Deaths and Farewells

The human in the cloak took sniffs of the night air of the city as he walked through its back alleys. Familiar smells abound, including the fresh scent of rain, the stench of humans' waste, and cats.

Yes, cats.

True enough, as Nini had predicted, there were going to be more killings.

This human was confident, maneuvering the streets, alleys, and even the buildings' facades that he knew like the back of his hand, with a strength that would be described as extraordinary. All the while, he did not care much about the voices that signaled that he should stop what he was doing.

"INTRUDER!"

"Intruder's here!"

"Get away, intruder!"

They're not exactly asking me nicely, the human thought as he went looking for his first victim.

Soon, he arrived at someone's house. The cat was likely in there as a pet.

"Intruder!!"

There went one of those voices again. He better get the cat quickly.

Thankfully for him, his target was just sleeping outside. Easy pickings, but he probably shouldn't kill it there. He took it out of the vicinity of the house and stabbed it in an alley some distance away. He then buried it deep in one of the dumpsters.

"Well, time to find another one," he said to himself.

It was just the first of several that night, with both strays and pets.

----------

Early the next morning, Ryne, in his human form, got up and prepared another meal for everyone. This time, it was fish instead of chicken with the bread. He also figured that he should consume the eggs already, so he also poached them.

The other cats woke up with the smell of food.

"Hooray!" said Fonmi, who jumped up to the counter, curious as to what was being cooked.

"Please get off from there. It's dangerous," said Ryne, lightly pushing Fonmi off.

"Thank you again for this kindness," said Nini, staring up at him.

"I-It's the least I could do. Besides, I'm the host," said Ryne, blushing a little.

"Host? Well, this is something I haven't heard of," said Prauza, whose fuzzy ears perked up at information that he hasn't known before.

"It's a human custom. When other humans visit someone's home, the one who owns the home provides for the visitors."

"That sounds like a pleasant custom," noted Nini. "So, you own this home?"

"Not really. I am renting it," answered Ryne. "It means that I only live here for a limited amount of time. I give the owner, in this case, Mrs. Matthews, money for that time. I don't know why, but humans seem to like it a lot."

"Ah, you mean those shiny round flat things they carry sometimes?" asked Prauza. "I've seen them exchange those for various items."

"That's part of it. There are also ones made of paper."

"Ah yes, that too. Interesting. You really must tell me more stories about humans, when everything about this… problem is settled," said Prauza. "I must admit, I was overwhelmed yesterday. I did not think the situation was that serious."

It was then his turn to hop onto the counter. "I have decided. I will see this through with the rest of you!"

"Prauza, I understand your sentiment, but please get off. Also, don't be too loud."

"Ah, I apologize."

"Anyway, breakfast is ready."

The cats had their meal, along with some pleasant conversation. However, Ryne's mind was partly out of it, as he had to think about how to settle matters with the humans he had come to be with during the past years.

He wasn't particularly close with them, but he had come to be such a regular sight for those individuals that there was no way that they wouldn't notice him leaving.

When they all finished and he had washed the dishes, he started to act. First, he called his workplace. There should be someone there already, he thought.

"Hello?" said a slightly elderly male voice on the phone. It was the owner, Mr. Cooper.

"Hello. It's me, Spencer," said Ryne, almost forgetting that he had adopted the human name, Spencer Smith.

"Oh, hey. What's up? Did you get yourself sick again? I remember, that first time you called, your pet cat just kept meowing."

He remembered that time as well. The "pet cat" was actually himself, as he couldn't hold his human form at the time due to his cold. He decided to hang up that time and send a message instead.

"Well, no. I… just called to say that I might not go back there anytime soon."

"What? You're quitting? Look, if it's about Howard, I'll ask him to stop teasing you."

Ryne was touched by the gesture, but it wasn't what he needed. "No, it's not about Archie. There's a family emergency that came up, and I need to get back to them."

There was a pause on the other side before Mr. Cooper answered him. "I see. Are you sure that you're going to leave for good? I could just say that you're on a sabbatical."

"No. I'm not even sure how it will turn out. I may not even be able to return."

"That serious, huh? I guess there's no choice. But if you do decide to come back, I'll be glad to have you again," said Mr. Cooper. "Just take care of yourself, all right?"

"I will. Thank you."

"You're not getting your pay at least, though?"

"I don't think I have the time…" said Ryne, worried about the status of the problem in the city. "Would it be all right if you sent it to my landlady instead? I do need to make up for her lack of a tenant following my absence."

"You can never hate that lady, can you?" asked Mr. Cooper, half-laughing. "It's a wonder how you can put up with her."

"She's just a lonely old woman. She needs some understanding, even though she doesn't quite give it."

"Haha, that's what I like about you! All right, just send me her details, and I'll send it to her instead. I guess this is goodbye for now."

"Yes. Thank you and goodbye, Mr. Cooper."

Ryne ended the call. He didn't quite realize that he had already been close enough with his employer for him to be appreciated like that.

"Is everything all right, Ryne?" asked Nini.

Ryne turned to face her. "Yes, I just settled a few things regarding my work. I'd have to talk with Mrs. Matthews next. But, I have to pack first."

He prepared the things that he was going to take with him and organized what he couldn't. He didn't want to leave like this, but he thought it was necessary. They couldn't afford to waste too much time when there was a possible killer on the loose.

He instructed the other cats to go out the back while he went out the front. He told them to wait for his signal before they join him in leaving the place. He then went downstairs to Mrs. Matthews' unit and knocked on the door.

"Hello, Mrs. Matthews? It's me, Spencer."

"Ahh, you again. What is it?… AAAACHOOO!" said the short and chubby old woman as she went out.

Even though Ryne was already in his human form, it seemed that he really was still a cat. Nothing else triggered this allergic reaction in her.

"Sorry about that," Ryne said in apology, even though the woman won't actually know why he's doing so.

"I swear, whatever those cats have, you do," she said after blowing her nose on a handkerchief. "So, what have you come here for?"

"Oh yes, I'll make it brief so you won't suffer too much," said Ryne. "I came here to notify you that I would need to leave."

"Aren't you supposed to notify me earlier than that?!"

"Well, it's a family emergency. I was caught by surprise as well."

"Hmm, and here I thought you didn't get along well with your family."

Ryne remembered the time he first came to this place and talked about his situation. Back then, he felt dejected as a result of the exile. Now, he regretted having expressed so.

"It seems they need me there with them, and I don't know when I'll be back if I could even return."

Mrs. Matthews wasn't the nicest of individuals, but she knew when someone was sincere and needed to be treated somewhat nicely. And this was one of those moments.

She sighed before speaking. "What about the rent? I would still need the amount for the days that you've stayed after paying the last one." Anyone who was familiar with her could tell that at this point, she was at her calmest.

"Yes, I have it here," said Ryne, taking out some money from his jeans' pocket and giving it to Mrs. Matthews. "I've also asked Mr. Cooper to send you my pay to make up for the lack of tenants."

She was surprised, and at the same time, not quite. "You fool. You should keep it for yourself. I still do have other tenants, you know."

"I know, but I don't want to cause more trouble."

"Ahh fine. I don't think I can ever get you to stop being considerate."

"Thank you so much."

"Whatever… Leave already. My nose is getting stuffier as we speak!"