Yes, It Talks. No, It Won't Tell You A Funny Joke.

Lexi's cat, Nightmare
Photo from: www.sacramentoscoop.com

In the post Alexius Popescu-Cavanaugh (Lexi Popescu for Short), a cat is mentioned as one of Lexi's Pets. Well, this post is all about her, our lovely Nightmare. Nightmare is a black cat, and not just any black cat. She's a specially bred type of cat that is commonly found in Insurgo homes. The cats have the ability to be taught a specific language from the time they are kittens, just like humans (except for the kittens part). These cats can only be taught when they are still kittens, and after that time frame is up, they become just regular old black cats.

These special cats have largely to do with the superstitious image of the black cat. Because they were the only type of cat that was able to possess this ability, they were often found with the Insurgos, who were often accussed of witchcraft. See where this is going? Because they were found with the Insurgos so much, they were deemed evil, and the superstitions began.

How can you tell a regular black cat from a talking one? You can't. You're best bet is to just look at the location of the cat. If the cat is with an Insurgo, it probably talks. If the cat isn't, it probably doesn't.

Nightmare is Lexi's talking black cat. The cat was actually a gift from her dad to her mom shortly before Lexi was born. (Oh, and by the way, talking black cats have longer life spans). So Nightmare grew up with Lexi. She is a rather reasonable cat, and is vegan just like Lexi (because Lexi's the one who feeds her). Nightmare's biggest flaw is that she likes to sleep on Lexi's bed, but she usually either ends up taking up the whole bed, or sleeping on Lexi's face. (Not very pleasant, as you could probably imagine).

Nightmare's greatest pet peeve: being asked to tell a funny joke. Nightmare won't tell you a joke, even a not-funny one.