The night in Los Angeles was as usual, filled with dazzling lights and dark corners hidden beneath them. A swift black shadow burst out from a corner, leaping rapidly towards the rooftop. Under the moonlight, its figure still seemed murky, but it was incredibly fast, its tail streaked straight behind it.
The whooshing sound of wind echoed in its ears, having run far and wide, leaping dexterously from one high-rise building to another, as if a bird fluttering freely in a concrete jungle.
However, a pair of gigantic winged shadows suddenly appeared in the moonlit sky, swooping quickly towards the black figure. One could see the sharp claws beneath the wings and the gust of wind they stirred.
The running shadow abruptly turned and dashed into a corner. The sharp claws missed and took a large chunk of the cement wall at the corner. Yet, its wings flapped rapidly, and it ascended once more, peering down from above. Even in the dead of night, it could detect the presence of the running shadow.
After crossing a stretch of houses, the running shadow twisted and turned before plunging into a woodland. It had reached the outskirts and was sprinting relentlessly in the woods and grasslands, as if constant running could offer it a tremendous sense of security. It dared not pause for a moment.
"Screech—"
A piercing cry echoed from the sky above, making the shadow on the ground even more frantic. It lunged forward, aiming to dart into a hole in the woods, its only refuge.
But it lunged too fiercely, bending a tree branch. As it got up to dive into a hole not far off, the branch snapped back with a "smack," hitting its tail and flipping it onto the ground.
The gigantic wings in the sky dove sharply towards the ground. The claws once again clawed at the black figure rolling on the ground.
The shadow let out a desperate "whimper—" sound. The gigantic claw was close at hand. A little further and it would capture it, tear its skin apart, rip out its intestines, and finally become a sumptuous meal for the large bird.
Suddenly, a beam of white light seemed to fly in from the horizon, swift as lightning. The claw had no time to react before the light struck its feathers. The flying bird lost its balance and fell, but before it could hit the ground, it spread its wings and flew high, quickly disappearing in the night sky.
Realizing the imminent danger, the bird was willing to abandon its long-pursued meal and flee for life. It was a survival instinct.
"Come out, stop hiding!" A gentle voice echoed in the woods.
The shadow emerged from beside a large tree. It stood upright on its two hind legs, its front paws slightly bowing at a young man who was slowly approaching, as if thanking him.
"You actually provoked such a ferocious creature. You're lucky!" The young man looked at the shadowy animal and couldn't help but shake his head and laugh. "It's surprising that a wildcat like you can practice to such a state. I scared away the gyrfalcon, and thus saved you. We have fate, off you go!"
The young man waved at the shadow.
The shadow dashed into the woods and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, hiding in the bushes. The young man laughed and turned to leave. He was just out to look for that tree and castle when he happened to come across this incident.
The young man was Jason. He hadn't found the place in the picture yet. The castle was like a medieval building, and the tree, as long as it was in Los Angeles, could be a landmark tree under government protection. But there was no such thing now.
Jason frowned. He initially wanted to look for it, but his mind was disrupted by this event. He simply found his parked car, started the old vehicle, and drove towards downtown Los Angeles.
However, when he was about to reach the motel, Jason stopped, opened the car door, looked at the dark woods beside the road behind him, shook his head, then opened the car's back door and said loudly, "Stop following, get in the car! I can't stand you anymore, hurry up, I'll give you five seconds."
As soon as his words fell, a shadow sprung out from the woods and slipped into the back seat of the car. Jason laughed and shook his head, closed the car door, then returned to the driver's seat, preparing to drive. Unexpectedly, the shadow jumped to the front passenger seat, curled lazily on the seat. Jason didn't say a word. Just like that, one man, one car, and one cat journeyed towards downtown Los Angeles. Upon arriving at the motel, the cat jumped out of the vehicle and perched on Jason's shoulder - its stance was characterized by an air of contentment. Jason, saying nothing, entered the motel. Nina watched in surprise, her gaze alternating between Jason and the cat on his shoulder.
"When did you start keeping a cat?" Nina asked, staring at Jason.
"Tonight," Jason replied casually, heading towards the stairs. He asked, "Did anyone leave a message for me today?"
"Yes, but I've already responded for you. It was the same person, I told them you were unavailable, just like you instructed."
"Good girl!" Jason ascended the staircase. He noticed Nina's longing gaze but chose to ignore it. He understood her longing for love, but all he needed was a one-night stand. This was where their desires clashed.
Upon entering his room, the black cat eagerly jumped onto the couch, taking a comfortable position and watching Jason move around the room. Its eyes narrowed, and it lay down, dozing off. The cat seemed as comfortable as if it were with an old friend.
The night slowly passed. Morning sunlight kissed the balcony of the villa. Lying in bed, Royce could see the lush trees outside through his window. There was no one beside him, but it was evident he had been sleeping alone. The other side of the bed was cold, void of any warmth or signs of another person sleeping there.
He had retired early the previous night due to a severe headache. Though he still felt slightly dizzy in the morning, it was much better, and he could move freely without hindrance.
Upon getting up, Royce checked the other two rooms upstairs but found no one. He went downstairs, but Cathy was not there. He called out loudly, "Cathy, are you there? Cathy—"
But everything was silent; Cathy was clearly not home.
This caused Royce to frown. He went out to the garage and saw their old car still parked there; it hadn't been driven out. Where could Cathy have gone?
Back in his room, ready to change out of his pajamas, something fell out and landed on the floor with a "clink."
Royce bent down to pick up the small, shiny object—it was a small round mirror, the one Jason had given him. Jason seemed like an ordinary man, but why did he give him this mirror? Recalling his condition over the past few days, Royce felt confused.
As he stood in his room, baffled, he heard a voice from outside.
"Hey, darling, are you up?" It was Cathy; her voice always managed to cheer him up. He could never stay mad at her. Just hearing or seeing her made him happy.
Descending the stairs, he saw Cathy walking in, her hands filled with groceries. She smiled at Royce and said, "I'll put these in the kitchen. We'll make dinner ourselves tonight!" With that, she turned and headed towards the kitchen.
Royce smiled, unconsciously lifting the small mirror in his hand, which happened to catch Cathy's retreating figure.