---
Garu's eyes slowly flickered open. First thing he realized was that he was cold and a bit damp, but there was what felt like a hot water bottle in his lap. He looked down, and saw a dark feline curled in his lap.
Mio
The cat stirred instantly, realizing Garu was now awake. A pair of yellow eyes zipped up to meet his. Garu's heart sank, it wasn't Mio at all; this cat had a white face and larger round eyes. If he had taken a second guess, he would have guessed it was another animal altogether. Maybe a skunk or something? Well it certainly didn't smell like one.
Groaning and stretching himself, the cat slid off his lap and trotted a little distance away. Reclining on her haunches, she watched him carefully as he made it painfully to his feet. How peculiar the boy was to her, so curious. Why did he look as though he had walked right through a sawmill? She could easily see the pain as he shifted and began to limp away, he was seriously injured.
"Le mew?" she questioned him as he made his way towards the door. Where could he go in that condition? There wasn't a hospital for miles around! Only she would know, she spent half a week looking for one when she first came here...
But she wanted to know, being only feline. It was Penelope's tragic flaw, her curiosity, as it was with many cats. She shadowed Garu, then weaved through his legs hopefully, looking up at him.
As Garu looked down, he wondered how he could have possibly mistaken her for his own. She was mangy, grundgy, and feral looking. Skinny as a mink on gaunt like legs, with tuffs of shedding fur coming off in matted balls. She had fleas too, he realized as he scratched himself. Why on Earth was she staying in here? This was no place for a cat.
Without giving it much thought, be bent down, wincing slightly at the pain, and scooped little Penelope up and plopped her on his shoulder. For a moment, he felt her claws dig sharply into his skin as she clung to his shoulder, but she soon relaxed as Garu began to walk again.
Penelope was ecstatic. Where would he take her? To a humane society? Or would he keep her? Oh! She hoped he might keep her, she already liked him as it was. It had been forever since she had been with a human owner, a few years at least. She could remember her first owner, a opulent, persnickety woman who liked to keep her on a leather leash and parade her around town with a pink bow. This person was different though, he was quiet, calm and seemed to be intelligent. She thought about this for a while, looking wistfully over Garu's shoulder towards the receding textile mill, then, like sledgehammer, a new set of questions rammed into her mind.
What if she was seen? What if her cover was blown? Where would she run too? What if she couldn't find another place to hide? Where would she get food? Where would she sleep? How could she sleep?! Who-?!"
No, no... no... no. She repeated this to herself She squirmed uncomfortably, burying her nose in Garu's hair, though he only chuckled, stroking her. Penelope froze under his fingers, feeling delight swell up as he scratched behind her ears.
"Le -puurrrrr..."
Ah... well, maybe exposing herself wasn't too bad. Besides, now she had a bodyguard! Surely she was safer, right? She also was in the middle of Germany in a village that no one on Earth knew about. What could possibly go wrong?!
----
It wasn't exactly the perfect morning to be up and about. To the moment his feet touched the carpet of his hotel room, to where his feet touched the ice cold concrete of the train station, Pepe could not help himself but allow a shiver to race down his spine. The two white stripes that arched gracefully down his back bristled for a moment, but soon, warm and pleasant thoughts coaxed them to lay flat again.
Mist clung to the Earth in unmoving tents, and total silence muffled the town of Van Heepklin. Most where asleep at this time, hardly anyone was up and about at what could be considered five thirty in the morning. Hardly anyone was brewing coffee for themselves, except for the few who wanted to beat the midmorning rush. No one was there to be asked when the train would be rolling in. No one to make small talk with to ease the tension the skunk felt.
Though Pepe was hardly ever the one to be with a dampened spirit, this morning he found it somewhat difficult to keep his head as high as usual. Or keep his tail cocked in its natural "S" curve. Or even bring himself to sing a cherry tune, which he normally did if all else failed. He remained as silent as the town for once, still and gazing wistfully into the distance.
Penelope was an American femme had caught his eye unlike no other. It must have been his seventh try at love, and she would have been his eighth. Penelope, was her name, he had quickly learned, though she didn't speak it herself. She hardly spoke at all, and when she did it was in short squeaks or hisses that he found most utterly amusing and adorable.
