Unfortunately for both Riku and Kairi, the cat managed to dodge both of their tackling attempts, and reached the nearest tree. It was a thin and branchy thing, just enough to support a cat's weight but difficult for anything else. It shimmied up the trunk with practiced speed, climbed out onto one of the branches and then jumped from there to a vine-covered, eight-foot stone wall partitioning one part of the gardens from another. It stared down at the humans trying to reach it for a moment, with the beta fish in its mouth still flailing about and attempting to escape.

The tomcat figured it would have to be fast if it wanted to keep its lunch. After a feline glare down at the two visitors, it threw its head back with a sharp jerk, and gulped the fish down whole. In a series of quick swallows, poor Finny was gone.

Perhaps the one good out of this was that Toshi wouldn’t be able to see his pet’s demise. His father, however, was still trailing after them through the garden paths. Hey!