It was a warm autumn day in the city of Eimwood. It was this day that cars seemed to bustle more, and the streets seemed busier than before. This was because it was this day, that schools began to open up for fall term classes. Amongst the orderly and busy chaos, a student can be seen running full speed along the sidewalks of the street, pulling on their backpack and absolutely booking it.

"Damn it! I'm going to be late for my first class!" Cody Hendrickson exclaimed to himself, "Death, why didn't you tell me it was eight in the morning!?"

Trailing behind Cody was a man with bluish-white hair and robed in black, simply floating above the people of the city, grinning.

"I'm Death, not your alarm clock," said the man.

"This isn't my ideal first impression!" Cody yelled.

People on the streets glanced over in Cody's direction in confusion and bewilderment as he turned onto another street.

"You do know people can't see me, right?" Death reassured, "You look like a psychopath."

"Oh shut up," Cody mumbled, "The fact I can see you is enough to make me one."

"Fair. Fair."

Cody met up at a crosswalk, and the hand signal shone brightly on the other end. He stopped dead in his tracks.

"Come on... come on!" Cody exclaimed, "I got places to be!"

"We could stage a little happy accident," Death replied.

"Death, no," Cody murmured, "We aren't."

The red hand light turned into a walking green person, and Cody continued his jog until he finally reached it. Eimwood University. This university was known to be competitive among the other universities. They look for above average, straight-A students exclusively for their programs. Many students try to get into this university but to no avail. Those who got accepted have told stories that the place really tests its students to weed out the ones who break under pressure. Of course, these people were ones who broke themselves and dropped out. Cody was one of those lucky students to have been accepted to this university, to pursue a career in computer science.

Cody barged through the doors of the auditorium and sighed with relief. I'm not too late. 

People glanced up at the man who barged through the door, before continuing their preparations for note-writing. Cody took his seat near the front, as the professor began to march down the stairs. She was a taller woman, with gingered locks and hazel eyes. She got to her desk in the middle of the auditorium and configured her microphone. She tapped the microphone three times, as the contact boomed through the speakers around the room, indicating that her mic was working, and that class was about to begin. 

"Can everyone hear me at the back?" the professor asked through her microphone.

The students seated in the back agreed, and the professor flung her thumbs into the air.

"Great! No microphone issues on the first day! Good morning class, I am Professor Meriam Ainsley, but you may call me Meriam, or simply Professor Ainsley. Welcome to your first class of media studies here at Eimwood! We won't be covering much content in today's lecture, but rather where to find the course outline, how to contact your Teaching Assistants, and of course the best methods to succeed in this class, and your program."

The class sat through the lecture intently. Cody watched Meriam speak and perform hand gestures as she spoke which engaged him more. Death floated behind Meriam and noticed her doing these gestures, and began to mimic them mockingly. 

"Can you stop it, Death," Cody mumbled in the quietest of voices.

Death stopped and gestured his arms into a bow towards Cody. The class ended after an hour or so, and students began bustling out of the auditorium. Some stayed behind to chat with the professor, or to ask questions, but Cody did not. In fact, Cody began to bolt out of there.

"Are you serious right now Death? Why do I need to come?! I got a class in an hour!" Cody said.

"Sorry mate, but the call of death comes first," Death replied, "It's just over here on the right in this alleyway."

Cody and Death arrived in the alleyway and spotted three teenagers laughing and throwing stones at a cat. The cat looked badly wounded and weak. The teenagers didn't pay any attention to Cody's presence and continued to attack this cat.

"It's the ca-"

"I know what it is," Cody replied coldly, then clenched his fist.

The kids heard Cody this time, and one asked, "Do you want a swing? It's mighty fun!"

Cody grimaced at these people's lack of empathy and replied.

"You think this... is fun? Flinging rocks at a defenseless feline?"

The kids scoffed, and another spoke.

"Don't tell me you're one of those black cat sympathizers. Come on, everyone knows black cats are bad luck! They deserve this!"

"Luck's a superstition," Cody answered, "Now get lost."

"Excuse me?" A teen asked, "I'm not sure if you noticed, but you're the one who came last, and there's three of us and only one of you. We should be telling you to get lost. So please. Fuck off and mind your business if you ain't here to join in on the fun."

Cody snapped and lunged himself towards the cat. He grabbed it and the kids yelled angrily.

"HEY GET BACK HERE WITH THAT CAT!"

The children chased Cody, and flung rocks at him, and Cody simply snuggled the cat closer, protecting it with all he can. 

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Cody said softly to the cat.

One kid leapt from this quickened pace and attached themselves to Cody, making him fall over. Cody formed a protective dome around the cat with his body as the kids continued to kick and throw rocks at him, trying to get him to let up off the cat. After a while, the kids gave up and scoffed.

"He's not giving up," said a teenager, "forget it. Let's find something else to do."

The three teenagers walked away from the bloodied Cody. Cody sat up and assessed the cat. It still clung to life desperately as it meowed faintly. 

"Well that was... something," Death said, "but you do know that was all for nothing right? The cat has been chosen to die today."

"What was its name?" Cody coughed out.

"Huh?"

"I asked what was its name," Cody choked, as he felt his eyes well up.

"Let's see," Death said, "Ah. Her name was Willow. A young cat she is. Owned by a young girl named Katherine. She loved her dearly."

"Loves. She loves her dearly," Cody replied, "She will never stop loving her."

"Cody, you know it's time has come."

"I know!" Cody yelled angrily, "I know... I just wanted to give it... it's last breaths... to not be painful ones. I didn't want this cat's last moments being ones of being alone. Being attacked and mutilated for the amusement of some sadistic assholes. It never deserved this. Never."

"Thank... you," The cat murmured.

"Huh!?" Cody reacted, "Wait I just heard-"

"I thought you would like to hear its final words," Death replied.

Cody wiped tears from his eyes, and nodded, "No... no problem. I'm sorry that... I'm sorry for not saving you."

"But you did save her," Death said, "You gave her this final moment of peace. Now it's time for her to move onto the next chapter."

"Death, promise me you'll bring Willow's soul to her owner," Cody said.

"If that's what Willow wishes, then I will," Death replied.

Cody sighed and put his two fingers on the cat's bloodied forehead, and lifted upwards. The soul of the cat separated from its body, and floated over to Death who gently touched it.

"There there," Death said softly, "It's alright. I'll take you back home."

And off Death went, with the cat's soul to her owner's house. Cody sat there eyeing the deceased cat in despair. He gently carried its corpse in his arms and brought it with him to a small park within the university, before resting the cat in the bushes, where no one could harm her again.