However, as time progressed, he began to realize something wasn't right. Nothing was ever right with the lovers that he choose...
Penelope hadn't been his first target at first, much to his amusement. His first attempt at a relationship had been with a wild cat, at least twice the size of him which had escaped from the Paris zoo. He recalled how he had tried to woo her but ended up with a broken tail, black eye and frayed fur full of stratch marks. In the end, the cat had volentarily turned herself in back to the zoo, so he could never see her again. Another time he had wound up with a young chiwawa wearing a skunk fur, in which he ended up dressing up as a dog as well, in which he accepted him (it didn't work out that well anyway, the dog fleas where suicide). He was a compleate miniature of his father, who (while married) tried to court to what he beleived was a female skunk, but ended up being a very much distrubed male feline. Penelope, well, she was diffrent though, this was no mistake...
As that why should he love a foreign species? Well, that was something that he wanted to know. It was like a fish falling in love with a bird. It couldn't happen! Or could it? That was the question. His quest now was to find her. He had to find Penelope. Could a cat and a skunk truly be happy as a couple? And if it was truly one sided, and she had no such feelings for this bond, would he be able to let her go for the sake of her own emotion? Or was there a hurdle in the way she couldn't quite leap?
Pepe thought about this all very quietly while stroking his chin. It was a miracle that stumbling footsteps broke his stupor. Behind him, a young girl approached, obviously in a hurry because she tripped and nearly fell flat on her face, but caught herself just in time. Laughing nervously, the she smiled and pushed herself to her feet. A pan and a wooden spoon fell out of her backpack, clattering loudly on the platform. As she bent down to get them, Pepe recognized it was the young lady she had met the night before at the counter.
Stepping forward he picked up the wooden spoon that had skitted toward him, noting wood burns edged into designs upon its handle in Chinese characters.
"Ah, a chef for ze oreintal cuisine I am guessing, yes?."
The girl jumped, as if she hadn't seen him before, and smiled mildly, taking the spoon from him as he handed it to her. Pepe smiled back, already enjoying her company. It was always a bit more heartwarming when there was someone to talk to... and heartwarming was always the best medicine for him.
"I am a chef too you know..." he said after she put away her spoon. "I took classez from ze very "Le Cordon Bleu" in Paris." he smiled wistfully for a moment "Charming place I assure you, but zhey kicked me out after de first semester." he chuckled half heartedly, giving the young girl a saddened look. "I still have no clue why, I was always at ze top of my class." but then he shrugged and shook his head, a grin reappearing.
"But come, I am being rude ranting zhis nonsense," he took a little step forward toward her and gestured to himself. "Pepe le Pew iz my name." he stopped, then the thought occurred that she may not understand her at all.
The young girl seemed to catch his drift, and so she stooped to bow at the waist in greeting. It was the way her village usually addressed each other, especially when introduced to people. However, Pepe also had a custom of greeting new people, as they did in France.
As her face was still lowered to his level, he stepped forward and gave her two bises, or a quick kiss on either cheek on her face. Pucca immediately shot up straight, but then realized it was the consuetude of the French to exchange their greeting in this way. She simply giggled a little, wiping a lock of hair from her face.
---
"Ahhhhhhhhh! Ein Monsteeeeeer!!!!!" a little boy cried as he fled down the path with his plastic to truck bouncing down the dirt path after him. Garu rolled his eyes, not at all slowing his pace. He was hardly a stone throw away from someone who looked as though they stepped right out of the Chain saw Massacre. Most of the blood had stopped flowing by now, but it dried up and made whatever was left of his shirt cling miserably to him, the stitched heart fluttering loosely by a thread. His cut loose hair, caked in both mud and other gunk, stuck out at odd angles.
He limped slowly down the German village path, looking as though he might bite someone's hand off if they got too close. Another oddity was what looked like a dead skunk draped about his shoulders, for it swayed in perfect balance as he limped. Many looked up from their chores to see him pass. Most where mildly disturbed while others stopped and stared, turning to whisper to each other.
