, the red spots and paw print.
He's never minded living with us, even though we're all lumpy and covered in biomass. I'm guessing it's because he's used to living in a large group of cats, the only difference here being that we're all infected. Still, he's more than happy to share nests with us when we settle down for the night.
Irvin is more like Arn in the sense that he isn't as heavily infected as the rest of us. Sylirgh is like that, too. They're the only three that are minimally infected, though their eyes give them away. And except for his eyes, nothing about Irvin changed. He kept his tribal markings, the red and black stripes, the red spots and paw print.
He's never minded living with us, even though we're all lumpy and covered in biomass. I'm guessing it's because he's used to living in a large group of cats, the only difference here being that we're all infected. Still, he's more than happy to share nests with us when we settle down for the night.
Sylirgh
Like Arn and Irvin, Sylirgh shows little signs of infection. The only thing about his appearance that changed was his eyes. I think they were both dark brown before he was infected, and afterward one turned red. It's hard to look him in the eyes when you're always drawn to his red one.
I know nearly nothing about Sylirgh before he was infected, not even his name. He never talks about his past to anyone, though he never needed to talk to the Gravemind about himself, since the Gravemind knew everything there was to know about him once he joined the ranks of the Flood.
What I do know is that he's and even-tempered cat who says nothing unless he needs to. He observes everything around him, and there hardly isn't anything he doesn't know. I'd say he's even closer to the Gravemind than Jek is. He knows more about everyone's activities and whereabouts than Jek. It's always unnerving when he seems to appear in front of or behind you out of the dark. He's the feline equivalent of what the humans call "ninjas." I take that to mean that they're masters of stealth and traveling in the shadows.
Sylirgh is the Keeper of Tragedies and Losses. I sometimes like to think that his memories make him as observant as he is, as though he's trying to figure out if an accident is going to happen and if there's some way he con prevent it. It may take him a few times of learning the hard way before he figures out that he can't prevent all accidents and save everyone.
I know nearly nothing about Sylirgh before he was infected, not even his name. He never talks about his past to anyone, though he never needed to talk to the Gravemind about himself, since the Gravemind knew everything there was to know about him once he joined the ranks of the Flood.
What I do know is that he's and even-tempered cat who says nothing unless he needs to. He observes everything around him, and there hardly isn't anything he doesn't know. I'd say he's even closer to the Gravemind than Jek is. He knows more about everyone's activities and whereabouts than Jek. It's always unnerving when he seems to appear in front of or behind you out of the dark. He's the feline equivalent of what the humans call "ninjas." I take that to mean that they're masters of stealth and traveling in the shadows.
Sylirgh is the Keeper of Tragedies and Losses. I sometimes like to think that his memories make him as observant as he is, as though he's trying to figure out if an accident is going to happen and if there's some way he con prevent it. It may take him a few times of learning the hard way before he figures out that he can't prevent all accidents and save everyone.
Chefran
Chefran is a quiet guy. I wouldn't be surprised if it comes from the fact that he's the Keeper of Hardships and Pain. I feel bad saying this, but I'm glad it wasn't me that got those memories. Although, it might help me to better understand what Flame's going through now that nearly everyone in her family is gone.
Chefran is another one I know nothing about, other than he came into the ranks of the Flood trying to make the best of his situation. He's close to Carn in a brotherly way. Whenever Carn isn't with Chirurgo, he's with Chefran. Really, I think Chefran's lonely. I don't know that he ever had any close family before he joined us. I think it was just him on his own for a while. He's still trying to settle in with us, but once he understands that we're his family and we'll take care of him, he'll be as friendly as ever.
Chefran is another one I know nothing about, other than he came into the ranks of the Flood trying to make the best of his situation. He's close to Carn in a brotherly way. Whenever Carn isn't with Chirurgo, he's with Chefran. Really, I think Chefran's lonely. I don't know that he ever had any close family before he joined us. I think it was just him on his own for a while. He's still trying to settle in with us, but once he understands that we're his family and we'll take care of him, he'll be as friendly as ever.
