[ WP ] My cat comes home nearly every morning with cuts and scratches all over . Write about what he could be getting up to on his nights out .

`` Mr. Whiskers, no!'' 
 
 Mr. Whiskers was scratching away at the back door and mewling sadly. He looked up at his human with pleading eyes. 
 
 The human looked down sadly at the battered feline. His tail was broken and crooked, a chunk missing from his ear, and patchy fur from scratches and bites. The poor cat came back every morning with new marks, yet still insisted on going out every night. 
 
 `` I ca n't let you go out. You always get hurt, and the vet's starting to think I'm the one doing it to you! I ca n't let you keep doing this to yourself,'' the human said. `` What if you do n't come back?'' 
 
 Mr. Whiskers continued his scraping and pleading at the back window. The human threw his hands up and left the room for bed without opening the back door. Mr. Whiskers hissed in mild frustration, then leaped onto the bookshelf and headed for the window. 
 
 His agile paws unlocked the window and slid it open. There was a screen there for insects, but that had never been a problem before. A push at the sides made it pop free easily. Mr. Whiskers then slid the window almost completely closed so the human would n't notice the draft, and pushed the loosened screen back into place as best he could. Fortunately, there was a potting bench against the house directly underneath it, so he had something to sit on at almost the same height. The screen was starting to not fit properly from being removed so much, which he noted as a potential problem if the human ever noticed. 
 
 Mr. Whiskers took in a breath of the refreshing cool night air. He leapt up onto a tall fence overlooking the neighbour's yard, then strolled along fence tops until he came to his destination. 
 
 Of *course* they had to have a dog outside. Mr. Whiskers snorted derisively. All the dogs, cats, rabbits, parrots, ferrets, and chincillas in the neighbourhood knew Mr. Whiskers. And none of them liked him at all. They knew what it meant when Mr. Whiskers came to their house. 
 
 Mr. Whiskers hopped down from the fence and sat just outside of the length of leash his new foe was tied to. The dog startled awake at the smell of him, and instantly started yapping and clawing in Mr. Whiskers' direction, but could not reach. The cat sat there calmly eyeing him. 
 
'Get out of here cat! Do n't you dare!' the dog barked angrily. 
 
'I'm sorry friend. You know that what I do is what needs to be done,' Mr Whiskers meowed solemnly in reply. 
 
'Let *me* do it, then! Oh God, please do n't let this happen to my family!' she whimpered her response. She finally stopped clawing and biting the air in front of the cat, and now just slumped to the ground in defeat. 
 
'You ca n't. Only I can,' Mr. Whiskers mewed factually. But it was n't without some sympathy. He rested a paw on the dog's nose, claws retracted, in an attempt to comfort the human's guardian. 
 
 Time was running out. Mr. Whiskers could smell it from here. Without another sound from his lips he darted towards the house. 
 
 A basement window was left open for some breeze, and though the screen gave him some trouble, he eventually tore it free. Left a couple tears in it, but it would n't matter whether anyone noticed it this time. He slid the window open enough so he could squeeze through. There was n't a bookshelf or anything to step on just inside the window, so it was a long drop, and would be a high leap back up to leave. Mr. Whiskers noted this for later. Mr. Whiskers headed upstairs and found a closed door blocking his way. No matter, he thought, and did a quick leap to turn the knob, with his momentum pushing the door open enough to slip through. 
 
 He found her sitting in the livingroom in front of a low fire. It must have been burning for a while, because it was mostly red cinders now. Mr. Whiskers' gaze was fixated on the fireplace for a moment, naturally drawn to the heat and light. 
 
 `` Oh, hello pretty kitty! Where on Earth did you come from?'' the rough female voice cooed. 
 
 Mr. Whiskers meowed a response, but the old human would n't understand it. He leapt up into her lap getting on top of her knitting, and worked his claws into his new perch to make it more comfortable before curling up and purring. He felt her fragile hands start to run down his back. 
 
