By noon we made it out of the swamp and into the village, but this was no ordinary village. It was inhabited strictly by cat people, and every other species was only visiting. Cat people were tall humans covered in cat hair with cat shaped heads, pointy cat ears and tiny triangle shaped cat noses. They spoke English and wore clothes like people, they drove carts with horses and lived in little town houses. There were cat police officers roaming the streets, cat children playing in their yards, and poor cats begging for money.

"I'm thirsty let's stop some place for a drink," Inola suggested pulling me into a tavern.

The tavern was a small, crowded room with lively music and cheering people, the bar served regular drinks like beer and wine to adults but also severed dozen drinks made from milk, milk shakes, chocolate milk, fish flavored milk (I gaged while reading that), and just plain regular milk.

Inola sat down at the bar and ordered herself a strange drink made from tree bark then the bartender turned to me and asked what I wanted. The bar tender was a fat orange cat with a flat face and wide frown, he wore a dirty apron and blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. He rolled his R's like he was purring.

"Just plain milk."

"You don't even want chocolate?" the bar tender asked in disbelief.

He pulled a glass milk bottle off the shelf and poured the slightly warm drink into a dirty broken cup then handed it to me. I was never the biggest fan of milk, but I liked it even less at room temperature, the milk was really thick and fatty like cream and left a strange taste in my mouth. The door was thrown open and a tall, dark human boy wearing bright red swim trunks ran past everyone. He practically leapt over the bar and locked himself in the bathroom.

"Holding it in too long?" A tabby cat with a bowl of fish milk in his hand joked and everyone started laughing.

Suddenly the door was kicked open and an eight-foot-tall black cat with a large wooden club in his hands came charging in. He wasn't wearing a t-shirt or shoes and he drug his tail behind him like a limp rope, his muscles were huge and thick like a body builder, and he looked angry his nostrils flared and his eyes bulging.

"Where is he?" the cat roared, and everyone pointed to the bathroom.

"Oye, Mitch you've got to where a shirt and some shoes if you want to come in here," the bar tender said and Mitch growled he lifted up his club and brought it down on a table, he cracked the table in half and knocked all the drinks over onto a striped, gray cat's lap.

"Dude these are my best trousers my wife's going to kill me if she finds out I've been drinking," the cat shouted getting up in Mitch's face.

Mitch balled his paw into a fist and punched the gray striped cat in the face. Before my eyes the entire bar started to fight, drinks were being thrown and men were punching and clawing each other, screams of terror and irritated hissing filled the air. Inola grabbed me and lead me out of the bar weaving around, over, or under the fighting cats and smashed furniture then out the door.

"On the bright side we didn't have to pay," Inola said with a chuckle fascinated by the drunken bar fight peering through the windows to see more.

"Do you think that kid is going to be okay?" I asked looking for the boy in swim trunks.

"Who knows, come on we have to find a horse," Inola said leading me away from the bar towards the street market.

The market was just like any market only I noticed there was more fish and yarn then there would normally be. We found a bright white cat standing in front of a horse stable she was wearing a colorful rag dress, with a golden nose ring hanging from her nose, her ears covered by a red bandana.

"Hello how can I help you?" she asked with a smile.

"We'd like to buy a horse," Inola said going up to the horses.

She stroked each of their noses after only a minute she picked her favorite a chestnut-colored female named Penelope.

"These horses cost a lot of money," the woman said putting her hands on her hips, a frown on her face when she looked over the two of us, we were still incredibly dirty.

"Is this enough?" Inola asked tossing the woman a small bag full of gold coins.

"I didn't know you had money?" I said and she rolled her eyes.

"Since when do I have to tell you everything?" She asked rudely.

The woman rushed to open the horses pen and she gave Inola a saddle and reins for free.

"Remember to feed her at least once a day her favorite food is oats, and make sure she drinks enough water," the woman said then she waved us goodbye a greedy smile on her face.

We were riding through the village on the back of a beautiful horse, Inola was steering the horse as if it was a part of her and I was hanging onto her with a death grip. I had never been on a horse before, they were very bumpy and every time she took a step, I thought I was going to be thrown off. We were about to leave the village and never return when two things happen.

The first was a Persian cat dressed in a blue uniform he caught a dog in a net and threw him into a rolling prison cart. The cart was made entirely out of wood with metal bars and inside the cart were three dozen dogs of every shape size and color. Some were savage and wild, and others were obviously domesticated with collars around their necks and finely trimmed hair. There were gorgeous glowing snow wolfs and tiny little chihuahua sized dogs with feathery wings. In the very corner of the cart, I saw a large black dog asleep with his tongue hanging out. I immediately recognized the dog as Seth. I jumped off the horse and ran to the cart.

The second thing to happen was a band of horses approaching from the distance, the horses were being driven by elf warriors. The warriors all had long hair flowing behind them like flags. They were shirtless with war marks painted on their faces. They held large bows and sharp arrows with tips made from rocks. Their horses were tall and strong with long thick mains and tails that dragged on the ground. When Inola saw them, she instantly grabbed a blanket from the horse's saddle bag and used it to cover her hair and ears.

"Excuse me what are you doing with those dogs?" I asked pulling out my inhaler and sucking from it.

