Chapter 6: East-Side Tail
“By the way, does he have a name?” Morrigan asked as she walked down the sidewalk, the two cats trotting by her feet.
Noir meowed, and the stray meowed back. “He said his name is Momo.”
“Did a human give him that name?”
After a brief exchange of meowing, the stray gazed at the ground, lost in thought, then unleashed a lengthy monologue which Noir translated attentively.
“He says he was once the companion of a young human girl. One day she embraced him, crying, as the older humans of the house removed their belongings and put everything into a truck. His favorite scratching post was thrown into a dumpster, and he, likewise, was simply left on the street. They left without him, and ever since he spent his days surviving the harsh life of a stray. The betrayal of those humans sat heavy in his heart, and he vowed to never love again. He often got into fights with other stray cats in the area, and eventually fell in with a bad crowd.”
“So he became a delinquent?”
“Yes… he was a strong fighter and soon earned the respect of the local strays. He became known as Boss-Matsumeowto. Though, despite the prestige and respect he garnered, none of his success on the streets could heal the missing void inside his heart. That is, until he met his wife. She filled the piece that had been missing ever since his human left him.”
Morrigan raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you’re not making any of this up?”
“It is as he says,” Noir confirmed.
“Mrrroowww,” Momo vocalized.
Noir continued translating. “He knew his reputation could have consequences for those he loved, and he and his wife wanted to start a family. So, he left his title behind, and they moved to the other side of town where they made a home for themselves in that alleyway. Winter rolled in, she became pregnant, and you know the rest.”
“That’s so sad.”
“It is.”
Momo nuzzled Morrigan’s leg, fluttering his wings and tail as she gently scratched behind his ears. “Okay, ask him if there is anywhere his wife might have gone to try to look for him? Maybe when he did not show up that day she decided to go look for him instead.”
After Noir’s translation, Momo perked up and led the way, glancing back with an urgent meow, signaling them to follow.
“He said there was a human woman who was once kind to him and his wife.”
Morrigan sped up her pace to match Momo’s, when further down the street she spotted a group of teenagers walking along the sidewalk towards them. Morrigan lowered her hat over her eyes and averted her gaze. She did not recognize any of them, but it was still possible they went to her school, so she would rather not be noticed.
“By the way, Morrigan, be sure not to touch anything living with your bare hands.”
“Hm? How come?”
“Because if you touch someone with your bare hands they will die.”
“Wait, seriously!?” she yelled at him, then as she glanced down the street she lowered her voice, not wanting to be noticed talking to a cat. Instead, she hissed through her teeth, “Why are you just now telling me this!?”
“You know full well why,” Noir said, pure annoyance etched in his voice. “There is much I had planned to explain to you this morning, but you ran off before allowing me the chance.”
“Well, that one is pretty damn important, so maybe you should have started with that!”
“Perhaps you are the one who should start paying more attention,” Noir shot back. “Do you understand I’ve been guiding reapers for a millennia? It is pure arrogance to not value my time and wisdom.”
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Morrigan had a retort on the tip of her tongue, but she bit it back as they crossed paths with the group of highschoolers. She kept her gaze diverted away from them until they were behind her. She noticed one of them try to peek under her hat, and could hear them whispering as they continued. She cautiously glanced over her shoulder once they were gone, relieved that their interest was less than a passing curiosity.
She examined her unnaturally pale hand as she continued to follow Momo. “If I wear gloves or something, will that help?”
“Yes, only direct contact with the palm of your hand will kill someone. Furthermore, if you are ever to use this power, the soul itself must still be harvested with your scythe. Otherwise, it will become a wandering spirit.”
She felt a tug of anxiety in her chest. She had the power to kill people. Not only that, it was expected of her. She had a quota! She had a murder quota!
Momo came to a stop at a small brick house alongside the city street. He climbed up the three steps and began scratching at the door.
Noir tilted his head, watching Momo's futile efforts. “He doesn’t realize the living are oblivious to his presence.”
“Tell him to let me handle it,” said Morrigan. “And also, ask him to describe his wife.”
After a brief exchange of meows, Noir relayed, “His wife had fluffy gray fur, lighter gray on her underbelly, white patch on her chest and a white ring near the end of her tail.”
“Alright… well, here it goes.” Morrigan stepped up to the door and knocked.
After a moment, there was the jingle of a chain, and the door creaked open, revealing an old woman wrapped in a knitted tunic. “Yes? How can I help you, young lady?”
“Hello, I’m sorry to bother you, and this might sound strange, but I’m looking for a cat.”
The old woman’s legs shook slightly; it seemed that standing was an effort for her.
“Ah… A cat, you say?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Morrigan said. She was self-aware of how suspicious she must seem, especially with her new appearance. “She was gray, um, had a white patch on her chest, and a white ring near the end of her tail. You may have seen her a few months ago with an orange male.”
“Oh my… Why, yes. Yes I do remember them. They were a couple of strays who would come by on occasion and I would leave food out for them. Y-young lady, how did you know to come here?”
“Um, well, it’s a long story. But can I ask when you last saw the female?”
“Oh, it was right around two months ago… Yes, that particularly bad snowstorm we had in late march. She appeared on my doorstep, meowing. Her orange companion wasn’t with her, and... oh, she seemed to be pregnant."
“So she was here?”
“I tried to bring her in, but she would not come. She ran off again after a moment, not even waiting for me to leave food out for her.”
“I don’t suppose you would have any idea where she might have gone next?” Morrigan asked.
“Unfortunatly, no. I would have liked to follow her, but…” the woman replied, her gaze drifting down to her shaking legs before meeting Morrigan's eyes again. “The snow was quite high, and that is the last I saw of her. I do hope she is alright.”
“Thank you, ma’am, that is helpful. I’m sorry for bothering you.”
Morrigan turned to leave but the old woman called out to her. “Young lady! Wait! Might I ask why you are looking for her?”
“A friend of mine just wants to know what happened to her. Even if it’s not good, he needs closure.”
“Would this friend be...” the old woman's eyes went down to Momo. Her voice became distant. “Oh my, I believe I am seeing angels again. Young lady, I do hope you are able to help your friend.”
“Oh… ummm…” Morrigan looked at her, puzzled. “Th-thank you...” she said, as the woman turned back inside her house and shut the door. Morrigan raised an eyebrow at Noir. “Could she see Momo?”
“When a soul’s time is near, they are sometimes keener to perceive the supernatural,” Noir explained. “She may already be on a reaper's list, and is not long for this world.”
“How many other reapers are there?” Morrigan asked in a hushed tone as they continued down the sidewalk.
“Typically, for every fifty thousand humans in an area, one reaper is assigned.”
Morrigan looked up, quickly calculating the numbers in her head. Codwell was not a very big city, but not exactly small either, with a population of two-hundred thousand. “So there's me, death, and two other reapers in the area?”
“Two or three. One per fifty thousand is an average, not a hard rule.”
“I see… do most of them live normal lives? You know, like me?”
Noir looked up at her. “Normal lives? Morrigan, I would suggest—”
“Never mind!” she interrupted, not wanting to hear what he would say next. “Look, I think Momo has an idea.”
Noir let out another frustrated sigh. “I will play along with this a little longer, but you must understand you have an important duty that was handed to you by the fates. As much as you would like to ease this soul’s suffering, that is not your job. There is a human soul on your list that will pass away in a few hours that you must tend to and I have not taught you nearly everything that I had hoped to by now.”
“Well, it’s my first day, so the fates will just have to cut me some slack. Now ask Momo where we should search next.”