Making Plans

Ryne, almost forgetting to lock the door, made sure to do so before anyone else spoke. Unlike back at his former apartment unit, he also kept his human form for this meeting, in case any of the staff decided to pay a visit.

He didn't want the trouble of having to put his clothes back on more times than necessary, just to make himself look presentable.

He, along with the other cats, gathered on the floor and soon started the meeting.

"So far, we know that there is a human who can kill cats in one blow," said Nini.

"And we've gathered that even pet cats are now missing, and some strays are, too, judging from Hugma's reaction earlier," added Ryne.

"So, there's a cat-killer on the loose in the city?" asked Prauza, who wasn't even sure he should come to the conclusion for some reason.

Fonmi couldn't understand much of what the adults were talking about, so he had gone to a corner to play by himself and eventually went to sleep.

Ryne thought deeply for a few moments and then said, "We're not even sure about that part, actually. We're only sure that Theema was killed outright. I haven't even asked about the nature of the disappearances of these strays."

"What do you mean?" Prauza was obviously a little confused at this point, even though he had a feeling that it was the case.

"Humans have this saying… It's something along the lines of if a body can't be found, no one can be sure that they're dead. That's why they ask people to help find their missing fellows first," explained Ryne. "That's why they go to that place, the police station, and let others know that someone is missing."

"Oh, I get it. Since we haven't seen their bodies, we're not sure if someone has just been taking them all or actually killing them," said Nini.

"Yes. It's also possible at this point that whoever is doing this is gathering everyone and then killing them," said Ryne.

"Hmmm, interesting," said Prauza as he moved his tail in contemplation. "There are many possibilities to this mystery. Very fascinating."

"What to do now…?" Ryne asked himself.

"First off, there's more than one colony in the city. We could ask the others about how their numbers are, at least," suggested Nini. "I've spoken with some of them a while back, and they're fairly cooperative. Unlike a certain someone…"

"That seems to be a good option," agreed Ryne, not quite wanting to think anymore about what happened earlier that day with Hugma. He did wish, however, that the latter would come around soon, so they could all prevent more incidents from happening.

"I was also thinking…" said Prauza. "You can see spirits, right, Ryne?"

"Yes. What about it?" asked Ryne before realizing what the traveler meant. "Oh, I see, I can look for where the dead are… I haven't thought of talking to them before, but I remember human ghosts trying to speak with me once. Maybe I can…"

"That settles it," said Prauza. "In the meantime, I can rally the unaffiliated cats as well as any remaining pets to help us go and investigate. We could patrol and keep a lookout for the cloaked human while we're at it, too."

"Yes, that would be a good idea as well," said Ryne in agreement. "Hmm, if we're going to cover the whole city, we might as well be thorough about it."

He took a map of the city from the bedside table and laid it out on the floor. Using a pen that was also available on the desk, he divided it into smaller areas.

"We could take it on part by part, so we don't get overwhelmed and will be able to cover everything," suggested Ryne. "There's also a possibility that the cloaked human will go after us while we're on patrol, so it would be best to regroup every time we're done with an area. It would also be good to ask the other cats to keep themselves alert in case we're through with an area and the cloaked human shows up there."

"Hmmm, I think we could work out some way to let each other know of occurrences," said Prauza. "I'll talk with my contacts about it."

"As will I," seconded Nini.

"So far, so good," Ryne thought. "I just hope it actually works."

"All right, we have a plan, then," he told the two. "So our goals are as follows: First, we need to make people aware of the danger that's in the city and help them find a way to communicate any occurrences. Second, we need to find out if there are any other actual victims of the cloaked human or some other person, so we can tell if there really is a killer on the loose or not. Third, we should find a way to catch the killer and stop them."

I'd also like to find out why, but would it even matter? he said to himself. Maybe I could just put it down as part of my curiosity… But I really would like to ask Hugma about that thing… I really do hope he comes around so I could ask it freely.

They ended the meeting and proceeded to go eat and rest to recover the energy they've spent on their activities for that day. Ryne had a hard time falling asleep, however, and took the time to look at the view of the city from the room's window. As he surveyed the area that they were going to explore the next day, he uttered something like a prayer or a wish, hoping that they would be successful in their endeavor.

After all, they could plan all they want, but if things were not in their favor, it would either mean that they're wrong… or they're up against an adversary much larger than themselves.

----------

That evening, in Mayor Frank Gibson's residence, Mallory had just given his weekly report on how Spiritbooks was faring, as they had dinner. The company was originally the Mayor's, but it was left to him to care for since the Mayor was becoming busy and he had proven himself to be capable.

"Good, good," Mayor Gibson said in response to Mallory's report. "I did not make a mistake in leaving it to you, Mallory."

Mallory was satisfied with the Mayor's reaction, with his gestures, but something about his voice didn't quite match. "Thank you for your trust, Mayor Gibson."

"Please, Mallory," said the Mayor. "Just call me Frank. Are we not almost like father and son?"

It was true. Ever since the time Mallory lost his family and home, he was taken in by the Mayor and his assistant, Edward Bennett. In a way, they were all like family. However, there was something about the Mayor that was off for Mallory, hence his constant formality.

Not long after, they had finished their meal.

"Please excuse me, M- I mean, Frank. I would need to get back home," said Mallory.

"How many times have I told you? This is also your home," said the Mayor. "But I suppose you'd want to be literally closer to your work, so I'll let you go."

"Thank you, Frank."

Mallory left, leaving Mayor Gibson and Eddie behind.

"So, would you care to explain to me how that favor is going? And why aren't you following what I say to the letter?"