"Dogs are illegal in Meow town so we're sending them to the judge," the Persian cat told me then he hopped behind the donkey pulling the wagon and hit him with the end of his whip.

Inola rode over to me on her horse and tossed me a small bag of coins. I wasn't ready to catch it though, so I missed the bag and it landed on my foot. I fell over from the pain and began to rub my foot

"Bailey something's come up and I can't help you any longer, but that should be enough to get your own horse," she said then she went riding off after the army, without a word of goodbye.

"Where are you going," I shouted but she was already too far away to hear me.

I didn't have time to go after her I had to rescue Seth.

.  .  .

I needed to get directions. I found an orange cat sitting on a bench with a frown on her face and her arms crossed she looked like she was about to cry, I was going to turn around and ask someone else, but she had already caught my eye and asked if she could help me.

"Do you know where I can find the judge's house?" I asked watching the prison cart full of dogs in the corner of my eye.

"Why do you want to go to the judge's house?" She asked horrified at the question.

"They're taking my friend to the judge, and I have to stop them," I said gesturing to the prison cart.

"People aren't taken to the judge's house they're taken to the courthouse," she said with an eye roll. "Wait you friend isn't a dog, is he?" She asked a grim look on her face, I nodded.

"That's too bad dogs are strictly banned from Meow town, if a dog is caught here, they're taken to the judge and executed on the spot," she explained, and I began to freak out.

"But he's not really a dog, he's a human he was cursed by a witch who turned him into a dog."

"In that case they might let him go, but you'll have to hurry that cart's heading straight for the courthouse," she said gesturing to the prison cart "if you follow it, it should lead you there," she explained, and I thanked her running off after the cart.

The cart lead right out of the village and into the forest where a very large and ornate marble courthouse was built. There were at least a hundred very long steps leading up to the huge wooden doors with a large statue of a male lion on the left and a female tiger on the right detailed stripes carved into her sides. The cart pulled around to the back of the courthouse and I went up through the stairs. I knocked on the large doors and they opened for me, letting me inside.

The court had high ceilings and polished marble floors with long wooden benches for people to sit on. The benches were covered in scratch marks from nervous cats. There was a line of people waiting to get on the stand, a troll with a pink piece of paper and a bag of gold. A cat man and a little cat boy, the little boy was holding a leash and empty collar obviously trying not to cry. And an old cat woman with a framed picture of her chihuahua they had all come to beg for their pets back.

"The judge will now hear your pleas," a cat in a police uniform announced.

The judge's chair was empty and there was no judge in sight, the police cat set a golden mirror on the judge's table and the mirror began to talk.

"Step up," the judge ordered, and the troll came up to the stand.

"Your honor I apologize I was just coming through the village and my dog got off his leash, I brought the documents to prove I own him and a bag of gold for the trouble," she said handing the bag of gold and pink slip to the officer.

"How much gold is it?" the judge asked, and the officer dug through the bag.

"About forty pieces."

"Sorry but that's not enough, we'll be keeping the money as payment for visiting our village with a dog, give her back the papers," the judge ordered, and the officer handed her the pink paper and she started crying.

"Next!" the judge barked.

"My family got special permission from the head of the pet regulation office to keep a dog in our house, but our neighbor came over and he got out," the dad explained his paws held together in a pleading motion.

"Sorry, but the rules are no dogs allowed on the streets now get out of here before I fine you for letting the dog go," the judge ordered, and the man quickly left with his crying son.

"Next!"

The old woman came up and handed the officer her picture frame, I was next up and feeling hopeless I prayed that they gave Seth back.

"Please I've had Mateo for thirteen years, three years before the no dogs allowed law was passed in Meow town, I'm an old widow and I have no children Mateo is my only family."

"Sorry but dogs aren't allowed in the streets."

"But Mateo wasn't in the streets he was in my yard and the dog catcher snatched him up," the old woman begged a single tear falling down her fury cheek.

"The dog catcher isn't supposed to trespass on private property," the officer said, and the judge was silent for a second.

"Alright then put the dog in a kennel and if she can come up with a hundred gold coins by midnight then she can have him back."

"But I don't have that much," the old woman cried.

"Would you rather he be executed?"

"Oh no I'll find the money," she said hurrying out of the court room mumbling to herself about loans and selling her house.

"Next!"

"My dog's name is Seth, well he isn't actually my dog he's more like my friend, I don't own him."

"Get to the point!" the judge barked. I gulped nervously staring at my own scared reflection in the mirror.

"Seth isn't a dog he was a person. He was cursed by a witch to take the form of a dog."

"The law is clear no dogs are allowed in Meow town especially strays, next!"

"But he's not a dog he's a person," I begged.

"Then he should have known better, next!" the woman behind me shoved me out of the way and began pleading her case.

"Please sir those dogs were for the purpose of eating, they escaped from the back of my restaurant," she begged.

"Alright five pieces of gold per dog and I want a free hot dog given to every police officer," the judge ordered.

"Yes of course," the woman said leaving, I cut in front of the next person again and tried begging my case once more.

"Please sir, Seth can talk, and he has the mind of a person you can't kill him."

"I have already made my decision now leave the court room or I'll execute you!" he said, and the officer grabbed me by the arms

He dragged me away from the judge and right out of the court room.