Callie

It was a quiet afternoon at the house. Fred had stepped out to run errands and grab groceries, trusting Leo to take care of the place. For a newly humanoid lion who could talk, walk, and play video games, keeping an eye on the house should have been easy, but Leo was utterly bored.

That boredom vanished when a sleek cat named Callie wandered onto the property.

Leo quickly discovered a neat trick of his humanoid transformation: he could speak and understand cat language. To his surprise, Callie communicated right back, revealing that while she couldn't speak English aloud, she could understand every word he said. Through their conversation, Leo  learned her dramatic backstory—she was an escapee fleeing from her abusive, cruel owner, Alley. Leo was instantly smitten and enjoyed her company.

On his way to and from the grocery store, Fred had noticed a series of neon-pink "Missing Pet" posters taped up along the streets, featuring Callie’s exact face. When he finally got home and unloaded the groceries, he checked the phone number listed on the flyer.

He stared at the digits, feeling a sudden jolt of recognition. Looking up the number in his phone contacts, Fred  realized with a sinking feeling that it belonged to their brand-new next-door neighbor, Alley—someone Fred had already crossed paths with and met previously.

Deciding they needed to do the right thing and return the cat, Fred prepared to head over. However, both Leo  and Callie  were deeply hesitant, dragging their feet because they knew how dangerous Alley really was.

Reluctantly, Leo, Fred, and Callie  all walked over to Alley's house to give the cat back. When Alley opened the door, her expression shifted instantly. Laying eyes on Fred, she found him surprisingly handsome, momentarily softening up toward him. But when she looked at Leo standing beside them, she completely misread the situation, writing him off as a "stupid teenager" wearing a ridiculous, cheap lion costume.

Trying to ease the tension, Leo politely asked if Callie might be allowed to come over to their house for play-dates every now and then.

That innocent question shattered the fragile mood. Alley’s polite mask slipped away entirely, and she coldly declared in person that because Callie had dared to run away, she intended to kill the cat as punishment right then and there.

Horrified by the death sentence, Leo refused to let anything happen to Callie. Stepping in to protect her, Leo lashed out at Alley, and she viciously attacked him right back.

Caught in the middle of the sudden chaos, Fred rushed forward to break up the fight and shield them. But in the violent crossfire, Fred took a direct hit and crashed to the floor, injured. By the time the dust settled, Fred was hurt, and both Leo and Callie were battered and bruised from the brutal assault.

Is this really the end for our heroes?