On the cold dirt floor with painful wrinkles on his face, Death shed a tear and with one tear falling, the other took its place on his supposedly terrifying crimson orbs which at the time, instead of generating fear, only projected melancholy and pain, those tears remained there until they gathered together and created waterfalls that began to blur his vision and burn his face. With the tears soon came the sobs, which had no shame in making themselves heard while their bearer hugged himself so desperately, leaning against that tree.
He was scared…what was happening to him? Why was it hurting so much if he didn't have a single wound on his body? Why, just when he saw her leave, did he mentally demand to have her with him again?
He felt as if in his chest a full tequila bottle had burst into millions of pieces and remained that way, broken with the edge of the glass opening his skin, spilling its contents onto the wounds.
"Kitty" He moaned non-stop and still shaking his head.
He swallowed to wet his throat and trembled before mentioning that name again.
"Kitty" he murmured under his breath and immediately began to cry again for the loss of his soulmate.
Perrito didn't take long to run to look for Death the moment he recognized his screams of pain, he had been scared believing that his owner was being hurt... but when he arrived he did not come across some stranger stabbing the white wolf with a sword or lashing him with a whip. No...he didn't find that...he only found him devastated against a tree, choking on sobs, shedding countless tears...and he didn't know why.
Fearfully he approached to see, only to discover a face that reflected martyrdom and sorrow that repeated the name of the bicolor cat over and over again.
"D-death?" Perrito asked with an anguished and angelic voice.
"Her eyes..." Death murmured, covering his mouth to repress his tears, remembering the last thing he saw of his beloved before losing her at the hands of his own selfishness. "...d-damn, her eyes, her voice..." he brought his hand to his eyes "...she felt so hurt...and I hurt her...I...her guardian angel..."
That afternoon, the moment the tears of that hooded wolf touched the earth, the forest became meaner, greyer, colder and sadder than ever, becoming one with Death, who lay sprawled on the ground, alone in agony as he repented. The cruel act he had committed against that mortal cat that had become his adoration.
From the day he met him, that Spanish cat always told him: he was a heartless monster, he was a murderer, a being so cruel and merciless whose only joy was having his victims crying at his feet and he would have no idea what true pain was until he had to feel it firsthand.
All that time he heard him say those words, he only saw a coward to laugh at.
Who would say that in the end, that "arrogant legend" was right?
While Death missed Kitty with every edge of his dark being, her presence was no longer in the forest, she walked and walked until the environment around her transformed into that of a town. From one moment to the next the rules and limits that the Bears and Goldilocks had placed on her no longer mattered to her in the slightest.
The weight of her broken heart was too much, she had forgotten what it was like to be hurt...and then she remembered that it wasn't pretty. The bicolor Cat in her loneliness cried while hugging herself, feeling heartbroken.
How could that happen to her? Her own guardian angel, that wolf for whom she felt infinite tenderness... that terrifying dog that despite his hard and bitter exterior, she loved every dawn and every dusk... that angel who for her was her entire universe and one of the reasons of her joy every day, the one for whom she had feelings…the one with whom she had fallen deeply in love.
Damn it, she loved him so much, she had her heart open to him, ready to give him a space there, she sighed every time the shinigami was by her side, her heart paled every time her little paw reached for his huge hand. Her "sister" Goldilocks read her so many books about the stars, about wishes and magic and how the lucky person who found one could ask for anything and get it for free without having to give anything in return. But Kitty, upon meeting that white wolf with beautiful blonde eyes, found what she wanted so much and it didn't require magic.
She could never help but love him, even when she tried not to.
"I-I thought you loved me..." she said to herself in a low voice, as if she were about to die.
Dragging her boots with each step, the feline continued her course with her sad and crestfallen gaze, tears flowing down her cheeks.
How much have she been walking? He did not care. At that point Kitty just wanted to stay away from the forest, she didn't want to be in a place where she had cultivated such beautiful memories that now tore her soul. He begged to be anywhere but there, she wanted to hide for the rest of her life or until her heart was ready to move forward without continuing to shed blood through the deep wound that that wolf left her.
He took her life, she was sure of it. He took it from her by using and betraying her in that ruthless way. The bicolor feline wanted to be thrown out with the trash, it was the wrong time to be thinking about him and all those flirtatious and elegant smiles that he used with her, all those sincere words that he had thrown at her and realizing that everything was nothing more than a show.
