Lost & Found

Chapter 1

Oliver appeared on the other side of the wall.

A dim, faded forest stretched out before him. Something vaguely like sunlight trickled through the leaves overhead, but there was no warmth in the light, and no feeling of happiness at the sight of it. There was no happiness here at all – if anything, the light just felt sad, as if in a cruel reminder of what sunlight would be like if it was here.

Trees stretched upwards towards the not-sunlight, but they were just as disappointing as the sunlight. Most of them were gnarled and crooked, and they seemed to fade and become translucent unless he looked directly at them.

A dull gray orb floated near him, like a drained version of the lady he had just left on the other side of the wall, but he ignored it. It was not Roger – that would have been far too easy for how annoying this day had been, and he did not feel drawn to it by the memories he carried. That was just one of the many despairing spirits that existed here.

This was a miserable place. The sooner he was gone from it, the better. So first things first – find the wayward kitten.

The three memories itched at his back – especially the one that held traces of pain – but he could put up with them while he focused on saving the kitten. With any luck she might be able to help convince Roger to leave this place and return to the land of the living. But if nothing else, the kitten was unlikely to decide to stay in this miserable place once Oliver rescued her. With Roger, he would need to leave as soon as he convinced the spirit to return to the world of the living, since staying too long could mean the spirit might change its mind. So it was only practical to find the kitten first and get that task out of the way.

Oliver sniffed the air. Most of the scents were muted and uninteresting... but there was a scent of something alive out there. He flicked his tail in satisfaction and set off after the scent.

~

"What," Oliver stared up at the tree in disbelief, "do you think you are doing?"

The kitten hissed and glared back towards him. Her solid black fur stood out against the gray tree trunk as she tried to cling to it with her claws. "This is my tree! I found it; go away! What are you doing in my territory?"

"...what are you, a dog? There is no 'territory' here. Do you not know where we are?" The orange tabby began walking around the tree, flicking his tail in disdain as he neared the black kitten clinging to the bark. "I am here to rescue a silly kitten who clearly has no sense of her own."

"I am no kitten! Stay back!" The kitten leaned away from the trunk to hiss and swipe with one paw, but her swipe fell short of the other cat. "I have conquered four seasons. I am a cat. Fear me!"

Oliver took another look at the dark-furred kitten. She was small enough to be mistaken for a kitten, but now that he paid attention he could spot signs of maturity. Her eyes were suspicious and wary, one ear was notched from a bite wound, and scars could be glimpsed beneath her black fur. She had been in fights – serious ones of life and death, not the play-fights of kittens – and she had survived them. That meant she was a cat now, not a kitten, no matter how small she looked.

But she was climbing a tree in this region of the land of the dead. That meant she clearly had a lot to learn.

"If you are a cat, you should have paid more attention to the lessons your mother taught you. No one climbs trees here." Oliver continued pacing around the tree, watching as the kitten leaned around the trunk to follow him. "You should climb down, before you get hurt."

"I am not coming down so you can attack me." The kitten's eyes widened even as her pupils narrowed to slits, focusing entirely on the cat. "I do not even know who you are."