Chapter 4
Disclaimer: I don't own The Cat Returns—not now, not ever.
Had anyone been looking up into the sky that night, they would have seen a most unusual sight.
A crow, carrying the marshmallow equivalent of a feline in his talons, while a living cat figurine and a tiny teenager ride on his back.
No one did look up, but it remained an unusual sight just the same.
Baron looked back at Haru, whose hair was fluttering in the wind. "How are you doing back there?" he asked.
"This is so cool Baron," Haru replied. And she meant it. Though truth be told, it was not quite as exhilarating as, say, being in free fall with only a murder of crows to keep you from becoming a red smear on the sidewalk.
And that's when something dawned on Haru. "Hey Toto! You said that it would've been too much weight to carry me, but last time you and your friends said I was as light as a feather. What gives? It doesn't make sense."
"Haru," Toto began, "you're hanging out with a living stone crow, a living cat doll, and a talking pig-cat, and you want things to make sense?"
"Toto raises a valid point," Baron said. "In adventures of a whimsical nature, it's probably best not to dwell on such details."
But Haru did need something to dwell on—something to keep her mind focused on—if she was to survive this adventure as a human.
It was still new to her, this experience of being small. Oh sure, she had been small before, but that was in the Cat Kingdom where she didn't feel small at all. And much of that time was spent as a half-cat. But now she was at Baron's scale and a human. And this brought with it an important revelation: whatever it was that Haru felt when Baron was near, it couldn't be attributed to mere feline hormones.
"Hey you guys," Muta grunted. "We're here."
Turning her attention down, Haru received her very first look at the secret entrance to the Cat Kingdom: a lake in the shape of a cat's paw.
"Well, this is where we part ways," Toto stated.
"You mean you're not coming with us?" Haru asked.
"A single bird in a kingdom of cats? No way! I'll be Toto McNuggets before I set foot on the ground!" He gave a sly grin at Muta. "Sorry, but this is where you get 'dropped' off."
"Wha-? What're you talkin'—" But that was about as far as Muta got before Toto opened his talons, thereby causing the fat feline to plummit. "I'll get you fer this, Birdbraaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnn!" he howled, shaking his paw in defiance. He hit the water with a mighty 'sploosh', his massive bulk causing tremendous ripples.
"I believe we are next," Baron said. He took Haru by the hand, inspiring some pink color in her cheeks. "Fortunately, our descent shall be a little more dignified. Shall we?"
"Baron—" But before Haru could continue, she found herself leaping off of Toto's back with Baron. Falling rapidly, she closed her eyes as they approached the water, justifiably bracing herself for what she thought would be a major soaking upon contact.
She didn't feel a thing.
After what seemed like forever, Haru mustered up enough courage to re-open her eyes. And what she saw was herself, Baron (who was still holding her hand), and a disgruntled Muta, bone-dry and standing in front of the Royal Palace.
They were back in the Kingdom of Cats.
"Well now, things look peaceful enough so far," Baron observed. "Whatever your dreams may represent, Haru, I think we can safely assume that they are not a depiction of current events."
Haru glanced around. There certainly didn't appear to be any of the horrors from her dream: no burning cattail fields, no screaming cats. Everything looked perfect.
So why, then, did she still feel as if something was terribly wrong?
It was then that the three companions were approached by several of Prince Lune's Cat Guards—a much more regal looking bunch than the old Cat King's guards, who had been little more than a motley gang of hired goons.
The lead guard appeared quite shocked, and it didn't take long to figure out why. "It… it's the notorious criminal Renaldo Moon!"
Muta gulped. "Uh-oh, I was afraid of this!"
The guards drew their swords. "Quickly! We must kill him and burn his remains!"
"That's it! Time to make like a banana, and get outta here!"
And so Muta ran off, with a speed improbable for someone of his girth, and the Cat Guards pursued.
"I uh… I guess we should probably stop them," Haru said.
"Indeed we should," Baron agreed. He took off in pursuit, letting go of Haru's hand in the process, much to her disappointment… and relief.
To be continuedWell, sorry I took so long to update. Would've been sooner, but a new job and some computer rehab conspired to delay my progress. I'll try not to take so long with the next part (in which we return to the Hiromi sub-plot). R&R!