He went out to do what he does best...promising me he would be back and I would get to lick the knife when he returned...as usual

Thimble meows, rubbing on Alastor's legs as Alastor walks towards the door.

"No Thimble, you can't come with me this time." Alastor said with a chuckle.

"Mer-owww"

But I want to...pleaseeee?

Alastor sighed and picked up Thimble, giving her a few pets.

"Maybe next time, ok? I promise I'll be back... and I'll let you lick the knife too." He said with a grin, giving the cat a chin scratch.

Fine.... only because you gave me a chin scratch....

"Mrrp" Thimble purred/meowed.

Alastor's grin widened, and he stroked her head a few times.

"Now, you stay here and keep an eye on things." He said, walking over and setting Thimble down on the couch.

Thimble nodded, flicking her tail as she watched Alastor go to the door, walking out and shutting it behind him.

Thimble jumped down from the couch and made her way over to the window, jumping up into it.

Outside, Alastor glanced back at his house, smiling when he spotted Thimble in the window.

Thimble then watched as he walked down the street and out of sight.

I sat in the window while I waited...

The next scene shows Thimble a few hours later, loafing in the window, her chin resting on the windowsill.

And waited...

The next scene shows Thimble now curled up sleeping in the window, night having fallen outside.

And waited...

The next morning, Thimble wakes up with a yawn, stretching. She was still in the windowsill, having slept on it all night.

Alastor should be home!

Tail flicking with excitement, Thimble jumped down from the windowsill and ran towards Alastor's bedroom.

She skidded to a stop in his doorway with a meow.

How dare you keep me waiting like that! I-!

She paused.

Alastor wasn't there.

Alastor?

Thimble trotted forward and jumped on the bed. It remained the same as it was the day before.

She sniffed the bed, picking up Alastor's scent, but it was stale.

Ears and tail drooping in disappointment, Thimble looked around the room.

He didn't come home last night....huh...

Occasionally, when Alastor went out to murder, he wouldn't always come directly home. He didn't want to get caught by police, so Thimble wasn't too concerned....yet.

With a small sigh, Thimble stepped forward and curled up on Alastor's pillow.

He'll be back tomorrow... stupid police...

With that, the cat fell back asleep, comforted by Alastor's scent from his pillow.

But he never came back...

◇◇◇

In a nearby forest, the birds chirped as the sun rose, casting shadows throughout the trees.

A small breeze stirred, stirring up some leaves, blowing them across a small clearing.

The bushes rustled, and a deer stepped out, flicking an ear.

The doe went to step forward but paused, catching the metallic scent of blood in the air.

Looking around, the deer spotted the crumpled figure of a person on the ground.

He was wearing a long-sleeved white dress shirt, with a red vest overtop it, complemented with a pair of black pants and a black bowtie.

Both his clothing and the knife next to him were splattered in blood.

Lying on his side, his glasses were sitting in the grass next to him.

As the breeze blew, it gently ruffled his hair, revealing the bullet wound to his forehead.

Spooked, the deer bounded away, leaving behind the horrific scene.

Thimble would never see Alastor alive again....

◇◇◇

A few days pass, and there was still no sign of Alastor.

Thimble sat in the window, watching people go by.

Come on Alastor.... you gotta come home eventually....

Her hope of Alastor coming home slowly dwindled with each hour he remained missing.

He couldn't have abandoned me....right?

As the sun rose on the third day of Alastor being gone, Thimble had enough of waiting.

Alright... that's it...

Thimble jumped down from the windowsill.

Thimble trots over to her little sleep box, sticking her head inside and pulling out one of Alastor's handkerchiefs that he had given to her.

I knew he wouldn't have left me on purpose...

Carrying the handkerchief in her jaws, she trotted back over to the window, jumping up into the windowsill once more.

Thimble reared up on her hind legs, one of her paws scratching at the window lock, trying to open it like she had seen Alastor do many times before.

...and he was too clever to be caught by the police..

Hearing a small click, Thimble's tail flicked with satisfaction.

Hooking her muzzle under the window's handle, she stood up, raising the window open slightly.

...so being his little detective..

Casting one last glance at Alastor's home, she flicked her tail.

Then, still carrying Alastor's handkerchief in her jaws, she squeezed through the window, landing on the sidewalk below in a determined stance.

...I was gonna track him down

Then the cat bounded away down the sidewalk, leaving Alastor's house behind.

◇◇◇

I searched the city. Checking every alleyway, every sidewalk and every street I could find...

Thimble is shown searching for Alastor, walking down the street of New Orleans, carrying Alastor's handkerchief.

She trots along, her orange eyes scanning every face she saw pass by her.

Some of the people she passed hardly spared her a second glance.

Some of them gave her looks of disgust, a few of them even trying to kick her.

But a few people gave Thimble a look of curiosity, wondering what a cat was doing carrying a handkerchief with her.

I combed through the city, keeping his handkerchief by my side...

Thimble is shown peeking into an alleyway, ears perked and sniffing the air.

Alastor?

Finding nothing, she shakes her head and continues on.

At one point, a dog chases her down the street, causing her to run in a panic. Desperate, she dives under a bench, ignoring the little girl that sat upon it.

As the dog approached the bench, the girl stood up.

"Shoo! Shoo! Leave the cat alone!" She said, stomping her foot.

The dog ran off, frightened.

The little girl then turned to Thimble, who was still hiding under the bench.

"It's ok kitty, the dog's gone now."

Thimble looked up at the little girl, eyes wide and still panting slightly from running.

"Merow?"

