7 Days To Go

See this entry for an explanation of this madness.

Orlando glared at the cat. The cat glared back at him.

He tried edging forwards slightly. The cat snarled a little, and curled forward over the present it was holding hostage, and the delicate feline ears twitched slightly in amused indignation.

Orlando eyed the pest's claws, the distractedly flicking tail, and decided upon a purely temporary retreat. He looked the cat up and down.

"That's my present, and you know it."

He thought then that maybe he saw the cat smile, thought he heard a taunting laugh inside his head, and a voice full of mocking, malevolence, and mellifluous superiority.