A Cat’s Tail CH 5

My sprint was abruptly stopped as the road broke off into an intersection. Where could Ace have left in such a hurry, it beats me. The intersection was absurdly full of wandering spirits, all different cats alike. Each one had something different with them; baskets on their backs with straps, some were talking with heir friends, some held their kits by their neck… it was all so diverse. Though, none looked like Ace, only a floating page in the air.

Ace made it look so easy to go through the number of cats. I looked around, only tall buildings with large ledges. I wasn’t really thinking, though the fact that Ace did it so well… I could to. I jumped on a pot, getting on the small ledge that separated the apartment complexes with the entrance. “Ace!” I called out, hoping that he could hear me now. Hear me? With this crowd. I hope he could see me more than anything. I jumped onto another ledge.

I looked to the window I sat at, the cats were terrified to see a strange spirit sitting at their window. I kept jumping up, accidentally pushing pots off or a plant of catnip. After a while, climbing became easier. I always jumped a ledge, then looked down to search for Ace. I saw flutters of the missing page in the middle of the crowd, a small brown tail pushed the crowd away. “That’s him!” I yelled out, “Ace!” I jumped up further, trying to make up for the loss of distance.

The building had been scaled, clouds were fogging the bottom where I couldn’t see too clearly. Once I reached the top of the building, I took a moment to stop and look down. “Ace!” I yelled as loudly as I could. At this height, I couldn’t even distinctly see the page flying about. No way could I see Ace fighting through the crowd.

I turned, being greeted with the same orange and white face. I screeched as I jumped back, feeling my back paw slip off the building. I was spooked, to say the least, “You?!” The calico from the race here, why would she be here? How did she beat me to the top? A breeze brushed past us, making the meeting even more ominous. “How did you get here?”

She firmly stood there, “You need to say that you’re sorry to the International Distinct.” The calico’s tone was stern and strict, I felt intimidated by her green eyes darting at me.

Still, my mind was shrouded in how she got her so quickly, and for an apology? “What?”

The calico’s face turned poker, “You need to apologize for rampaging through the district. We put time and effort into this city, and you are destroying it.” The calico put her paw in front of her, ready to pounce when needed. “I’ve realized that sure, we could make you clean up the disaster, but I’d rather want an apology.”

An apology? “You mean, you followed me from the marketplace just to get an apology?” I relaxed myself, she didn’t at all joke about this. “I’m sorry but–”

“Thank you.” She interrupted.

“But…” I started again, seeing her face turn sour. “I need to find my friend. He was chasing a after a map, I couldn’t lose him.” I started walking past the calico, “If you’ll leave me be, I’ll be on my way.” I was ready to run away and make up the lost time, though a felt a sharp pound onto my tail. I squealed and turned back, the calico slammed onto my tail. “Hey!”

The calico angrily looked at me, “Where are you going? To go wreck our community again, aren’t you?” She stared at me, I swear she was trying to shoot me with her stare.

“I’ll try my best, you need to let go first,” I mocked her authority. I pulled my tail away to start jogging again, only my tail was slammed down once again. “Could you stop that!”

“I will once you stop terrorizing our district.” The calico intimidating said. She must’ve been younger to catch my tail like this. “I can escort you to your next destination if I need to.”

I rolled my eyes, seeing the page float this high. It calmly fluttered away, catching my attention. I flicked my tail from the hold again, seeing how she tried to catch it again. I took off into a sprint, hearing her calling me to “Halt” each time I ran further. I jumped from the roof to the next building. I skidded and soon tumbled, only to get back on my paws and dart through the stairwell.

I scaled this building through the stairs as easily as I scaled the other building. I couldn’t hear any scampering behind me as well, I think she finally got off my tail. I busted the entrance open, seeing the page flutter in front of me. I jumped to catch it, though it dodged my attack. “Hey!” I heard the calico voice yell towards me. I looked around, even up. I never would have thought she jumped from the ledges downwards! She was so quick as well!

“Leave me alone!” I sprinted once more. Chasing the page, that’s the only objective now. Where the page is, Ace would be too. Though… wherever I went, the calico followed. This was all a mess of chase.

I bumped into countless cats, though I made sure no one person had fallen. The kittens I would have trampled, I picked up and moved them aside. The folk passing by, I would have nudged them as I tried my best to weave. The page was in front of me, I saw it flutter so low to the ground.

“Stop! You can’t run forever!” The calico threatened. Why was she so persistent into catching me? I wasn’t stealing anything? I’ve tried to get through the district anyways. The paper flew out of the group of people, dodging the buildings and drifting into a clearing. I pushed through, seeing Ace exit through a different clearing. “Halt!”

I ran with everything in my system, exhausted to have ran this much for a stupid map. I sprung on my back legs and caught the page midair. It had blown low enough to catch it… finally. I happily cried out, “Yes!” Though, I looked back to see both the calico and Ace coming at me. My happiness was interrupted by the sight of that calico.

“Toby?” Ace called out, he stopped in his run. The calico kept running at me, she jumped onto me and pinned me down. Though Heaven was purely clouds, that was painful. “Who’s that?”

The calico and I turned to the clueless Ace, “Take the damned paper!” we said in an angry unison. The calico turned back and angrily stared into my eyes, “Say that you are sorry.”

I felt all the anger swirl in me, “I am sorry.” I intimidatingly said, though she pinned me down and it sounded more like a croak. She pushed herself off me, and I was free.