Puss, upon hearing what Humpty said, couldn''t help but feel sympathy.
He had been lonely for only a month, and by his own choice. Meanwhile, Humpty had felt alone and out of place for as long as he could remember.
Even though there were people at the orphanage who cared for him, like Imelda, Humpty never felt special or valued. In his mind, he was just one of the dozens of children at the orphanage. And if he disappeared, no one would care for more than a few days.
Puss saw the loneliness in the egg''s eyes but said nothing.
"Well, it doesn''t matter!"
Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Humpty regretted talking too much and quickly waved his hand, trying to lighten the mood.
"So, do you have a name?"
He changed the subject and asked, but the only response he received was the cat''s silence and indifference.
Seeing that Puss didn''t care about him at all, Humpty couldn''t help but feel disappointed.
''Maybe I was overthinking…''
He thought, feeling a bit sad.
Then, looking at Puss, he forced a smile and said goodbye as he picked up his plate, not wanting to bother him anymore.
"Well, I just wanted to thank you for helping me. A-and I guess, this is where we part ways…"
He said, and feeling disheartened, he turned to leave.
But just as he had taken a few steps, a deep and beautiful voice echoed.
"Puss, my name is Puss."
Humpty''s eyes widened, and he quickly turned around, but he was too late—behind him, all that remained was an empty table.
"Puss?"
He whispered the name, and then, a smile appeared on his face. That feeling of companionship resurfaced in his heart.
"He''s an interesting guy."
…
It was midnight when an orange cat, carrying a glass bottle in his mouth, ran silently, slipping into a property.
Slowing down, Puss walked cautiously, and by the barn door, he saw an old, frail man in farmer''s clothes leaning on a rusty sword, sleeping while swaying in the wind.
"Zzz… snrk… slurp…" The old man mumbled, a thin trail of drool escaping from the corner of his mouth.
Passing quietly by him, Puss heard him mutter in his sleep.
"Zzz… Chupacabra…"
Puss couldn''t help but roll his eyes at that.
''I only took a little milk! There was no need to give me such a nickname. I didn''t even steal goat''s milk, only cow''s! They are slandering me!''
He thought, both helpless and amused.
Over the past month, due to his nightly escapades to steal milk, the noise of waking cows, and the sight of his fleeing shadow, a rumor had spread that a creature called "El Chupacabra" was prowling the town, devouring livestock.
Shaking his head in amusement, he quickly slipped into the barn, hidden in the shadows, and climbed onto the beams without making a sound.
Searching for his target, he found a peacefully sleeping cow—an easy target. Without hesitation or noise, he slipped into the bay where the cow rested, slowly approaching her exposed udders.
Reaching the spot, he grasped the bottle in his mouth with one paw, while the other gently and skillfully held the cow''s teat. With a firm squeeze, he pulled softly, and a small stream of milk squirted directly into the bottle.
His eyes shifted to the cow''s face, and seeing that she remained asleep, he repeated the motion. Soon, the small bottle in his paw was filled, and Puss''s eyes shone with pride.
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''Hehe! I did it! I got a bottle of milk without waking the cow!''
With a proud look, he stepped back to leave, failing to notice the tail lying just beneath his paw.
…
"MOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"
A loud cow''s bellow echoed, startling the sleeping old man, who snapped his eyes open.
"Huh! Uh! What?!"
Confused, it took him a moment to regain his senses, but upon hearing the mooing, he understood.
"CHUPACABRA!"
The old man shouted fiercely, baring his nearly toothless mouth and charging into the barn with ferocity, gripping his rusty sword.
But just as he was about to enter, a shadow dashed past him before he could react and disappeared into the woods.
Staring at the spot where the shadow had vanished, he clenched his remaining teeth and swore angrily.
"CHUPACABRA, I will catch you someday!!!"
Under the sound of the old man''s furious screams, Puss disappeared.
…
"Huff! Huff!" Leaning against the wall of a house with his arms spread out, still clutching the full bottle of milk, Puss breathed heavily.
He wasn''t afraid of the old man, but he had to run fast enough to prevent him from recognizing his figure—he didn''t want everyone to find out he was a milk thief.
After catching his breath and feeling better, Puss pulled the cork from the bottle and tipped it back, gulping everything down quickly.
"Haah! Now that''s the good life!"
Lowering the bottle and wiping his mouth with his arm, he couldn''t help but exclaim in satisfaction.
Then, leaning against the house, he thought about his plans.
''I need money. If I wanted to steal, it''d be easy with my skills, but if a poor orphan suddenly comes into money and possessions, it would be too obvious that I stole them. The matron wouldn''t help me hide it either, and it''d be more trouble than it''s worth. If I want to live peacefully here for a few years, stealing isn''t the best path.''
He pondered, his feline eyes looking downward in deep thought.
Looking up again, he gazed at the moon.
''I still have plenty of time. I''ll figure something out. But I still have milk to steal. My belly won''t fill itself.''
He thought, amused, and dropping to all fours, he crouched low before leaping onto the rooftops and disappearing into the night.
…
Another day dawned at the San Ricardo orphanage, and Puss woke up, ready for another day of battle.
Walking through the corridors, indifferent to those around him, Puss''s ears suddenly perked up as he overheard something interesting being discussed by some of the orphanage''s caretakers.
"Did you hear? Last night old Joe had a fierce battle with the Chupacabra. He said he barely managed to survive. He also said that in the fight, the Chupacabra almost tore his throat out."
One of the caretakers said solemnly, scaring the others.
"Ahh!"
Some couldn''t help but scream.
"?Dios mío!"
And others began to pray.
Puss was entertained by the story, even though he felt the urge to roll his eyes.
Then, he continued on his way—or at least, that was his plan.
"Peque?o!"
"Meow!!!"
The gentle voice of Matron Imelda suddenly came, startling Puss into a jump.
Feeling embarrassed by his slip-up, he quickly composed himself under Imelda''s amused gaze and then responded softly with a small nod.
"Meow."
"Haha, sorry for scaring you, my brave little boy, but I need to talk to you."
Smiling warmly, she knelt down and gently picked Puss up in her arms.
Being held by her again, he felt that warm and comforting feeling once more and relaxed in her embrace.
Carrying him along, she began speaking to him softly.
"Peque?o, I know you leave the orphanage at night, every night."
She suddenly said, making Puss widen his eyes.
''How could she know? I was always so skilled and cautious!''
He thought, shocked.
Imelda just smiled gently at his reaction.
"On the first night, I went to check on you to see if you were sleeping well, but what I found was your empty bed. After that, I noticed you leave every night."
She said softly.
''Crap!''
Puss thought bitterly.
"Don''t worry, I won''t take away your freedom. Not from you or any of the children. In this life, we can lose everything, but never our freedom. That was a hard lesson I learned in my childhood, peque?o. You may not understand, but that''s okay. What I want to say is something else."
Her voice remained gentle and calm, yet firm.
''It seems Imelda didn''t have an easy life. It''s impressive how her kindness overshadows everything, making us forget she may not have received the same kindness she gives.''
Puss thought, his heart heavy for this good woman.
Imelda set her smile aside and spoke seriously to Puss.
"I know you probably won''t stop going out, but I want you to promise me, peque?o…"
She looked at him firmly.
Puss also grew serious and looked back at her resolutely.
"Promise me that you''ll be careful. These recent rumors about the Chupacabra scare me."
She said, almost pleading with her eyes.
''Ah! That''s what this is about?''
Puss couldn''t help but feel dumbfounded, but seeing her serious and imploring gaze, he could only nod firmly, strangely promising to be careful… against himself?
And giving his word of honor.
"Meow!"