I don't know what it is with his eyes, but I saw my reflection on them.

Those green leonine depths shone with determination; a fierce clinging to life. Blood-soaked black fur, one ear chewed to the bone, a long scar ran from his nape to his stomach... blood dripping slowly on the pavement; but the unwavering strength of his stare captured my attention. I can't believe how something so small and fragile can muster such a defensive stance.

He didn't even blink once. Not when I reached down and slipped the knife from the back of my left boot, sweeping it out in an arc to bring him out of arm's way. He never even gave a growl or a squeak when he was squashed between me and a low wall while bullets rained down on us.

Yeah, shit. I should have known.

My whole shoulder burned with pain from the shrapnel. That asshole Hernandez set us up! My communicator's dead. I should have said something to my buddy Rika before I left to follow him tonight but I was too anxious to prove my theory that I went out by myself.

I felt a sharp pain on my leg. Miniature claws clung to the fabric on my left leg; the little one refused to budge without a fight. His long tail, almost too long for a feline, curled like a black fern frond around my ankle.

I felt a smile lift the corners of my mouth.

"It's okay, we wont die. Not like this."

Tangina, I'm Alistair Zabala.

I felt something wet land on my nose, then another. Huge droplets. The sky opened up and started pouring. The cold started to invade my extremities first; the tips of my fingers and toes started to numb. The kitten blinked its huge, bright eyes at me.

The cold steel of the night glinted with silver droplets. The rain...

I lifted my face and felt the rain soak my skin. Kung pinagpapala ka nga naman...

The sound of the intermittent thunder cut through the steady pattering of the rain. The world went bright for a second before returning to steel gray. That short flicker was all I needed.

The knife sang through the air in a clean arc before it reached its destination. I could hear the soft thud as the blade hit flesh and sank there, then the sudden harsh scream from the traitor that I just pinned to the door behind him.

I bit my lower lip as I staggered on the low wall in front of me. I sank down on the wet pavement with a groan that I could no longer suppress.

"Fuck you Zabala!" I could still hear Hernandez trying to pry the knife off his shoulder. Gunshots were fired near the top of my head. Napangiti ako. Those were the last of his bullets.

I counted.

The tiny battered kitten gave a plaintive meow.

You are one brave, beautiful creature.

Kung hindi niya sinakmal si Hernandez kanina sa eskinita, hindi ko malalaman kung nasaan siya and he could have just blasted my head off.

I breathed deeply. I hope someone, maybe the guy on duty saw something in the security camera or I'm screwed. I picked up the scruffy creature by his neck. Those eyes are mesmerizing.

He deserves it, Alistair.

"Well then, I'm Jaguar and you'll be..." I stopped for a moment to think.

"Panther."

-------------------

"Jaguar!"

I chuckled slowly at the excited whisper from Rika.

"He's licking me!" Her eyes are round and she's biting her lower lip. Malayo sa matatalim na tingin na parating naa-associate sa kaniya. Who would have thought that one of the agency's top trackers can be melted by a little kitten? I could almost hear her soft giggles as Panther made figure eights around her ankles. Wait... is she cooing to him?

"Here, kitty, kitty..." She dangled a piece of yarn in front of the excitable ball of fur. Panther blinked up his huge green orbs.

"Not too short Rika. He might claw your hand," Adrian reminded her. My cousin, who lives here with me in my apartment, had cats back in the Philippines and he'd been teaching us how to take care of one.

Tangina, whoever said that cats are easier to take care of than dogs must have never had a feral one. I almost gave up on the stench when he left feces at the bottom of my bed because he refused to use the kitty litter. And the carpet was ruined. Shit, fall pa naman ngayon and the feel of cold, linoleum on my feet in the morning is hell.

"You should feed him." Adrian handed me the bag of dried cat food. "He's from the streets. The only way to inspire loyalty from him is with his stomach." How fascinating. My cousin's been moping around with a broken heart for the past few weeks and the first time I saw some light come back to his eyes is when I handed him the meowling, blood-soaked bundle that rainy night before I crashed on the sofa. He fed the cat, tended to his wounds (and mine), and found a box to put him in. I woke up the next morning with a stiff left arm and a purring kitty on my stomach.

I took some food into my hand and opened it. The cat's ears perked before he sniffed the air. His long tail swished once, twice before he bounded to me.

"Kawaii!" Rika, di bagay sa'yo ang nag-s-squeal. I rolled my eyes. Panther made an abrupt stop before he collided with my hand. He took a tentative sniff of the food before he licked one. The feel of his coarse tongue is strangely ticklish. He raised his eyes to me as if asking for permission. I raised my other hand to pet him but he shied away, as if scared that I would hit him.

