Black Plague

Epilogue

Tai moved through the salvage yard, a smile on his face from the peaceful day. In his hand was a grocery bag.

Steak tonight for a completed mission, the red kat thought as he entered the shop, nearly jumping out of his skin when Jake and Chance surprised him.

“Guys, wha’d you do that for?” Tai moaned from the floor.

“Well, we got good news and bad news,” Jake stated.

“Good news, you’re no longer in training,” Chance said with a grin. “You passed your field exam.”

“Field exam?” Tai questioned.

“The mission yesterday,” Jake responded. “You showed real resourcefulness, so you’re an official part of the team.”

“But, we’re still gonna be training you,” Chance added. “Ya gotta get muscles if you’re gonna be fighting with us.”

Tai shouted with glee, not being able to contain himself, but something stopped him.

“What’s the bad news?” he questioned.

“Chance wants to celebrate with a Scaredy Kat marathon,” Jake answered.

“Yeah, it starts in 5, so hurry up,” Chance said, making his way to the living room.

“Alright, I just gotta put some stuff in my room,” Tai replied, setting the bag on the kitchen table and moving to his room. The kat quickly put the stuff he bought on the lamp table by his bed and quickly went to the door, knocking over a stack of books on his way.

“Aww, I don’t have time for this,” Tai moaned as he picked them up. As he did, he noticed one open to a text he never saw before. The red kat picked it up and began to read.

Though not truly physical, the three gates are an important part of every being. Tai stopped and stared at it, remembering the dream he had. There are three gates within the self. The mind, the body, and the soul. When these three gates are unlocked…

“Come on, buddy! It’s starting!” Chance’s voice called from the living room, snapping Tai out of his trance.

“Oh well. It was just a dream anyways,” Tai said, putting down the book and racing out to join Chance in cartoon merriment.