Rook finally reached the first house. It was a beautiful medium sized house with beige walls and vines and flowers growing along the side. The gate had a majestic arch above, with colourful flowers growing all over. The garden was well kept, with a small fountain in the middle. Rook squeezed under the fence. He didn't know why he was entering the garden. But somehow, the sight of a house. The smell of humans. It comforted him. He wasn't entirely alone. He sniffed at the ground, making sure no dog had been there. No smell of dog. Happily, he trotted to the back door. Beside it was a large window. He peered through it. Inside, was a round table with a white patterned cloth. A large flower vase stood in the middle of the table. There was a wooden shelf that looked quite complicated and ancient. Inside, there were nice cutlery, vases, plates and cups. Rook could not see anybody. He crept around the house, looking for a way in. He did a whole round and ended up at the back door once more. He sighed. Suddenly, a human appeared. Rook stood tense, not knowing what to expect. The human did not notice him. It was an old man. He had kind eyes and a slightly hunched back. He wore a nice light blue sweater and some beige pants. He walked into the living room then into another room, out of sight. He didn't look like a threat and although Rook had run away from his other humans, he ached to be with humans again. He didn't know why. So he meowed. He meowed as loud as he could, pressing up against the window. But of course, the old man did not hear him. He was, quite old after all. Just as Rook was about to give up, a rather young woman appeared. She had long wavy brown hair and as soon as she stepped into the living room, she spotted Rook. She called out to the old man then walked to the back door. She opened it. Rook leapt at her feet, purring as he rubbed himself against her. The woman seemed slightly surprised at first then smiled. 
            "Hello. Who are you?" she said, not really expecting an answer. Rook let himself inside. He trotted into the kitchen where the old man was. The kitchen was spacious with a white tiled floor. Garlic hung from the walls along with a few plants. 
            "Oh. The cat," smiled the old man. 
            "Yes. I'm sorry. He let himself in," the woman said, laughing slightly. "I'll bring him back out." 
            "Oh no. It's quite alright. He can stay," the old man said, waving away the woman's idea. 
            "Oh ok," nodded the woman. 
            "Are you hungry?" asked the man to Rook. Rook meowed in response. Although he had had the mouse, it had hardly been enough to feed him. 
            "Well, you guys seem to be fine," the woman noticed. "I'm going to go help Lily." 
           "Yes yes. You go do that," the old man nodded. He bustled around the kitchen quite slowly. Rook could see that his muscles hurt him. Then the man finally brought all the food to the table. He sat down with a sigh of relief then patted the chair beside him. 
            "Come here, what's your name?" the man said. Rook trotted up to the chair and bounded onto it. 
            "Rook," replied Rook. 
            "Oh there. You have a collar," smiled the man. He reached forward. Rook felt his fingers fumbling with something around his neck. He took a small metallic thing and narrowed his eyes to read it. 
             "Oh. I can't see it. It's- written so tiny...," the man sighed. "Well. I'll call you Stephen for now. He's my son, you know. He's much older. Got a family. Two little kids. And a dog. You wouldn't like the dog, I suppose." 
             "Ugh, I'd hate the dog," Rook said, wrinkling his nose. His eyes gazed to where the food was. The old man noticed. 
              "Ah, hungry," he laughed. "But first. Your collar seems to be quite uncomfortable." He reached over and his fingers found a clip. There was a click and the man took the collar off. Rook felt a relief in his neck. He shook himself. It felt great. His neck felt.... lighter. He rubbed his paw at the place his collar used to be. He could feel nothing but fur. He had forgotten about the collar as he had been so used to it. But it felt like ages since he had been free. Collarless. 
             "Here you go," the old man said. Rook had not noticed as the man had reached over the table and brought a small plate of biscuits to Rook. Rook gobbled them up gratefully. Then the man pushed a saucer of lukewarm milk to Rook, offering it to him. 
               "Thanks!" exclaimed Rook. Of course, the man did not seem to hear. Rook drank the milk. It was soft and delicate in his mouth. There were footsteps and the woman along with another old woman, supposedly Lily, appeared. Rook stared at them. The old woman had her grey hair tied in a bun over her head. Her face was wrinkled but her eyes still shone. She wore a long flowery dress with a white cardigan. She moved much slower than the old man and was perched over a stick. 
               "Good morning Lily," the old man said, a smile brightening his face. 
               "Good morning Alfred," the old lady beamed back, bustling into the seat beside Alfred. 
                "Oh, the cat is still here," noticed the younger woman. Lily's eyes focused on Rook and it took her a moment to react, as if she were trying to figure out what he was. 
               "Oh. A cat!" she exclaimed. 
                "Oh yes. I was just feeding it a little. Doesn't he remind you of Stephen?" Alfred said in a soft voice. 
               "A little," nodded the old woman. The young lady smiled tightly and brushed some dust of a shelf, looking slightly restless. 
               "Would you like some tea with biscuits today?" asked the young woman. 
               "Yes, that would be very kind of you Anne," nodded Lily. 
               "Alright," nodded the young Anne. She marched into the kitchen with a sense of purpose. 
                "Are we going to keep the cat?" Lily asked Alfred, her gaze seemingly far away. 
                "I would like to. Stephen and the kids would like it. Although probably not their dog," Alfred replied. "But I am sure a beautiful cat like this has a family." 
                 "Yes. That is true. We should get a cat," Lily said thoughtfully. 
                 "We should," nodded Alfred just as thoughtfully. Rook didn't know what to make of the situation. He had to find his family. 
                "Here you go," Anne said, putting down a small white teacup and a plate of biscuits in front of Lily. "I need to prepare the rooms for Stephen and his family when they come but if you need anything, just call me." With that, Anne bustled out. 
                "Oh yes. They are coming to visit tomorrow," Alfred said, his eyes lighting up. 
                 "Mmmm," agreed Lily, a twinkle in her eyes. "I wonder how much little Sophie has grown." 
                 "She must be taller than us now," laughed Alfred. Rook slipped off the chair and trotted after Anne. Alfred and Lily did not seem to notice. He found Anne in a spacious room with a large four poster bed and flowery curtains and blankets. Anne was making the bed, muttering to herself. She spotted Rook and raised her eyes. 
                 "Are you going to be staying here?" she asked him. 
                "I'm going to have to leave soon. I need to get back to my family," responded Rook. 
                 "Come. I'll let you out," Anne sighed. She led Rook towards the front door where a small mat with the word welcome was swirled on. Anne opened the door and motioned outside. Rook cocked his head. He did not feel like leaving just yet, but the way Anne was playing with her hands and the look of irritation on her face made it clear. He leapt down the front steps and trotted down the garden. He spotted Anne in the window, returning to the bedroom. Without another glance back, Rook slipped through the fence and made his way toward the forest once more.