A fountain was not where Arhu had expected to turn up. The Gate had been stationed in the London subway, not the middle of a square with a fountain in it. And when he'd checked the patency on the New York side, he'd seen what he'd expected to see: the dark platform, the eyes of the member of the Gating team on the other side, and the familiar city where his sister lived.

So hopping through the extended Gate and landing with a splash in said fountain resulted in a yowl and a bolt for drier ground, which also involved a lot of splashing. The human in the way--

--oh vhai, someone saw me!--

--got a faceful of water, but at least he didn't get a faceful of cat claws, as Arhu managed to avoid blundering right into him. Just barely.