It had taken her so long to believe it, she had a hard time absorbing it, but she did; She believed that she found that someone to trust, with whom she felt loved and had nothing to fear, that someone who would heal her wounds and she would heal hers, for whom she would fight to be brave, that someone with whom she was willing to go through the rest of her life and promise them her love until death separated them. In that magical forest full of secrets she found love, she found it in someone who she least expected it.
What was there more to say? What was there to explain? That he had taken her for a fool by giving false affection when he had condemned her to die just to satisfy his selfish revenge?
Why did she think this time was going to be different? It never was...she always ends up being the one with bad luck, the one who collapsed on her knees when she realized that she gave her heart to the wrong person.
The streets were full of faces that she did not recognizes she could hear the screams coming from the bars she passed by, she heard the horses galloping along the roads, she could catch the voices talking around her and of course the street vendors trying to sell. But even when she was surrounded by millions of strangers, only she was there to give her a hug and comfort herself, only she was there to help her face reality...
What right did Death have to make her doubt? if he was the first to stop loving her.
She wanted him far away, because close he hurt her so much, she wanted him to leave her there, where he broke her heart in two and didn't even care.
The person she had loved the most... broke her heart.
Even though he said he moved on, even though he knew she was gone, Death kept thinking about what had gone wrong. His huge hand rested on his devastated face and slid until it fell to his chest, where it still hurt a lot.
He couldn't stop thinking about whether this was going to be the last time he would see Kitty's beautiful face. Were they tears or just the fucking rain? He wished he could say something.
"Now, now, calm down, Death... everything will be fine..." Puppy whispered to his leader with an angelic voice, laying his head on his chest.
"How can it be okay?" the shinigami asked sadly, passing his huge hand over the chihuahua's head. "Kitty hates me now, there is no way she can love me again or even forgive me."
"We are going to solve it, I know we will..." Puppy assured with a small smile.
"No Perrito..." He continued denying between his cries "There is nothing that can solve this…"
"everything in life has a solution Death, even the most chaotic chaos has a solution, every problem is temporary, some last longer than others, but everything has an end. The only thing that doesn't seem to have a solution is you...Straigth up " the Doggie replied with an understanding smile.
That was a pretty clear metaphor for the shinigami. He looked up at the gray sky, moaning in pain as another sob escaped his throat, that horrible feeling in his chest didn't seem to stop, otherwise, every time Kitty and the affection he developed for her returned to his head, The more unbearable that pain became.
"P-Perrito, I don't know what's happening to me," Death gasped with a frightened voice. "t-this is n-not normal..."
"What's wrong?" asked the little dog calmly.
"K-kitty, w-when she left, when I saw her tears and how hurt she felt, everything she said to me...i-itt hurt so much..." said the hooded wolf, showing fear and sadness on his face. "..it hurts a lot... b-but I don't have any wounds, not even a stab... she didn't use her sword against me, she didn't use a gun or her fists... how can something hurt that wasn't stuck to my skin?"
"...it's another kind of pain, Death..." Perrito said "i've already felt it a couple of times...many times to be honest" He looked away "It's something that every mortal has felt at some point in Their lives and it hurts more than the edge of a sword on the skin".
He didn't say anything...he didn't know what else he could say, his mind collapsed. After two seconds of nothing, that was where a new cry began, which made Death bring his two hands to his face to wipe away his tears.
Both dogs remain completely silent, the smaller one sharing his support for the larger one who is now suffering, but nevertheless, among the gray environment that surrounded them, a group of different calls began to shout in an unintelligible way, but each time they seemed to be more Nearby, Perrito began to look around, while Death stretched his ears to catch the sound and where it came from.
"Kitty?" sked a young male voice.
"Señorita?..." asked a male and Spanish voice "Señorita, Donde esta?"
"Kitty?!" asked another voice, this time female.
"Kitty, where are you?" The Spanish voice asked once again, its concern could be heard.
"mate, come out now, please!" a young female voice called, it is full of hysteria.
"did you hear that?" asked the chihuahua, returning to look at the shinigami with curiosity.
Death in his weakness and sadness half closed his eyes, paying attention to those calls, all those voices were very familiar to him. By instinct he got up from his place and sat down, sticking his head out in the direction where they came from, he tried to adjust his vision as much as he could, until finally those figures took their real form.
