It was a nice afternoon. The sun had hidden itself for weeks. It began the night that all of the little monsters came out. It was cold, the wind had picked up, and they came in what could only be described as unruly mobs. They would pound on the barrier that separated us from the outside world, and my companion, an aging woman, would shuffle to the door.
“RICOOREE!!” they would roar. My companion would show her teeth to the monsters, and toss little rattling things at them. Pacified, they would scamper away into the night, and my mistress would seal the barrier again before shuffling back to our comfy perch to watch the moving picture box.
When the mobs were placated, the rains came. So I watched dismally from the comfort of my cushion. None of my favorite birds would come out to entertain me. I blamed the monsters for the rain.
Today, the sun had returned, and the sky was a clear deep blue. Determined to make the best of it, I went outside when Mistress opened the door. Who knew when the sun would return next? I certainly had no idea, and the rains were not pleasant. They matted my coat, and made me shiver.
I surveyed my territory. A long stretch of grass that was lush, still damp from weeks of rain, stretched out for quite a distance. Shrubs and small trees created a border, but my territory ventured further. Just beyond a particularly bushy tree with flowers, sat a wall. I sauntered to the wall, and leapt to the top. It was the perfect view for me. I could see the lands beyond, more green lawns with shrubs. Lizards and mice darted in and out, and from above, the occasional noisy bird in bright green plumage squawked from a giant string that crossed the sky.
In the distance, I spotted my rival, Taylor. His coat was grey and white, and he knew better than to trifle with me. However, he still did. He and I locked eyes, before he stomped toward me.
“I see they let you out of your cage!” He chirped in greeting.
I raised my right paw, and began to groom myself. I wasn’t going to bother with this bozo.
“I do not live in a cage, I live in a posh house, as the humans call it. Don’t tell me your humans left you out in the rain to fight the monsters! I mean, your coat looks disheveled, so I guess it’s likely,” I sniffed.
“Puh-lease!” howled Taylor. “I hid from those evil creatures under the bed. They were a fright.” He sat, and raised his own paw to groom. “I was just hunting a lizard, and that’s why my fur is wet.”
I sneezed. I opened my mouth to smell. “Yeuch! Go groom yourself elsewhere, Taylor!” I hissed. He smelled like dung. I couldn’t linger here any longer, and Taylor hadn’t bothered to look up from his grooming.
“You know what? Never mind. I’ll leave. Smell you later, Taylor!” With that, I jumped down into the next stretch of green. It smelled better over here anyway.
In this region of my territory, there lived a family of humans. They remained inside their house mostly; leaving only when inside the moving monstrosity they called a ‘caw.’ When the ‘caw’ was off, it made for a great place to nap. This afternoon was no exception. I leapt onto the tall white monstrosity, its hull warm in the sun. Then I settled in for a nap.
After, I woke, and figured I should continue my territorial survey before the sun disappeared. After a quick bath, I jumped down, and made my way through tall metal gates, and through prickly shrubs.
I wandered into a clearing, and spied the human girl whom I tolerate. My mistress calls her ‘Adia.’ She’s nice enough, fairly gentle for a human child. Adia paced back and forth between a tree house and a waterspout. Near the tree sat a shiny object. It caught my eye, so I ventured over to the thing. To my surprise, it was a large bowl type of thing, filled with water. Suddenly, I felt thirsty.
The water glistened in the afternoon sun, and I simply couldn't resist. I decided that this human kid was okay, leaving me such a generous gift. So I took a drink. The water was not cold, but it certainly tasted nice.
“Fritz, no!” Adia yelled. She was running toward me. She appeared angry. Perhaps this water was not for me? I raised my head, feeling insulted that this puny human would raise her voice at me, after allowing her to live on my land. I had finished my drink anyway, so I gave her a withering stare before sauntering across the yard.
A bird was fluttering about in a clump of trees at the border, and this absolutely required my attention. I stalked the bird, a blue jay. My mistress loved blue jays, and she loved me. Perhaps I would bring her this tasty gift, and we could enjoy the meal together.
I settled into a crouch, waiting for the perfect time to pounce into the bushes. The bird, sat on a branch, its back to me. It smelled delectable. Mistress would be so pleased with my catch.
I readied myself to pounce, my tail out in a way that I could keep my balance. My hind legs shifted, and I danced a little in my spot, anticipating my fine, feathery prize. Just as I pushed off the ground, a dreadful green squawky bird soared above me, making an awful racket.
