Instinct: An Animal Rescuers Anthology

by L.J. Hachmeister

MY NAME IS MOUSE AND I am a very Good Boy. Everybody says so.

I tilted my head at Cerberus and said, “You have six ears. Did none of them hear me?”

“There are at least four wielders of Power in Chicago who might have banished you.

That was the trouble with working with dark energy—it tended to blind even those who use it.

“Simpleton,” sneered My Shadow. “Fat, foolish slave in a collar.” “It lights up,” I snarled, “so cars can see me at night. Because My Friend cares about me.”

I showed him my teeth. “You,” I said quietly, “are a Bad Dog.” The deadliest insult I knew hung in the air in perfect silence.

“The Master of the Future comes,” my brother growled, breathing hard. “This is your last chance to flee.”

“Harry,” Cowl muttered, staring at me. “You are an almighty pain in my ass.”

“First,” I said, “that no one tells cats what they may or may not do. Not even wizards.”

“And?” My Shadow asked. “Second?” “I cheat,” I said.

“That is that,” Cerberus noted with professional satisfaction. “I am getting three treats when I get home.”

“Bad People always look for weakness,” I noted. “And once they think they have found it, they cannot see anything else.”