 `` Well, I'm glad I have you as company,'' the human said. She coughed sharply and Mr. Whiskers rose to look at her face, concerned. She continued to pet him, and he settled back down. `` I think I know why you're here,'' she said. 
 
 Mr. Whiskers flicked an ear at that. There's no possible way she really understood his role tonight. No human ever did. He would visit their homes and comfort them, but none of them actually figured out why. Well, he thought, it's not like they'd have the chance to. 
 
 `` You're here, because I'm about to die,'' the old human said solemnly. 
 
 Mr. Whiskers looked up at her, but remained relaxed. Curious how she managed to figure it out. 
 
 The old human kept talking as she gently stroked his fur. `` I know I do n't have much time left. I've been sick for a while now, and it's only gotten worse over time. People my age ca n't fight off illness like the young can. At some point your body just surrenders to it. I think that's what's happening here. I think tonight is my time.'' 
 
 Mr. Whiskers felt a bead of rain hit him on the forehead. He flicked his ears irritated, but the human wiped it up quickly. 
 
 `` I'm sorry. Thank you for being here for me,'' she said. `` My children are long gone and have busy lives of their own, and my husband passed last year. Apart from Sally out in the yard, and you I suppose, I have no one left to see me off.'' 
 
 That's why I'm here, Mr. Whiskers thought. I'm here for those who have no one. 
 
 `` Can you do something for me, sweetie?'' the old human asked. `` Can you find someone to take care of Sally? Maybe a young family who can keep up with her energy. She's always been sweet on my great grandkids, she'll keep them safe and protect them like they were her own pups.'' 
 
 Mr. Whiskers stood in her lap and mewed his acknowledgement of her last request, then rubbed his head against her chin.'I will try', the cat purred. 
 
 The human's fragile face twisted into a smile, and more rain formed at the corners of her eyes. `` Thank you, kitty. Thank you.'' 
 
 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- - 
 
 Mr. Whiskers stayed with her until dawn, though she had fallen asleep and passed peacefully a couple hours before. He went out into the back yard where Sally was sound asleep. He bit and chewed and scratched at the rope that held Sally in place. It took far too long for his claws and jaws to work the rope free from it's post, but it was done. Sally stirred just as he finished, and immediately charged the cat. Mr. Whiskers was no stranger to this, and managed to leap onto a tall fence, then paused to speak to the dog. 
 
'Your human has passed peacefully in her sleep. Her last thoughts were of you, dog. Sally. I've untied you, so you can find a new family, a new home.' Mr. Whiskers meowed to the grieving dog. 
 
 Sally whimpered and lowered her paws from the fence.'I do n't know what to do without my master,' she whined sadly. 
 
'There is another master for you out there.' Mr. Whiskers took a moment to think.'Actually, if you wander to the next street over, there's a house with a fish pond and two young humans that recently lost their mother. If you go to them, I think they'll be happy to have you as a surrogate.' 
 
 Sally had never had puppies of her own before, but she did enjoy her master's pups. Mr. Whiskers travelled atop the fence to the gate and lifted the lock, while Sally pushed on the door with her paws. She was free to find a new start, a new master. 
 
 Mr. Whiskers returned to his home and carefully pulled the window screen back in place behind him, then closed and locked the window. No fights with family pets tonight, Mr. Whiskers thought relieved. Sally certainly tried, but he'd kept her at a distance. After covering his return by sliding the window closed and locked it, he went to the human's bedroom and sat on his chest. 
 
'Feed me,' Mr. Whiskers demanded of the human's sleeping form. He tapped his face with a paw and the human eventually woke.'The sun is up. Feed me.' 
 
 `` Mr. Whiskers?'' the human asked. `` Oh, I'm so glad you did n't go out last night, I worry about you so much.'' 
 
 Mr. Whiskers cleared his nose in a satisfied snort. His human would never know that he was the reaper for the neighbourhood.
