Quote:
You're walking home in the dark and soon hear the sound of footsteps following behind you. Every time you turn around, nothing is there. If you try to quicken your pace, the footsteps start running right along with you. No matter how you try to see behind you--if you use your phone camera or if you look in window reflections, you can't see anything...but you know it's getting closer. If you don't run fast enough, you can almost feel a hand on your arm, a breath on your neck...

You need to get home, fast.

If you can.



He ws used to going home late. Often times he would sleep all day and wake up to work late at night before going out for a walk or to find something or someone to chase. As a single dad who's daughter had moved out, being in a empty hiuse despite its many comforts was still lonesome. He also had the duty to walk about and see if he could sense any potential senshi though he really should do more day patrols for when normal teenagers were walking around.

It was nice at night though since traffic was scarce and rats and mice tended to sneak out. It was more animal than humans roaming amd he felt the comfort of the rustling trees and silence. With his vision still strong in the dark, it was easier to escape from humans with poor night vision. Sometimes he woukd find a nice cat. Sometimes he would find a small fight for said cat. Despite knowing he was Mauvian, he only remembered being treated and raised as a cat. It was hard to shake that feeling off especially when he wanted to go out and enjoy himself. The other cats mever seemed to car if he might be something else. Maybe they didn't know. He often hoped it was the case.

He didn't hear the footsteps at first. Making his way out of a bus stop after the rain cleared to start heading back home. It wasn't surprising. His hearing was bad in one ear but even then sometimes didn't notice normal people. It was the city and low to the ground meant you always heard footsteps. It was that ot continued at the same spacing...the same pace.....the same distance. His ears turned back as he became more and more aware snd when the itch to turn called to him, he stopped to lick a paw and glanced back.

Nothing.

Shaking his head free of whatever tick might be there, he picked up his pace and turned to another street. After 2 blocks he heard it again. A series of even, sure-footed steps. Determined and even in pacing. Hard soles on asphault.

He turned around again. Nothing. No noise. No shadows. No smell. Just wind.

Turning, he picked up his pace quickly and this time even sooner than before he heard the footsteps. Racing at him. A rush of hard slepping soles on stone. Turning his head to run alongaide a office building showed no shadow or reflection in the lamplight glow from the streetlights. What was happening? He didn't semse any signature which meant it wasn't a known magic being invisible. He could heard them and he trusted his sense of hearing just as much as his other senses, damaged or not. There was something running and that something was catching up quickly. Being able to match the pace of a cat and for a long stretch was concerning. They didn't sound like they were on soft sneakers to be an experienced runner either but if it was an officer than these were the soles of someone in uniform. Did they have a cat too?

Darting down the roadway he turned up a fkight of stairs and into a hedge before running down into a lawn and up over atop a femce. There he caught his breath and turned to see nothing. Just the fenced in lawn of a single family home. The porch swing creaking back and forth in the dark breeze of fall. A pumpkin lit with a dying battery-operated light inside sitting by the back door. Leaves collected in a drained pool.

Panting he adjusted his glasses and collected himself. He needed to stop watching Hocus Pocus whenever it was on. A black cat escaping witches was compelling but it was messing with his mind. He was goung to be even worse as a guardian if he turned into a scary cat afraid of the wind and the dark. It really was good he wasn't a black cat or else he'd feel followed by strange magic - instead of the normal everyday kind he helped facilitate.

Moving down off the fence, he moved slowly down the street towards home. All the running only left it a few blocks away now. Again the leaves rustled by the wind and collected near drains. Distant windchimes sang from apartments higher up. There was the distsnt sound of a dog barking and then someone skidding on their tired further off. Mitorcycle it sounded like. A last ride before winter maybe.

And there were footsteps. Close. Barely a fee strides away from him.

Tail puffed he raced as fast as he could. They followed.

He turned into a alleyway. They followed.

He moved acriss the road and down the sidewalk. They followed.

And then he moved towards his own block and up the first escape. He crawled into the cracked window hoping they would think he went anywhere he could. It was stupid to be followed and go directly home but he wanted security and safety that a locked door coukd provide.

He jumped I to the bedroom and turned back. In the square glow from the window casted on the floorboards he looked out. No footsteps. No shadow. No one like before. Nothing.

He moved to look out the window, up at the fire escape and down to the street below. Nothing. He moved up upon the dresser and pushed the window down and pushed his paws on the tabs to lock it. Easy locks. He mafe sure they were when they had them replaced.

He sat there watching the window. Listening for creaking floorboards in the house. Any sign they followed him inside. Any sense of a oresence not his own. He did not sleep but waited hunched on the ground, relieved and pathetically sad that Mordred wasn't home to keep him company.

Maybe this was why people kept dogs. Or maybe, just maybe, he just needed to stop walking alone at night.



1000k words - 2 solos