Kano

　　It was an early morning in the dead of winter. Kano was sound asleep, dreaming some dream he`d never remember, when a loud THUD rattled the wall behind his bed, startling him awake. The woman lying beside him shot upright.

　　"What was that?" she gasped, gripping his arm. Kano wasn`t entirely sure who she was. His head was still swimming from whatever he`d been drinking the night before-

　　"Do you want me to go look?" the man on his other side asked earnestly, peeking out from behind the mound of blankets. Kano jumped, clutching his chest. He`d forgotten all about his other guest.

　　"No, no, it`s fine," he said, rubbing his eyelids. "I`ll check it out, just& Just stay here."

　　He scooted out of the blanket and gingerly made his way off the front of the bed, desperately trying to avoid an awkward climb over either naked stranger. He pulled on his robe, slipped on his slippers, and opened the door to a blustering, snowy wind.

　　"Wait!" the woman cried. Kano turned to find the two huddled up together in his bed, bosom to bare chest, watching him with wide, fear-stricken eyes.

　　"Be careful," the man said with a theatrical quiver in his voice. Kano gave them an unimpressed stare, grunted, and stepped through the door, letting the wind slam it shut.

　　He snapped his fingers and shielded the flame on his thumb for long enough to light a cigarette, then trudged around to the back of the house, to the little door he`d carved out so long ago. He hadn`t gone back there for months. The last time he did was the last time he`d spent the day waiting for Pak to come home, and the sight of it brought his heart to the ground. But the crash had come from the other side of their shared wall, from inside Pak`s hovel. It was just a closet, really - just a closet Kano had hidden with a bookshelf inside the house. He still hadn`t moved the bookshelf. He`d hoped to forget the closet was there at all.

　　Kano puffed his cigarette, white clouds of smoke made whiter by the cold. His eyes were heavy with interrupted sleep, and he was losing feeling in his fingers and toes, but an invisible weight kept him from moving forward. He`d spent entire days waiting on the other side of the hidden door, wracked with nerves, without a single bite to eat, only for his friend to never come home. He didn`t want to go in there again. He felt a rush of anger, tempered by the chill of grief, but he had to brush it away. All of that was in the past.

　　Kano steeled his resolve and yanked the door open. It scraped the ground, stopping halfway against the compacted snow. He kicked the snow away, struggling with the last few inches of the door`s path, until it was just wide enough for him to squeeze through. Apart from what early morning light spilled in, Pak`s closet was pitch-dark. Kano stamped out his cigarette, groping around for the candle he`d left on the wall sconce, but instead his hand brushed against something unexpectedly furry.

　　"Prrrroooh!"

　　Kano froze. Though he couldn`t see through the darkness, there was no mistaking that odd, purring coo.

　　"Cabbage?"

　　"Prrroooh," Cabbage grunted, waddling into the light, ruffled from the crash. Kano gaped in disbelief.

　　"What&" He snapped a flame into existence and shakily lit the candle he`d originally been searching for, never taking his eyes off of the cat-owl, as if he might disappear if he looked away. As the room illuminated, Kano`s heart sank. Cabbage was there alone. He shut the door, sealing out most of the cold air.

　　"Where`s Pak&?" he said as he hobbled over to the chair by the small table where they used to have their breakfast together. There was only room for one chair. Pak always sat on his bed.

　　"Prrooooh," Cabbage explained. An uncomfortable beat of silence passed. Kano could only stare. The tip of Cabbage`s tail flicked impatiently. "Mrrooh!"

　　"I`m sorry!" Kano threw his hands up. "I don`t speak& owl?"

　　"Prrooh!" Cabbage spat.

　　"Well, I don`t speak cat either!" Kano sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Shit&"

　　"Kano?" Three knocks came from the other side of the wall, followed by his male guest`s voice. "Is everything okay?"

　　"Fine! I`m fine! It`s a mouse!" Kano shouted back. "Just, um, a very large mouse - it`s fine, give me a minute!"

