The cat’s paws dug into the cement, pebbles digging into her fur. Today’s a new day!
It’s scary walking the streets of a small town, especially when the taller beings roam the land. These people tend to stay out of the cat’s way, though. She didn’t worry too much about interaction. All day, she scavenged for food in trash cans, explored each nook and cranny, and slept under the stars.
Until that morning. The cat hurried down the avenue, chasing a sly and silent creature. A smaller prey, she had thought. But she rounded the corner… and found a cat. Gray cat, probably. It didn’t matter.
She tilts her head. “I’m sorry for chasing you. I thought you were a mouse.”
“I was chasing a mouse,” he replies. “Want to help?”
A grin. Together, they ran through the alleyways of the city, sniffing the cement, the wet sewer drains… anywhere. Anything. By the buildings, the cats dashed along the walls and the curbs. The scent of a sewer mouse trailed so closely in front of them… cheese lacing its whiskers.
It was two cats chasing after a mouse.
A prowess on a battlefield. A quiet patter of feet. They slithered around the gray concrete, searching for their prey — normal cat things.
“Black cat!” A quick, abrupt stop. She halted in her tracks as a man jumped into her vision. He bent down, hands reaching for her.
Immediately, a quiet meow as she backed up — into a person's legs.
They were surrounding her.
Hisses, voices, terror. Terror amongst the people. Why were they scared? Were they scared of her? A cat? Her friend appeared behind the man’s legs, concern etched onto his fur. A sharp meow as a person picked him up, out of view.
“Get the cat!” “It’s a black cat!” “It’s going to curse us!”
She didn’t understand why they were so horrified by her.
It was two cats chasing after a mouse. Hisses, voices, terror.
The people fell back, grasping their forearms, rushing away.
Her friend. A single, small scratch from budding claws. He was saving her. Before she knew it, the people had vanished from sight. Fear fading away.
“Is it all okay?” she asks. “Why did they come for me? Because of my fur?”
“I don’t know. You look like a cat.”