Half Past Midnight

A cream tail flashed across the trees. Something was running.

A long scarf trailed through the wind as the creature ran. Something was wrong.

The growls of some animal rang through the trees. There was a howl. These weren't just any dogs, no, they were hellhounds.

The cream cat ran through the trees, his narrow blue eyes fixed on the road in front of him. He was swift and cunning, he could easily outrun these creatures. But now they were too close. There was no way he could escape an attack. Hellhounds who attack in packs are deadly, very deadly. But Mikael had risked coming all the way to their lair to retrieve something for a friend he loved dearly. He had fetched the old scrolls of the underworld. The scrolls were tightly tucked in Mikael's scarf to prevent falling out, he had made sure of it.

The hellhounds were hot on his trail, he could hear their panting as they neared closer. For a split second, he thought of what were to happen if he was torn apart, then made a sharp curve towards the bushes. The hellhounds paused, obviously confused. The leader sniffed the air and caught a whiff of Mika's scent, checking the bushes around him.

However, Mika was halfway out of the forest when the pack had found his trail. Few more strides and I am out...he thought as his eyes caught the sight of the night sky. Mika hardly flinched as the hellhounds burst out of the bushes behind him. They hardly ever left the forest; they wouldn't go for someone like him. As Mikael threw himself out of the bushes that marked the entry and exit of the forest, the hellhounds stayed behind, baying and howling. Mika grinned, his mission was accomplished.

***

"So you got the scrolls!" A tabby said, her emerald eyes flashing. "Oh thank you so much!" She went up and touched noses with Mikael, whose eyes widened with shock and he almost jumped back.

The tabby walked off, clutching the scrolls, and put them in some sort of library. "Now we have the scrolls, but I warn you, Mikael. The hellhounds have not given up their chase. Trust me, they'll find where we're hiding. Tomorrow, we pack up everything and leave. Hey, where's Leo?"

Another cat who looked much like Awesome and Tomato combined stepped up. "I'm here," he said in a monotonous tone. "I'm here and ready to serve, Esme." The cat let out a yawn before asking, "What do you need?"

Esme smiled at him before saying, "We need to take everything and move! Hellhounds are hot on our trail, and I need to read those scrolls. You and Mika can prepare everything while I study those scrolls. Go on, my faithful friends!" And with a whoosh, she seemed to disappear into thin air.

Mika and Leo glared at each other before setting off to work. Things were not going as planned, were they?