"Kitty! Please don't do this to us, where are you?" asked the orange tabby, looking in all directions with a lot of Worry in his emerald orbs.
"God Damn it! We have already searched in all parts of the dense forest, I really doubt that she's still here" Goldi exclaimed, hitting the ground with his wooden cane.
"Well, according to you, where else is he going to be?" Papa Bear asked his daughter.
"I don't know, what if she already left the forest? The town is not that far from here, surely she has already gone there," added Goldi fearfully "There the street cloth vendors walk around with their spinning wheels in the air."
"Oh no, this is bad, what if she runs into one?" Mama Bear asked, bringing one of her hands to her chest, feeling a horrible pressure caused by anxiety.
Puss immediately screamed hysterically:
"Do not say that, we must continue looking for her!"
"Mate she's nowhere in the forest, what else do we have to look for?" The blonde girl questioned "What if she's already in your town? maybe we will be too late and she will already be-"
"DO NOT SAY IT! DON'T EVEN THINK OF SAYING IT!" Puss interrupted him almost shouting.
Goldi turned away distressed from that scolding, blinking in perplexity. It didn't take long for Puss to realize what he had done, so he immediately sighed in pain and lowered his exhausted head.
"Sorry...I know I'm behaving like a fool" Puss responded weakly "It's just that I'm very worried about her..."
"The feeling is mutual, Kitten" Goldi replied, now calmer "Believe me when I tell you that you are not the only one who worries about Softpaws, but we must act now, we gain nothing if we continue here when she's not-"
The blonde's words were abruptly silenced by her, since when she looked towards the path they were taking, she stopped her step and her eyes widened, she immediately stopped the passage of the entire patch by placing her oak cane in front, Puss then decided to look in the same direction as the blue-eyed girl, only to be stunned as well.
"Death?" Puss asked surprised.
"Puss in Boots?" asked the white canine also surprised.
"Death!..." Puss exclaimed between grunts, his face changing to one of total rage.
"Puss in Boots!"exclaimed the wolf.
And as soon as their lips were sealed, the body of the Spanish feline was shot at the speed of light against Death's face, beginning to growl just as a cat would do on the roof and its sharp claws began to draw on the face of his rival.
The shinigami didn't have time to react to that sudden attack and since he was still indisposed to put up a fight, he just stood there, feeling his face burn as his skin opened thanks to the scratches.
"AAH, PUTO, SUELTAME MALDITA SEA" Death shouted, immediately taking Puss from his back and slamming him against the ground to keep him still "What's wrong with you?!"
"CALLATE MALDITO PEDAZO DE CARNE CON PATAS" Puss responded angrily, digging his claws into the back of the wolf's hand, he had become so feral "ARE YOU GOING TO CONTINUE TAKEING ME FOR A FOOL?"
"What are you talking about?" Death asked, suddenly letting go and finally standing up on his feet.
"I know, Perro Sarnoso! 'I know what you were doing all this time!'" Puss pointed with his sword to him. "You damn degenerate, everything you did to the love of my life was not enough; you had to come and fill her head with shit when the least she can do is remember her previous life!"
"What?" Death batted his eyelashes; something inside him twisted the moment they mentioned the bicolor cat.
"We've already caught your move, idiot," Goldilocks responded, approaching the wolf with a disapproving face "So...did you really like playing this game of being an angel?"
He raised his pointed ears, painting his face with surprise. He knew exactly what she was talking about; no one other than Kitty knew about his secret identity as a "guardian angel" and who he was with all that time when they weren't paying attention.
Of course, Kitty told them about him…about her beloved guardian angel, and they killed her illusion by telling the truth.
"Did your head hurt when you fell from heaven?" Goldilocks asked again in a much ruder way "Because I thought you rather scraped your knees when you climbed out of hell."
"Oooh, that was good!" Perrito exclaimed, opening his eyes very amused.
"Don't come and disrespect me, Blondie," Death replied. "I took your parents; I can do it with you too..."
"Ooooooooh." Perrito covered his mouth with his paw and then looked at Goldi with a grimace. "I humiliated you."
The blonde didn't say anything; she wasn't going to let him see how he managed to hurt her once again; she just walked away, clenching her fists and frowning in anger.
"What are you all doing here?" Death asked quietly.
