A shade in the shadow
lurking;
A purr in the darkness
smirking;
Softness against a bare leg
leaning;
One with shadow again
leaving…
Fire of green in the night
gleaming;
Flame of gold in the dusk
seeming
ageless and canny
beyond scheming;
Cats of Beruthiel smile,
dreaming…
These cats are spoken of only once, a mention made by Aragorn in an off-hand way… an idiomatic reference: “He is surer of finding the way home in a blind night than the cats of Queen Berúthiel.” But apparently there is further background on both this dark Queen of ancient Gondor and her spy network of 10 cats—nine black; one white, that supervised the rest—All, Queen and cats, last seen sailing off into exile in the Southern waters…
LOOSELY SPEAKING... 