The wind was strong today. Annan rubbed sand from his eye with his sleeve and agreed to Calico Cat's request. "Okay."
Calico Cat narrowed her eyes as though basking in the sun, and Annan lowered her into the basin.
"Do you want to do it yourself, or should I help?"
"Help me, please."
Annan poured water over Calico Cat's exposed back, and dirt began spreading through the warm water.
"How did you find Sienna?" Annan asked about what had happened that morning.
Calico Cat said a cat named Fat Orange had spotted several humans smelling of blood lingering near a Warehouse. He had called Thin Black over to slip inside, where Thin Black found a suspicious basement. Thin Black had barely returned with the news when Fat Orange saw the humans inside and outside the Warehouse leave.
It was almost as if they had wanted to be found.
There was more to Sienna's abduction than it seemed...
Annan turned his attention back to Calico Cat. He had never noticed it before, but soaked through, she was almost skin and bones. He checked her injury; her dislocated right leg had already healed.
He was thinking of hiring an Elite Mage to heal Calico Cat when a meow came from the windowsill. A black cat had come over.
It took Annan two changes of water to get Calico Cat completely clean. He also sneaked a look and discovered she was female... Then he bathed the black cat. Before long, a third cat arrived and sat in line before the basin. By the fifth, Annan hired a waiter to help and told Martin to stay back—in case he washed the cats all the way into the kitchen.
Calico Cat, transformed from filthy to dripping wet to fresh and clean, led Annan to her