"No, no, no," Papa Bear denied. "What are you doing here? Kitty escaped from the forest, and we have to find her, but you... what are you doing? Shouldn't you be busy killing people?"
"Oh, everything in its time, sir," responded Perrito, rolling his eyes relaxed. "It's not an everyday occurrence that someone dies. My boss can go up to 3 days without anything before having a good dinner. He prefers to have it when it's time."
"I don't really like having to fight and play with my food," Death sighed.
"Honestly," Puss interrupts, his anger at meeting the shinigami was what had the most life on his face. "It's funny how you don't like to play with 'your food,' but you do like to play with the feelings of the people who haven't done nothing to you."
"Puss in boots, please don't start," Death murmured under his breath.
"You were the one who threw the first stone, and hided his head, come on, hombre!" Puss spits with anger. "Look, I know that I have been an asshole; I have behaved like a ridiculous legend that plays with mortality. I didn't appreciate my lives, much less those who loved me the most and whom I myself said I loved..." He lowered his head with sadness. "I know that Kitty suffered too much for me. But none of that matters anymore; my last life is my life, and I have done everything to live it with her".
"I know; I no longer see that selfishness in you..." Death looked away, clenching his fists.
"But it still wasn't enough for you; you couldn't accept defeat; you had to mess with the person I love the most just to make me suffer. You put a horrible curse on Kitty when she had nothing to do with us!" Puss replied, raising his thin sword to point at his rival. He felt how hysteria and frustration began to control him again. "you should've had cast the curse on me! Left her out of this! But none of that mattered to you, and since nothing was enough for you, you went to her to take advantage of the fact that she couldn't remember... and you manipulated her. You made her believe that you were going to protect her from all these monsters that could hurt her..." Suddenly, his greenish eyes began to water. "The only monster here was you..."
Death remained silent, unable to face the legend, while Perrito stayed faithfully by his leader's side, displaying deep sadness. Of course, Puss was correct, but if only he knew the other side of that story. Eventually, Death broke his vow of silence.
"She is so... Intelligent, beautiful, strong, brave... and despite taking me a while to realize it, I can't blame you for falling for her. I know you saw the same I did from the day I decided to ttay here to protect her from her curse...'" the white wolf admitted.
Goldi clenched her fists in anger, wrinkles forming on her face.
"What the hell are you talking about now, Muerte?" the Spaniard demanded.
The wolf blinked, interrupted by a sudden murderous instinct, his cold gaze replaced by a dumbfounded expression. Goldilocks raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"You alright?" Goldilocks asked, noticing the sudden change.
"Shhh, shut up..." Death raised his hand for silence, earning a growl from the blonde young woman.
Death possessed a unique talent, an unparalleled ability to perceive when someone was about to lose their life. It was an alarm, a notification of impending danger.
"What's the matter?" Goldi asked, anger still evident.
"Wait a moment," Death responded coldly.
Death focused on the town of San Lorenzo, his ears pointed forward, and his snout rose to sniff better.
"Kitty..." Death gasped "..oh no..." But he shook his head, immediately appearing scared.
"What?..." Puss opened his eyes wide and approached his enemy, his heart went crazy the moment he mentioned his lady
"...yes...Kitty..." the black hooded wolf confirmed, immediately reflecting horror on his face "She's in town..." the canine's breathing began to lose coordination and become restless.
It was happening again, that feeling of danger and fear that caused a strong pain in his chest and his mind came to torment him, but this time in a much more intense way.
The family of bears, that little Chihuahua and the Spanish feline gasped in fright, exchanging glances. Puss felt his reddish fur stand on end and his heart also began to accelerate in such a way that it began to hurt a lot.
"No no no no!" Puss exclaimed, almost screaming with fear "Do you have any idea how many ladies go out there with their spinning wheels to sell their crafts and fabrics?!"
Death began to hyperventilate the moment the pain in his chest became present again, his vision became heavy due to the tears that began to accumulate and therefore he could not help but sob, staggering he began to walk away from the group "I must hurry!".
Puss barely saw him run, he didn't hesitate to do the same, hot on his rival's heels.
Goldi blinked in amazement at that duo and seconds later she reacted and looked at her family and the little dog who were still there
"What are you idiots doing by standing there?" She screamed hysterically, stopping quickly, grabbing Puppy by his sweater to carry him and then climbing on her younger brother's back "We have to start now! Let's go, let's go, let's go!".
