“Birds,” Cat scoffed as much as cats can scoff. Though they were pretty capable of communicating their disdain, even with those who couldn’t understand them like I could. “Silly things.”
“I sensed it, too. Sensedsomethingat least.”
The cat’s green eyes stared up at me, pupils narrowing to slits. “Danger?”
That stirring sensation returned. “Possibly. Yes. I think. I’m not really sure.”
The cat finished the last little bits in the can, licking it carefully, as I waited for a response. As soon as she finished, she licked the sides of her mouth and stretched. “Come, Bowen.”
She hopped down from the wall, and I hurriedly wrapped up the remainder of my sandwich, shoving it into my bag, and threw away the empty tea bottle and pâté can. She began walking, stopping to see if I was following her.
Cat continued, leading me along the edge of the boardwalk, always several feet in front of me, checking occasionally to be sure I was still behind her. “Many come from far away. I hear much. A lot of stories.”
Animals were keen observers. While they might not understand all the nuances of human conversations, their heightened senses allowed them to pick up a lot more than people knew. No one worried about what they said with an animal hovering nearby. Of course, I didn’t know if anyone else was privy to their observations, like I was.
“What kind of stories?” I asked. When someone passed me on roller skates and shot a look my way, I fished out my earbud to pop in. Amazing how one small piece of equipment kept people from thinking I was out of my mind, even if it made them think I was rude. Rude was more acceptable, though.
“There is a place in the water. Land. It is special.”
“Land? Like an island, you mean?” I hurried to close the distance between us, but Cat, being, well, a cat, quickened her steps to keep the same distance between us.
“Yes. I will not go. I do not care for water.” I smirked at her declaration, but stayed quiet to let her continue. “I have sensed many creatures that have talked of this island. They say it is protected.”
“What kind of creatures?”
“Creatures like you.”
“Like me? You mean, human?”
Cat stopped and turned to face me. She looked up at me and harrumphed in that cattish way. “You are not cat, but you are not human, either.”
“What? What do you mean by that?” Cat turned away from me and led me along the walkway. “Wait! Hold up, you can’t just say that and not explain.”
“Come, Bowen,” she commanded with a sharp meow.
Not human? As my feet kept moving, I looked down at my hands, as if they would hold any secrets. They were the same hands I’d always had. I knew every inch of them, so what was I expecting to see? I was raised human; my family was human. What did she mean? And yet… I was able to understand her. To understand many creatures, and I didn’t know anyone else who could do that. But…what the fuck?
As the sidewalk grew more crowded, Cat picked up her pace, dodging swiftly around skateboarders, strollers, and pedestrians. I was practicallyjogging, trying to keep up, holding my messenger bag as it bounced against me.
“Cat! Where are you taking me?” I yelled, earning more than a few looks from people who suddenly moved to the far side of the path, trying to put distance between us.
We were leaving the swimming beach area and coming up to the harbor. She stopped and wound around a light post, waiting for me to come to her side. When I reached her, I knelt down to speak quietly with her. “Why are we here?”
She looked at the harbor where boats of all sizes were parked and tethered. “You will need a boat.There’s a big one, lots of people, you should get on it.”
My skin prickled, and I felt my gut churn. I wasn’t sure if it was from the wholenot-humancomment, or the weirdness with the cat, but I felt off.
Cat’s eyes changed suddenly and she stared past my shoulder, her pupils going so wide her eyes were almost black. “I see it.”
Panic had me looking behind me, and that same unease I’d felt when the ducks were warning me made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. “What? What do you see? Is it a cloud?”
Cat arched her back with her puffy tail straight in the air. “Not a cloud. Darkness. Shadows. Seeking.”
“Seeking what? What is it seeking?”
Her eyes met mine. “You. Seeking you. You must go on the big boat, Bowen.”
“Wha…what?” My voice barely squeaked out.
