The sound of hoofbeats echoed through the alley behind Seka as her lungs burned. Her powerful leg muscles ached, begging her to stop, but she wouldn’t. She couldn’t. Seka would not let the beast win. It wasn’t lost on her that the thunderous clopping was slowly getting louder. Her pursuer was getting closer. She could almost feel its hot breath on her neck as it ran her down. The end of the cobblestone was getting nearer, and she heard a huff of victory. A wave of stubborn defiance washed over her; she would not be beaten!

A sliver of muddy red against the dull gray stone caught Seka’s eye: an abandoned seller's tent dimly illuminated by a small light hanging from the left building’s wall. Her sharp teeth bared in a smug grin. She kept up the ruse for a few steps before she pivoted and launched herself into the air, her gold, catlike eyes trained on her target. She could taste the sweet victory, almost within her grasp—

She crashed into the wooden crates under the tent, the breath knocked out of her lungs. She slowly rolled on her back, watching as the last few traces of green faded from the now-torn tent cloth. A face blocked her view of the sky and her eyes narrowed. She didn’t move, however, and surrendered to her fate.

A large grin split the muzzle of the sky-blue equine and a hoof tapped Seka’s nose. “Boop!”

Seka pushed the unicorn away as she sat up, rubbing her side. “You could’ve killed me.”

Cumulus poked her arm. “To be fair, I wasn’t aiming for you, because unlike you I don’t have night vision. And here I thought cats always land on their feet.”

“Not when certain people cheat and use magic on what’s supposed to be a fair playing field.”

The unicorn scoffed. “Sure, and hightailing it to the rooftop is totally fair.”

Seka couldn’t think of a comeback for that. “Touché.”

“Come on.” Cumulus held out a hoof. “I don't think any shopkeepers would be happy to find us 'hooligans' messing about. And as victor, I declare you must buy us ice cream.”

Seka chuckled as her friend pulled her up. “Okay, fine. But just one. I know how you get around sweets.”

“How can you expect me to choose just one flavor when there are so many choices?!”

Seka carried on her lighthearted teasing as they stepped into the illumination of a street lamp, her fur turning a rusty orange color in the light. “Wouldn’t it be kinda spooky if someone was there somewhere?” She gestured to the shadows between the buildings. “Just waiting where we can’t see them?”

Cumulus laughed nervously, eyes dancing from side to side. “Yeah, right. Who would be just hanging around in the dark?”

Seka shrugged. “Dunno, but I have a cousin who once got mugged because he got caught out of the light.”

Her unicorn companion gulped even as they tried to maintain their cool exterior. “Yeah, right."

“You have to admit it.” Seka continued. “We’re probably a good catch for someone just waiting for two pretty ladies to come around the corner, and then—” She grabbed her friend’s shoulders with a shout, eliciting a high-pitched squeal.

Cumulus stamped their hoof, glaring at a doubled-over Seka. “You rotten feline! That wasn’t funny!”

Seka only laughed harder in reply, her eyes watering. She fell against the bricks of the store they were passing, clutching her shaking sides. The unicorn sniffed and tossed their emerald mane, flouncing away with a stiff gait.

Seka called after her friend between giggles, stumbling after them. “Wa-hait, wait wait! I’m s-sorry!”

Cumulus pointedly ignored her as she caught up.

Seka took a breath to stifle her mirth before opening her mouth to speak. “I’m sorry I scared you. To make up for it, how about cotton-candy ice cream in a chocolate waffle cone?”

Cumulus pouted for a few seconds more before it faded into a small smile. “Deal.”