Kano

　　In the weeks that followed Pak`s disappearance, Kano kept his ears open, seeking out rumors and clues. He found a Wanted poster for an unidentified Du閚 accused of slaughtering civilians outside the eastern gate, but it seemed a tall tale to begin with, and it certainly didn`t sound like something Pak would do. If it weren`t for his friend`s abandoned belongings in his empty room, Kano might have believed he`d imagined him all along.

　　So he moved on.

　　He was a minor celebrity in his district. His songs were sung in taverns even when he wasn`t there, and people on the street were quick to recognize him. He had no shortage of company, no shortage of cash, and nothing for which he wanted. Life was good. Life was easy. He couldn`t complain. He had nothing to complain about. And even if he did, as they say, it`s not as if anyone would listen. So, he went about his life.

　　He was never home alone if he could help it. Its emptiness was intolerable, an echo in his own hollow chest. So he spent all of his waking hours drinking, romancing, or practicing his act, anything to keep himself occupied. It was only when he was idle that the thoughts came&

　　It didn`t matter. It was all in the past.

　　Still, in some idle conversations, in some inebriated states, and on some stages with so many eyes upon him, the thoughts would come - and he would strike them down, sweep them away. He`d moved on with his life. There was no use dwelling over what was lost or squandered. Being sad would not bring his friend back. Feeling guilty would not bring his friend back. He had new friends, anyway, and Pak had made his choice. He didn`t even leave a note, so he clearly didn`t care.

　　It didn`t matter.

　　There was nothing Kano could do to bring him back.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

　　Cabbage

　　Cabbage nudged Pak`s head. It offered no resistance greater than its weight, falling limply back to the ground. He licked Pak`s cheek, then his eyelid, knowing his sandpapery tongue had stirred him in the past, but he still gave no response. Cabbage screamed in Pak`s ear and walked up and down his back, to no avail. The mortal was dead.

　　Cabbage paced, his feathers and fur standing on end, then sat in the small of Pak`s back where he`d often slept before. What would he do? There were no other cat-owls in this dimension. There weren`t even owl-cats. Nobody else here would appreciate him the way Pak did. He had nowhere to go, except back to the Dream, but he hated it there.

　　As Cabbage contemplated this horrid twist of fate, his belly began to rumble, and a thought occurred to him& He`d never tasted person-meat before. The moral implication of such an act did indeed give him pause, but, if Pak was truly dead, it was ultimately only meat. Cabbage could miss his mortal and eat him too, and he was sure Pak would have understood. He leaned in close, sniffed the exposed skin on Pak`s neck, and gave it a lick. The outside was salty, but he detected distinct notes of sweetness underneath. He nibbled Pak`s flesh, but before his sharp little teeth could puncture the squishy outer shell, he felt faint movement in the thick vein by the mortal`s throat - a heartbeat.

　　Cabbage`s eyes flashed with understanding.

　　Tell Kano&

　　The image of the half-human thing with the red fur on its head popped into his mind. Cabbage had never cared for Kano much. He was loud, clumsy and frankly not very smart, but Pak seemed to like him well enough to let him hang around for so long. And Pak had been acting strange lately. Perhaps Kano would know how to fix it, Cabbage thought. It was doubtful, but the longer he contemplated his options, the more he realized he had no choice.

　　"Mrrrrroooh&"

　　Cabbage waddled out of the cave to the edge of the nearest cliff. He scooted back an inch, wound up the springs in his legs, and gave a powerful kick, launching into the air. He unfurled his wings and caught a strong breeze, gliding through the sky to the nearest Dream-portal - visible only to Dream-native eyes - and soared through his dimension, where time and space were malleable, and his destination was only a wing-beat away.