The Cat Ninja by Erik DeLeo

Author:Erik DeLeo [DeLeo, Erik]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dark Cat Publishing

Basement

There was a single light bulb hanging by a wire from the ceiling and casting a dim light on the concrete stairs leading down into the basement. The stairs we covered in a slick of moisture and moss, and the damp air hung heavy with a musty smell. Miko unsheathed her katana and headed down into the unknown.

One by one, she descended the stairs. The stairs were wet and crumbling, a victim of negligence and disrepair. Miko kept her breathing even, her heart rate remaining calm. She was unsure of what she’d find, but a pair of mean looking guard dogs protecting whatever lay down here gave her pause. Then the stench hit her. It was terrible. Urine and something indescribable. She got to the bottom and rounded the corner. Miko was unprepared for what she saw.

With nothing to go off of besides a cocktail napkin, she had no idea what she’d find here. Well, it just became the mother of all cocktail napkins, and things became much bigger than simply locating a single client’s puppy. The place was full of cages. There just wasn’t one here, there were scores of them. From floor to ceiling, metal containers crammed with dogs lined the walls—most puppies. The cages hadn’t been cleaned in some time and the smell was overwhelming. Miko was thankful her uniform covered her mouth.

You’d expect puppies to bark and make noise, but these were silent except for the occasional whimper. Their sad eyes held a thousand-yard stare, tails motionless. These were animals that had given up.

Miko felt a combination of anger and sadness rise inside of her. Dogs or not, the cruelty displayed by these conditions brought her blood to the edge of a boil. Right then and there, she swore to herself that she wasn’t just going to rescue her client’s puppy. She was going to rescue all of them.

The sounds of someone or something approached, and Miko found a stack of old boxes and rags that she could hide behind. She sheathed her katana and pulled out two knives, which fit perfectly in each paw. She had always erred on the side of caution that was less than cautious. The best defense was a good offense. That’s what she told herself, anyway. Besides, Miko was a ninja. She made no apologies for that.

There was a voice. It spoke in hushed tones and seemed vaguely familiar. Then a second voice floated through the air, heavier than the first. Thick. Grating. Low and guttural. It sent a shiver down her back. Something wicked approached. Miko crouched low, waiting.

Then she saw them. The first was the Akita from the fight at the temple. Next to it towered the biggest Tosa Inu Miko had ever seen. Big. Menacing. Covered in irezumi, traditional Japanese tattoos. From its neck to its paws, the Tosa’s fur was cut short enough to reveal the intricate maze of colors and patterns. He was a gang member. One of the barkuza.

A gigantic Tosa was bad enough news.

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