AN: I will type the obligatory end-story author's note here, so as not to ruin my lovely closer~ I know I've thanked all of you several times, but I have to do it again. I am eternally grateful for your reviews. They mean so much to me; you have no idea. I smile whenever I check my email. To those of you who had the heart to review several chapters, have a Des plushie! He will cuddle with you and shun contractions forever. :3

If you have any questions, comments, or just want to have a friendly chat, feel free to PM me. You'll get a cookie. ^^ Anyway, have an epilogue, and as always, enjoy!

Rene Descartes lay belly-up on Hazel's bed, searching for her scent. He couldn't find it. The Smell threatened to choke him, but he ignored it. It was here that the only source of food was, after all. Hazel's plate from the night she left, now several days old, was still sitting by her bedside. The tabby kitten was rationing it carefully, but he knew it was only a matter of time before he began to starve. He dreaded to think of what he would do next. He'd run through his options, but he didn't much like the sound of any of them.

Oh, how he longed to see Hazel again.

But that wasn't going to happen.

With a sigh, Rene Descartes rolled back onto his paws. Hopping down from the bed, the kitten crossed the room for a few small bites of meat. His hunger was only barely suppressed, but he left the rest regardless. Rather than gaze at the cold meal any longer, he jumped up to the window to look outside. A car passed, and the cat's heart ached. It wasn't carrying Hazel. No car that went by ever would. But still, the cars were freedom. Nothing would dare attack such a formidable beast. Rene Descartes, on the other paw, was vulnerable. Especially now that he had so little to eat. The tiny kitten was only getting smaller.

Rene Descartes heard a squawk from below. With the front door left open, wild animals were developing a tendency to use Hazel's house as a shelter. There were only birds and small rodents in the daytime, but at night the kitten hid from the larger and more ferocious raccoons and skunks. He closed the door to his keeper's room as much as he could without trapping himself inside, but he knew that, if he didn't run out of food first, the other animals would take it soon. The tabby was powerless to stop them.

No, cars didn't have to worry about that. If only I was one such beast, Rene Descartes mused. I would never need to worry myself with such trivial matters as my own. The kitten couldn't make such comparisons about humans; he knew from Hazel and her words that life as one of them was difficult, painful, and long.

As he watched another car pass, Rene Descartes decided that he wouldn't stand for this any longer.

"I am leaving." he announced. "It is better that I enjoy the rest of my nourishment now and depart while I have the energy than wait until the animals thieve it away, leaving me weak."

He jumped down from the windowsill again, making his way toward the plate. "Such nutrition will have no benefit in the belly of another."

I will leave at dawn tomorrow, he affirmed, savoring the taste of his food as much as he could while he ate it. Life will lead me in the direction it wishes me to take.

That night, he slept one last time in Hazel's bed, almost relishing the Smell that still lived inside the blankets.

The next morning, as he stepped into the chilled early air, Rene Descartes smiled. A weight was lifted from his small shoulders.

"I will live for you, Hazel," he resolved.

This time, he did not look back.