I crawled out of the house through the same hole, which was more challenging than the entrance, since I had to hold the cat's body tight to my chest. The numbness within its small body made it an easier job to find the most suitable position, although I still had to feel its coolness to the fullest, as I held it under my tunic. The three of my companions were waiting for me all this time. I was slightly surprised to see them, but melancholy quickly returned to my eyes as I turned away from them.
Nila looked over my body and tilted her head, "Did you find the cat?" Then, Faust spoke, while Riaz silently sighed, "What happened, Dusk?"
I hesitated for a moment, but then took the cat's body out of my clothes and extended its dead body. Their smiles immediately dropped, especially apparent this change was in Faust, who was the first one to brush its cold fur with his palm. Riaz immediately crossed his hands in prayer, which Nila noticed and copied him with a slight nod. After a thoughtful minute of silence, Nila was the first one to shatter her position.
"Then how about we bury it somewhere and then proceed with another search?"
I gritted my teeth and jerked my head in fury, "What the hell are you talking about? Bury it somewhere, as if it is some kind of trash?"
Nila only blinked at me a few times, but then Riaz barged into our argument and said, "Easy, Dusk, she did not say anything wrong. We should bury it, as… its state will break the hearts of its owners."
Even though Riaz tried to sound thoughtful, I could perfectly see how he kept his distance from a dead body. Exceptional, just what I expected from a man of faith, to disregard connections over own gain. It should have been the most sensible choice to return its body to the owners, yet I somehow found myself in the minority. Luckily, another voice raised his concern, it was Faust who spoke.
"Riaz, Nila, would you be fine if your dearest friend or a relative fell in battle and was buried in an unknown grave? No matter how painful it will be for our client… we should be honest with them whatever it takes."
"Even if we do not get our reward?" bluntly asked Nila, to which Faust scoffed and explained, "Reward is irrelevant in the face of death, such is my principle. But if you wish to continue searching for other cats immediately, I do not mind being divided into two groups."
Nila looked at me once again, my eyes were still glittering from anger at her. She pondered for a moment, while swinging her suitcase from side to side, but then nodded with a defeated expression, "I believe there is no need to be separated. You would like to give this cat's corpse to the owner, right, Dusk?"
I nodded in silence at her question, which triggered a light smile on her face, "Then I should listen to my pupil's wishes. Let's get going to this poor soul's owner."
And so we did, the four of us moved to the direction of the owner's house. Since Riaz and Faust were the ones who took this quest, they were the ones to lead the way, while I tagged behind and made sure that Nila would not suddenly mess up the direction. From poorer neighbourhoods, we returned to more moderate ones which took was some time, mostly because Faust halted for some time near the pub where he helped the old man carry barrels of alcohol inside. Riaz also helped along with Nila, who used levitation magic instead of relying on her strength. The two of our companions and an old man looked at her in surprise, this spell was seemingly quite a rarity. Since I already saw it before and even experienced the divine feeling of floating above the ground, I stood further away from them, with my hand enveloping the cat's cold body underneath my tunic. I could not afford for anyone to see its pitiful state, thus I refused to help with this sudden ordeal.
Once the old man told his regards, we continued our stroll through the town. It was not followed by peaceful silence, but rather by curious gazes of people around, who greeted Faust and Riaz with high regard. I did not quite like it, especially when curious kids tried to find out what I was holding onto under my clothes, but Riaz's kind words and Nila's magic tricks diverted their attention from me. Even though we did not know Faust as newcomers, he was seemingly a known star from around the town, which is surprising, since I expected a clergyman like Riaz to be more familiar to local folks
The house of the owner happened to be quite closer to the centre of the city, although it would still be a long walk to the church that towered over the entirety of Wohr. As Faust explained, the one living in the 2-story estate was Madam Chiester, an elderly widow who was living off of her husband's accumulated wealth. The entirety of their money was given to children who built their careers elsewhere, and Madam Chiester decided to live the rest of her life in the very first estate she acquired alongside with Sir Chiester. Although her home was described as modest, I was impressed by its size, all of it for an elderly lady as a sole inhabitant!
Faust knocked on the door, then rang the bell. I could hear light footsteps coming from the inside, but other than me, only Nila was ready to make eye contact with that person. However, once the door slowly opened, the rest directed their faces at it as well.
"I am sorry, but Madam Chiester is feeling unwell today." said a young lady in black and white uniform, similar to the one that workers of Crawley's estate were wearing. Seems like she was a maid there.
"Oh, did we catch you at a bad time, then?" asked Riaz through the crack in the door, then Faust added, "This about Madam Chiester's cat."
"Missy…" gasped the maid, then she exited the house and closed the door behind her before saying in a whisper, "Did you find her?"
"Yes, but…" I mumbled, while ruffling my clothes, Nila noticed my hesitation and declared in a stern manner, "We are sorry to inform you, but the cat is dead."
