Rolo purred with contentment as his owner bent down to stroke his brown tabby back. Hershey grinned at him from the counter where he was grooming his cream coloured pelt.
"Where were you? Foxy was looking for you."
"Visiting Magpie."
"Oh, really now? Interesting."
"Hershey!"
"Sorry. So how is she?"
"Distraught. The dog destroyed her bed. Ripped it to pieces."
"That's pretty terrible. Twolegs shouldn't be allowed to keep dogs as pets when they already have a cat."
"Dogs are horrible. Very smelly."
"Yes. Very, very smelly." Hershey said seriously.
Rolo and Hershey looked at each other and burst out laughing.
"What did Foxy want?" Rolo asked when he could breathe again.
"I dunno. She just asked where you were and left when I said I didn't know. Didn't even say goodbye."

The Twoleg stood up and walked away, heading for the stairs.
"Was it something I said?" Hershey asked.
Rolo smiled with amusement.

************************************

Sirens wailed. Strangers stomped through the house. Hershey whimpered slightly as he and Rolo watched from their hiding place- a cupboard. They stayed there until all the Twolegs left, then they crept timidly out into the open. They were alone.
"What happened?" Rolo whispered. It seemed wrong to make any noise in the stillness of the house. Hershey didn't respond. The friends wandered through the empty house, thoroughly investigating each deathly silent room. They reached the bedroom where the elderly female Twoleg slept, a smell radiating  out and wafting towards them. The scent was unmistakable. It was the smell of death.

************************************

Twolegs came in and out of the house for several days after the Twoleg's death. No-one fed them or took notice of them. They would go next door and share Jedi's food when they were hungry. Jedi didn't mind, he was a nice, friendly cat and had been friends with Rolo since he first met him. When Twolegs came to the house, they would hide in the cupboard until they left. Rolo and Hershey were terrified. They didn't know what to do now that they had no owner. It was Magpie who snapped some sense into them.

"You two must leave! The Twolegs will take you away and put you in the Cage House if you don't!It happened to me when my old Twoleg left me." Magpie told them urgently. "You have to go!"
"Where? It isn't like we can walk up to a random house and move in."
"Leave the Twolegplace then. There are cats who live in the forest, maybe they could hide you until you figure something out."
"Magpie..."
"No, just go. I don't want to see you captured."
"But you turned out fine!"
"Rolo, don't argue. Let's say goodbye to everyone and go into the forest."
"... Alright."