Stunned by the sudden violence against their daughter and adopted sister, the 3 bears nodded and began to run towards the town with Death itself and Puss far ahead, they would serve as guides along the way, although they didn't seem to be able to accelerate the pace any further.
Puss and Death led the way, not speaking, their goal clear: reach the town and find Kitty before it was too late. For the first time, it seemed they had to be allies for the cat they both loved.
Death grabbed Puss's arm, pulling him close. "Hold on!" he shouted, throwing him into the air.
Puss in Boots rode on Death's back, the breeze hitting his face. The shinigami, now on four legs, quickened his pace, overwhelmed by fear of being the one to take Kitty's soul.
He could never forgive himself for that.
Someone loved her, someone fucking loved her…and she loved him too. Damn, for the first time she felt like she was worth something, for the first time she believed that she could let her guard down without fear and trust her loved one. This hurt more than anything, more than being stripped from her grasp, more than finally remembering what had happened to her in her previous life in Santa Coloma.
She staggered through the streets of the town like a zombie, she had nowhere to go. God, she just wanted to go to bed, those feelings, those colors hurt her too much. She didn't want to feel better, she would give anything to miss Death again. Sh didn't want to get over it…she wanted to break it into pieces.
She took slow steps throughout the area, searching and searching, although she had nothing to find, she only had the sounds that came from those who were walking near that entire space, she didn't recognize any call, nor mention of her name and therefore she did not stopped, just continued wandering like a dead person.
When her heart is broken, she wi prick her finger with a needle and sleep forever.
Whispers, very soft sounds, they seemed like ghosts, like a possessed person. As soon as she perceived it, the bicolor cat's ears stood up and for the same reason, she became cold. She blink without saying a letter.
When her heart is broken, she wi prick her finger with a needle and sleep forever.
There it was again, now those dark whispers were clearer, but they didn't take away the curiosity of the sapphire-eyed feline, who returned to listen to it but now it was an echo made up of the same voice over another. Kitty turned around slowly, it seemed to be coming after her, but when she returned to investigate...there was absolutely no one.
That face that was previously confused became expressionless, Kitty's figure straightened, her gaze only fixed on nothing.
When her heart is broken, she wi prick her finger with a needle and sleep forever.
Kitty's figure straightened and began to walk in the direction of where that strange echo came from, which the more steps she took, the louder and more unbearable it became, it was all that now lay in her head. She didn't realize it, but for a few seconds, the iris of her eye turned a much darker blue and her pupils enlarged but disappeared when she blinked again.
"Quick Lobo, start!" the orange cat shouted at the wolf, still riding him, seeing how they are centimeters away from entering that city.
"Don't be too clever with me, Gato!" Death replied, returning to look at his path, his instinct once again told him how close he was to his "prey."
He pushed citizens who passed by him, he continued searching with his eyes.
The voices could now be heard all around her…hearing the same thing over and over again was driving her crazy but she didn't flinch, much less stop in her search. A small covered street vendor loomed in Kitty's path, which unthinkingly attracted her to take a look. Expressionless and in total silence, she walk over and see what it was all about.
A middle-aged woman whose skin was dark, blue eyes over which were red glasses, dressed in orange and covered her white hair with a scarf, in her stalls she had an infinite number of fabrics, necklaces, cuttings, crafts, garments of clothing and decorative scarves, curtains, tablecloths that she made by hand, on a corner citizens arrived with ripted clothes to suture.
But from all those items that lady offered, Kitty found the origin of that strange voice that had her in such a hypnotic state, she was able to find where it came from. It seemed that this call came from the machine with which that lady joined her fabrics and repaired her garments...a spinning wheel.
"oh no, no. Be very careful with that, honey" The old woman immediately warned him, noticing the presence of the female cat "there's a needle there, a very sharp one that could hurt your cute paws" After That, she approached Kitty with a friendly smile "Welcome to the corner of fine arts, where you can discover my entire small city created in beautiful crafts and fashion, just let me know if you find something you like, okay?".
The lady left Kitty withsome yellow and red flags in front of her, but she only focused on that spinning wheel... on that thin metal stick that stood out of it and whose sharp tip shone as if it were copper... on that needle.
That echo in her head became stronger, almost depriving her of the noise around her and what was happening, she was hypnotized...her eyes turned dark blue and her pupil enlarged again.
