Chapter 9; Going Home Again

"Muta, are you sure my mother will be alright?" the boy asked, staring at the surface of the lake he had burst through as he left the Kingdom of Cats behind. He was himself again, black hair, hazel eyes, no fur or tail to be seen.

"Kid, relax," answered the old fatso, stretching on the grass. "Chicky knows how to take care of herself, and Baron won't let anything bad happen either," he added, overruling the objection of how Haru had a bad knee before it could be made.

Toto arrived and perched on the boy's shoulder. "You have nothing to worry about," he promised.

The three stayed where they were though, desperate to see Baron and Haru erupt from the lake before the sun rose. There was still time, only a couple of stars had winked out for the night… then more, then more. The grey time before dawn came, and neither mother, nor figurine, were anywhere to be seen.

"What could be taking them so long?" Muta asked, turning to look at his namesake, but the retired criminal was asleep. "Toto?" he asked, turning to the giant crow still perched on his shoulder.

"Miss Haru needs a cane now, doesn't she?" he pointed out gently. The knowing bird didn't add that Baron would probably carry her most of the way to the exit, let the child take comfort wherever it may come from.

"You think her bad knee could be slowing them down?" he asked, still worried, but hopeful that it would only be something minor.

"If I know anything, kid, it's that it sure won't be the royal family holding her hostage," the bird answered, sounding even more confident than he felt, just to help the young man.

The sun started to creep over the horizon.

"Good grief! This dress is heavy when it's wet," a familiar voice said, carrying across the still lake surface.

There had been no great eruption, at least not that Muta could see, but the lake was vast, and his mother's voice was coming from the other side of it. He was up and running, desperate to reach her, to know that she was safe and well.

"Let me help you Miss Haru," those were the clipped tones of the Baron.

Toto took off from Muta's shoulder and flew ahead, searching for the owners of the voices near the shores.

"One heavy dress, gone. Now we just have to reach the shore," Haru said, and splashing could be heard.

Muta stopped dead. His mother had stripped in the lake and was swimming with a cat figurine. He was still wearing his tux from the Cat Kingdom, he didn't have anything else to wear after all – he'd taken off his normal clothes and put these ones on. The idea of running into his mother naked frightened him.

"Will you be able to swim and hold onto your cane at the same time?" Baron's voice carried, polite and concerned. The boy swallowed, and felt his face turning red as he listened to the conversation. "Perhaps, if you hold onto mine as well, I could hold onto you and swim us both to shore," suggested that polite, aristocratic voice. The dark haired boy was beginning to think of this supposed hero as a pervert.

There was the sound of gentle sloshing, and then the steady splashes of someone pulling long strokes.

When the strokes stopped and the sound of two people splashing out of the water began, Muta searched the shoreline. There was Renaldo Moon, still asleep where he had been left, but that was all that the dark-haired boy could see.