Chapter 27 Chapter Twenty seven
My ears instinctively perked up--a habit I’d developed from years of living in the city where being aware of every sound could mean the difference between safety and danger because unlike most sanctuaries, Covenant City was one of the largest which meant their were a mix of humans and beasts as an integration program run by the Dragon council whose headquarters was situated there.
In
But that’s by the way. I definitely heard a cat.
But how--?
I padded softly across the cold floor to the closed window and I peered out into the morning, but there was nothing.
Just a beautiful garden outside my window and beyond it a vast stretch of forest that touched the horizon.
Nothing else.
“I must really be losing my mind,” I muttered, starting to turn away from the window.
Meow
The sound was louder and more insistent now and I could have sworn it was as if the meow meant, ‘Hey you, don’t ignore me.’
I spun back to the window and decided to push it open. Only just a crack to look at properly. Something about heights always made me feel nauseous. Like sea sickness, but I wouldn’t know since I’ve never been out to sea before.
“Hello?” I whispered into the morning breeze that hit me. Honestly, I felt ridiculous for talking to a cat I wasn’t even sure existed.
But just as I was about to close the window there was a flash of something orange slipping through the small crack I’d made and I jerked back instinctively.
“Oh my god!” I pressed my hand to my chest, feeling my heart pound against my ribs like a drum.
Meow
The culprit was the cat--a real, actual, orange cat, and not just the figment of my overstimulated imagination that had slipped through the narrow opening and was now sitting on the windowsill--tail swishing back and forth as it stared at me with vibrant green eyes. My cheeks flushed as I regarded the animal with a sense of curiosity and joy.
“Why, hello kitty. You scared the hell out of me.” I let out an airy chuckle as I tucked my dark hair behind my ear.
The cat sat there on the sill, looking at me with a smug expression? My eyes narrowed. Where have I seen that expression before?--
The cat suddenly jumped at me and I ducked just in time to feel its soft tail brush against my arm. “Oh!” I exclaimed. “You’re a jumper.”
I couldn’t help it. Despite all the anger and frustration I’d been feeling, somehow seeing this small animal in my room made me smile.
“How did you even get up here?” I asked, not like it could answer me anyway. But I might have had an idea of how it got up here. Just outside the window, there was a massive tree with thick branches that came just close enough to the window that the cat could have easily climbed up it and reached the ledge outside.
Still, that was a long way…down.
A cold shiver hit me and I shut the window immediately.
The cat meowed again, almost demanding and I spun around to find its already made itself comfortable in my bed like it owned the place.
“Cheeky little thing, aren’t you?” I chuckled softly.
Taking a better look, the cat was beautiful. It was orange with a plush coat that looked incredibly soft. It looked a bit…bigger than any cat I’ve seen before, but I guessed the cat was just well-fed and clean, clearly not a stray.
“Are you Asher’s pet?”
“Merroww.” the cat hissed offendedly, and I put my hand up in defence.
“Okay, okay. Not Asher’s pet.”
The cat ignored me for a bit, seemingly enjoying itself on the bed as I rolled on its back and stretched.
Too freaking cute!
“I’ve never seen a cat like you before though.” I marveled at the creature as I got closer then sat carefully at the edge. The cat paused, then looked at me with those bright eyes and began to purr. A deep, rumbling sound filled the quiet room.
I found my hand reaching out to…pet it. Just one stroke. I told myself.
“Come on kitty.” I cooed.
I’d expected it to hiss at me and run away, but much to my surprise and delight, the cat dodged my stretched hand and leapt right into my lap. Its weight was obvious and I froze. I only moved when it meowed again, as if telling me I could pet it.
“Really?”
“Meow.”
A bubbly grin stretched onto my lips and the moment my fingers made contact with that impossibly soft fur, something inside my chest loosened.
I loved animals. Always had. Back when I was a child, before I even knew what I wanted in life, I’d always been drawn to creatures that were much smaller and helpless than me. Cats, dogs, rabbits, small furry things, you know, but my mother never liked them, especially since our apartment was so small, there was just enough space for an extra mouth. But I’d always stopped to pet the ones I saw on the streets when I saw them. And I never got one of my own when I came to Covenant City, because there just wasn’t time for one.
There was just something about animals. Uncomplicated. They didn’t feel the need to lie. Didn’t manipulate. Neither did they have hidden agendas.
They were just…themselves.
“You’re very soft,” I murmured, running my hand down its back. The purring intensified. It was soothing to listen to it, and for the first time since I’d woken up in this place, I felt something other than fear and anger, I felt serenity, like nothing outside of this animal in my lap mattered and I wanted it to be so.
“Do you have a name, kitty?” I asked quietly, running my hand under its chin, but found no collar. “Or are you just one of those independent cats who show up wherever they want and leave whenever they please?”
The cat’s only response was to push its head more firmly against my hand, demanding more attention.
I obliged without complaint, scratching behind its ears the way cats always seemed to like.
“Maybe you could help me find a way to leave this place, kitty,” I whispered, “I need to get back to Covenant City as soon as possible.” My frown returned. “But that man says I can’t because there’s a bounty on my head.”
“Meow?”
“Yes. Can you believe that? He didn’t even give me proof.” I hissed softly. “I bet he just wants to keep me hostage here. Become a human slave--”
A soft chuckle that didn’t come from me reached my ears and my hand froze mid-stroke.
“Did you…?”
I looked down at the cat who looked back at me blamelessly. But, cats don’t make sounds like that right?
“Meow?”
I shook my head. “N-never mind.”