"It's definitely there." The little orange kitten's eyes lit up. "White dogs are royalty in the Dog Clan. Royalty must be in the clan territory."
"How do you know?"
"My mom told me." The little orange kitten puffed out its chest. "She told me lots of things about the Dog Clan."
"But we don't know where the clan territory is."
"I know." When the little orange kitten said this, its tail stood high, as if it were a little proud. But that bit of pride quickly shrank back down.
Uchiha Toru's voice cut in. "You want to come with us?"
"Mm."
"Why?" Uchiha Toru's gaze fell on the little orange kitten, scrutinizing it.
The little orange kitten took half a step back under his stare. "Because... because I'm going to save my clansmen."
Uchiha Toru's brows moved slightly.
"But my mom won't let me." The little orange kitten's ears drooped. "She says fighting wars is for big cats, and little cats should stay in their nests."
"Where's your mom?" Shin-chan looked around. "Does she know you ran out?"
The little orange kitten's eyes drifted left, then right, but it simply didn't answer.
Uchiha Toru sighed. "Go back."
The little orange kitten's ears drooped completely. It turned and walked two steps toward the bushes, then stopped and looked back at them.
That look was exactly the same as Shin-chan's every time Misae refused to buy him a toy.
Uchiha Toru didn't look at it again and turned to keep walking.
Shin-chan followed him. After a few steps, he looked back again.
The little orange kitten was still crouching there, a tiny orange ball.
"Toru."
"Mm."
"It's still looking at us."
"I know."
"It looks so pitiful."
Uchiha Toru did not respond, nor did his steps stop.
Shin-chan looked back again, then turned around and walked with his head lowered for a dozen more steps before suddenly stopping.
"Toru."
Uchiha Toru stopped too, but he didn't turn around.
"Let's bring it with us."
"No."
"Why?"
"We may not even be able to guarantee our own safety," Uchiha Toru said calmly. "Bringing along a kitten will only make things more complicated."
Shin-chan opened his mouth, but no words came out.
After walking about fifty meters, Uchiha Toru stopped.
Shin-chan almost bumped into his back.
"What's wrong?"
Uchiha Toru didn't answer.
Shin-chan followed his gaze and looked behind them.
The little orange kitten was peeking out with half its head from behind a rock. When it realized they were looking at it, it whooshed back out of sight.
Uchiha Toru stared at that rock and was silent for several seconds.
"Come out."
There was no movement behind the rock.
"We already saw you."
After a few more seconds, the tip of an orange ear first appeared from the edge of the rock, then the head, and finally the whole cat.
The little orange kitten walked out with its head lowered. "I'm just... going the same way."
Uchiha Toru looked at it and sighed.
"What's your name?"
The little orange kitten lifted its head, and its eyes brightened. "Little Orange."
Shin-chan leaned closer to look at it. "You really do look like an orange."
Little Orange's ears twitched. Being stared at made it embarrassed, and it instinctively turned its head aside.
"You can follow us," Uchiha Toru said. "But there are two conditions."
Little Orange's ears shot upright.
"First, if there's danger, hide behind me."
Little Orange nodded hard.
"Second, don't run around. Don't leave my line of sight."
Little Orange nodded hard again.
The two humans and one cat continued forward.
When they passed through a grassy area, Little Orange slowed down, its nose twitching.
"What is it?" Uchiha Toru stopped.
"The Dog Clan's scent." Little Orange lifted its head and sniffed. "It's very strong."
Uchiha Toru's hand moved to his kunai.
"How much farther?"
"Not far." Little Orange said, "It's just beyond that mountain hollow."
"Can you smell how many there are?"
Little Orange sniffed again, and its ears pressed back uneasily. "A lot."
"How many is a lot?"
"It's..." Little Orange thought for a moment. "More than the numbers I can count."
Uchiha Toru was silent for a few seconds. Then he crouched down and reached a hand toward Little Orange.
Little Orange instinctively shrank back.
"Get on."
Little Orange blinked at him.
"You walk too slowly. It'll be faster if I carry you," Uchiha Toru said. "Climb onto my shoulder."
Little Orange carefully stretched out a paw and placed it on Uchiha Toru's arm, then climbed up along his arm and crouched on his shoulder.
The trees along the road grew sparser and sparser.
"It's just ahead," Little Orange said in a very low voice. "Once we pass that slope, we'll be able to see it."
Uchiha Toru slowed his steps, moving forward along a protruding rock.
Shin-chan followed behind, but he still couldn't help poking his head out from the edge of the rock.
Below the slope was a wide mountain hollow, and dogs were everywhere.
Several dogs at the edge of the hollow sniffed hard in the direction of the slope and began looking around.
Uchiha Toru pressed Shin-chan's head down and crouched. "Careful. They might smell us."
"Wait." Little Orange began rummaging through the small cloth bag it carried.
"What are you looking for?"
"My mom gave it to me." Little Orange's head was almost completely buried in the cloth bag. "She said I should bring it when I go out, and use it if I run into the Dog Clan... Found it."
It took out a tiny cloth bundle and placed it on the ground. Inside were leaves none of them recognized.
"What is this?" Shin-chan leaned closer to look.
"My mom said if you chew this up and smear it on your body, the Dog Clan won't be able to smell you."
Uchiha Toru picked up one leaf and sniffed it. It had no scent at all.
"Are you sure it works?"
"My mom said it works."
Uchiha Toru was silent for an instant, then looked at Little Orange. "Why didn't you take it out earlier?"
Little Orange's ears pressed back. Its eyes drifted left, then right.
"I forgot."
"You forgot?"
"It's just... I didn't think of it at first, and then I didn't think of it later either." Little Orange's voice grew smaller and smaller. "I only suddenly remembered when I saw those dogs stand up just now."
Uchiha Toru suddenly felt something familiar.
He had heard something very similar before.
And he had heard it many times.
Uchiha Toru turned and glanced at Shin-chan, silently sighing.
Little Orange chewed the leaves, then spat out a little and used its front paw to smear it over its face and ears.
Uchiha Toru and Shin-chan did the same, smearing the chewed leaves on their arms and necks.
In the mountain hollow, the noses of those dogs twitched again. In the end, they wagged their tails and lay back down.
"It works," Uchiha Toru said quietly.
Little Orange's chest visibly puffed out a little.
"My mom said—"
Little Orange's words broke off halfway.
The bushes ahead rustled. Branches and leaves parted, and a deep-gray shadow walked out from within.
Doulo glanced at them. "Looks like you're fine."
Little Orange arched its body, as if ready to pounce at any moment.
Uchiha Toru's hand hung by his side, less than an inch from his kunai.
Doulo saw the movement, but did not react at all.