Chapter three

Ronny

The trees all blur together as I cruise down the highway in my RV. My head bobs up and down in tune with the song playing on the radio. I can't stop thinking about our case. It's not every day that we find a case involving such strong magic.

Cooper has a few theories. One of possibilities is the well being cursed by someone after their wish didn't come true. Another theory is that there's someone living in the well, granting these wishes and purposely causing chaos just for the fun of it. I really, really hope it's not the second one. Magic, we can easily deal with. Talking someone out of doing shitty things? That's usually a lot harder.

It makes me think back to my father. When one sells their soul for enough money to pay off their gambling debt, things don't always go exactly as planned.

Before I can go fully down that road, there's a tiny meow to my right. I look over, only slightly startled by the little gray cat looking up at me. I smile down at them. "Hey there, little buddy," I murmur, holding out my hand. They run their face against my hand and that's all the permission I need to tug them up and set them on my lap.

With one hand on the steering wheel and the other petting this little cat, I continue to drive. I wish I knew where these cuties came from. Is someone out there looking for their loved pets? I'm not sure why but I truly don't think so. There's something about them that just resonates deep within my chest. They belong here with me.

I can't explain it. But then again, there's so much in my line of work that simply cannot be explained. Like Jeff being turned into a vampire, or the idea of two vampires being able to have a baby together. Or magic in general. It's so far out of my wheelhouse that I simply accept it and move on to my computer where I can find numbers and stats and algorithms. Those things I get. That's how I can help this team.

My thumb runs over the kitten's head between their ears over and over until they're tucked into my lap letting out the tiniest little snores. It makes me happy, knowing they trust me enough to sleep like this.

Another meow catches my attention. Oh no. The sound doesn't sound pleased. It sounds panicked and worried.

"It's okay," I call out, ignoring the way I know they can't understand me. "They're up here with me. Your baby is safe."

I hear little footsteps run through my RV towards the front and a moment later, the adult cat is jumping into the passenger seat. They stare at me for a long time, almost like they're assessing me. I must pass their judgment because they sit in the passenger seat without a fight for their baby.

"Everything's okay," I tell them seriously, "you're safe with me. I promise."

Those giant green eyes blink at me before the cat is laying down, their head against their paws, but their eyes continue to watch me. It's almost like they wanna make sure I mean what I say. I don't plan to prove my words wrong. Even to a cat.

Before I can stop myself, I start talking to the cat, just to pass the time while driving.

"I'm not from around here," I tell them, keeping an eye on the RV in front of me, following Jeff's lead. "I'm from a tiny town in the middle of nowhere. The type of place where everyone knows your business and you know all of theirs. Real unfortunate when your old man is a mean son of a bitch that was so grouchy no one wanted to be around him."

I look over and the cat blinks at me, seeming to be hanging on my every word. I give them a little shrug. "I don't have to deal with him anymore. He's long gone and when he died, I finally got myself out of that little hell hole of a place. Sure, some might see that as running away but honestly, sometimes that's the best thing you can do for yourself. You know what I mean?"

The cat seems to give me a barely there nod, his eyes blinking slowly at me. That makes me smile. I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that cats blink slowly at people they love or trust. Maybe I'm gaining their trust.

"I've always been really good at computers," I tell the cat because really, why am I bringing up my sob story of a past? The cat doesn't wanna hear about the day I killed my first monster. No one needs to hear about that. There's a reason all five of us became hunters and it's not because of the amazing benefits package. "They're really fun and interesting and you can find just about anything on the internet. I developed a software that essentially combs through local newspapers across the country, compiling data that helps us find our next case. I'm always tweaking it to make it better. That's how I found this case, actually."

At that, the cat meows, tilting their head to the side. Before I can explain what a case is, I notice Jeff turning off the highway. Must be bathroom break time.

"We're about to stop for a bathroom break," I tell them, turning on my turn signal. "Maybe you'd like to jump outside and stretch your legs. I just realized I probably should have gotten you a litter box or something so you don't have to wait for us to pull over. Hmm."

The cat meows again, standing up and putting their front paws on the dash to look out the windshield. Oh my gods, they're absolutely adorable. I wish I knew more about them. Like if they're domestic or if they're wild. Why were they wandering out in the woods and what happened to their paw? My fingers pet the baby's ears as I drive, my curiosity getting the best of me. I decide I'll check online and make sure there's not a missing cat ad anywhere.

Every part of my being wants to keep these cats here with me but I'd never steal someone's beloved pet.

We pull into a rest stop, parking our RV's at a distance from the shelter, not wanting to get in the way of people's regular sized cars. I stretch my arms over my head, a satisfying pop coming from my spine.

"Ready to stretch your legs?"

I get a resounding meow in response and I smile so wide my cheeks hurt. After waking the baby cat up, I open the RV and watch them bound outside, realizing with a start there's a chance they won't come back.

Just as the thought passes my head, the adult cat looks back at me, blinking slowly. They'll come back. I just know it.