It was when the two reached the town's plaza when they really began to draw a crowd. Children where pointing fingers at the spectacle and began to giggle to one another. Soon a small circle of children began to form while their parents where not looking, and began to follow Garu's footprints. They pointed and snickered at the sight of Penelope, shrieking and holding their noses and pretending to gag when he came close. Whenever the ninja looked over his shoulder, they all began to laugh at the same time, stopping in their tracks and scattering.
After a few minutes of his, Penelope opened her yellow eyes slightly, then hissed viciously at a young child who was aiming a home made slingshot at them. Some of them shrieked in fright that the fur was actually alive, while others laughed even louder at her gesture and gathered in closer, even curious than before. It was then Penelope rolled her eyes, turned her backside toward them, and slowly began to lift her tail, most of them stopped in their tracks and their smiles faded.
"Durchlauf! Sie ist bereit zu gestank wir!" a little girl shouted, and they dispersed into the playground where they suddenly were not interested with the bloody boy and his pet skunk.
"AAAYY! Junge!"
A voice from a little, stout woman that was approaching from down the street in quick, deliberate strides. She wore an apron over a knitted shirt, and her white hair was pulled back into a round, tight bun. Her bright eyes where fixed on Garu and Penelope in a face much like an apple as she came forth to them, her small mouth buttoned in a frown. Garu stopped walking and eyed her wearily, and Penelope, knowing there would be a confrontation, tensed and perched on his shoulder like a black and white hawk.
"Schande auf dir junge!!" she growled at him as she finally reached the pair, frowning profusely. Despite Garu's young age, the old lady must have been at least a foot or two shorter than him. She glared up through furrowed white eyebrows. Then she gestured to Penelope and with her ancient, but powerful voice, she began to shout in a hysterical voice. People really began to notice them now, as the children cackled and pointed to them, the adults gave them sympathetic looks as the woman continued her tirade at Garu, who had no idea what she was talking about and looked at Penelope, bewildered. However, Penelope was just as confused, and shrugged her shoulders helplessly as Garu almost seemed to wither under the old lady's wrath.
"Dummer junge."
A tiny hand shot out of the old woman's sleeves and took hold of one of Garu's bloody crusted ears. She pulled him down to her level, and Penelope along with him. Before Garu could react, the old woman was dragging them down the street, muttering angry harangues under her breath he couldn't hear nor understand. As Penelope bobbed up and down on his shoulder, people where beginning to laugh and point at the group as they passed. Whispers to one another became chuckles... Garu had been caught by Old Lady Jolenta.
---
"Oh! Is zhat all?"
Pucca nodded. Pepe looked meticulously down the list of ingredients... roasted chicken marinated in peanut butter, fresh ginger, soy sauce, and pulled angle hair noodles. He wondered where he could buy them so readily, but it wouldn't be to hard...
"Zhat sounds wonderful..."
Pucca and Pepe where both seated on the seven am clock train caboose. It was rattling along peacefully through the country side. The mist had misted, revealing giant, grassy mounds arching from the earth. Van Heepklin was far behind them, and now and again little cottages would appear nestled among some flower beds or embedded in one of mounds of Earth.
"You made zhis yourself?"
Pucca nodded again, smiling.
"Ah... very intelligent madame. Very demiurzic. I love it."
What was rather Pucca had found the skunk's peculiar smell rather disturbing at first, but as time went on, she realized if she simply breathed through her mouth, it wasn't as bad. Though once in a while she would have to wipe a tear from the corner of her eye from the terrible scent, it was worth it. The creature was so interesting and good willed it seemed, she found that avoiding him for the sake of his stench was downright cruel.
"So, what iz a wonderful cook such az yourself doing in a humble place such as zhis?" Pepe sat back in his seat across from her, tucking the recipe away for now. Pucca began to dig through her backpack, until she found a small slip of paper resting in a hidden pocket inside. She carefully pulled it out for the skunk and handed it too him, blushing a little.
Pepe examined the photo carefully. A young boy glared back at him under firm eyebrows, his hair pulled back into a tight do, clothed in all black. The photo was frayed at the ends, and bent in certain places. He could tell that it must had visited many adventures with this young lady. A knowing grin spread across his face as he looked up photo with a slightly raised brow.
