Fourteenth Meow - Of Life and Perseverance

AEGIR wanted to think that he was just dreaming. If he'll wake up, everything will be alright. He and Anthony had been cornered, There's four of them vs two, which is obviously they are outnumbered and weaker. His hands are all wet because of perspiration, eyes stung, close to crying again.

The place was dark, the only light that had given hope to the place is one single streetlight. The place also stinks because of rotten garbage placed on a chute, it's a dead end. Because they couldn't run further unless climbing the eight foot high brick walls that had been pressing their backs and hoped that the other side of the wall wouldn't kill them for trespassing. Or either way, they're dead whatever choice they will follow.

He desperately shakes Anthony's shoulder, even shaking one's shoulder causes him to tremble. His tail has been moving uncontrollably; a sign of stress.

"Anthony! What will we do? " he told Anthony in a shaky voice, he clung on Anthony's gray colored long sleeves as if his life depended on it.

But Anthony seemed to not have heard what Aegir had said.

He can feel his hand trembling as he tries to write on his notepad what transpired as of this moment. He couldn't stop, maybe it's the only thing that could calm his nerves; to be serene even if he might die today. Beads of sweat ran like rain in his forehead, he clicked his tongue as he set his eyes to his assailants; tall lean muscular figures wearing weird suits with cat ears and tail, all of them pointing their badass looking guns at him. Guns that only existed in sci-fi movies.

"D-Do something!" he heard a small voice coming from his side. The person seemed to be crying based on his muffled hiccups.

He turned his gaze to his side and saw the owner of the voice. An attractive guy with a neck-length messed-up silver hair, on top of that hair, is a pair of gray cat ears. His cheeks colored pink because of crying and big green eyes coated with tears.

He heard the guns click and he unconsciously wrote down on his notepad, 'I don't wanna die' and stared again. Mind blank.

If he will write a flash-fiction now, this must be the exact content—I don't wanna die.

He started to chant it in his mind as his hands ran cold and his body started to shake.

This isn't real, right?

This may just be an aftereffect of stress from his agent and he's just dreaming.

"Damn you! We're going to die and yet you'll just stare like death isn't a serious business?!" The soft voice now turned into a deep baritone tone; one indicating impatience and rage.

He looked at him and blinked his eyes then looked in his notepad then repeated until a loud slap could be heard startling him, and even the two assailants.

"This is real! Snap out of it, idiot!"

Aegir doesn't want to die. He'd been surviving for quite some time. Though he's scared, he needs to fight, he needs to survive. There's still a chance that he can. Such is a rule of the wild, as a street urchin, he's aware of it.

Aegir is convincing himself that the assailants are way dumber than him and is nothing like the one who attacked him before. They are like pre-conditioned machines who only know how to attack but don't know how to decide on their own.

Forest green eyes glinted with conviction, still in tears, he had a decision.

It didn't last long until Aegir picked up Anthony's pen and notepad and had thrown it to the guys before them. The pen, with accuracy, hit a bullseye indeed— the eye of one of the assailants. A shout of pain could be heard as blood dripped like ink on the guy's eye. The other three guys, as if malfunctioned or just baffled or just plain stupid just stared at their comrade as if they are even amused but doesn't care at all.

Anthony could feel his hands run cold on what he had seen, he may pee out of fear any seconds from now. Though, Aegir didn't waste any second waiting for Anthony to process everything or the other three. He picked out some stones near them and hit the other three on their foreheads, guns had been dropped on the floor.

Anthony didn't even know that Aegir could pass as a sharpshooter or he isn't a total crybaby or innocent at all.

He doesn't know what's real and not anymore!

"Don't just stay there like you have been turned to stone! Push that guy and get that gun, you dumbass! "

Anthony is shaking his head, he feels like his head is throbbing. He opened his eyes and found himself on a bed, there's a white blanket covering his lower body. He examined the room he's in only to find out that he's not in his room. It's more spacious than his room with only a bed, a bedside table and a small round table.

"Where am I? " he asked himself. He grunted in pain when he tried to stand. Only to realize that his abdomen is covered in bondages where his wound lies.

There's also bloodied bondages on the bedside table near his bed as if someone changed the bandages he had.

He winced as he touched the wounded part. "So, I really got shot, huh? " he found his voice quivering. His hands started to sweat and shake.

All his life he'd been trying to preserve it against all the pressure and people that are trying to bring him down but never did he feel before that he needed to run away from death and pray for a save up until that moment.

He sat on the bed and tried to calm himself, putting his fingers on his hair. He blinked his eyes as if he's trying to make sure that he isn't dreaming.

His hands were shaking as he picked up the gun on the floor. He could feel it's heaviness on his hand. He never thought he'd get to hold a real gun now, even though it's inevitable because his college course as a forensic pathologist dealt with a lot of guns and ammunition and—death. He is sure that he was supposed to deal with dead people, not kill people or be the dead one.

