“You’ll never catch him without a trap,” the cat purred.
“Are there more of them?” The boy licked his lips in eagerness. The cat grinned wider.
“I know where you will find what you need.” The cat twitched his tail and ran a licked paw over his ear.
“Where?” the exasperated boy was ready to throttle the feline. “lf you don’t tell me..”
The cat swiped his claws at the boy’s face, nearly reaching him. Alex shrank back. “Temper, temper,” purred the cat. “Perhaps I won’t take you.”
“No! I’m… sorry.”
The cat sat with his back to the boy, frozen. Not even a whisker twitched.
“Please?”
“That’s a good lad.” The cat trotted down a path. Alex followed.

They soon heard a merry brawl, voices boasting, dishes clattering and heavy tankards thunking.
“Bar fight! Bar fight! Move down!” Shouted a barman with a very red nose and watery eyes. He spied Alex. “I.D. please!”
“What?”
“No drinks without proper I.D.!” barked the man. The other two companions sized him up over their tankards.