"I'm guessing again... l'mmour?"
Pucca nodded and looked shyly away for a moment. Pepe's grin broadened.
"But he iz a handsome fellow too." he glanced down at the photo "And with a charming young woman such az yourself, he must be madly in love with you, no?"
At this statement however, Pucca's smile faded a little, and her gaze lowered doubtfully.
"Ah... I see." he said slowly, nodding. "These things tend to happen." he looked down at the photo again, and a curious look came into his eyes. He remained silent for a minute or so.
"You know, zhis probably sounds ridiculous, but zhis man seems very familiar to me." he said, cocking his head at Pucca, who was flattening out a crease in her kimono. She looked at him curiously. Pepe shrugged his shoulders, but continued, handing the photo back to her.
"A day or so ago, when I had first arrived here, I was taking a back road in ze country. It was very late out and I was looking for a place to rest when I hear zhis great commotion up ze road. Men shouting, and birds scattering from zhem. So I run up to see what iz zhe matter, and wouldn't you know it!" he gave Pucca a very perplexed and almost terrified look.
"Men in dark suits where flying around like wasps around a fellow. And zhey had swords! If I wasn't so tired and hungry, I could trust myself to say zhey might be ninjas."
At this point, Pucca was edged as far as she could go in her seat, watching Pepe with great intensity. Pepe shook his head...
"I yelled at zhem to stop, but zhey all where attacking zhis small one again and again so quick and fast, zhey didn't hear or see me. Zhen one man came forward and struck him so hard he fell to ze ground and didn't rise. He was raising his sword above his head, and zhat fellow would have been killed right zhere in front of me. But zhen I stepped forward, and zhen I uh... I zhen..." at this point Pepe stopped and rubbed the back of his neck, giving an embarrassed glance to Pucca.
"I took care of them." he finished, looking almost terrified of his own story. Pucca trembled slightly as she waited on her seat, but then she looked at Pepe pleadingly. He gazed back sadly at her...
"When I approached the monsieur to help, I could bearly see him in ze dimness. I knew he was wounded badly zho, since he was wheezing terribly and I must have stepped in some of his blood. When the moonlight finally reached his face, it looked just as it did in the photo..." he paused, then added somberly "only it seemed to be ruined with wounds, and his hair was down. When I tried to assist him, he growled at me, then before I could stop him ran away. After zhat, I ran away too since zhose men where still around trying to find me, or maybe zhey didn't even know it was me." he shrugged "I ran all ze way to Van Heepklin, and unwound a little zhere. Zhen I went deeper into town, and after a while went into zhat hotel where I saw you."
And this time, both fell permanently silent.
---
At this point, Garu thought his ear would fall off at any moment. The old woman dragged him down the country lane, all the while her chastising voice, clearly meant for him, went on and on he soon began to ignore it. He was annoyed, and Penelope, who had stuck with him all this time, seemed rather bewildered and kept staring at Garu as if she expected him to do something. He couldn't, he had no energy left to do anything. Besides, what was the worst an old woman could do? (besides ripping off an ear apparently)
"Drummer... drummer jundge..."
With a powerful tug from the old lady, they where now on a tributary path, which was probably an animal path at one point but wore down to dirt and pebbles, packed firm by constant use. Penelope watched as sparrows and mice darted out of the pathway, suddenly feeling rather hungry. The group was being brushed by the leaves of shrubbery which reared up the height of several men then stretched its leafy vines across the pathway, providing a mottled shade. They where rounding a tight circled bend, and suddenly the path widened out under a final arch of foliage...
"Hier sind wir..."
Garu lifted his head up just enough to see a small, earth heckled cottage appear forth to them. Yet, he couldn't help but take a sharp breath in, and Penelope too, as a dazzling image surged forth, blinding them...
Flowers were everywhere, a hazy matrix of dazzling wild blossoms and grasses packed tightly being so overgrown. Neither ninja or feline could doubt the spatacular work was breathtaking, even for a flower garden. Large bees made their way lazily to foxglove to foxglove, their drawling buzzing making Penelope reach out and swipe at one. Their buzzing though was soon overcome by the sound of running water, the sound of a waterwheel.
