Haley Oleander sat in wonder at the vast tapestry of city lights flickering underneath the midnight sky. Stretching out in every which direction, the city felt impossibly huge. The snow leopard had first marveled at it when she and her newfound friend had come onto the roof little over an hour ago, but the awe had yet to leave her. Tonight, she had traveled further than she ever thought possible. This city wasn’t some point you’d reach on any map from home. And while this was not the first large city she’d seen, Haley was still a world away from anything she once deemed ordinary. In never ceased to astonish the snow leopard that, while the sky above shone with a brilliance she’d recognized from experience, this was not her world. It may have appeared the same, but beyond the modern milieu of this ostensibly ordinary metropolis, it was altogether alien. And it was this fact alone that moved her the most. In and of itself, this scenic view of city lights in some bizarre and faraway land had made the trek from her universe to this one feel wholly worthwhile.

“I still can’t get over it,” she said to the kat who sat beside her with a breezy buoyancy that bordered on the naive. “Even now, it doesn’t seem real.”

“Yeah, well, neither does the place you say you come from,” the long-haired black kat countered with a friendly yet spirited attitude. “Dogs and kats living together? Sounds made up to me.”

The snow leopard chuckled, coolly brushing off the assertion.

“Y’know, it’s funny. For a few years, when I was little, we lived in a city a lot like this. Of course, it wasn’t anywhere near as big, but there were still a lotta cats. Not like this though. But dude,” she said, flashing a cheerful smile as she turned toward him, “I’ve never seen anything quite like Megakat City. It’s almost too colorful and exciting to be real.”

Once more, Haley turned away from the black kat and leaned back on her hands. Watching the moon and stars shine down upon them with that same familiar warmth, she whispered, “This place’s beautiful.”

Damon scoffed and muttered, ‘If you ask me, it’d be better if it were reduced to rubble.’

Haley chortled loudly and asked, “What did you say?”

“Oh, nothing. Forget it,” he sheepishly remarked.

“Before she died, my mother once told me not to let the stars carve my fate into stone,” she mused, her interest returning towards the heavens, “She’d say not to let any one thing outside my control decide my future. That the choice is always yours to make, and that most, if not all our problems can be solved by looking inwards. I can’t say I always listened to her, but now that she’s no longer with us, everything she once told me now carries a special resonance."

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Damon murmured.

“I don’t feel so alone these days,” the snow leopard pondered, reflecting upon her bracelet of red string. The white hamsa icon was an heirloom from her mother, and the two silver bells were a gift from her adoptive father. Much had happened in her since she wore the bracelet for the first time, but the strength that came from this reservoir of love had not faltered with time.

“I know she’s always with me in spirit. So long as I keep her in my thoughts, she’ll never truly die. If ever I feel like I’ve strayed too far, I look at this and think of what matters most.”

“Staying loyal to one’s family is essential,” the black kat stated with sudden, hushed solemnity. “They may get on your nerves on occasion and get you into trouble far more often that you’d like, but they’re still worth protecting. Family is so much bigger than blood.”

“How right you are,” the snow leopard replied contentedly.

Haley sighed deeply and slowly rose to her feet. “I hate to say it, but I should probably go. I promised a good friend of mine I’d only stay for so long.”

“Hope I didn’t keep you too long,” he said, trying his best to play it cool as he stood up.

“This was fun, Damon. Thanks for the good time. It’s not often I get the chance to talk with other casters like this. I’d like to do this again some time.”

“That’s a shame,” he said, honestly bothered. “No reason for you to be kept from your people. And yeah, I’d like to hang with you some more, too.”

“Pound it,” the snow leopard demanded, offering Damon her closed right fist. The witch tilted her head to one side and cracked a crooked smile while she awaited the warlock’s reply.

Damon smiled in turn and bumped Haley’s fist with his left. Upon impact, the snow leopard let loose a small eruption of energy from her now open hand. It was not unlike a sparkler you’d light for a child come the Fourth of July. Ultimately, it was all for show. The burst was as startling and innocuous as any other small handheld firework. The black kat chuckled as the remnants of their combined supernatural energy spiraled into the wind toward the ever-watchful moon overhead.

“Haley, you’re somethin’ else. Lemme tell ya.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

---

I'm very thankful for this new piece from  aerokat. It truly surpassed my expectations, and for that I'm deeply appreciative of all her hard work and effort. As of this moment, in my mind, it's among the best things she's ever drawn for me. She was even kind enough to allow my heroic dark magic user Haley to meet her villainous warlock Damon underneath the midnight sky in Megakat City. She may not belong in that world, but it was still fun to have her visit nevertheless.

Damon originates from the fan comic SWAT Kats: Nova Squadron. It's maintained by both  aerokat and  felonykat. I highly recommend reading it whenever you get the chance. I hate to make such a bad pun, but it's pretty rad. You can check it out for yourself by clicking here:

https://nova.swatkats.info/


Damon Mitchell is ©  aerokat

Haley Vasiliou is ©  nazcapilot