And yet live goes on - A Shazam! one-shot collection

Stray

Spring, the season of rebirth. When flowers begin to bloom and the animals start to make themselves known again. Billy always liked spring. It was the easiest season to survive in. It wasn't as cold as winter or as hot as summer, and it usually had less rainfall than autumn.

Today was the perfect example of a spring day, and Billy wasted no time getting out of the house into the sunny day. He loved the Vasquez, but even he wanted to have some alone time.

He walked through the neighborhood, mostly keeping close to the houses, his mind drifting off to perfect hiding spots in the alleyways. It used to be a needed activity that he always did in the back of his mind, but now it was a calming way to shut his brain off and just let it happen. Besides, now he needed to find hiding spots to say the name and save the day, so it was a win no matter how he looked at it.

He was chucking down some water that he had taken from home when he heard a small crash from down the alleyway he was analyzing. As he looked into it, he heard a couple of violent meows coming from the back. They weren't very loud, Billy probably wouldn't have heard them if he wasn't already focusing on the area, but they didn't sound good.

Struck with curiosity, Billy wandered into the dark alleyway. He followed the sound to a trashcan, where he found three cats fighting with each other, or more so, two cats completely destroying a small tabby cat that was trying to fight back.

"Hey, get off of him!" Billy yelled, startling the cats. The two big cats stopped in their attack to stare at the human, where as the tabby cat used the distraction and got away quickly. Billy growled dangerously and yelled again, this time scaring the two cats enough to make them run away.

With an angry huff, he watched the two cats go. He hated bullies, no matter what form they took. As he turned back around his face softened when he saw the small orange tabby cat trembling in a corner. The cat had scratches on his side, which luckily were not bleeding, and dirt in his fur. It was clear this cat did not have a home.

"It's fine now, you can come out." he said softly as he crouched down. The cat curled up his back and hissed loudly at Billy, but it did not run.

"Are you hurt?" Billy asked. He took a small step forward but quickly went back as the cat swiped at him with his claw. Billy looked at the hissing cat with a saddened expression. The cat was injured, and even then it would not take any help.

Contemplating his options, he remembered the water bottle he had in his hand. He pulled off the cap and filled it with water before sliding it over to the tabby cat. The cat confusedly looked at the cap before taking a careful step towards it. It lowered his head, still with its eyes transfixed on Billy, before silently licking up the water in the bottlecap.

One refill later, the cat seemed satisfied with the drink and felt comfortable enough to limp past Billy onto the sidewalk. Billy watched him go with concern, but as he returned to the main road, the cat was nowhere to be seen.

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It wasn't until a week later that Billy saw any sign of the animal he had met in that alleyway. The cat had been on his mind from time to time, and he secretly wanted to know if he at least had a safe place where he could be cared for.

On this particular day, he decided to walk towards the main road of the area. It was a bit bigger than the average street in the neighborhood and usually a bit busier as well. There wasn't much to do near the road, but Billy didn't mind.

As he was walking on the side of the road when he spotted a familiar-looking face on the other side of the road. With a smile forming on his lips, he watched the street-style orange tabby cat casually strolling over the sidewalk. It did not seem distressed like last week, so that meant it had healed well after Billy's last encounter with him.