Everyone remained silent from her bluntness, although I also nodded slightly, being perfectly aware that there was no need to kick around the bush. After a moment of consideration, the maid shook her head and dashed into the house without leaving space for us to enter, she said, "I am sorry, but I really can't let you-"
"Come inside." suddenly sprung a voice behind the maid, interrupting her. The maid shivered a little, but then turned around with her arms spread, "But madam!"
"Prepare tea for our guests, Barbara."
The maid gave out a sigh, then she squinted at us, but opened the door wide. Then, he jolted away and revealed the interior of the house. It was rather maximalistlic with various colours and depths that were created by ornaments on the walls, paintings and potted plants that stood on top of stools made of darker wood. Crimson walls along with light wooden floor and darker sheathing all over the place created one pleasant atmosphere for an eye. Madam Chiester happened to be just as eye-catching, even though her hair was fully grey, wrinkles mercilessly demonstrated her old age in full glory and a wooden stick pointed at the fragility of her body; her stature and figure remained solid, as if frozen in time from her peak. Such was the power of a corset within a dark dress.
Madam Chiester gestured with her hands to let us in, and we complied. Once in the living room, we made ourselves comfortable on the wooden sofa with blue pillows that contrasted with the colour of the walls. Madam, however, sat on her chair that was a little further away from the coffee table. She coughed a few times and breathed heavily, which forced Faust to stand up, however, she stopped him with a gesture of her hand.
"Maybe I could ease your illness with Farhen's grace?" asked Riaz, to which the woman replied with a tired smile, "Goddess will not make an exception as my age is a natural way to reach life's end."
Then, her eyes landed on Nila, her jaw dropped a little, but then she spoke with her hoarse voice, "An elf, well that's a miracle. I never saw one of your kind before."
"Are you wary of me?" tilted her head Nila, but Madam Chiester only giggled, "I would not say so, but tell me, is it a weird sight to see someone nearing their own demise?"
Nila hummed to her question and lowered her head, "I am already used to humans' short lifespan, but at the start it truly felt… off."
While they were talking, Barbara finally came and put the tea set with 4 cups on top of the coffee table. Then, she offered her madam a glass of water, which Chiester sip out of and looked over at us once more. Her keen eye stopped at the bulge within my chest, which appeared due to the cat's presence there.
"About Missy…" she whispered. Her lip was trembling slightly, nevertheless she continued, "Did you find her?"
"...Yes." mumbled Faust and looked at me, he tried to stand up, but I did not waste any more time. I also jerked my body upwards and came closer to Madam Chiester. I was the one who had to return Missy to her owner, thus, I took out her stiff body and extended it to Madam Chiester. The maid gasped in shock and the same did Riaz, however, Madam Chiester was not disgusted by its appearance. A single tear ran down her loose cheek, and she outstretched her trembling hand to take the cat into her embrace.
"Welcome home, Missy." she whispered while caressing the fur that remained soft to the touch.
Upon seeing this scene, only one word escaped my lips, "Sorry."
But then, Madam Chiester jerked her head and looked at me in surprise, "What are you apologising for, young man?"
"We promised to return your cat safe and sound, but… we failed this task, for that we are sorry." explained Faust and bowed deeply, making Riaz follow his lead, although Nila did not join them. The old lady shook her head and smiled, "You did return her home, this is all I could ask for. Missy was my companion for 12 years, she was a gentle girl despite being a stray. We both were alone, but for two different reasons. Despite that, we became each other's worlds. She was an affectionate little kitten, always by her mama's side. If anything I should be apologising for letting her escape, in the end, I am the one who could not see her off to the spirit realm."
I noticed regret slowly forming on her face, which made me frown. Madam Chiester was right about everything she said, Missy did not die without a reason, she was abandoned. Pets were an insignificant part of human life, however, for them, we were the world, the beacon of light that gave them shelter and food. It was supposed to be our sole responsibility to keep them safe, that's why I never had a pet, as it would be impossible for someone like me to take care of them. Madam Chiester failed at her responsibility to keep the cat safe, so I did not feel any remorse from seeing her weavering mood, as she truly deserved that.
But my sentiment was not shared by others, instead of silently observing her grief, Faust stood up and patted my shoulder before passing me. Then, he kneeled into Madam Chiester's legs and raised his head to look at her in her teary eyes. After his gaze dropped back to the cat, he said in a gentle tone, "Missy has really soft fur, you must have trimmed and brushed her regularly, right?"
The old woman nodded, light sobs were coming out of her as Faust continued, "I immediately recognized how pretty Missy is. You truly gave her the best life a stray could ever wish for, most of them are never even mourned for. You love her, and I can assure you that she loves you back no matter what."
"But she is gone now… I was not with her during her last moments."
"She is not gone!" protested Faust and patted the cat's head, "She is right here. Her spirit can rest without regret now, knowing that she did return to her beloved mistress."
"Her spirit." whispered Madam Chiester, then a warm smile rose up her cheeks, "Thank you, young man, but I will still make sure to apologise to Missy, whenever I will get a chance to follow her."
"And she will accept your apology with open arms!" exclaimed Faust and gave a big smile in return.