It was a mossy old wheel that creaked as it moved beside the stone wall of the house. It was the only part of "house" that could be seen, for the rest was submerged by a hill covered with grass and wildflowers. The wheel gradually churned the dark pool that rested at the side of the house and stretched out a little ways in a shady pond. Then, a small part of it zigzagged sharply through the flowers as a stream, and as Penelope peered closer into the moving water, she glimpsed the fleeting shadows of...
"Le-fish!!" Penelope meowed happily. She leapt lightly off of Garu's shoulders and darted for the dark pool where the fish scattered in a array of darting colors. The cat always had a weakness for fish, which she absolutely treasured to feast upon.
Garu watched her helplessly as the old woman continued to drag him towards the little, grassy hobbit hole. It would seem at least one of them would survive the old woman... but Penelope remembered him at last minute and turned to flee back to him. However, they where already at the door, and Old Lady Jolenta had already wrenched open the mossy door by its brass handle and was shoving Garu inside.
"Innen weitergehen."
She didn't even see poor Penelope has she ran for the door just seconds after it closed behind her.
---
"Here?"
"Yes."
Pepe and Pucca stood side by side on an old country road. Along the gravel sidelines there lay evidence of scrimmage, crimson was splashed along the gravel stones, footprints and signs that bodies had fallen and where perhaps moved. In the air, the musty stench hung heavily, but seem to be no mach for the overwhelming sense of blood.
"Zhis is horrible."
They walked along slowly, checking the ditches on either side of the road for anything, though neither of them spoke of what. There was nothing though, just red blood, and tracks. The struggle went on like this for quite a while, then the struggle seemed to cease.
"Zhe attackers must ave fled."
Pucca nodded in agreement, following a solitary set of footprints, where a single blood trail dribbled along side. She looked up to the horizon, and could see that this path continued on around the bend and over a high hill. She began to run, slow at first, at a trot, then a jog, then a full out sprint. Pepe was right at her heels, on all fours, easily matching his speed with hers.
The two ran on in silence for a while, except for the thudding of feet and wind in ears. It wasn't until they reached a railroad track when the blood trail finally faded. Pucca stopped in her tracks and skidded to a halt, Pepe shortly after. She bent down and inspected the ground, hoping to find foot prints, but found none. Frowning, she rubbed the back of her neck, stiffly. This couldn't be a dead end... it just couldn't be!
"Hey... look over zhere, what iz zhat?"
Pepe was pointing on the railroad a little way down the tracks. Stuck between one of the boards, there was a metallic glint that reflected a bit of light. Pucca recognized it immediately.
It was Garu's sword.
Pucca cried out and bolted for it. Garu never parted with his sword, she had never known him too. It was always with him even when he ate, went on a casual stroll, it was right next to him when he slept, she could only guess where he put it when he went to the bathroom. This only further confirmed how injured he must be to leave it behind and continue on without it. Oh, why, WHY couldn't she had been there? Why...?
As she picked up the sword, she found its blade was soiled in bright patterns of red. She wiped off the dry blood in the folds of her kimono and fought back a frustrated howl of anger. Tobe, that Tobe, she was going to kill him next chance she had. Up ahead, the tracks lead on into an oblivion of shrubbery and plantation, where weeds overgrew the track itself. Over the treetops, a large building loomed, overshadowing the sky and clouds. That's where Garu must had been headed, that's where she must go...
But as she started forward, she felt a tug at her sleeve and she looked over her shoulder at her friend, who still stood motionless. His dismal eyes seemed to be blank, stunned, like a young child who has just witnessed a suicide. His gaze lifted to hers and he spoke in a very soft voice.
"I'm sorry my friend, but I cannot journey with you any longer." Pucca turned to face him he shook his head gently "Zhe path zhat you follow is not for me, and like you, I am also seeking someone zhat I care for."
Pucca watched him in silence, feeling her already dampened spirit sink even lower than before. Pepe however smiled warmly in encouragement. Pucca kneeled down and hugged him in farewell, ignoring the smell that raced up her nose. When she pulled away, she wasn't sure if the tears in her eyes where from the his stench, or from sorrow.