　　He looked around the room. Pak never did have much to call his own. There was the chair, the table, a modest bed, a short shelf stuffed full of books - undoubtedly overdue at the library - and a small pile of half-finished drawings on top of the shelf, but that was all. Cabbage hopped up onto the bed, disturbing the dust on the covers, and awkwardly kneaded it with his feet, barely able to maintain his balance. Kano stared, lost for words.

　　"Is he nearby, at least?" he whispered, his voice rimmed with hope. Cabbage flopped over and licked the inside of his wing. He nibbled at a feather, then paused dramatically, staring at Kano for a long while. Then, he returned to licking the same spot. Kano grunted and furrowed his brow. "You don`t understand me at all, do you?"

　　Cabbage stopped and gave him a look which seemed to suggest he knew exactly what he was saying. Kano narrowed his eyes.

　　"Did he send you?" he asked. Cabbage yawned, licked his lips, and rolled over onto his back, watching Kano with passive disinterest.

　　"Alright," Kano said. "Let`s try this& If Pak sent you here, wink your right eye."

　　Cabbage abruptly sat upright and scratched his ear. Once the itch was satisfied and he settled into a comfortable spot, he gave a slow, deliberate wink with his right eye.

　　"No way&"

　　"Prrooh," Cabbage assured him.

　　"Right." Kano steepled his fingers. "Right, okay, so& Yes or no questions&" He leaned forward, absently tapping his forefingers to his nose. A moment later, his face brightened as a question came to him, then darkened just as quickly.

　　"Is he in trouble? Is he hurt?"

　　Cabbage gazed expressionlessly into the distance. When he finally rotated his head, he looked pointedly at Kano and winked his right eye. Kano released the breath he`d been holding and collapsed forward.

　　"Shit," he said, drumming his fingers on his knees. "Is he in the city?"

　　Cabbage wrinkled his nose and sneezed. Kano waited.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

　　"Uh& Wink your left eye for no,` please," he said, suspecting that Cabbage already knew to do so and was just being cheeky. Sure enough, Cabbage winked his left eye. "Smartass&"

　　"Mrrrrroooohhh," Cabbage growled. Kano glared at him, cursed, and stood up. He ran his fingers through his hair, turning in place to survey the room, as if seeking the answer to where his friend might have gone - but if he wasn`t in the city, then&

　　"Then where is he? Is he in a different city?"

　　Cabbage winked his left eye.

　　"So that means&"

　　"Prrroooh," Cabbage confirmed. Pak was lost in the Wilds. Kano chewed his fingernails, eyes skimming left and right as dozens of frightful scenarios played out in his mind.

　　"Well, what am I supposed to do about it?" he said, resting his knuckles on his teeth in an attempt to look unfazed. Cabbage gave him an annoyed stare. Kano`s gaze flicked between the cat-owl and the wall, unable to settle. "Why are you looking at me like that?" he said, voice cracking, and turned away completely.

　　"MrrOOH!" Cabbage barked and leapt at the half-human, splaying his wings. Kano stumbled backwards into the chair.

　　"Wh-what the hell, Cabbage!"

　　Cabbage had stopped short just a few inches in front of him with a menacing head tilt, ears flattened, wings held out at an oddly frightening angle. A few tense seconds passed.

　　"L-look," Kano stammered, "I want - I want to help him, I really want to& I want to save him, but I`m not& I`m weak, you know?"

　　"Prrrooh," Cabbage agreed.

　　"He`s the one who protected me& I can`t&" Kano looked at the floor, letting his hair fall forward to cover his face, and discretely wiped away a tear. Cabbage fluttered up to the table beside him and settled into a roost. "And it`s not my fault he-"

　　Suddenly, their shared wall rattled, and from the other side came loud, animalistic grunting. Cabbage glared in the direction of the commotion, and Kano watched the wall, perturbed. Several seconds of noisy thumping passed before it dawned on him.

　　"&Oh my god." He covered his face with his hands, shoulders sagging. "No wonder he left&"

　　"Prrrroooh."

　　Kano groaned, resisting the urge to shout at his guests or pound his fist on the wall.

　　"I just want you to know, I had no idea it was this loud."

