Cats and Dogs

The sky was overcast, the ash-grey clouds threatening a downpour. An officer drove down a long dirt driveway that led to a beautifully rustic ranch home. The ranch belonged to the most recent victim of a series of burlgeries plaguing Domesta City. They were specifically plaguing canines who were actively or previously involved in law enforcement. This particular victim was a former sergeant of this officer’s department, Sergeant Bella Border. The canine that answered the door, while also a Border Collie, was not the former sergeant but instead her daughter, Bailey Border, and the officer’s childhood friend. 

“I’ll be darned,” Bailey said as she recognized the officer, “Axel Shepherd, long time no see.” She leaned against the door frame with her arms crossed across her chest. Her fluffy, soft-looking fur was a light cream color with patches of strawberry brown. The brown on her face was perfectly symmetrical and divided by a stripe that started at her forehead and sloped down her snout like a cascading waterfall.  

“That’s Officer Shepherd to you,” the officer, Axel, said with a smile. Their pleasant reunion had to wait as he remembered why he was there. “As much as I want to continue our conversation, I’m here to investigate a robbery that was reported from this residence. I believe your mother called it in?” 

Bailey nodded, her laidback grin fading into a serious line. “Ah right, that’s actually why I’m here too.”  

Axel pulled out a small notepad and pen from the chest pocket on his uniform. The same pocket where his badge was pinned, which caught the light and sparkled like golden treasure. This sparkle caught the attention of a pair of emerald eyes that watched from nearby, undetected.  

Officer Shepherd flipped to an empty page and readied his pen, his ears perking up, ready to listen. “Then would you mind answering a few questions for me?” he asked. 

“Not at all, anything I can do to help you catch this fleabag,” Bailey said, her sharp, pearly teeth flashing as the insult left her lips. 

“I’m going to have to ask you to watch your language Bales. What was taken?” 

“S’been awhile since you’ve used that nickname.” 

“What was taken?” 

“Right, sorry, just my mother’s old badge.” 

Axel scribbled her response into his notepad. Stolen badge. Just like the pervious break-ins. “Just the badge?” he questioned further. 

Bailey nodded once again. “Yup, thought it was odd too.” 

“Is there any damage?” 

“Yeah, mom’s curtains are all clawed up. Odd thing is that they don’t look like canine clawmarks.” 

Non-canine clawmarks, Axel jotted down. Feline. 

“Are you familiar with the Cat Burglar?” he asked. His tail twitched in anticipation, as if it could sense something that he could not. 

Bailey’s floppy ears perked up at the name the press had given the culprit of the recent burglaries. “As a matter of fact, I am.” 

“Did you happen to find anything out of the ordinary?”  

Bailey told Axel to sit tight as she went inside to grab something from her mother. She returned a short while later with something in her paws. A small, folded paper bird. She handed it to him and said that her mother had found it on the doorstep–like prey left as somesort of offering–as she went to chase after the intruder.  

Axel lifted it to his muzzle to give it a sniff. The rich earthy scent of soil and sage entered his senses, the scent of the Border family, yet there was a hint of another scent. The smell of pavement after it rains. All of the pieces came together. The stolen badge, the clawmarks, and the paper bird left at the door. Feline. 

 

⚞   ⛛   ⚟ 

 

Axel parked his squad car in his usual spot that faced the bronze statue in the front courtyard. The statue was of a canine officer, another German Shepherd, who was sculpted to stand with pride and saluted to everyone who entered the station or happened to pass by. Axel remained in his car for a long, quiet moment before finally stepping out. He walked past the statue and caught a glimpse of the plaque at the base. Captain Duke Shepherd. A committed captain and father. Died in the line of duty. Captain Duke Shepherd, Axel’s committed father. Pushed from the roof of a half-finished apartment complex, chasing the same cat his son now hunts.  

It had only been a week since he had spoken with Bailey and there had been another three burglaries. All of which had the same MO; the target was a former or current member of canine law enforcement, a stolen badge, claws marks in furniture or curtains, and a folded paper bird left at the doorstep. Axel entered his office and growled as he stared at his evidence board on the wall. The paper bird that the former sergeant, Bailey’s mother, had found was contained in a small baggie and pinned to the board. Other notes, blurry photographs and other bagged birds found by the other victims of the Cat Burglar were also scattered about the corkboard with a blood red string that weaved around thumbtacs. A spider’s web of dead ends. 