That was where her right paw rose and one of her fingers stretched out to make contact with that needle.
Two pairs of eyes, red and green, found the cat they loved so much. The Spaniard soon became afraid when he saw what she was about to do, so without warning he jumped off his enemy's back and ran with all his strength towards the bicolor cat, hoping to put a stop to her. Death got up from his place, his eyes trembling with horror.
"KITTYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!" The heartbreaking scream uttered by Death burst against any sound present.
Kitty only felt the sting of that fine needle opening the skin of her finger and making it bleed and her pupils became smaller and her figure arched as if lightning stroke her and a thread of voice escaped from her mouth causing her to release her last breath that lay on her chest, since her heart was no longer beating. She fell on her back, ready to fall to the ground.
But before closing her eyelids, the sapphire of her beautiful orbs met the crimson of Death.
"No!" Goldilocks exclaimed in a scream, tears began to fall from her clear orbs, stretching her hand towards the horrible scene.
Before the cat fell inert on the ground, the Spaniard fell on his knees and slid until he reached her so he could catch her in his arms. As soon as he held her, he could feel how frozen his beloved was and how his heart was breaking. It didn't take long for the orange tabby's eyes to shread with sadness and he began to cry, trembling as he tried to breathe.
The bear family gasped in horror and Perrito dropped his ears completely and opened his mouth in shock at the situation.
"n-no..." a painful gasp escaped Death's fangs while thick tears blinded his vision.
"NO NO!" Cat squeezed the sleeping cat tightly and clung to her chest in desperation "MY LOVE NO, NO, PLEASE!..."
Her eyes closed, her expressionless but sleeping look and that small torrent of blood that ran through her pricked finger made Puss lose his mind and he began to shake her and examine the slightest sign of life in her, all the citizens around her, the old woman From that sales stand, everyone witnessed such a morbid act with their hearts in their hands.
"K-kitty, no, no...my Kitty,no!" Puss shouted, now his eyes stained by the eyeliner running on his eyes "Stay with me, stay with me, please, no... NO!"
With slow and clumsy steps, the black-hooded wolf approached both felines and ended up on his knees in a rather abrupt fall, only to find himself with the bicolor cat, with his sweet Kitty, with the agile thief from whom he had in love, there, dead in the arms of his enemy, it hurt him a thousand times more than any blow he had received in any battle.
A deep sadness fell on his shoulders, one that now made him feel so low. With fear and some innocence, he moved his hand towards her so he could caress her cheek.
"NO! GET AWAY FROM HER, DEATH!" Death shouted at him with a face that was a mixture of anger and suffering "This is your fault! You should never have met her! NEVER! You should never have existed!"
Being accused in this way, Death remained silent while his ears fell, he could not say anything, neither reproach nor reply. Since he had no excuse to defend him, everything that feline he hated so much said was true. He knew this was going to happen to him sooner or later and he had no way to escape.
He just watched Kitty, so painful to find her with her eyelids closed knowing that he would never again meet that blue that seemed to be his adoration.
Suddenly he felt a weight lean against his right leg, let's see, it was Perroto rubbing his face against him, the little dog was more than willing to be emotional support for his leader.
"Kitty, please no...not now, no, please no, no..."Puss cried desperately, hugging the bicolor feline with need "no, no...I don't want this..."
"Get off!" Goldi's voice now seemed like whining, the blonde human arrived, abruptly pushing Death so that she fell on her knees and also examined her frien "mate...Kitty, don't do this to us..."
"She died?" asked Baby Bear, leaning out to get a better view, but when he finished speaking, he received a hit from his father.
"No, no, no, my baby..." Mama Bear murmured.
Puss sobbed, still very agitated as he held Kitty lifeless in his arms, he wiped away his tears immediately, suddenly he remembered that skeptical solution to this, he knew perfectly well that he should not believe the one he considered a murderer... but at the same time what else did he have to lose?
"We have to take her to my lair, we have to take her now!" Puss exclaimed, getting up from the ground with Kitty in his arms like a wedding bride "follow me!"
The Spaniard then vanished from the scene, that family of bears didn't raise any questions and they were hot on his heels, leaving behind the non-mortal wolf and his therapy dog. While he lowered his gaze, feeling fresh tears sliding down his face until they reached his chin, the Chihuahua returned to see Death with a small smile of hope and rested one of his paws on his leg to get his attention.