He examined the gun closely, its size is the same as an M24 rifle but its appearance is far from what an M24 rifle should be. The gun is unusual cobalt blue, there's unusual buttons on its grip that Anthony doesn't know what the function was, its muzzle is far thicker than an average rifle.

Aegir looked at him flatly, "Don't tell me you don't know how to use it? " Still shaking, Anthony checked the gun's magazine, only to find none.

He checked again but he still couldn't find it. He started to panic. It wasn't long before one assailant on the ground started to move, pointing the gun at Aegir.

And it didn't last a minute when the trigger had been pulled, he dared to accept the bullet. He stared at his clothes like a canvas being painted by blood. Pain started to spread all throughout his body.

He heard Aegir screaming before darkness claimed his sight.

He looked around again. He was still alive and they weren't chained in a dirty dungeon like those in fantasy novels. "Where?" Despite the pain he was feeling, he grunted and stood up from his bed. It created a low creak sound.

"Aegir? " he called. He put on the wooly blue slippers that were placed on the mahogany wood floor.

It's really impossible that they're captured because it feels like they were being treated.

He went to the door and pushed it open. It created an eek sound, he took a peak and saw an empty hallway. There's three more rooms on both the left and right side of his room as if many were living in the building.

Perhaps an inn or a rental.

He walked straight the hallway, as he walked, he heard two male voices from on the left direction, there's also a sound of frying and the smell of fried chicken, he assumed that direction is leading to the kitchen. From the deep voice he had heard, he was certain it was Aegir but he didn't know the owner of the second one with a calm and raspy voice.

When he reached the kitchen, he saw Aegir holding a metal ladle as if he's trying to make soup because there's a boiling pot near him. His long hair was tied into a ponytail, cat ears twitching. Sweat was also over his forehead where a small Band-Aid lay. Aegir was wearing a cat designed apron on top of a beige color shirt and khaki pants, his tail moving back and forth as he conversed with someone about food.

Anthony felt relieved upon seeing that Aegir was doing fine. But he couldn't understand why he felt a sense of irritation over the person Aegir was talking with. His hands on a fisted sight, his nail burying on his skin. There's something boiling in his stomach that adds up to the pain his wound was feeling.

Face to face with Aegir is a man with curly chestnut hair with brown almond eyes and a freckled face. He is wearing clothes of a service crew of a restaurant—suit and a red tie, he is also wearing black gloves. But the most prominent feature this guy has is his rabbit ears and fluffy tail.

He's familiar...but who is he? Why is he here? Was this person responsible for helping them?

Anthony sighed two times, trying to stay calm because he felt that those two didn't notice his presence or his presence were insignificant over their topic—"Which meatballs are delicious? Plain or saucy? "

Only when he cleared his throat did the two face him.

Aegir, upon seeing Anthony, immediately, his face lit up in joy. His green orbs watered, cheeks red and canines showed themselves as he smiled. The ladle that Aegir was holding fell on the floor with a clang.

"Anthony! " Aegir ran to him, tears in his eyes and hugged him tight which made Anthony yelp in pain.

As much as he liked it, his wound doesn't.

Aegir immediately released him from the death grip and started to examine him—by pinching his cheeks.

But he felt relieved that Aegir is back on his usual crybaby self rather than a violent moody cat.

Indeed his auntie was right... Cats can be a spawn of evil—sometimes.

"Are you okay? " Aegir pinched Anthony's cheeks harder as his tail moved anxiously, Anthony just stared at his housemate, not because he just didn't want to reply but because he couldn't talk because of what Aegir was doing to him.

Anthony tried to nod and placed his hand on Aegir's ear, caressing it just like a cat (because he is indeed a cat and he is too in denial to believe it). Aegir, with that gesture, closed his eyes, enjoying it.

Anthony whispered softly, "I am okay... don't worry anymore. '' Aegir replied by stroking his cheek on Anthony's arm.

Vin, the bunny shop owner and boss of Aegir couldn't help but to stare at the two having a moment as if he's not there. The sparkles on his employee's eyes seemed like stars and those smiles that even the customers in their shop couldn't enjoy. On the other hand, the 'unusual' human which he usually saw on the road before, depressed—eyes were now soft and relieved.

He couldn't help but to feel bitter about what he was seeing. The world is merciless to those without a pair, so he thought.

He doesn't want to ruin the moment just yet because he knew how the human was important to his employee. Aegir begged for him to save the human when it got shot by the bullet. He guessed that yesterday's target was these two because he had encountered one before saving them.

Vin was having his usual night routine and patrol. His employees got lost one by one every night and he knew that his employees weren't the only ones who's experiencing the attacks. He is in his usual suit and black hat to live with his moniker, "White Rabbit". He usually saves animal people and humans from those strange creatures that are killing whomever they see and steal their souls afterwards. As for humans, he erases their memories of the incident afterwards.

