Maggie raced through the wet snow, her paws stinging from the cobbles and her fur slicked to her skin with ice-water. The tiny bundle in her mouth mewed as it was jolted from side to side.
"I'm going as fast as I can, little one" she murmured around clenched jaws.
She skidded round a corner a little too fast, tumbling into a pile of crates, the bundle spinning over the cold ground. Maggie opened her eyes blearily. She gently lifted her aching body off the cobblestones, flexing her limbs to check for broken bones. None. Good. Back on all fours again, limping over to the pitifully crying pile of rags - her assignment - she picked it up. She flicked her ears.
"Oh, you poor baby" she crooned.
She nudged it with her nose to check for damage, finding nothing.
She risked a glance at the sky. Broiling purple clouds above the city of Lost threatened snow.
Great, she thought, more snow.
It started to rain at that point. Big, cold drops of rain pelted down on the two small figures huddled in the alleyway.
Maggie set off for the Church, one of the few remaining safe places in Lost. Years ago, when the plague swept over the land, most of the population died off, and the ones that remained fled, fearing the plauge would return. Now, nearly all of the valuable items in the city had been stolen or looted by dog-bandits, a fearsome mix of staffy, German shepherd and man. They retained the verticle structure of a human, while having a terrifying sense of smell and a vicious ferocity.
She reached the Church, it's once-gleaming oak doors split and moulding with age. Setting the bundle down carefully, she raised on her hind legs and knocked soundly on the base of the doors, glancing around fearfully for dog-bandits. They had a mean sense of smell and hearing, but she was lucky she was a dark colour, unlike some of her fellow clan-mates. Being a light colour would be disastrous in the city. Being easily spotted was a constant fear.
Around a minute later the door creaked open a crack, and a silver head poked through.
"What on earth happened to you?" it demanded.
Maggie sighed. Getting past Mercury was always difficult.
"Mercury, I just had a little trouble with the mission. Now, if you could just let me in so I could speak to Solom-"
"Maggie, Maggie, Maggie my dear. You think Solomon will want to see you like this?"
As much as she hated to admit it, she felt pretty dirty. She was still soaking wet from the rain and snow, and her coat was encrusted with dirt and splinters. She had a task though, and Solomon had told her to see him as soon as she returned.
"Look, Mercury, he told me to see him as soon as I returned. Now, will you please let me in? I'm freezing my paws off out here."
Mercury grumbled and reluctantly pushed the door open wider.
"Thanks, Mercury. I was also wondering whether you could take this one down to the nursery?" Maggie asked, motioning to the deadly still bundle of fabric.
"She's freezing cold and wet and I wouldn't want her to get sick. She's the newest member, after all."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Maggie stalked down the gloomy, cold corridor, grumbling under her breath. She hated when Mercury called her that. She didn't even have royal status! Although she was pretty high up on the social ladder. She was assistant to Solomon, the guardian of The Cats of Lost. In human terms he was probably a kind of king.