Pepe placed one paw on her shoulder.
"I know you vill find him."
---
Penelope was desperate. She ran from window to window of the tiny cottage, rapping on the glass with her paws furiously and yowling as loud as her vocal chords would allow her. She lost sight of Garu, as mud had run down from the roof and dried on the panes, she couldn't see in the house. All she knew was that she was trapped outside, unprotected and very much alone.
As she raced around the house, upsetting a a good deal of birds and insects, scattering them into the air from the flowers. She kept attacking the house at full tilt, hoping that Garu would be able to hear her from outside. Round and round she went, almost rabid like, cherry bombs seeming to go off in her head. It was just when she had raced over the stream for the third time when something tripped her up and her vision doubled as she fell flat on her nose. She lay flat on her chest and coughed for air, with a mouth full of dirt, she pushed herself up again, exhausted, gasping for breath, her nose throbbing profusely.
It was then, while brushing herself, she glanced at the ground where she had crushed some flowers. She realized that she was standing in someone's shadow. She stared at the shadow cast over her, her pulse accelerated ten fold and her throat tightened, she spun around, ready to face---
... a little, black... cat...
"You need to calm down ma'am." it said, tilting its head at her concernment. "Your waking up the entire Eastern side of Germany."
The other feline was recumbent on his haunches, with black, glossy fur that ran over a noticeably muscular frame. His eyes where a bright lemon, but the pupils where dilated nearly twice their normal size. One thing that Penelope noticed right away though, is that he wasn't looking directly at her, but slightly to the side.
"I'm sorry I ran into you like that," he continued apologetically while Penelope smoothed down her fur in a hurry...
"I'm not normally so clumsy. My vision hasn't been the best recently... so I uh..." he stopped talking when he noticed Penelope wasn't listening. She looked extremely uncomfortable, for her heartbeat wasn't slowing down as fast as she would have liked. She was also very uneasy now, and didn't want to stay in the same spot. Not to mention she was flustered and embarrassed in front of this rather dashing male, and didn't quite know what to say to him as she picked herself up and rubbed her stubbed nose... Deciding that she'd rather just take a hike then to embarrass herself further. She picked up a brisk trot, raising her tail high up in the air like a periscope and trotting down one of the conveniently placed garden paths.
"Look I'm sorry to bother you, but, have you seen a boy around here?"
Embarrassment would not leave her alone as the strange cat followed her down the garden path, trying to keep up with her, though she could hear him tripping over rocks and pebbles here and there behind her. She glanced over her shoulder, but didn't say anything. She was just only beginning to focus on his words rather than her own nervous thoughts...
"He's about, older kitten maybe, with black hair that are up in pigtails, widespread eyes and thick eyebrows. He's taken a silence oath, so he never speaks, and he is dressed in all black with a red heart on his suit..."
A heart on his suit? At this, Penelope halted and the cat bumped into her and nearly knocked her over.
"Geez I'm sorry!" he apologized again, backing up and swishing his tail, giving them space. Penelope was gazing at him with new found interest. Did this cat know the boy she had been traveling with? Well, his description of him wasn't the best, but she remembered the little heart symbol that had been haphazardly stitched into the boys shirt.
"Look, I just heard a lot of other alley cats that he came this direction with some skunk or something, if you could point me in the direction... I'll be on my way."
Penelope blinked. Sighing... she nodded to the little earthy home to indicate where she thought the boy might be, but then remembering that the cat had poor vision and probably couldn't see her gesture, sighed deeper and mustered up to speak.
"He's, he's in the cottage."
"Oh." then "Have any idea how we can get in without setting off an alarm?"
"I don't think this place has an alarm." said Penelope.
They stood there, gazing hopelessly at the cottage while bees buzzed around them and the water wheel continued to turn slowly. After a while, the black cat broke the doldrum...
"So, what's your name, o' shy one?"
"Penelope."
"Well, looks like you and me might be stuck out here a while Penelope." said the cat with a heavy suspire.
"By the way, my name is Mio."