"Hey, calm down, don't be sad..." Perrito said softly, not abandoning his innocent positivism. "Puss has the solution, don't forget it: true love's kiss." He will be fine and if you talk to her and explain everything to her, Kitty might forgive you and you can be together again just like you always have been! And she will leave us that delicious Borriage that Mama Bear always makes on Sundays!"
But Death continued inert on his feet, his eyes half closed, tears welling up.
"I hope these deadly fallacies manage to surprise me," the shinigami replied, then immediately put on his hood and started whistling, mysteriously disappearing into the crowd with his assistant.
He appeared behind the shadows that were lodged in the golden curtains, they weren't there before. In fact, this one didn't look at all like the den that Perrito visited a long time ago. Now it looked like a palace, a dignified room for the monarchy. With decorations, paintings, curtains, a desk covered in books and a mirror, while gold and other riches were scattered throughout the place. That Spanish feline that was wanted everywhere had not wasted any time and decided to retouch his lair, even putting up an elegant bed with everything and expensive covers for the day Kitty was freed from her curse.
"Aren't we in the wrong place?" A curious Perrrito asked when he saw where they were staying "I think we are in the bedroom of the King of Spain"
"No, it's here," Death stated in a low voice.
He went deeper into the room and hid behind the screen that was a few meters from the bed, where through the thin yellow fabric of the bed, he could realize what was happening.
Kitty was resting on that bed, in peace and silence like a flower during the night, her little paws now intertwined resting on her stomach, just like a Sleeping Beauty, just like the friend that Princess Fiona had, the wife of an old and dear friend of the Puss in Boots. Next to the bed was the tabby feline, caressing her cheek while the family of bears were arranging everything so that she would be comfortable.
"Hey, she looks so calm," Goldilocks commented sadly. "As if she was just sleeping."
"She is, she just sleeps forever," said Mama Bear.
"Oi Puss do you really believe that...?" Papa Bear asked the tabby feline.
"I'm not sure if his words are real..." the green-eyed cat sighed with some insecurity. "But I have to try. Anything for Kitty".
"True love's kiss," Goldilocks reiterated. "From what I read in Merlin's books, if you manage to break the curse, everything that ever fell on her will be annulled. Kitty returns with everything and her memory, along with the life she had with us back home".
Puss nodded his head and smiled at the blonde, the family of bears moved away so as not to interfere with the atmosphere that soon combusted into romance.
The Spaniard then sat on the corner of that bed next to the bicolor cat, who still kept her eyes closed in that eternal sleep. One of his paws soon landed on her cold cheek, which fits perfectly in his palm. Which made him sigh in love and not realizing that Death was watching with a horrible pressure on his chest, Perrito on the other hand remained sitting, wagging his little tail while wearing an innocent smile.
"Señorita mia, I couldn't tell you how much I missed you during all this time that we had to be separated to free you from this evil that got into our love..." Puss spoke quietly "Your eyes, your voice. I have missed her every day and I regretted every night how on your birthday I couldn't give you that celebration that you were so excited about. But now that storm will end... and I promise you that everything will be fine, when I promised you my last life with you, I really meant it... the kiss of true love."
The feline then slowly leaned closer to Kitty's lips and took her chin to give her a tender kiss, which little by little made him close his eyes and let himself go. The feline soon released a slow and deep purr.
Hypnotized by that act of love, after a few seconds the Spaniard pulled away with a dazed smile, flapping his eyelashes like butterfly wings, feeling drugged with the idea of adjusting his vision and the first thing he would see would be the Kitty he knew and that he wanted so much, finally waking up looking for more of him and lovingly receiving her in his arms along with the rest of his colleagues.
When he returned to reality…that smile withered in a matter of seconds.
"It doesn't work..." Baby Bear gasped, somewhat upset. "It doesn't work... why the hell doesn't it work?!"
"No..." Puss denied terrified, tears began to fall again, one of his hands went to his face before he burst into tears. "K-kitty no..."
Perrito then lowered his ears and that happiness that he previously carried on his innocent face had vanished, he blinked afflictedly wanting to find an answer to what had not happened but when he came to the realization that Kitty was not going to wake up, an enormous sadness attacked him.
"I told you..." Death murmured to his little companion with bitterness and coldness.