“Any new leads?” Captain Beethoven Bernard inquired, leaning against the doorframe of Axel’s office. His massive silhouette took up almost the entire width of the opening and he seemed to bend the wood with his weight. While he looked rather intimidating, he had a kind soul. A gentle giant, as most St. Bernards were. He smelled of pine needles and whiskey, and Axel cursed himself for not picking up on his scent sooner. He should have been able to smell his father’s closest friend before he even entered the station, but he was so engrossed in his evidence board he had hardly noticed Bernard enter.  

“Nothing yet, sir,” Axel sighed, his attention still focused on the evidence board. His ears fell flat against his skull and his arms crossed across his chest. 

“Ah, well, don’t beat yourself up too much, son,” the captain said. His voice was deep and husky from the liquor in the flask that Axel shouldn’t know about. He placed a heavy but tender paw upon the young officer’s shoulder. “Even your father and I had a hard time pinning down the bastard. He’s a slippery one, that feline.” The captain practically spat the word, as if it tasted foul. 

There was a twinge of pain in Axel’s heart at the word ‘son.’ Captain Bernard, or rather uncle Beet as he had called him when he was just a pup, was like a second father to him but he has had a sore spot for the endearment since the incident five years ago. 

Axel growled again, not attempting to hide his frustrated snarl that put his pearly white canines on full display. The Cat Burglar has been a thorn in their department’s side since his father was captain. A thorn that his father died chasing, and a thorn Axel vowed to take care of, permanently. 

The sight of a paper bird, a yellow one, like a chick, held in the captain’s paw snapped Axel from his vengeful thoughts.  

“Found this outside just now, right at Captain Shepherd’s boots.” Bernard sounded uncharacteristically cold.  

Axel had entered the station not too long ago. This bird would have had to be placed there only recently. He plucked the bird from Bernard’s paw and brought it up to his snout and gave it a long, deep sniff. The scent of the captain’s whisky almost burned his nostrils and nearly drowned out all other scents, but once again another stood out. Faint but still it lingerd upon the parchment. The smell of pavement after the rain.  

He took in another deep breathe, catching the muted scent of petricor on the wind. He bolted out the station doors but the weak scent was lost to the wind. Under his breath he cursed as he returned to the station. 

Defeated, Axel tossed the bird onto his desk and sank into his chair, rubbing the bridge of his nose. Bernard reappeared in the doorway with a sympathetic look on his wrinkled face. As he was about to say something to the dejected officer, a ray of light from the setting sun beamed into the office and onto Axel’s desk where the discarded paper bird lay. The light streamed through the thin paper and revealed it to be speckled with dark markings. Text. 

“Axel, the bird!” Bernard barked, bringing Axel out of his sulk. He did a double take as he saw the ink peaking through. Conscious of tearing the evidence, Axel unfolded the bird with haste and discovered that there was indeed a note written, or rather typed, within it.  

 

Dear Officer Shepherd, 

 

As you may be aware, us felines just adore collecting. That’s why I take the things I do. And you see, I’m missing a very crucial piece to complete a matching set. You, Officer Shepherd, can help me remedy that. 

 

Why don’t you bring that shiny little badge of yours to 94520 Hound DR, behind the Park Walk Apartments at 21:00, and don’t get any funny ideas about bringing the pack. Let’s settle this like civilized creatures. 

 

1. P.S. The Cat Burglar? Is that seriously the best they could come up with?

 

 

94520 Hound DR. The address belonged to an abandoned apartment complex that never finished construction. The address where his father… Axel saw red. Bernard took the note before he could tear it to ribbons. His usual cheery facade melted into concern and a hint of rage. Axel heard the captain mumble something about the bastard paying for disrespecting his friend under his breath.  

“I’m taking him in,” Axel snarled, his paws clenched into tight fists. His nails dug into the soft flesh of his pawpads, threatening to draw blood. 

“No you’re not,” Bernard said firmly. Axel couldn’t believe it. His captain’s refusal stunned him, only for a moment, until the fury and grief clouded his judgment. 

“Why not?!” he barked. 

“I want to bring the fleabag in as much as you do, but we can’t rush into this half-cocked,” Bernard warned. 

“He’s giving himself away, this is our chance!” 

“I said no. We’d be giving him what he wants.” 

