"..." There was a stretch of silence where Billy shifted the cat to look into his eyes, trying to decide if he was crazy or not. Despite all he'd seen- talking animals included- he'd never seen one try to bluff. So...maybe he was just hearing patterns and his brain was trying to make sense of them.

Regardless, he carefully held the cat so he could lift the book up and under an arm without disturbing him too much.

"Let's get you out of this cold, huh? Get us both fed and then figure out if you're our new guest or someone left you behind."