Sam happened to be walking by the door when he heard a strange scratching noise. He didn't see anything - or anyone - when he first opened it, but then he looked down to see a sleek black cat. There were a lot of cats in Wakanda, roaming the streets; they were sacred to Bast, and the people thought they were good luck. (Which, Sam felt, answered his original question, anyway.) But he hadn't seen any wandering around the palace, and this cat didn't have a collar.

"Hey there," he said to the cat, squatting down to be closer to him. "You get lost or something?" Sam reached out to scratch behind its ears.