Chapter 11: The Cat and the Key

The cat, which Siu-Bak had started calling Scratcher for reasons that were becoming increasingly obvious, did not appreciate being carried. It squirmed, hissed, and dug its claws into his borrowed shirt, but Siu-Bak held on. He had learned long ago that the best way to deal with an angry animal was to wait it out. The animal always tired before he did—hunger had made him patient in ways that surpr...