What the Cat Dragged In

"What the Cat Dragged In" is the fourteenth Beasts of Burden story.

Story
The Orphan and Getaway Kid are caught by Dymphna spying on her. She reluctantly agrees to let them in on her secret. She's been trying to get into former home of the witches whom she was a familiar to, but lacks hands to turn the doorknob. For this purpose, they enlist the help of Hoke the raccoon. When they enter the house, they find that it's unusually full of decay and that the door has closed behind them.

Going down to the basement, they find the dead body of the Matron, the coven's den mother; Rachel and Tansy, two of Dymphna's fellow coven cats who are still alive, but blinded; and a Harrow, a demon bound to a summoning circle. Dymphna explains that she had summoned the Harrow to try and get revenge on the gang after the events of "The Unfamiliar", but it had seemingly failed and she'd left. Rachel and Tansy explain that the Harrow had filled the house with decay, killing the Matron, who was reanimated and repeatedly sent to attack them. The Harrow wouldn't let them die, and they blinded themselves in a futile attempt to escape the sight of it.

Hoke attacks the Harrow and is knocked to the floor. Dymphna makes a bargain with it: leave and she will go with it, and in return it will not harm the others. However, she tricks it, using Hoke's blood in the blood oath instead of her own. The Harrow starts to collapse the house, pulling it out of the realm. The animals all manage to escape in time. Rachel and Tansy, now free to die, turn to skeletons. Dymphna buries them with help from the others. Hoke returns home, curling up with his family.

Characters

 * The Orphan
 * Getaway Kid
 * Dymphna
 * Hoke
 * Hoke's mom
 * the Matron
 * Rachel and Tansy
 * Harrow