“Captain, you can’t just–” 

“I’ve failed to keep the promise I made to your father, I let you pursue this vendetta for far too long. I’m taking you off the case.”  

The silence that followed was deafening. A surge of emotions ran through Axel’s blood like a raging current. He knew he couldn’t fight this decision. 

“Understood, sir.” 

 

⚞   ⛛   ⚟ 

 

Axel had parked in a dark alley between apartment buildings, directly across from the spot mentioned in the letter. The clock in the squad car read 20:55 as he stepped out into the misting rain. It never seemed to stop raining in this part of the city. No wonder the birds always smelled of petrichor. He walked up to the chain link fence that closed off the abandoned building project from the public. The scene was rather melancholic. A dark and rainy night, the corpse of what would have been an apartment complex. It was meant to be a home for both felines and canines. A haven where the two mortal enemies could coexist in peace. A dream that Axel’s father wanted to make come true.  

“Hmm, you are punctual. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” an amused voice said from the darkness. Axel’s ears swiveled upward towards the sound and his gaze followed after, meeting a set of eyes the color of gleaming emeralds. They shifted unnaturally has the figure cloaked in shadow seemed to be scanning the surroundings for other officers. “Lone wolf I see.” 

Axel could hear the smile in the voice that belonged to he floating gems that seemed to grin down at him. In a graceful, fluid motion, they sailed down from their perch on the scaffolding. Axel’s vision in the dark wasn’t as good as a feline’s, but he could make out the figure of a cat walking towards him from the shadows. Even as the Cat Burglar stepped into the moonlight, his fur was just as dark as the blackness he emerged from. Instinctively, his paw flew down towards his duty weapon and the figure stopped. 

“Now now, toys like those are dangerous. We wouldn’t want anyone to loose an eye now do we?” the Cat Burglar sneered. 

Axel pointed the gun, but feline didn’t even flinch. 

“Oh stop, we both know you’re not going to use that.” 

The cat was right. Axel had never unholstered, let alone used his weapon, before this moment outside of training. His paws were trembling just thinking about putting a finger to the trigger.  

“Why don’t you be a good little doggy and drop it?” the feline mewed.  

Axel could feel his face warm and the furious growl rising within his throat at the humiliation. Despite his frustration, he discarded the pistol. 

“Good boy,” the Cat Burglar purred. “Now, you have something I want and the trophy from your old man looks rather lonely up on my shelf.” 

Axel could no longer contain his fury. In a flurry of damp fur, Axel lunged at the shadowey feline, but only collided with empty air. The emerald eyes grinned from the darkness with the additional gleam of sharp, ivory fangs.  

“A swing and a miss,” the Cat Burglar snickered. Axel lunged into the void once again, and again, and again until he was hunched over and panting with his paws on his knees. In his blind rage, he hadn’t realized that he had chased the cat up into the abandoned apartments. They stood upon the half completed roof where the moonlight shined down upon them, allowing Axel to see the Cat Burglar clearly for the first time. Fur so dark, it was as if he was made of the night itself, with rain droplets that mimicked the stars. “Are you done?” 

Axel shook himself, forcing the strange thoughts that had suddenly entered his mind. He let his actions answer the cat’s question as he grasped him by the throat and stepped forward so his catch’s legs now dangled over the roof’s edge. There was no fear in the cat’s emerald eyes, but their mirror-like glossiness reflected the primal fury in Axel’s.  

“Enough games, cat,” Axel spat as his grip tightened, which forced a strangled gasp from the Cat Burglar. 

“What’s… your plan… little doggy?” the feline choked. “Drop me from this roof and avenge your father?” 

Axel was awashed with so much grief and anguish that he truly couldn’t speak. He wanted nothing more than to pull this thorn from his side, but that wouldn’t bring his father back. 

“This is taking far too long, I’ll make the descision for you.” The Cat Burglar kicked off of Axel’s chest, sending the officer tumbling head over tail back on the roof while the feline plummeted to the pavement below. Axel got to his paws and ran to edge of the roof, expecting a gruesome scene. Instead, he found a lone paper bird. 

He ran down the fractured stairs of the half-fallen apartment. Birds were only ever left at the scene of a burglary. Frantically, Axel patted himself down and realized that his badge was missing. 

A pair of emerald eyes grinned at him from the shadows. A phrase drifted from those ivory fangs, gleaming in the moonlight, before disappearing into the void. 

“A cat always lands on their feet.”