Worlds Across

Chapter 10: Weird Cat

As the van trundles down the road toward yet another town, silence fills the air—a rare moment in our team of chaos. Sage is in the passenger seat, flipping through some ancient map that looks like it’s one strong gust away from disintegrating, while Tata perches on her lap, surveying us all with the superior gaze of a cat who’s convinced he could lead this quest better than anyone else. He probably could.

In the back, Matt is nursing what has to be the worst hangover in Ragnillon history, Draco’s leaning against the window looking like he’s ready to punch a bounty hunter in the face just for breathing, and Tony is… well, Tony’s just eating some questionable dried meat he probably found on the floor of the van.

“So, does anyone have a plan?” I ask, keeping my eyes on the road as we bounce over yet another pothole. This road is a joke—probably designed to catch bounty targets off guard. Classic Ragnillon.

Matt, never one to let the lack of logic hold him back, groans and says, “Plan? Dude, I think I’m still a vampire.”

“You’re not a vampire,” I sigh, my patience already wearing thin. “You drank one drop of the bartender’s blood. Get over it.”

“Just let him live his truth,” Tony mutters, stuffing more questionable meat into his mouth. “It’s all he has left at this point.”

“I swear, if I hear the word ‘vampire’ one more time…” I trail off, but the threat is implied. The last thing we need is Matt thinking he has vampire superpowers while we’re on the run from half the kingdom.

We hit a bump, and Tata lets out an annoyed yowl, glaring at me as if I personally offended him with my driving. Sage gives him an apologetic pat and looks over at me, eyebrows raised. “So, Hero, you got a plan or what?”

I open my mouth to answer, but before I can say anything, there’s a flicker of light up ahead. Just great. I squint, and it becomes apparent we’re headed straight for a set of giant, menacing gates that look like they could withstand a dragon attack. Not that I’m volunteering to test that theory.

“Please tell me we’re not heading for another gate guarded by people who hate us,” Draco grumbles, eyeing the imposing iron structure up ahead.

“Well, we could turn around and head back to town, but I’m pretty sure they have our faces on every wanted poster from here to wherever the edge of Ragnillon is,” I say.

“So, we just casually drive in there?” Sage asks, clearly not thrilled with the idea.

Matt, suddenly perking up, says, “Or I could go in as the vampire lord of… something… and scare them off.”

I shoot him a withering look. “Not. Happening.”

We pull up closer to the gate, and sure enough, guards are standing there, and one of them is holding a wanted poster. They glance at the van, then at the poster, then back at us. I swear, the seconds stretch like they’re waiting for us to make a move.

Tony, clearly sensing the tension, mumbles, “Maybe if we just act natural…”

Draco rolls his eyes. “Right, because we look like the picture of ‘natural.’”

There’s a tense silence as I inch the van forward, trying to appear as un-suspicious as possible. One of the guards raises a hand, motioning for us to stop. I roll down the window, trying my best to look like an innocent traveler and not, you know, a recently wanted fugitive.

“Good afternoon, officers!” I say, attempting my best nonchalant voice. “Lovely day, isn’t it?”

The guard raises an eyebrow, glancing at the poster, then back at me. “You look… familiar.”

I feign confusion. “Me? Oh, I have one of those faces. People say I look like a distant cousin, a guy they went to school with, sometimes even a—”

“We don’t care who you look like,” the guard interrupts. “Show me your identification papers.”

I glance back at the group, desperately trying to think of a response, when Tony leans over and mutters, “I could… distract them?”

“By doing what?” I whisper back. “Making them pass out from your dried meat breath?”

Before I can come up with a plan, Tata—bless his little chaotic soul—decides that now is the perfect time to start clawing his way out of Sage’s arms. He leaps up onto my shoulder, hissing at the guard with the intensity of a cat who has had enough of our nonsense.

The guard recoils, raising his hands. “Woah, what’s up with the cat?”

“Oh, Tata? He’s just, uh… allergic to bounty hunters,” I say with an awkward chuckle.

Without missing a beat, Matt decides to capitalize on the moment. He leans out the window, putting on his most dramatic “vampire” voice. “Yes, behold! I am Lord of the Feline Legion! Fear my… uh… fur-covered wrath!”

The guard’s confusion is palpable. He glances back at his partner, then at us, then at Tata, who’s now glaring at them as if he could send them to the Shadow Realm with one look. I resist the urge to facepalm.

Finally, the guard sighs, probably deciding that dealing with us isn’t worth his time, and waves us through. “Just… go. And keep your weird cat under control.”

I don’t waste a second. The second the gate creaks open, I floor it, zooming through before they can change their minds. As soon as we’re out of earshot, Draco bursts out laughing.

“Lord of the Feline Legion?” he chokes out between laughs. “Matt, that was the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”

Matt just shrugs, grinning proudly. “Hey, it worked, didn’t it? Tata’s officially my sidekick now.”

Tata, sitting on the dashboard like a furry king, flicks his tail and pointedly ignores Matt’s declaration.

Sage shakes her head, chuckling. “Well, whatever you call it, that was some impressive improv.”

I can’t help but smile, relieved we made it through unscathed. “Alright, everyone. Let’s keep a low profile and actually try not to get arrested for at least the next hour.”

“Low profile?” Tony scoffs, looking at our ragtag group. “Not exactly our strong suit.”

And as I glance around at the group—Matt dramatically posing with Tata, Draco glaring at a bug that flew in through the window, Tony stuffing his face with mystery meat, and Sage trying to keep it all together—I realize he’s absolutely right.

But hey, at least it’s never boring.