On his knees in front of the bed, crying silently as he understood that he had lost the bicolor cat, Puss felt so defeated, he was convinced that this was worse than death...this was so cruel. His loud cry became present and became unison with the cry of the bear family. Because of all that suffering he felt a cold breeze run through his figure and up... that damned and unfortunate whistle resonated in his eardrums. The tabby feline raised his ears and shoulders suddenly and slowly raised his eyes towards the inhuman being that was now approaching.
Joining his lips to let go of his song, Death was hooded holding his sharp mowers in each hand, the enormous white wolf stood there with a fallen face that expressed everything but malice and cruelty, he was not looking directly at Puss but he could feel him, he knew that there was no room for any other emotion on his face other than pure fury and depression, the same thing happened with the faces full of disgust and repudiation on the part of the bear family and especially the blonde-haired orphan.
Puss gave a furious cat-like scream before removing the black stains in his eyes caused by tears, getting up from his place and facing that wolf who only wanted to take his life
"Let's get out of here. None of us should see this" Puss said, with a firm voice but still full of pain.
Said and done, the five present responded to the words of the orange cat with elegant boots, who guided them out of his lair to give Death room to enjoy his food. When no one other than his owner was there, Perrito emerged from his hiding place and looked at the devastated shinigami in his place and the sleeping Kitty.
Taking off his hood, Death stood on one side of the bed, watching Kitty...feeling an infernal burning in his chest when he thought about how cute she looked like that and knowing that was it, he would never see her live again...she was there sleeping forever. So many times that he got to see her wake up to find that sapphire blue that had him so crazy, so many times that when he saw her wake up she let go of that tender morning purr.
Death sighed heavily and raised his two mowers in his hands, then turned them around and put them on his belt. Head down, he stayed in his place…before he began to sob and let out an agonizing cry of pain as he collapsed on his knees, he lunged at Kitty, clinging to her like he had never done before, almost squeezing her. He hid his face in the small space that lay between the cat's neck and shoulder and snuggled against her soft, fluffy fur. He could feel how cold she was, that hurt him so much more. With all his weakness, Death rose to sit on the bed and gently take Kitty, letting her rest between his strong, toned arms and against his chest, he caressed her fine arms, leaning his head against hers, still crying.
"..." Perrito pouted, feeling how tears began to fall from the green of his eyes, he didn't like what he was seeing at all.
He was an idiot…a terrible, selfish, blind idiot. It took losing that sweet cat to realize everything he really had. Where had he seen this before?
Of course, in his past all those ungrateful and selfish mortals that he despised so much, began to cry and beg for mercy while shouting out of love for all those who were part of their history, crying out for what they wanted and repenting of their mistakes.
How he hated them, how he hated hypocritical hearts, because no one really appreciated his life until Death arrived, straight up. Was this karma?
He wiped away his tears even though he saw more to come, Death put hishand on the cat's fluffy chest, giving it soft caresses, Kitty had a softness in her black and white hair that gave so much tenderness when she was caressed.
"I won't ask for your forgiveness because what I did to you is unforgivable," murmured Death, holding her in his cold grip. "My hatred and revenge blinded me, causing me to inflict tragedies upon you unjustly. I spied on you, delving into a false reality to save you, only to realize it was more than a pastime. Kitty, why are you so beautiful? I took the honey from your breath but couldn't steal your beauty."
Tears fell on the sleeping cat's face.
"Ever since I met you, I started feeling things that seemed ridiculous to me, emotions only mortals like you could evoke. It disgusted me, confused me, but now I understand. You played with my immortality, making me vulnerable to your love. Sweet Kitty, you took over my heart, and I'll never have you again."
"I don't blame you for hating me. Who could love Death?" Death spoke as Perrito listened, his teary eyes lowered in sadness.
Death took Kitty's hand, bringing her closer. "Kitty, you are more loved than you knew. As long as I remain here, no one will hurt you. I promise, not a day will pass without missing your smile. I give you my love and with it, your freedom."
With a broken heart, Death kissed Kitty's forehead as a final sign of affection. Leaving her on the bed, he turned, drawing out his weapons through tears, ready for what he had to do.
"Hello, Guardian Angel," Death heard that adored voice, turning to see Kitty awake.
"Hello...Beastie," he said in a low voice, smiling through tears.
"True love," Perrito muttered, watching Death and Kitty reunite.