Salven
Salven is the Keeper of Holidays and Celebrations, is one of the happiest Flood cats I know, and has a twisted hind leg. He can't move as well as the rest of us, save for Chirurgo and Verro, but that doesn't stop him from living life to the fullest. Even the infection doesn't slow him down. He loves to swipe at the Flood spores that fly around High Charity. The Gravemind never stopped him; he knew Salven wasn't going to hurt them, he was just having fun.
I highly doubt Salven could've done any damage if he tried, anyway. In a strange twist of irony, Salven values the lives of others and was forever having a hard time when the Flood population grew. I don't think he was ever hardened to it, no matter how often it happened. I'm just surprised he was never Chirurgo's assistant instead of Carn.
I highly doubt Salven could've done any damage if he tried, anyway. In a strange twist of irony, Salven values the lives of others and was forever having a hard time when the Flood population grew. I don't think he was ever hardened to it, no matter how often it happened. I'm just surprised he was never Chirurgo's assistant instead of Carn.
Hahrah
Hahrah is the Keeper of Investigation and Sylirgh's brother. He's a lot like Sylirgh: he's always observing his surroundings, wondering what could go wrong or what could happen the minute he turns away. Flame's told me before that he would make a wonderful addition to ONI, since he's into everyone else's business. I think he does it to make sure we're all okay, but Flame is convinced otherwise. I almost can't blame her. After all, she does have ONI breathing down her neck every minute of her day...Just don't tell Admiral Osman I said that. She won't hesitate to turn me into a nice catskin rug, as Flame says.
Anyhow, Hahrah had taken it upon himself to be like the neighborhood watchman. He was the number one guard in the group, making sure we weren't doing anything that could benefit the enemy or harm ourselves. If he were capable of having kits, I can guarantee that he would be the feline version of the over-protective father.
Anyhow, Hahrah had taken it upon himself to be like the neighborhood watchman. He was the number one guard in the group, making sure we weren't doing anything that could benefit the enemy or harm ourselves. If he were capable of having kits, I can guarantee that he would be the feline version of the over-protective father.
Kolt
That's me! I didn't always look like this. Flame healed me and killed most of the Flood infection I had. I still have some Flood DNA inside me, something she could never cure, but at least I don't look like a real Flood cat anymore.
My name used to be Buck, before I was infected. I don't know what planet it was, but I lived on a small farm well away from the rest of the human population. I was infected when Leara and I went out searching for Arn one night when he didn't come home. We found him sitting alone in a clearing. When we tried to talk to him, he was staring at us like he had no idea who we were. The next thing I remember is waking up on a Flood-infested Covenant cruiser bound for Installation 04--the fourth Halo ring. I'm not quite sure what I looked like then. I know that I couldn't see out of one eye until Flame got through with me.
Once I was on the ring I got to know the other Flood cats who had been brought there on different ships. At first I didn't know which ones came from where, and I still don't. The Gravemind called is into the depths of the ring. He gave us our memories and new names. I became Kolt, and it means "key." When the Gravemind had finished with us, he told us to stay hidden in the Library. Humans and Covenant had touched down on the ring, and he didn't ant to risk losing us. We later transferred to High Charity, where the Gravemind let us roam freely after it was fully overrun, since he had better things to do. In my travels I ended up in the main control room and discovered the AI I would later come to know as "Cortana." I was the only cat who knew she was one the ship, and the Gravemind made me promise not to tell anyone else. I never really understood why he trusted me to keep this a secret, but he did. He formed a strange bond with me as a result of this, one where he passed on every memory of Cortana's he saw to me. I've never looked at them, it feels wrong to, especially when Cortana doesn't know about it. Not even Flame knows about it, and I'm hesitant to tell them both.
When High Charity crashed on Earth, the Gravemind ordered us deep inside to avoid human contact, but by then Arn had taken off and we couldn't go looking for him, not with all the human and Covenant activity. The Flood warriors were sent out with a double purpose: keep the humans and Covenant at bay and look for Arn. If they found him, they were supposed to bring him back. But they never found him, and I've always wondered if he found a way to get out of the city without being discovered.
