Scars (Part II of J.H. White's Puss in Boots)

Chapter Eighteen: Friends and Enemies

Puss and Kitty came out of the machine and found themselves in a frozen environment. "Puss, what is that?" Kitty said in surprise at the time machine.

"It's a long story, mi reina," he replied. "Now, where are we?"

"It can't be Spain," she reasoned. Puss nodded. "It must be somewhere further north."

Then he saw an animal he never thought he would cross paths with again and seethed, knowing his true identity.

Donkey, accompanied by Shrek and his family. Then, Puss saw himself. Did I really look that young once? he thought to himself.

"Kitty, let's go," he said. Then, Shrek, to his dismay, saw him.

"Puss?" he asked, and then looked to the Puss at his side.

"Puss?!" Donkey repeated. The future Puss ran over to Shrek. "Shrek, get your family out of here. You don't want to be a part of this. This may sound crazy, but Donkey is an all-powerful being and I'm going to kill him before he takes over Spain, in the future." Puss had suddenly figured out that he could legitimately correct the future, so the war would've never happened and everybody he loved would be alive and safe. He could save more than just Kitty and Maria; he could save millions.

Shrek looked at him blankly. "Puss, have you had too many to drink? What are you talking about?" Donkey smiled villainously and rose into the air, his hoofs bursting into magical flame. Shrek swore.

"I SAID RUN!" Puss shouted frantically to Shrek. He and his family, along with his very confused past self, escaped hurriedly.

"YOU CANNOT DEFEAT ME!" Donkey shrieked. "I AM EVERYWHERE!" He shot a flaming bolt of energy at Puss, which he narrowly dodged.

"NO MORTAL CAN DEFEAT THE MASTER!" Donkey boomed. Puss ducked as another bolt flew past him, and then he readied his sword. Donkey conjured up thousands of glass shards and lunged them at Puss. They stabbed through his torso and limbs, but he kept trying to fight Donkey off.

That was when Donkey grabbed Kitty, holding her up in the air and trying to strangle her to death. Blood dripped out of her mouth, and Puss cried, "NO!"

He ran at the creature with an unmatched fury and plunged his sword all the way through Donkey's head. Kitty was released and she fell on top of Puss, both of them tumbling down into the snow. Puss felt the warmth of her body against his, a stark contrast to the intense cold.

"Kitty, are you okay?" he asked her.

"Yes," she coughed, throwing her arms around his neck and burying her head in his chest.

They both stood up, and stared at Donkey's corpse. Blood leaked out of his eye sockets, and the untouched white of the snow was now stained with red.

Then, Donkey moved his horrific head and said one last thing before he died.

"Lu omni elipsor, de flori skala."

Puss gasped. Those words again. He had to know what they meant.

"Kitty, we need to go. Back to our time. Come on." Kitty stepped into the time machine with no questions, not saying a word. As they shut the door and blitzed through time and space, Kitty put a paw to her head.

"Puss, it hurts," Kitty groaned. "My head. I see things." Puss put his paws slowly on her shoulders.

"What do you see, mi amor?" he asked.

"A cat; his eyes, they're red. His fur is brown."

Puss swore. It was Scars, it had to be.

"Mi reina, where is he? Can you see it?" he asked her.

"He's standing outside a black tower, two hundred stories high."

"Anything else?" Puss said.

"Yes," she said. "The moon's made of blood."