The family was lined up outside the palace. Except for Sheegwa, who paced tirelessly; her coping mechanism unhindered by the company she kept.
They understood all too well her anxiety. Raising her head, she finally stopped at the peculiar sight of her sister, following Fan. Also peculiar was how they stopped across the street, eying the family as they carried on what looked to be a heated discussion. Then Sagwa seemed to motion him towards the palace; and he trotted towards them, brushing off his mother's eager welcome. Sagwa followed suit, meeting her sister's questioning look.
"What happened out there?" Dongwa inquired.
"He tried to run away." Sagwa turned and started walking towards the Dowager's glamorous mansion.
"We're not staying here anymore," Mama began. "Not after what they did."
"You have no idea what they did," Sagwa grumbled.
"I beg your pardon?"
Sagwa raised her voice, calling back, "There's something I need to do."
As the family gathered around him, Fan drew in the dirt, shyly avoiding their cloying concern.
"So now what do we do?" Dongwa grumbled.
"I say we keep looking for an owner," Baba announced. "The older we get, the less fun it is to live outdoors." He motioned subtly to his father.
"We could go back to the alley," Sheegwa ventured. "It's got food, water. Walls, and a gate. And it's familiar territory."
"Baba's at the alley," Fan announced.
"Hmph. That might be a little too familiar," Dongwa muttered.
As everyone agreed with him, Hun-Hun didn't overlook the fleeting disappointment in Sheegwa's eyes.
The servant had long preceded the cats back to the palace. And even a dumb cat could pick up his scent.
He entered his room, and saw a Siamese cat sitting on his bed. The tip of her tail twitched in irritation at the mere sight of him. Her hate-filled eyes dared him to come closer. He walked towards her to get the feline off his bed, and she took great delight in shredding up his hands. As she leaped off the bed to escape the fate they awarded naughty cats, she left a scroll in her wake. As the human reached for the cat's message, the door closed and startled him. He turned—and saw nobody. He was alone, not even in the presence of a cat.
Sagwa bolted down the hall and scrambled down the steps, wishing she could see his face. She sailed out the window and sauntered to the family.
"So what's the plan?"
"We didn't make one," Baba told her. "We were waiting on you."
"Again," Fan grumbled.
Sheegwa looked down at her angry little boy. "I was panicking; I froze..." she tried to explain.
"You failed!" he interrupted. "If Aunt Sagwa wasn't here, I'd be dead right now."
All eyes were on her as Fan stood up. "Baba would have come after me," he muttered, as he walked to the edge of the royal property. He sat down in front of the road and waited for his family to join him, while Sheegwa tried to get her thoughts in order.
Sheegwa looked at Dongwa before approaching Sagwa, and repeated his earlier question. "What happened out there?"
Sagwa looked into her eyes as long as she was able, then addressed her niece first. "Song," she said, "If your brother runs, you have to tell us."
"Okay."
Sagwa motioned her family a little further away, so her upsetting words wouldn't bother the little girl. "He got a bag. Put him in it and threw him into the river," she began. "He was headed for the falls..." She sighed and shook her head in disgust. "I remembered what Baba did when he was saving you."
"Are you kidding me? He was—he was drowning him?!"
Song turned her head as Sagwa tried shushing her.
"No, don't—don't shush me! You can't tell me that and shush me!"
Then she stopped cold, still glowering at her sister. "What are you talking about? What happened to me?"
"You don't remember the falls?"
"No."
Sagwa stared at her, finally forcing a humorless chuckle through her tears. "Well, it's a good thing I'm here."
"All I know is that Fan was right." Sheegwa hesitated, sparing her son's backside a brief glance. "And so was I. We need Siao-Po, so...we're going."
She turned around and walked to her daughter. "You want to see your dad? Come on," she said, when Song nodded. They went to where Fan was waiting; and the family watched as Sheegwa took her children away.
Hun-Hun looked at her mate, speaking with her eyes.
Dongwa spared their own offspring a brief glance as he approached her. "I don't want them around those guys. The alley cats are bad enough—"
"I'm an alley cat. And so are you."
He stared at her as his mind raced.
"Food. Water. Shelter. And now Sheegwa." Hun-Hun shrugged. "Isn't that what we were always looking for?"
He looked down at their offspring. They looked hopeful.
Dongwa finally nodded, and they followed; escorting their daughters across the street. The remaining four didn't require further persuasion; and hearing collective paws hitting the road, Sheegwa looked over her shoulder to see her entire family in pursuit.
"I can't believe we're doing this," Dongwa grumbled. He shook his head as Hun-Hun looked at him.
"You can always stay behind."
"If you go, I go. That's the plan." He looked at her and matter-of-factly said, "We're not splitting up."
Sheegwa plodded alongside her kittens, hearing their words. She looked at her brother. "Then I believe I owe you all an apology."
"Why didn't you just stay where you were?" Mama wondered.
"Because I panicked."
Sheegwa held her gaze as long as she was able; then looked away with a self-loathing chuckle.
"So is it better this way?" Lik-Lik asked, as he swatted the tijensi bird across the alley. Sitting on the opposite wall, Siao-Po returned it with his tail.
"Well, almost. Not enough danger."
"Whaddya suggest?" Wing-Wing asked. "Dogs all around?"
"Boring."
Jet-Jet struck the bird and almost lost his footing. He collected his balance while the other cats laughed at his expense, paying no mind to his well-being. Strangely offended by their disinterest, and wondering if all that time with the prissy palace cats had made him soft, he sat on his haunches and raised a waiting paw.
The bird whipped past Wing-Wing and disappeared into the growing darkness.
"Nice shot, squarehead."
Siao-Po dropped to all fours and walked along the wall. "I got it," he grumbled, and jumped off the wall. Exploring the nearby area, he came across an overturned satchel filled with rocks. And bearing Sagwa's scent. Remembering that she had believed Fan was inside the bag, he forgot about the game. He left the tijensi bird sitting wherever it had landed, and paid no mind to the cats calling his name as he passed through the alley.