BUMP
An acorn bounced off my head, and it made everything worse. I turned midair, ready to fight that awful parrot, and I landed on my bottom. Hard. The prey flew into the air, and kept going until I could no longer trace it.
The green squawker dove down, retrieved its lost acorn, and then returned to the skies. I was left with nothing, and I was angry for this. I hissed at the parrot, but it was long gone.
I shook my coat, and stood. This afternoon was shaping up to be not so nice. First, Taylor shows, then the human yells at me, then that awful bird makes me lose my prey. My stomach rumbled. Perhaps I would call it a day, and head back for dinner. I only hoped my mistress would not be disappointed.
I made my way across the yard, and I saw that the girl had a friend. They were making silly faces, while sitting at the vessel of water.
“This doesn’t taste very good,” the visiting boy said. Adia looked somewhat disappointed.
“May I then?” I mewed. The children looked at me, and I approached the shiny vessel. I was suddenly rather thirsty again. So I decided to take a drink. The water inside was rather murky, but I didn’t care. I drank out of mud puddles, why should this be different?
I lapped at the water, and this was no tasty mud puddle. This was just gross. Whatever Adia and her friend did to this vessel of water it should be considered desecration. After three laps, I stopped. I looked from one child to the other, confused.
“This doesn’t taste good,” I meowed.
“Fritz, do you like the sucker punch?” Adia asked. I heard my name, and at this point, I really needed pets. I raised my tail, and approached the child. If I purred loud enough, perhaps it would compel her to bring me an offering. It was the least she could do for ruining perfectly good water.
“Good kitty,” Adia cooed, “don’t drink this, okay? I’ll bring you a treat. I’ll be back, Bobby. Can you get rid of the evidence?”
Adia rose and retreated to the confines of her domicile. Bobby looked at me.
“Guess I’ll just dump this punch? You don’t want it, right?” he said.
I meowed in affirmation. This serum should be dumped, most definitely. The kid named Bobby picked up the vessel, and threw the water across the yard. Little sticks and balls flew with the water, the likely source of contamination. He sat the vessel upside down on the grass, and then I spied another cat from nowhere.
It had black and white fur, and its eyes widened at my approach. How did this cat get there? Obviously, I needed to liberate this cat before I chased it off my territory.
I swiped at the vessel with my right paw. The vessel was hard, and I could see another paw rise to meet mine. I struck again and again. One final hit knocked the vessel onto its side, and it rolled across the yard.
I could hear the other child laughing.
“What’s so funny?” Adia asked.
“I think that cat’s gone silly from our punch. He tried to hit the pot across the yard!”
“Come here, Fritz,” Adia called. She shook a bag that contained my favorite treats. Crunchy chicken flavored morsels. Yes, this would do. I trotted over to the girl, ready to forgive her for that pan of ruined water.
Adia gave me three crunchy morsels, and I ate them with gusto. I really was beginning to hunger. Bird stalking takes energy, and the sun was setting. I was going to have to check on that black and white cat trapped in the vessel first, but then supper would be so very welcome.
After a few more pets, I rose, and turned to find the cat. The once shiny vessel was nowhere to be seen, however.
“I took your pot inside and gave it to your mom,” the child named Bobby said. “I’ll help you gather the lollipops, then I have to go. Mom said that dinner’s at 5.”
No trapped cat to liberate, I decided to make my way back to my castle. Perhaps the cat had saved itself. On my way back, I scaled the wall, then saw Taylor napping on the lawn. I pounced on him, feeling the need to scrap with my rival just once today, but Taylor didn’t take the bait.
“Geez, I was just napping! I’m going home. Bye, Fritz. We can fight tomorrow if you really want.” Taylor ran off.
Well, it was a lovely afternoon at first, but this was turning out to be a bit of a disappointment. The barrier opened, and my mistress stepped across.
“There you are, Fritz!” she smiled. I stood, a tuft of Taylor’s fur fell from my mouth to the ground. My favorite human!
“I’m coming,” I mewed, and trotted towards her.
“You’re just in time for supper,” she said, “Come inside now, Fritz.”
Note:This piece is an intersection piece with the talented ![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
zedmanauk. Fritz is based on an actual cat who lives next door to me. Taylor, is based on another cat who lives two doors down. All other characters are a work of fiction, created by zedmanauk. Thank you for reading.
