Chapter 5

Lost past

A rain was pretty heavy outside. Blood was running down a streets. The boar was lying dead on a ground in a blood puddle. The only light on was in canteen. Black feline layed on a table covered in blood. He was badly wounded. Pajuna and Dulcinea were trying to stop bleeding with some wet sheets. They called for Artephius for help. He was mixing some ingredients in mortar. Esme was sitting in a corner hugging her teddy bear and crying quietly.

-"Those wounds are severe. We need to stop bleeding now." - Pajuna was changing sheets on his torso.

-"Artephius, please hurry." - Dulcinea was pushing tusks wounds. Blood was dripping to the floor.

-"I'm done. This should stop it." - Old alchemist said as he approached a wounded cat. He get some slime on his fingers. - "I hope he's not alergic to gluten. I didn't have time to make it gluten free. Anyway this should work." - He put some of medicine on Nero's wounds.

They stand back and watched a few seconds. After a while a little smoke started to go out of a wounds and a bleeding stopped. Dulcinea approached him slowly. She put her ear to his chest.

-"He's breathing. But his heart beat is weak."

-"Let's put a bandages on and then we must wait." - Pajuna came closer with fresh bandages. - "Artephius, do you have any more of this medicine?"

-"I'm sorry my milky friend. I used last ingredients for it. I must go to forest tomorow to find more."

-"I'm going with you." - Dulcinea said. - "It is Nero's only chance."

-"Who's Nero?" - Asked old man.

-"He is." - Both females pointed at wounded feline.

-"Oh my God, there is a wounded cat on the table!" - Artephius called and pointed at already bandaged Nero. - "Where is a medic?"

-"Ah, I am going with you." - Cow stated. - "Dulcinea you'd better stay here and take care of Esme. She saw to much for her age."

-"You're right." - She said. - "Let's take Nero to his room and I will talk with her."

They took wounded feline and gently transported him to his room. After a few moments Dulcinea walked down the stairs and sat next to still crying Esme. She didn't know what to say to her.

-"Is... Is he going to be allright?" - Esme started still sobbing.

-"I'm sure he will. We did what we could. He just need a rest now." - Dulcinea said with a smile but inside she daubted it. She knew that his wounds where really bad and if he won't recive more of Artephius' medicine he could not make it. She stayed for a while trying to comfort litle girl. When she finally went to sleep grey feline asked Pajuna to take Esme to orphanage.

-"Just don't wake her up." - She whispered - "I will stay with Nero and make sure he's fine."

After they split up Dulcinea went upstairs to Nero's room. It was a small room with just a bed and a table. A bag was leaning to a wall. She took a stool and sat next to bed. Nero was laying on his back covered in bandages. His left arm was in a sling. She took his hand in her paws. The heart beat was bearly to feel.

-"Thank you." - She whispered. - "You saved us. Even if you didn't have to, you put your life in danger."

Before she even noticed she felt asleep. When she woke up it was just before sun rise. She opened her eyes and saw an empty bed. She sprung on her feet and looked around. Nero's bag was opened and long package wraped with some fabrics stuck out. A small empty bottle was on the table with some herbs and hand mortar. 'Was Artephius here already?'

Dulcinea rushed to balcony. It was so early no one was on streets yet. The body from the street was gone and all blood marks where washed by a rain.

-"Something happened?" - She heard a low voice behind her. She looked around. On the roof was sitting Nero leaning to a chimney.

-"Nero." - She said with a relief. She climbed up and sat next to him. - "You shouldn't be here. Your need to rest." - He didn't respond. He was just looking at the sky. Sun slowly rose on the horizon.

-"How is Esme?"

-"She is probably sleeping now. But I don't know how to speak with her. She saw to much for a litle girl."

-"I will talk to her." - Deep silent felt.

-"You asked for my name." - He slowly started.

-"What?"

-"Earlier. You asked what's my name. It's Jaken."

-"It's a nice name. Why do you hide it?"

-"Cause I'm hunted. And walls have ears." - Dulcinea was shocked. - "He won't rest until he finds me. And he is getting closer everyday."

-"Who is that? And why he follows you?

-" *Sigh* I've made a mistake some time ago."

-"Everyone makes mistakes. It's..."

-"I have made one in my whole life." - Jaken looked at her angerly - "ONE. And I lost everything because of it." - He looked away with said eyes.

-"Because of me, my close friend lost her life and a place that I called home became hostile." - He continued. - "It was my first mistake. And it cost me my whole life."

-"That's so said. You know, you can talk to me about it if you want to."

-"I'm sorry Dulcinea but there are things that I can't tell. Not even to a friend."

-"I understand." - She said with sad voice. She slowly got up and headed towards the balcony. - "But you shouldn't hide anything from your friends. You can't do it forever."

-"And how long you're going to hide your pregnacy from Puss?"

Dulcinea stopped. She looked behind her. Jaken slowly got up with pain in his face. He approached her and stood next to her.

-"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. But you should." - He jumped down to balcony leaving Dulcinea alone. 'How did he know? Did Pajuna told him?'

