Quitetly, Quiggly stepped into the darkness as he stealthily approached and steeled himself for the kill. The mouse was dead. And he had accomplished the quest, but now Quiggly wondered what his next task was. Maybe he should just go straight to his master's room and see if the cat would be of any help. He had other things to do anyway. Quiggly was walking through the streets, searching for any signs of the white cat he had met during the quest. He quickly spotted the white feline, but was surprised to find that he was still in the main building of the castle. Apparently the cat wasn't done with its task. Quiggly walked past and noticed that the cat was sitting near a man who was working on some papers. Something felt strange about this feline who had a penchant for working in the evening, when the world slept. Quiggly continued walking past the man, who waved at the animal, then began to go in his room. Curious, Quiggly opened the door and peered inside. The feline had a manila envelope in his hands, which he held out to the cat. She took it and began to read, and Quiggly watched closely as she flipped through the pages with a finger, reading the directions as well as any of the instructions the man had left with the papers. Once she was done with the sheets, she put the envelope in her coat, and Quiggly's suspicions were confirmed. She gave him a sweet smile and then walked out of the door. Quiggly quickly entered his master's room and saw the cat sitting next to the pillow. "Well, well, well. You've completed your task, Quiggly. It's about time," spoke his master. "But, my lord, I don't want to sleep alone!" "I understand," said the master. "You can't expect me to sleep with you. I have some things to take care of, like sending messages out and making plans. Don't worry, you'll have a nice room with me once I've taken care of my business. Why don't you go get some sleep? We will discuss what to do in the morning." "Very well, my lord," said Quiggly, and left the room. The white feline seemed to have been watching from his perch in the window, and he looked surprised as Quiggly went back into his master's room. Then he stood up and disappeared out of sight. "Oh, no!" thought the small rodent. "What have I done?" The sound of a key entering a lock startled Quiggly, and he bolted out of the room and back to his desk. His master hadn't sent him to sleep without a reason. There was something that he needed to see. He rushed back to the bedroom and saw a shadowy figure walking toward him. The mouse was certain that this was the person who had the papers and the instructions. Then Quiggly saw the cat's arm reach out and grab a handful of feathers that had fallen to the floor. The cat stepped back out of sight. "So, you were the one who was watching!" said the master. "I will get you for this! I will have to find a new assistant!" In a whirl of fur, the cat was gone. The shadowy figure was gone, too, and the mouse was alone. Quiggly stood next to the open door, staring at the closed bedroom door, and he sighed. He would rather sleep in the cat's room than have to go through what this would do to his master. A few moments passed before Quiggly turned back to the desk, his mind a little clouded. Then he started looking for a pen, a paper, something to write on. There was no paper. It was the end of the night. Quiggly stood there a little longer, looking at his empty desk and wondering what he could have done wrong. Then the cat came up to him. The white cat held out a piece of paper, and in her paws was a quill pen and a bottle of ink. Quiggly just stared for a few moments, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. "Come along, Quiggly. Let's get you something to write with." The mouse didn't move. "You know it's not that bad." The mouse blinked. "Look, if you write it, then you can change your mind and maybe have someone else sleep in my room." Still the mouse didn't move. He didn't even blink. The cat bent down and whispered in his ear. "Go home. It's late." "Home?" said Quiggly. "Yes, home." And with that, the cat turned and trotted out of the room. Quiggly quickly gathered his belongings. He opened the doors of the study and turned back around. There was the cat, sitting at the entrance to the corridor. The shadowy figure turned to face the mouse. "This is your home now, Quiggly," said the black cat. "I'm sorry you had to move. I thought you'd be better off sleeping here. Good night." "Thank you," said the mouse, and closed the doors. The room was dark and quiet, and Quiggly felt his heart lighten. He had a good idea of what he needed to do, and the future was full of uncertainty. * * * # Chapter 4 Razordinar was sitting behind his desk, staring into space, when the door to his office was opened. Quiggly flew into the room, his wings beating frantically. The little rodent had been keeping his sanity by writing all of his feelings in a journal he'd discovered in his master's room, and now he would be forever grateful to the cat who shared his bed for the ability to write down the events as they happened. "Quiggly! Why are you running? Stop! Sit!" "No, master, I must tell you something. Something important. Please sit down, I'll be done in a moment." "We have a meeting in ten minutes, I don't have time," said the cat, and he grabbed the small mouse and turned his attention to some paperwork. "Sorry, master, but this is important." "I'll see you when I get back," said the cat. "I'm afraid you won't," replied the mouse. The cat looked up from his work, curious. "You seem very busy," said the cat. "I didn't know you were writing in your journal every night." "I am, but I don't have much time. I will tell you when I'm finished." The cat left the room with a smile. Quiggly turned back to his desk and began to write. * * * "What can I do to make this work better? Will it work at all? There's nothing here for me. I'm here for you. I didn't want to have to say it, but I really wish we had room for another cat. Will you do me a favor and just listen to me for once?" said the white cat. "I will do no such thing. I've told you that I will never allow another cat to sleep in my room." "I suppose that's up to you," said the white cat. "I will just have to sleep elsewhere then. I know I'm not as important as you are. You sleep in this ridiculous way, and I sleep on a comfortable pillow." "I sleep on this pillow and have for many years. It is comfortable enough. Now that I know that you are here for the night, I won't be disturbed. I know that you've been watching me this past week. I saw that you were here last night. And now, this morning, I am not so tired. So, please, don't disturb me. I've finally figured out what I need to do, and I will leave you out of it. Go back to sleep, please." The cat shook her head, annoyed. "What are you talking about?" said the cat. "I know why you're here, and I'm not going to give you what you want. I don't need it," said the mouse. "What do you mean, you don't need it? Look at the food and the bed!" "The food is not important. It comes from the pantry; it's stale, most likely. The bed is not important. And you don't need it, either. There's plenty of room in the room for two, but the bed just takes away space I have in my little desk." "What's the bed doing in your room?" "I bought it. I put it in there for you. It's a very comfortable bed." "You bought it?" "Yes, you see, I've been thinking. I want to find a way to help you. I think I found a way to be useful. To help the kingdom. A way that everyone can see. I think the best place for it is in your house. So, I think I should have my own room, and I can even work with the castle's supplies. I think I should have the desk. A perfect space for a young prince.