"Shhhh...." I gently placed my other hand on the top of his head, like how Adrian taught me yesterday and gave a little scratch behind his ear. He took that as a sign of approval and took one of the fish-shaped treats from my hand and put it on the floor. I guess he still needs to learn how to use a dish. Or to eat from his master's hand.

"So how's the case?" I asked Rika when the sated kitty fell asleep on my lap after he ate. I stroked the thick black fur. One week pa lang but he's already looking healthy. His wounds have started to heal and the vet gave him shots so he won't accidentally give us rabies when he play bites. He'd started coming out and exploring the apartment, especially the top of my book shelves. I guess he likes to sleep on the highest place he could find or he just wants to survey the area. I guess I could relate to that.

Her expression turned sour. "You couldn't have picked a worse way to expose him. Damn, Ali that was very, very dangerous."

Hernandez is one of my trainors in the agency and I've always managed to get on the wrong side of him. Since day one, parati niya akong pinag-iinitan. Rika said it was only my imagination but I know... I could read it in his eyes. I've always had this bad feeling about him and I was right. He is a counter agent.

"Would you have me let him go? The opportunity was there and I grabbed it."

"Without calling for back-up? I know you like being a daredevil. I know you know how good you are." I couldn't suppress the smile on my lips and she poked me. "Damn, don't use that smile on me." She's two years my senior but we are on the same class. Rika Sanada is a top class agent and it's rumored that she's gonna take over Hernandez' position.

Well I just managed to get her closer to that position. Better her than the asshole. And no, I don't mind calling him that. A lot of higher-ups are asses too, but at least they manage to keep themselves clean. I found the subtle undercurrents in the agency very interesting and it takes a lot to keep me interested.

A couple of years ago I was recruited by the world's top investigative agency after I've cracked their computer network. Call it a weird stroke of luck, pero imbes na kasuhan ako ay nirecruit pa nila ako. They recognized my talent in the field, pero alam ko that what they really wanted was for my talents to be used in the right way. I could have just easily fallen in with bad company and engage in counter-espionage. If you really think about it... para na rin nilang inamin na takot silang makalaban ako. The thought gives one a heady feeling. Kung siguro hindi ako pinalaki ng maayos ni mommy at ni kuya, I could easily fall into the trap of power.

I didn't know a purring cat on your lap can be very relaxing. I found myself combing my fingers on his satin-soft fur. He opened one eye lazily before he curled himself into a tighter ball.

Rika's cellphone rang once and she picked up the call, "Sanada." I leaned back on my sofa and stretched my stiff arm. Siguro puwede na ito in a few days. I'm itching to get back to my training.

"What?" The sharpness of her tone caught my attention. She brought a hand to massage her temples. "Yes, yes he is with me... no. No," she turned to face me. "I'll be there in ten."

I waited for her to tell me the bad news.

"His trail is cold." Her eyes are steely. "Dela Croix and McCarthy are down. Apitoxin. " The sound of Hernendez' signature venom raised the hackles at the back of my neck.

"Fuck." The cat on my lap immediately went on alert. I could feel his claws dig on the soft skin of my thigh. I smoothed a hand on his back to soothe him.

"He's gonna target you next," she stated the obvious.

"He could try."

"You know he would. Before you, he was the top dog. It was his program that you rendered obsolete when you hacked into the system two years ago."

"He can't be holding a grudge over that." I lifted a brow at her. "Programs are meant to be rendered obsolete. Paano mo malalaman strength nito kung walang susubok sa defenses. This is the reason why programmers always have to be on their toes."

"You stepped on his pride, Ali." She reminded me. "Then you exposed him. He is going to do everything in his power to make sure you'd go down."

"Like I said, he could try." Damn him anyway. He hasn't really met the wrath of a Zabala.

---------------

It was no surprise really that Panther became known as my shadow. The cat just followed me everywhere.

Napagalitan pa ako ng head ng department kasi nagdala daw ako ng pet sa opisina, but the cat just always manages to follow me. Walang magawa si Adrian dahil parati siyang nakakawala, and I'd find him slinking into the office. He's like a ghost that would suddenly appear. Nag-aabang sa akin during my trainings. The female agents loved him and I even found the department head playing with him one time. The little black cat had charm.

So wala na silang nagawa kung hindi payagan si Panther. He proved to be a well-mannered cat. Matalino. Observant. I liked that. I was able to train him to do tricks. He's way better than our canines because he could climb in the tightest spots and play fetch for me. He'd eat from any hand but he would always come when I call him. That is his loyalty.

"Jaguar!" I heard Sanada call my name. She looked really excited kahit na pinipigilan niya.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Sheesh, don't call me that." She shoved a letter on my hand. "Congratulations, sir."

I lifted a brow at her before I read its contents.

Well, I'll be damned.

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A/N:

I love cats. XD Ayun, so the things I wrote here are a homage to my four cats. XD Love you, babies!