As was typical for humans who get close enough to harrowing Hunts, Sarah fainted. Few humans would believe this sort of thing was real, and the few who did were rarely believed by their fellows. Secrecy wasn’t specifically called for in The Covenant or The Pact, but it’s widely known that humans prefer blissful ignorance, so most pets try to respect that. Knowing just how close their existence comes to ending every day would drive half of them insane, and the other half would probably start worshiping the things trying to kill them.
The Hunters performed one last sweep of the house and confirmed that there were no more Signs to be found. They re-convened in the living room to perform the closing ritual of The Invocation. As the ancient magic left their bodies, Salem addressed the group once more. “Thank you for all of your help today, everyone. I hope I don’t have to repay the favor someday, but if you ever need me, just let me know. I owe each of you more than I could ever give.”
The Hunters each said it was no problem, and they’d be happy to help again, all except Craig, who said he’d had enough Greebles for one lifetime – though he did clarify that he would still help if anyone needed him.
He thanked them once again and opened the door. Each of them filed out into the snow, one by one, until it was just Salem and Cricket left.
Solemnly, she sighed, “I don’t mean to alarm you, but I don’t know if this is necessarily over. I think you should be on high alert, all things considered.”
“What do you mean?” Salem asked, surprised. “The Greeble is gone, and so is the object it was bound to. It shouldn’t be able to come back, right?”
“No, probably not. Not that one, at least. But I hope you realize that vase came from someone, another human. If someone targeted Sarah with that thing, they might still be after her.”
Salem’s ears folded down sadly. He hadn’t considered that possibility, but what Cricket said made perfect sense.
“I’m also concerned that whoever gave the vase to her designed their magic to hide it from cats while it’s active. I didn’t get a chance to ask Boris if he saw the glow, but we know that at least we were blind to it. That means that whoever this human is knows about The Covenant, and they know that she has at least one cat protecting her. We were very lucky to have Craig with us today.”
Salem stared at the ground thoughtfully. He didn’t want to admit it, but she was right, of course. Someone had targeted his Sarah with this horrible artifact, and just because their plan failed didn’t mean she was out of danger.
Cricket sensed the effect her words had and added, “Well, the immediate threat is gone, and I think we’ll be safe for now. That’s something worth celebrating. Just make sure to check out anything new that Sarah picks up, especially if you think it might be a gift. And if you have any questions or want a second pair of eyes, just let me know.”
“Thank you, Cricket. I don’t know what we would have done today without you.”
For the first time, Cricket rubbed her head affectionately against Salem. “You did well today, kitten. Good work,” she chirped, and she made her way out the door.
The next morning, Sarah woke up to find Salem curled up at her feet. She woke him up and told him about this crazy dream she had: A horrible monster attacked her in the middle of the night, but Salem, the cats and dog from next door, Cricket the stray, and some huge hamster all ran in and saved her. Salem’s tail flicked back and forth, happy knowing that she would never realize the danger she was truly in.
That was, until Sarah rolled out of bed and saw her new vase lying broken on the ground, flowers scattered across the floor. For a brief moment, she allowed herself to wonder if the nightmare had been real, and Cricket really had been the one to break it, saving her from whatever horrible creature was attacking her last night.
She shook her head and laughed, then looked at Salem disapprovingly. “How many times do I have to tell you, Salem? Flowers aren’t food. Look at the mess you made last night.”