　　Cabbage rotated his head owlishly, giving Kano a long-suffering stare. Kano stepped to the other side of the room and plopped down on the bed, clasping his hands. His thoughts raced, unable to coalesce for the constant noise coming from his bedroom. His heart fluttered, unable to settle for the constant, troubled tug of his friend`s imprint, his memory, his absence. His entire being shifted, unwilling to remain inert, because his spirit knew: Pak was alone, in danger, and nobody else would be looking for him.

　　"Cabbage," he started, just as the thumping on the other side of the wall abruptly ceased, followed by an exaggerated, wavering moan. He grimaced and shuddered before he continued. "Would you be able to lead me to him?"

　　Cabbage yawned, blinked, glanced toward the door, then turned back to regard Kano, as if carefully considering his request - or, more likely, assessing his suitability for the journey. After an excruciating wait, he gave a slow wink with his right eye. Kano released a drawn-out exhale, unsure of whether he was feeling relief, dread, or something else entirely.

　　"Okay," he said. "Okay& I guess I ought to pack then, huh?"

　　He rocked forward and chuckled, though he didn`t know why. His thoughts and emotions were all stirred up. All he could do was laugh. He nibbled his thumbnail, a distant look in his eyes.

　　"Mrrrooh!" Cabbage cried, snapping Kano out of his stupor.

　　"Sorry, sorry, I`ll be quick," he said, then darted away, leaving the secret door slightly ajar.

　　The two strangers bolted upright as the front door smacked into the wall, causing a sharp CRACK to ring throughout the home. Kano beelined for his closet and started rifling through a mountain of clothes, mumbling to himself.

　　"Kano?" the woman peeped from behind her mess of long hair, huddled into the covers. "Is everything-"

　　"Fine, it`s fine," Kano said with a neurotic lilt, stuffing a large backpack full of what few winter supplies he had. "I`m just - I`ll be gone for a while, just, you know, going for a trip - think you can hold down the fort for me?" He scratched his head. "Um& Bunny, was it?"

　　The woman scoffed. "My name is-"

　　"Doesn`t matter," Kano said. "Have either of you seen my undies?"

　　The man tossed him a pair of relatively clean underwear that had been buried under the blanket. Kano caught and stepped into them in one swift motion.

　　"Thanks!"

　　"&Yup," the man said, scratching his head. "So where are you-"

　　"Family - just going to visit family!"

　　Neither of his guests pressed for anything more. After a few terribly silent minutes of packing, Kano haphazardly dressed for a long hike, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and started for the door, but he doubled back, remembering his guitar.

　　"Seeya!" he called as he disappeared outside, leaving the couple alone and flabbergasted in his bed.

　　When Kano reemerged in Pak`s closet, Cabbage was sniffing intently at a thin book on the shelf, pausing only to give him a brief, wide-eyed stare.

　　"Whatcha got there?" Kano asked as he kneeled beside the cat-owl. Cabbage took the corner of the book between his teeth and dragged it onto the floor. The cover was gray and untitled, and a thin ribbon bound to the spine marked a page near the center. Curious, Kano picked up the book and flipped it open to where it was marked. Pak`s tiny, scrawling handwriting partially filled the page. It was a poem. He knew that Pak used to write poetry, though he hadn`t realized it was something he still did. But Pak never was the sharing type.

　　Kano had to squint to make out what it said:

　　I am just a butterfly

　　resting on your shoulder

　　watch me from the corner of your eye

　　one day I`ll disappear,

　　and you may

　　never even notice

　　It`s not that I don`t care

　　I just hate to say

　　goodbye

　　A heavy silence passed. Kano shut the journal delicately.

　　"&Let`s go," he said, rising to his feet. He stooped down to pet Cabbage`s head, but Cabbage retracted it into his neck as far back as he could go, flattening his ears. "Right, sorry," Kano said, dejected. "I`ll meet you outside the eastern gate, then."

　　"Prrrooh," Cabbage affirmed, then waddled into the snow and took flight, disappearing into the hazy gray sky. Kano tucked the poetry book into his guitar case`s front pocket. He gave a last, wistful glance at his friend`s secret room, then snuffed out the candle and left his home, not knowing if he`d ever come back. But, in that moment, he really didn`t care. It hadn`t felt like home for months.