A Town Full of Cats

"It's getting bright…" Marshall said as he drove a dark brown amphibian jeep out of a forest. The beautiful sunrise is hidden behind the foliage beside the Jeep, casting shadows on the dirt path. "Should we rest in the nearest town?"

"Sure," Ender replied without looking up from Marshall's note. She's currently busy editing and making sure that the notes sing praises about her awesomeness. She can't let something like honesty and professionalism ruin her track record now, can she?

"Anything interesting there?"

"I don't know…" Marshall said as he drove the Jeep out of the dirt trail and the mountainside paved road. The view below the mountain and the sunrise could be seen clearly on their right—a gigantic lake silhouette with what seems to be a town floating in the middle.

Ender glanced at the floating town below the mountain. A rare nostalgic smile slowly formed on her face. "That's the Mercat Village," she commented. "Elliot's family owns a bar there."

"Elliot?" Marshall asked.

Ender rolled her eyes before looking back at her phone. "Elliot was my senior. He was a tier three, B-Rank agent."

"Like you to me?" Marshall asked.

"Something like that, yeah."

"What was he like?"

Ender paused for a moment before sighing a little. "He was an idiot."

"What happened to him?"

"Incident B-1475-12052015"

"So uhh… City-Wide incident concerning anomaly number 1475 that happens in twelfth June 2015… right?" Marshall asked.

"Yes, just look it up tomorrow after you got your promotion," Ender replied.

With that, Marshall sped up the Jeep and drove faster down the mountain path. The town becomes closer and closer until it finally disappears from view. The view beside the mountain was replaced by a large river leading straight towards a beautiful waterfall.

The young demon couldn't help but stare at the beauty of nature. His father might be all-powerful, but mother nature wipes the floor when it comes to world-building and artistic beauty.

"It's beautiful…"

"Keep your eyes on the road, you're a driver for Watt's sake," Ender commented, uninterested by the scenery.

The Jeep drove towards a gigantic bridge that connects the mountain foot towards the floating town. The beautiful lake below them sparkles in the sunlight, and the view of the waterfall behind them becomes twice as beautiful the further they are from it.

After a moment, statues of two cats with fishtails came into vision. The cat statues held a large sign that says 'Welcome to Mercat Town.' Connected to the bridge behind the archway is a sign that says 'Parking.'

"Public Parking Lot?" Marshall commented in confusion.

"This town is a bit too small for vehicles, we walk on foot from now on," Ender replied.

Marshall parked the car at the parking lot. It's quite packed but not that full. He found a spot close to the bridge and parked the Jeep there. "Ahh… Finally…" he muttered before shutting off the engine. "I think I'm gonna stay here and…" The boy yawned sleepily and leaned the driver's seat. "Morning Ender…"

"Morning Marshall," Ender replied while walking out of the Jeep. She stretched her arms a little bit before looking around the town. A view of colorful wooden buildings visible in the distance. "Coffee…" she muttered to herself.

Ender walked through a white bridge that connects one part of the town with another. The colorful buildings stood on top of large patches of land resembling small islands scattered all over the lake. The citizens could be seen walking the streets, crossing the bridges, and even taking a small boat through the canals.

Something small bumped into Ender's foot. She looked down just in time to see a white cat running away from her. She noticed the unusual amount of stray cats roaming the streets, from the safety fence near the lake, the bench, and even on a bread vendor's roof.

Unlike most stray cats, however, all the cats in the town are oddly tame. They behave like well-trained cats, don't steal, don't litter, and are not that noisy. The city citizens also treat every cat like their own pet. They even provide public feeding stations for them.

Some children wearing light green uniform walked through the streets. One of them has a cat sitting on their head, and the other just picked one from the streets. The cat didn't even look bothered at the sudden cuddle. It just purred gently on their chest.

The only thing weirder than the cat's behavior in this town is how tightly the foundation keeps the reason a secret. Ender tried to get her hands on this town's info, but the only thing she gets is a warning from her superior to not pry any further.

But that was when she was just a B-Rank agent, now that she's an A-Rank, she might have permission?

After walking for a while, Ender sat down on the nearest bench. On her left is a fluffy gray cat sitting down on the bench and staring off to the streets. "I've never seen you here before, are you a tourist?" a voice came from her right.

Ender nodded and saw a woman sitting down beside her. "I'm a traveler," Ender replied while staring at a black cat that jumped on the woman's lap. "Say, do you know a good place to have a breakfast?"

The woman gently stroked the black cat on her lap. "What would you like for breakfast?"

"Coffee and Bread," Ender replied simply. "Mostly coffee."

"I'd suggest you go to the Black Cat Cafe," the woman said as the black cat on her lap yawned sleepily. "It's not that far from here."

Ender remembered that her late mentor's bar has the same name. "Is it located in an intersection with a small fountain not far from the entrance?" she asked her.

The woman smiled and nodded a little. "I see you've heard of that place. I didn't know it's very popular outside the town," she said.

"Something like that, I should be going now," Ender said before continuing her way through the streets. "See you later." The woman waved kindly at Ender before seemingly starting talking to the cat.

Ender always wondered what will happen to the black cat bar after Elliot's death. She's even more curious when she heard that the bar has been replaced by a cafe, not that she minds, of course. She prefers caffeine over alcohol.

Ender crossed a white wooden bridge and walked straight towards an alleyway. Some public cat feeding stations were stationed inside the alleyway for the cat's consumption. The cats ate in a neat line and didn't fight with each other for food.

After walking through the tight alley, she made it towards the main street that led towards a large intersection. Right in the middle of it is a beautiful marble fountain of a fishtailed cat, and at the corner of it is a small cafe.

The cafe has a black sign resembling a black cat with a coffee logo on it. There's no writing on it, but it's obvious what it says. "Black Cat Cafe huh?" Ender commented as she walked towards the little building. "It has a nicer ring than a Black Cat Bar I guess…"