"But only as long as I stayed out of sight." I sighed, thinking back to those lonely days. "I spent months alone on a nearby island while things calmed down, all in cat form. Even here, I don't open windows and I only go outside as a panther, mostly at night. I'm afraid of satellites and spies. The cartel won't hesitate to kill me if they find out I'm still alive."

After bringing them up to date, they filled me in on all the stuff that had been going on with them. We went late into the night, no one wanting to stop, but we were all getting tired. The...