The little girl giggles, but then stops as she notices Alastor's handkerchief on the ground, Thimble having dropped it.

She crouches down to pick it up.

Hey! That's mine!

"Is this yours, little kitty?" She asks,

Thimble meows and steps out from under the bench.

Yes, I'd like it back if you will...

The little girl looks from the handkerchief to Thimble, then grins.

"Here, let me help you..."

What are you planning?..

She gently reaches forward and ties the handkerchief around Thimble's neck, secure enough not to fall off, but not too tight.

...oh..wow...that's actually helpful..

"There! Now you don't have to carry it!" Said the little girl with a grin.

Thimble looks back up at the little girl with a meow.

Thank you small child!

With a purr, Thimble then stepped forward and brushed against the little girl's legs.

The little girl giggled again, reaching down to pet her, gently stroking her on the head.

"You be careful, little kitty!" She said.

Thimble nodded, and with the handkerchief now tied around her neck, she trotted off, the little girl waving her goodbye.

Now...New Orleans is a big city...especially for a small cat like myself...

And looking for one specific person in a big place like that is no easy task...

The next few years had its ups and downs...

Thimble is shown chasing after pigeons, her tail playfully flicking as they fly away.

But then the next moment shows her diving out of the way of a trolley.

One time this guy gave me a part of his sandwich...

A man walks out of a shop, holding a sandwich he had just purchased. As he walks past the alleyway, about to take a bite of his sandwich, he stops, spotting Thimble trying to scavenge something out of a trash can.

The man looks from his sandwich back to Thimble, who has yet to spot him. Making his decision, he steps into the alleyway a bit, breaking off a bit of his sandwich.

Hearing the man's whistle, Thimble looks up from what she was doing, ears perked. She watches as the man gives her a small smile, then he crouches down and places the bit of food on the ground.

After the man backed away and walked off, Thimble scampered forward, tail flicking happily when she smelled the food.

Thank you Mr. Sandwich Man...

She then took a bite, thankful for the man's kindness.

And another time I unfortunately ran into Mimsy...

Thimble is trotting down the street when she ran into someone's leg.

It was Mimsy

Ugh not you again!

Mimsy immediately scooped her up.

"Thimble?! Oh my goodness what are you doing out here?!" She said.

I'm looking for Alastor! Now put me down you son of a..!

Mimsy then cradled Thimble close, baby talking to her.

"You shouldn't be out here all by yourself! New Orleans is too big of a place for you to be wandering..." She continued on.

Thimble squirmed in her grip.

Let. Me. Go!

Not being able to scramble out of her grip, Thimble made a drastic decision.

Alright lady, you asked for it...

Thimble then opened her mouth and clamped her teeth down on Mimsy's hand.

Mimsy yelped and dropped Thimble, who landed on her paws and scampered away a few feet.

"Hey! What was that for?" She asked, cradling her hand, offended.

For not respecting personal space, that's what!

Thimble arched her back and hissed at Mimsy.

Mimsy's face went from offended to annoyed.

"Fine! Be like that you stupid hairball! Hmp!"

She then whirled around and stormed off.

With a satisfied snort, Thimble whirled around and trotted in the other direction.

It was hard...

Shows Thimble getting chased down the street by a group of boys trying to throw rocks at her.

Then it shows Thimble getting splashed with muddy water as a car goes by, leaving her dripping wet.

Then it cuts to Thimble curled up in a damp box, shivering as it pours down rain.

But I never gave up...

◇◇◇

10 Years Later...

As evening fell on the city, Thimble slowly wandered to an alleyway to try and find a spot to sleep.

Thimble's age was catching up to her, her muzzle streaked with silver hairs.

Her pelt was rough and ragged, with a couple of scars.

Alastor's handkerchief was still tied around her neck though, the fabric worn and faded. But she never took it off.

Thimble stiffly wandered into the alleyway, her eyes scanning for a spot to sleep.

Spotting a pile of newspapers, Thimble's ears perked.

Those might be good to sleep on...

She walked forward, crouching down to sniff the newspaper.

Suddenly a dog lunges out of the shadows behind her, headbutting Thimble to the ground.

Winded and terrified, the old she-cat tried to get up, but collapsed back to the ground.

The dog stepped forward, growling.

Thimble looks up at the dog, eyes widened in fright, ears laid back.

Not again...

Then the dog lunged forward, grabbing Thimble by the scruff, shaking her around a bit before slamming her into a wall, making everything go black...

When Thimble woke back up, she wasn't in good shape.

She had been mauled by the dog, patches of fur missing, her fur soaked with her own blood.

Laying on the ground, her breathing painfully labored, Thimble noticed that Alastor's handkerchief had been ripped from her neck.

Alastor's handkerchief...no...please

Thimble tried to lift her head, but fell limp with a painful gasp.

She couldn't get up, every breath sending a stabbing pain through her whole body.

Spotting the handkerchief a few feet away, Thimble's ears perked weakly.

Even in my last moments...I thought of him...

Summoning the rest of her strength, Thimble reached with a paw towards the handkerchief.

But she couldn't reach it.

I'm sorry Alastor...

Even extending her claws couldn't help her reach it, so she let her paw fall to the ground, darkness starting to cloud her vision.

I'm sorry I couldn't find you...

Then as everything went dark, Thimble let out one last shuddering sigh, then lay still.

◇◇◇

Oof, kinda ended on a sad note there...

But holy cow this chapter was nearly 2150 words! That's waayyy more than the last chapter lol

Don't worry, that's not the last we'll see of our favorite serial killer's cat!

Stay tuned and don't forget to vote ☆