Puss was riding through a desert. It was early morning when he left Garo and his men. He was thinking what he should tell Dulcinea all the way to San Lorenzo. He was a little affraid of this decision but it has to be that way. He finally arrived to the city. He jumped of Babieca's back and looked around. Something was not right. Most of citizens were doing they normal dailly activity but he noticed that cantina was closed. Kids where hanging out together but they were sad. And Esme wasn't with them. After a while he noticed Dulcinea. She was walking towards the orphanage with a basket but she was looking down with sad eyes. Something definetly happened.

-"Dulcinea." - He called as he approached her.

-"Puss." - Joy appeared on Dulcinea's face. She hugged him tight. He put his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her away to look in her eyes.

-"Dulcinea. I have a feeling that something bad happened whlie I was gone." - He said with a warm voice.

-"Oh Puss, we had a terrible incident here. We have been..." - Dulcinea started to talk about yesterday events.

But Puss wasn't listening. He was looking at her eyes. Those beautifull blue eyes that he fell in love with. Last few months, she was his whole life. And now he needed to loose it.

-"Dulcinea." - He stopped her monologue. - "I have something important to tell you." - Puss started and his voice become full of regrets.

-"I... I need to leave San Lorenzo."

-"Again? But you just came back. When do you return again?"

-"No Dulcinea. What I meant... I am leaving forever."

Dulcinea's eyes widen. She stood there paralized. The basket which she was holding fell to the ground. A deep silence fell between them.

-"I am sorry Dulcinea. This is the only way for me to find El Diablo Blanco." - Puss said with sad voice.

-"But Puss. You can't leave me now." - Dulcinea said with tears in her eyes. She put her hand in her stomack. - "You're..."

-"I am sorry. But it has to be this way." - He turned around and make a step but then he felt a pressure on his neck. He was in the air flying back with someone's hand under his chin. He hit a wall pretty hard and looked at a person who was holding him. It was Jaken. He had his robe back on him but his left hand still was on a sling.

-"You want to leave?" - Puss heard low voice. -"Leave everything you have? In a name of what?"

Puss opened his mouth to answer but Jaken contiuned.

-"Revenge?! You will leave a place that is your home for revenge?" - Puss pushed away his hand.

-"You wound not understand! You have not lost anything!" - Puss with rage attacked Jaken but he just jumped back.

-"Stop!" - Dulcinea rushed towards them but they weren't listening. Puss sent some punches that black feline blocked with his right hand.

-"Unlike you I have lost everything!" - Puss sent another blow but then Jaken vanished. He was in front of him and then in just a split second he disappeared. Puss looked down but only thing he saw was a paw that grabed his face. He was sent in the air, then he changed direction downward and hit a ground. Jaken lift him with one hand by face and throw him to the ground like he was a bag of potatos. Pressing Puss' head to a ground he lean over him.

-"You think you've lost everything? You lost just a part of your past. You say that I won't understand? You have a home. I don't. You have friends. I don't. You have a family. I don't." - He let Puss go and stood straight.

-"You have everything and yet you say that you have lost it. You're blind by your hunger of revenge."

-"So you know how it feels to lose something important." - Puss slowly got up as Dulcinea helped him.

-"Yes. And I'm telling you that the path you want to go will give you only pain." - Jaken turned around. - "I'm going to talk with Esme. You should talk to." - He turned behind a corner drinking something from glass bottle.

-"I am sorry Dulcinea. I... I do not know what has gotten into me."

-"Just promise me you won't leave me." - She put her hands on her stomach. - "Us."

-"I..." - Puss still hesitated. - "Wait, what?"

-"You're going to be a father Puss." - Dulcinea looked at him with the look he always loved. His heart was full of joy. He was going to be a father. He hugged Dulcinea tight. Tears started to going down his cheek. All of his anger and bad emotions started to fade.

-"I will not leave you Dulcinea. Not now. Not ever. I promise." - They stayed in a hug for a longer moment. They didn't know that someone was watching them.

-"Sss-so, you de-sss-cited to sss-stay." - Tongue whispered to himself hiding behind a corner. - "I wonder how will boss-sss react."

He stepped back and wanted to leave but he fell on someone. He turned around but the only thing he saw was a dim flash in a red eye. In an instant he was paralized. Sky become fire red and earth started to shake. Ground slowly started to break and piece by piece was falling into nothingness. Finally the last piece fell with a lizard on it. Tonge was falling down and a huge cyclon of wild fire started with him inside. A fire was spinning around him fast. Tongue was terrified. He wanted to scream but his voice couldn't come out of his throat. He started to sweat. Then large red eyes appeared on a wall of fire looking deep in his soul. He heard a cold low voice with no emotions in it.

-"Tell your boss that San Lorenzo is going to be his grave."

Tongue snaped out breathing heavily and noticed that he was standing right where he was before. He left as fast as he could looking back with fear that someone is following him. Behind a corner was standing a character. A red eyes slowly changed it's colour.

What had Jaken done in his past? Will he and Puss find a common language? And how Garo will react on news? Find out next week.

Hope you guys enjoyed this one. It was really hard for me to make it due to a dialogues and I'm sorry if you find them a little stiff.

Anyway, thanks for your reviews and as always feel free to comment.