It was a day like any other at Rainbow Bridge. Rosie was holding court, with Arthur on her right and Willie laying down on her left. Whitetail and Skipper were nearby, humoring her but mostly napping in the sun.

Suddenly, Arthur's ears perked up. "He's coming," he meowed, before dashing off to the new arrival location. The others followed him, curious, but at a slower speed.

There was a soft "pop" as another cat appeared. He lay on the grass for a moment before lifting his head. "Daddy? Mommy? Where did you go?" Despite his advanced age, he let out a plaintive mew.

Arthur got to the new cat and nuzzled him. "Hello, Toby. I'm Arthur. I know Fuzzball told you about me."

Toby looked up at Arthur. "Arthur? Daddy's previous.....where am I?"

"You're at Rainbow Bridge," Arthur nuzzled Toby some more. "Your pain is gone, and now we wait."

"But what about Daddy and Mommy's pain? I can hear them crying."

Arthur's nuzzling faltered for a moment. "I know, I hear it too. All we can do is wait for them, and sometimes visit in their dreams."

Rosie had arrived by now, and she chimed in. "Their pain will dull in time, but they will never forget us. And one day, when their time comes, they will join us here." She pointed over to where a human had appeared, and was being swarmed with over a dozen dogs and cats. They watched as that human and their entourage made their way to the bridge itself, crossing over and vanishing.

Toby stood up and shook himself. "What's that?"

"That is the next step," Arthur replied. "That's where we go after our human joins us. I've heard it's a wonderful paradise there, but only if our human is with us."

"So now we just wait?"

"We wait, and watch."

"And play!" Willie had joined the group. "Wanna play fetch?" he asked, panting.