Hurricane Coretta--The Story of a Lost Serval

[VesVes]

So, this is the story of one of my roleplay characters from my roleplay, The Island of Fugitives. I might do my other three characters later, but for now, this is Coretta's hour. Enjoy!

Some of you know me as a Sentinel of the Insula Pride. True, I have served them for about a year. But, as any cat knows, I wasn’t born on the Island of Fugitives.

Africa. The land of beauty, and magnificence. The fiery orange sun rose to greet the landscape, and—

Okay, I lied. I have never set foot in Africa. Nor will I ever.

I was born in America, in a place that I heard was called Florida. I remember hardly anything of my family.

My mother was called Bella. She was a tamed serval, one who hadn’t stepped a paw in Africa either. She was the one I remember the least. She was kind, a good mother. She took care of us. She gave us milk. She kept us safe.

My siblings were easier to remember. There was Chase, Lucky, Freedom, and Spot. Chase was the biggest cub. He would get into everything. Lucky was the bossy one. Freedom was a good friend, while Spot was scared of nearly everything.

Then there was me. They called me Kit. I was the smallest of all my litter, the family I remember so little of. We were bred to be sold as exotic pets for humans. As soon as I was old enough, they bought me.

My owners were kind. They were called Bob and Kathrine. They fed me. They offered me shelter. They built a little enclosure in their backyard, just for me. They even loved me.

I was their pet, from cubhood to the time I grew up. By then, I became restless. I scratched furniture. I chewed stuff. There was nothing wrong with that, right? But Kathrine and Bob both scolded me. Late one night, I heard them talking.

“Bob, can’t we wait until the hurricane passes?”

“No, Kathrine. If we declaw Kit, it will have to happen before Hurricane Coretta arrives.”

So they were going to declaw me. Of course, I had no idea what a hurricane was, so I was more worried about losing my claws than that. But my claws were essential. A feline’s claws are like her soul. Take them away, and you might as well be taking her spirit.

I knew what I had to do. I had to escape.

It was later that night when I made my move, careful to do so while Bob and Kathrine were asleep. They had opened the window to let air in. It was awfully cold that one night, but nevertheless, I clawed my way out of the screen and into the streets.

I spent the next day avoiding people. I scavenged out of trashcans, and hid in the alleyways. The next day, however, was different. It was so awfully cold, I couldn’t stand it. I went to a random door, and meowed to come in.

But no one answered the door. Strange. A feline such as myself would be sure to attract attention. What was going on? That’s when I noticed the windows. They had all been boarded up! Everyone on the street boarded their windows up! Even some boarded their doors up! What’s wrong? Was this all because of me?

That was when the wind started. Oh, that wind was so horrible; it nearly swept me off my feet! I cried desperately to come in. I regretted my decision to leave.

But no one was there.

Suddenly, I felt a drop. Rain! More rain! The rain fell down so hard, it felt like hail! And the wind was blowing stronger and stronger! At one point, I lost my footing, actually flew a few feet, and then crashed to the ground! I was terrified.

The storm was just getting worse. Thunder crashed. Lightning struck. The rain battered down on my fur so hard it felt like I was getting beaten. But that wasn’t the worst part.

The flood came. Terrified, I tried to outrun it in the buffeting wind, but the waters caught up to me quickly. I was swept away along with the debris of what I later figured out was Hurricane Coretta at work. I fought the waves for as long as I could remember, almost certain I was going to die.

Then I passed out, just as I saw the great, big mountain.

Next thing I knew, I heard a voice.

“She’s alive! She’s alive!”

I groggily opened my eyes and saw the face of a feline peering down at me. A Lynx. I let out a startled yell.

“Don’t be scared,” said the lynx in a soothing voice. “I’m not going to hurt you. My name is Maika.”

“Where am I?” I asked.

“You’ve just crashed on the Island of Fugitives,” she replied matter-of-factly. “And since you’re a feline and probably not going anywhere, you’re one of us now.”

“Huh?” I asked.

Maika smiled. “Oh, don’t worry, everyone’s friendly. Here, I’ll show you around.”

Maika showed me around the island. It was a beautiful place. But one part of the island caught my attention. Sunrise Savannah. From the moment I saw it, I knew that was where my kind belonged. In the savannah. And while Africa was a world away, I could definitely make a living here.

“By the way, what’s your name?” Maika asked me.

I thought about it. Kit seemed like someone else now. A mere pet, kept by humans and not running free. I needed a new name. A new identity. Then, I thought about the storm that changed my life. Hurricane Coretta.

“My name is Coretta,” I replied.

[VesVes]

You guys can post, if you like!