PA 3.5: End of a Tail

Chapter XXVII Part II

He gave an almost instinctual wink to the mutt, who backed up further against the wall as fear began to take over their body.

"No! Please! I still believe in you Patchie, please stop!" Olive yelled, determined to stop what was inevitable retribution. Despite the empty words, Patches gave pause to ask himself where this kindness was two days ago.

His wondering was cut short as a flare of light drew his attention to Coco, and he raised up his 'knife' in defence, clutching to Rover with his left paw as he severed the brightly hued wire materialized around himself, then was cut apart before it could hold him in place.

Coco reeled her wand backward, instinctively bringing forward Mitt's and pushing magic into it for a lethal spell. When she realized Mitt's wand *wasn't* Mitt's wand, the cat gasped and chucked the wand to the side with a stutter. "You bastard!"

"Ah, well, close enough," he muttered, using the moment afforded by his deception to kick Rover forward and send him sailing off of the staircase. In the same motion, he twirled his 'knife' about in a circle towards the dog's back.

Although on a collision course to Coco, Patches' smugness was cut short as Brownie moved to intercept Rover. The impact made a loud "fwumph" of clothing and fur. Brownie's bandages flew off in a tangled mess as both dogs lay stunned on the floor, covering her eyes as a chattering of jagged teeth and wheezing hyperventilation ominously filled the air.

Patches' barrier deflected the next bolt, sending it crashing into the ceiling harmlessly and leaving behind a dusting of soot. Although he loved the anger on her face, he could feel the combination of exhaustion and injury leading to an inevitability. He could still protect himself, but for how long?

Olive screeched as the rune drawn in marker on the back of Rover's letterman jacket flared grey, then red. Jagged, flimsy mismatched claws emerged from the swirling hole, grasping at the hardwood flooring. The long, spindly arms of the creature were of uneven length, but both took far longer to raise the demon cat out of the portal's maw.

Each appendage was boney and about as long as Coco was tall. When the thing's body finally came through, its rotund grotesqueness seemed like an unfinished clay vase made by freshmen in art class. Its lanky eyes and dot-like pupils jittered about the room - looking past Coco - before resting its eyes on the first dog it saw: Olive.

The mutt saw the crazed pupils shake in their sockets as the thing floated out from the hole in the back of Rover. The dog let loose gagged screams as it felt the thing emerge painlessly from the back of his jacket and grip his sides. The thing's droopy, useless tail limply dragged across the back of Rover's head before it plopped onto the floor like the body of a snake and followed the rest of the demon's mass.

Patches chuckled at the endearing display; Olive's first instinct had been to turn about and try to wrangle the front door open, and what a mistake that was. It was only with a yelp and by Olive ducking that they managed to avoid a lethal swipe that gouged the door in thick streaks.

The missed attack allowed for the mutt to dodge towards the kitchen, taking position behind Coco and staring in fear as the monster dug its claws from the door and began slowly rotating towards them. Patches snickered as another bolt of magic washed over his shield- he was doing a great job at seeming like he could hold it forever.

As the portal on Rover's back faded and popped shut, Brownie squeezed out from under the dog and began taking off his bindings. "Coco!" she shouted urgently.

"Rrrgh! I know!" She spun on her heel, sending a bolt towards the creature with a valiant cry. Much to nobody's surprise, the bolt did little but shake it like a bobblehead. "Olly! Go get water from the kitchen!" she screamed.

"Oh don't be a spoilsport," Patches said. In the moment Coco had turned around to fire at the demon, he had wrangled up a fierce spell of his own. The cat's sharp yellow eyes sprung to attention, conjuring a defensive shield. His paw flung forward- sending the crackling grey energy congealed in Mitt's wand just over Coco's head with a woosh. The center of the kitchen door splintered along it's width while the iron hinges contorted and warped from the sudden battering they received- the door had been made inoperable.

Brownie tugged down the makeshift gag, allowing Rover to speak for the first time since he had entered the room. He spit out bits of white thread before looking at Brownie with desperation. "That's not the real wand! He has the real one!"

"YOU DON'T SAY?" Brownie retorted as she loosened the bindings, granting Rover freedom.