by Erik DeLeo
“I’m sorry it had to come to this. But it is what it is.”
Without warning, Kobayashi attacked. Miko backpedaled, and scrambled to her right, away from her old master’s sword. Then she spotted her weapons. Miko made a move toward them, but Kobayashi blocked her path, shaking his head.
“I don’t think so. You take me for a fool?”
“You work with the barkuza, so I’m afraid I do.”
Miko moved cautiously, looking for an opening to get past her former sensei. He attacked again, slicing into her uniform. It was a miracle he only caught her fur. Kobayashi swung again, a powerful downward slash. This time she was ready, jumping to side and slipping past him as the momentum carried him forward. His katana clanged loudly, as it made contact with the floor. Miko sprinted for her weapons and Kobayashi spun around, right on her heels.
Her sword lay on top of a table. She grabbed it and rolled, coming back up to her feet just in time to block Kobayashi’s attack. The sound of sword on sword rang out, and shivers ran up Miko’s arms. Kobayashi disengaged, then stabbed forward. Miko expertly dodged the attack, flipping her katana underneath his sword and then twirling it around the blade, forcing it towards the ground. She lashed out with a kick to create space between the two ninjas.
Both held their swords in front of them. They circled each other, focused on the fight. The commotion outside, as loud as it was, faded into the background. Kobayashi pulled a weighted feather, and threw it, attempting to distract Miko. She ignored it.
“Ah, learning I see. No matter. You’ll always be my biggest disappointment.”
He lunged and Miko ignored the verbal barb. She countered, striking back. He brought up his katana and they were face-to-face. Kobayashi winked. Then Miko went blind. Instinctively, she backpedaled. He had thrown something in her eye. It was sand. Kobayashi was on her in a second. He disarmed her, and knocked her to the ground. She rubbed her eyes with the back of one of her paws, the other arm up defensively. They watered. It was painful.
“Have I taught you nothing?”
“Your actions today have taught me everything I need to know about you.”
“Life is complicated, Miko. But unfortunately, you’ll never have time to learn that. Goodbye.”
Kobayashi raised his katana for a killing blow when something small and brown launched itself at his neck in a blur of motion and sound. Even half-blind, Miko could tell it was Sukoshi. Kobayashi let out a hiss, and waved off the attack.
Miko didn’t waste a moment. She was back up on her feet. She grabbed her sword, and took advantage of the distraction. Blinking through tears, she came at Kobayashi with a flurry of attacks. He was immediately put on the defensive. She cut him twice, then three times.
“Get him Miko, get him!”
Miko pressed her advantage. Kobayashi was hurt. He looked around wildly, hoping for help. None was coming. He reached inside his uniform, and threw something on the ground. There was a flash of light, a puff of smoke. Both Miko and Sukoshi were temporarily blinded. When they could see again, Kobayashi was gone.
Epilogue
There was a swirl of activity both outside and inside the dockside warehouse. The fight, which had started outside, and moved inside the building too. The barkuza were locked in battle with dozens and dozens of Shiba Inus. Miko looked at Sukoshi, confused.
“What? I went home and checked on my family, like you said. Then I found our client, Mrs. Kanin, who was none too happy after you confronted her at the dog park. Turns out her husband confessed to everything. It also turns out she has a rather large, extended family. You think twelve kids is a lot? You won’t guess how many cousins she has. They were all up for a fight.”
Miko shook her head in disbelief.
“I think we’re even now. I definitely saved you this time.”
“You definitely did,” she replied.
“Can you believe Mrs. Kanin’s husband suggested they simply have another puppy? She kicked him out right before coming here. I kinda like her now.”
The chaos swirled around the cat and field mouse. Eventually, the tide turned. The sheer number of Shiba Inus caused the barkuza members to turn tail and run.
“You won’t believe the number of cages in the back of the warehouse,” said Sukoshi. “It’s going to take awhile to get all these puppies back to their families. Wanna help?”
“No,” replied Miko. “I want to take a cat nap. It’s been a long day.”
“That is has,” replied the field mouse. “That it has.”
A Humble Request
I sincerely hope you enjoyed reading The Cat Ninja as much as I enjoyed writing it. If you did, I would greatly appreciate a short review on Amazon. Reviews are crucial for any author, and even writing just a line or two can make a huge difference.
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About the Author
Erik DeLeo was born in Rochester, NY. He grew up reading fantasy and science fiction and avoiding the sun. He now lives in Santa Monica, California with his cats Marco, Barnabas and Caia. He doesn't charge them rent even though they eat a lot. When he's not writing, Erik enjoys reading, traveling, and hopelessly rooting for the Buffalo Bills.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual cats, dogs, or other talking animals, living or dead, is completely coincidental.
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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author, Erik DeLeo.
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Published by Dark Cat Publishing
Copyright © 2019 by Erik DeLeo
Cover Design: Seedlings Online
Illustration: Samantha Key
Editor: Louise K. Winget
Created with Vellum
Acknowledgments
First, a special thank you to Samantha Key, my amazing illustrator, who brought Puff to life with her skill and artistry. I couldn’t be happier with what you created.
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Second, I’d like to thank the immensely talented Jenny Zemanek, my cover designer. Your creativity and art direction are what helped set this project apart.