It wasn't long after High Charity crashed that the Spartan, Master Chief, came looking for Cortana. It would have been the first time Flame had ever had an encounter with the Flood cats if the Gravemind hadn't kept us away from her. In fact, her first real encounter with a Flood cat was when I met her after the destruction of High Charity and the Gravemind. By then the other Flood cats had scattered and run from the ship. None of them had gone to the ring. The ranks of the Keepers had been depleted enough.
We were both scared. I knew she could easily burn me and she had never even known how vulnerable she was to the Flood. We talked for a while before she finally let me in to the shelter she had made out the tunnels of the Tsavo Highway. Before and after she cured me, she told me all about the people she had severed under and with, the ones she considered her family. She showed me the monument on the hill and pointed out Miranda Keyes' name to me. Even today she still misses Miranda.
I've been with Flame through thick and thin, good times and bad. She says I'm what the humans call a "therapist." I think that's someone people can talk to that makes them feel better. That makes sense to me. She's talked to me about all kinds of things since Cortana died. I hope she never runs out of things to tell me. I like her stories.
My name used to be Buck, before I was infected. I don't know what planet it was, but I lived on a small farm well away from the rest of the human population. I was infected when Leara and I went out searching for Arn one night when he didn't come home. We found him sitting alone in a clearing. When we tried to talk to him, he was staring at us like he had no idea who we were. The next thing I remember is waking up on a Flood-infested Covenant cruiser bound for Installation 04--the fourth Halo ring. I'm not quite sure what I looked like then. I know that I couldn't see out of one eye until Flame got through with me.
Once I was on the ring I got to know the other Flood cats who had been brought there on different ships. At first I didn't know which ones came from where, and I still don't. The Gravemind called is into the depths of the ring. He gave us our memories and new names. I became Kolt, and it means "key." When the Gravemind had finished with us, he told us to stay hidden in the Library. Humans and Covenant had touched down on the ring, and he didn't ant to risk losing us. We later transferred to High Charity, where the Gravemind let us roam freely after it was fully overrun, since he had better things to do. In my travels I ended up in the main control room and discovered the AI I would later come to know as "Cortana." I was the only cat who knew she was one the ship, and the Gravemind made me promise not to tell anyone else. I never really understood why he trusted me to keep this a secret, but he did. He formed a strange bond with me as a result of this, one where he passed on every memory of Cortana's he saw to me. I've never looked at them, it feels wrong to, especially when Cortana doesn't know about it. Not even Flame knows about it, and I'm hesitant to tell them both.
When High Charity crashed on Earth, the Gravemind ordered us deep inside to avoid human contact, but by then Arn had taken off and we couldn't go looking for him, not with all the human and Covenant activity. The Flood warriors were sent out with a double purpose: keep the humans and Covenant at bay and look for Arn. If they found him, they were supposed to bring him back. But they never found him, and I've always wondered if he found a way to get out of the city without being discovered.
It wasn't long after High Charity crashed that the Spartan, Master Chief, came looking for Cortana. It would have been the first time Flame had ever had an encounter with the Flood cats if the Gravemind hadn't kept us away from her. In fact, her first real encounter with a Flood cat was when I met her after the destruction of High Charity and the Gravemind. By then the other Flood cats had scattered and run from the ship. None of them had gone to the ring. The ranks of the Keepers had been depleted enough.
We were both scared. I knew she could easily burn me and she had never even known how vulnerable she was to the Flood. We talked for a while before she finally let me in to the shelter she had made out the tunnels of the Tsavo Highway. Before and after she cured me, she told me all about the people she had severed under and with, the ones she considered her family. She showed me the monument on the hill and pointed out Miranda Keyes' name to me. Even today she still misses Miranda.
I've been with Flame through thick and thin, good times and bad. She says I'm what the humans call a "therapist." I think that's someone people can talk to that makes them feel better. That makes sense to me. She's talked to me about all kinds of things since Cortana died. I hope she never runs out of things to tell me. I like her stories.