Whatever they are using those souls for, he knew that it was for no good.

He wiped off some dirt on his suit after fighting a strange creature—the djimbes. They look like a normal animal person but the strangest about those people is that they seem to not possess any brains at all. They are like pre-programmed operating machines. Their pupils, empty, with no signs of life. They can also be startled but couldn't feel pain from attacks.

But he knew that they were not mechanical, for they had bled when he stabbed them.

He stared at the mess he had made on the now bloodstained floor. He tried to make it less bloodier as possible but to no avail. There's scattered parts and remains of the creatures he had fought, the head, creating an impact on the bricked wall as it was stuck there. One cannot discern that it came from a person because it looked like fresh butchered meat. Blood still drips from the open cut wound of what he guessed is a creature's cut thigh. It had created a pool on where it stayed.

The place started to stink of blood and he covered his nose. He doesn't want to cook anything for tonight, leftovers will be fine. He doesn't want to remember anything from this scene on his meal.

Sighing, he snapped his fingers, "Pure Harmony. " Seconds later, a faint orange light surrounded the place. Music notes started to appear on the bloodied mess, it started to dance gracefully, a faint sound could be heard as if someone played the piano.

"Play D7 chord, F# and A. " He raised his hand and a sad symphony could be heard. The blood started to disappear as well as the traces of anything that had happened. It was replaced by orange sparkles going up the sky.

He closed his eyes and lowered his hand. "Facè Seri. " A faint wind passed on his face. He turned around to leave the place.

Moments later he heard a scream. When he rushed to the scene, he saw his new employee, Aegir, crying, as a human dropped on the floor, shot by a creature like he had fought. He stared at the scene and saw three creatures lie unconscious on the floor. One, whose eyes were stabbed by a pen.

'They tried to fight. '

He didn't waste any seconds and dashed towards the creature, leaving yet again a bloodied scene.

He sighed and picked up the ladle on the floor. He cleared his throat to get the attention of two 'cozy' individuals that couldn't care less to the surroundings. They are now in an argument on why Aegir left their home and why Anthony was a "nervous idiot". The one who started the argument, Anthony, seemed to be the loser for Aegir started to nag at him.

Poor guy.

"I don't want to interrupt but there are things we need to talk about. " The two stopped their argument, looked at him, blinking.

Vin sighed again. "You did tell me that you were attacked before? " he asked Aegir, which in turn, nodded. "He was with me, " Aegir replied, pointing at Anthony.

Vin pointed at the table and chairs. "Sit," he said and proceeded to sit by himself, the two followed suit.

Anthony stared at him and asked, "What is this all about? I cannot believe these things. Those killings... are those related from all of these? " Anthony still looked as if he doesn't believe in what is happening but he is trying to digest slowly.

Vin nodded.  "Those things are stealing souls from animal people and humans they saw at night, they are called djimbes.  Those who have witnessed what they do are targeted and silenced.  As for what they will do to those souls,  I still don't know if it's for their 'freedom' or for more dreadful cause.  I am trying to contact someone but she isn't available yet.  She knows what's happening. " He placed his eyes on the two who became pale as if they were ghosts.  

"I captured one creature weeks ago and I detained it in this building's basement. But I cannot get anything from it. " He massaged his head and slumped on the table.

He eyed the two again. "They will not stop until they have your head. You are not safe. "

Anthony is in a state of shock, as if he became a statue. While Aegir, even though eyes were wet from tears, looked at Vin with conviction.

"Lead me where you detained one of them. I can make that creature confess. "

At first he couldn't understand nor Anthony what Aegir meant. "You can't! " they both said in unison and there's silence after.

The boiling soup started to make a sound fighting off the silence of the place. When he placed his eyes on Aegir, he understood what he meant. His heart beat crazily, his face hot as if he had a fever.

He started to have an urge to serve and satisfy the cat's desires.

-

Vocabulary:

Facè Seri - rest in peace

SNEAK PEAK:

Anthony looked at Aegir as he walked towards a creature who was unmoving on a chair. "What are you gonna do? " he asked Aegir who in turn stared at him and smiled, a trace of sadness in his eyes.

"Something I should have done before you got shot to protect you. " Aegir smiled again, turning around to face the creature.

"I hate this but it turns out this will be useful for my master, " Aegir whispered.

He placed his hand on the creature's chin and stared at its blank eyes. It didn't take long for the creature to start sweating, it trashed on the chair on which it was tied. It panted and shouted, voice raspy as if it just only released its voice now after a long time. Anthony and Vin are just staring at the scene before them, dazed. While Aegir placed his hands on the creature's shoulders, it stopped trashing, but looked tense. Its face started to show color—faint red as if it blushed.

Aegir looked at the creature's eyes. "Tell me what you know, " his voice soft as if lulling a child.

The creature's mouth opened.