Coming to the edge of the little cliff, Sagwa looked down at where the entertainers used to be. All that was left were wheel tracks and footprints.

Dongwa came up beside her. "You sure this is the place?"

"I know it was the place," she amended.

"I guess they left already," Dongwa said nervously.

"Fan's mischievous, but he's slow. He's around here somewhere. Probably mad that he missed his chance," she said optimistically. She began sniffing around and Dongwa trailed after her, casting his eyes to the noonday sun.

"He left a long time ago."

"Are you going to help me, or not?"

He groaned, but joined her in sniffing around. After a moment however, Sagwa stood up straight and sighed. "Don't bother. Every time I try, it smells like..."

"People."

She hesitated for a moment, looking at the wheel imprints in the dirt. "Do you think we can catch up to them?"

"No," he answered, and observed her despair. "But Fu-Fu might."

She turned and began moving alleyward, and he easily caught up to her meandering pace. Her ears were low and her tail hung limp. But she didn't look sad anymore.

"What was he thinking?"

"I don't know. I guess...he wanted to be happy?"

"His family was together. That wasn't enough for him? I worked so hard to bring him back...and he just takes off. At least what Song did, didn't separate everyone. Not really."

"You approve of what she did?"

"No. No, I tried. But I also understand. The alley does suck; and the palace, it will always be home to me. I'm not like Sheegwa, and Lik-Lik, and Wing-Wing. I'm an indoor cat. I'm not like Hun-Hun; I can't adapt to anything. I need to be around people. Fan and Song―they're living my dream," she mused.

"People kicked us out onto the street. People separated you and Sheegwa. People took Song, and people took Fan. If you ask me, we need to be away from people."

She considered his words as they walked in silence.


Halfway between the cliff and the alley, they glimpsed Sheegwa and Siao-Po, waiting for a safe time to cross the street. Sagwa and Dongwa stopped, waiting for them to arrive. They clearly wanted to pass them by, but Dongwa flagged them over. "This time I'll do the hard part," he told her.

Sheegwa and Siao-Po stopped in front of them, anxiously. "We're going north," Siao-Po growled. "We don't have any leads, so we're just going to look everywhere."

"No, wait," Sagwa began.

"Why? It worked out well for you, didn't it?"

"We're going to find him," Siao-Po muttered.

"We know where he is." Dongwa hedged, meeting Siao-Po's fierce eyes. "He got taken away and you won't catch up."

"Don't underestimate him."

"I'm not."

Siao-Po's eyes glinted dangerously. "What's your lead?"

"Every time we pick up his scent, all we get is people, and other cats. I'm sorry," he added. "He's gone."

"I don't accept that."

"Do you accept my apology?"

"No. Just tell me which way."

When Dongwa wouldn't, Sagwa pointed behind them. "That way, past the cliff."

The pair took off, and Sagwa turned around. "You're welcome," she yelled at their departing backs. Turning around, she met her brother's eyes. "They act like it would kill them!"

"What do you expect from outdoor cats?" he asked, as they resumed walking. "Did they at least ask for the details about―"

"No," she answered. Her voice was hard.

"Well...maybe they just didn't want to think about it."

"Well, I hope they're thinking about it now," she replied.

"I'd like to hear the details."

She smiled humorlessly, looking up ahead. "Fan told me he wants to take after Siao-Po. And I don't think he takes after her. Because when I pulled him from the water, he thanked me. We had some good talks. Laughed a lot. And I protected him. Kept him fed, kept him warm. I even thought for a while, that he loved me. But after running away―twice..." She paused and shook her head in wonder. "No. This, I don't understand."

This time it was Dongwa who contemplated her words. And up above, Fu-Fu flapped to a tree branch, attached himself to hang upside-down, and smiled at the sight of his friends, out for a casual walk. They looked happy, and a lot more peaceful than last night. How wonderful it was, that the family was back together...