Something nudged Julien’s lower leg.

“Well, hello there, little one.”

A sleek, dark cat with eerie blue eyes looked
up at him.

“No, you’re not getting my food.”

The cat turned around and stood there, regarding him with a penetrating stare.

“What do you want—a new owner?” Julien asked. “No, wait—you’re a cat. It’s you that owns people, right?”

There was no time to wait for the cat’s response. A piercing screech from overhead assaulted Julien’s ears, and mere moments later, less than a stone’s throw away from where he sat, the grass erupted, and a shock wave
rattled the trees when a flyer crash-landed into the ground.