Varjak Paw- Above the City

Please note - this is work in progress, and will be updated every 24 hours. If I'm lucky. But enjoy and please review!

Jarlo sprinted across the roofs of the west side, Turbo just ahead of him. Occasionally, her dull grey fur would blend with the bleak buildings, and he would lose track of her. Nevertheless, they managed to cross the borders between the centre and west side safely.

Turbo suddenly stopped, and Jarlo skidded to a halt beside her, standing over the side of the tiled roof.

"We're almost there," she whispered to him, the icy wind almost blasting them into the stone floor below. The spring sun had vanished, and the clouds were darkening by the minute. It wasn't long until the hard rain fell and doused the streets.

"Why are you speaking so quietly?" he asked, keeping his voice low just in case.

"Sally Bones' gang." Turbo nodded. "Mr. Paw lied. They're still here, just afraid of him. No one has seen them yet, except me and the dogs that live here." She shook her head sadly. "Those cats are vicious, even more so than Ginger. If you see them, it's best to run."

"I could beat Ginger any day!"

"No, that was a fluke. Besides, Varjak would never allow you two to fight on neutral grounds. Remember: he owns the east, and if you want to stay by this park of yours, then you better be on your best behaviour to him."

"I can go wherever I want," Jarlo muttered darkly. "I don't need permission."

Turbulence looked at him, cocking her head to one side. "You remind me of Sally Bones. I don't know whether to laugh or cower away."

"Neither," he replied. "Just show me your friends."

"Fine. But they may not want you there."

She dropped down onto a railing below, and Jarlo followed her cautiously. The cold metal bit into his paws, and he scaled the railing along to a series of cardboard boxes. He was confused as Turbo hastily leapt off and shimmied under the flaps of the boxes. He too fell onto the pavement, and was about to scurry to the cardboard, when he heard a snarl and guttural laughter.

"He didn't see us! What an idiot!"

It was Luger. He bared his fangs at Wes, his new second-in-command, and silently ordered what looked like new recruits to drag something across the ground.

Jarlo saw what it was. He tried not to vomit.

Sally Bones's thin, cold, dead body.

He stared in horror, his senses numb. He couldn't believe it. Why would the rest of Sally Bones' gang take her body? Were they going to bury her? He frowned. He'd only seen humans do that. Maybe they were doing something more ominous...

"Hey! Jarlo!" he heard Turbulence hiss. "What are you waiting for? Hurry up!"

He snapped out of his confusing thoughts. For safety measures, he breathed into Slow-Time. Luger sluggishly padded across the concrete slabs, the body leisurely hauled forwards. Power rose in him. He could confront the gang, if he wanted. He didn't have to run. But glancing at Turbo's amazed expression as he flickered majestically in Slow-Time, he knew he didn't have the time.

He tore across the path, ignoring Luger and Wes. He hoped they hadn't seen him. His black fur should blend in with the monochrome background.

Turbo sighed in relief and irritation as he accidentally bumped into her. "Be careful," she chided.

"Sally Bones' body!" he gasped. "Her body's being pulled by Luger's gang!"

Turbulence nodded seriously. "I know. I saw. Don't worry about it now; there's nothing you can do."

Jarlo followed her to a dump of foul-smelling waste and shards of glass stuck into machines. The sky was gloomy over in the west side, and he knew he preferred the east to this place. A sticky, sweet substance stuck to his paws, and he tried to scrape it off on the corners of the walls. But it refused to come off. Turbo rolled her eyes.

"I shouldn't worry about that," she muttered, as the cold wind mercilessly whipped them. "The dogs are just up here. Don't touch anything, 'kay?"

"Got it," he replied.

Turbulence took a deep breath, and tapped on the side of a giant green glass window, still in its pane and left on the path. It made a peculiar sound, high-pitched and squeaky. It reminded Jarlo of a toy ball being squashed.

To answer its call, a lumbering, shaggy dog sauntered forward from a mouldy hut. His red eyes drooped in a tired fashion, but his muscles bulged and his tail swished energetically.

"Cats," he boomed. "Cats bad."

"No no," Turbulence soothed. "I'm a friend of Flax and Genevieve."

The towering dog loomed over, inspecting them. "Friends?"

Jarlo thought he might laugh. Dogs sure are dumb.

Turbo nodded. "Yeah, we're friends. I've come with an acquaintance. We're going to hunt for food, but we want to see the pair first."

The dog looked at Jarlo for a long time. The black cat thought his weary eyes would never leave him, until the dog spoke: "Ghad."

"Guard?"

"Jarlo, that's his name, you moron."

"Oh. Hello Ghad. I'm Jarlo."

"Jarl…Jarlo. Hello Jarlo."

He smiled, and Jarlo thought Ghad was actually quite a nice dog, despite his speech and his intimidating size.