You remember, don't you? That sound... Oh, that sound. The whir of slim wings viciously spinning above you, hovering in the sky. It made you fur ruffle in the breeze it created, and slowly lowered itself to the ground... The earth beneath it's odd legs trembled, but only for a moment. Maybe that trembling was actually you... When the fear took over.
Or was that curiousity? Either way you rose to your paws... Were you the one who fled? Well, who wouldn't? Such a strange metal thing had come, bigger than you, nearly the size of an elephant. Huge. You were smart enough to not take on something clearly more powerful than you... You were frightened, so you fled, separating you from your pride... If you had one. Or maybe you were the cat who approached... Who foolishly came up to the great beast. Both ways had the same conclusion; you felt a prick in your shoulder, and soon felt tired... no, exhausted. Collapsing on the ground, a nap sounded better than ever. So, eventually your eyes closed. When the opened, all you saw was darkness.
Or maybe that wasn't the case. Do you remember? Because it's your story, not mine. How should I know your past? So please, tell me...
Perhaps you already know what I was talking about before... That metal beast, featherless wings and stocky legs. You know, don't you? It was a helicopter. Filled with humans, of course, operating the machine. And I think I know your history involved people if you know of these two-leggeds. A zoo, that's what they would call it, right? You liked it, didn't you? Getting served meat without trying, living a life of luxury. How wonderful! All you had to do was wander around a bit and amuse the people in the cage, who were so fascinated by your beautiful species. But wait... Who was really the one on the other side of the fence? Wasn't you who was in the cage, not them?
Maybe you craved freedom. Hated the life they forced upon you. Small space compared to the wild ones, food without trying.. You wanted to hunt. You weren't a killer who craved to pull prey down, not at all. You just wanted to feel alive, get back to your roots and feel the true soil beneath your paws. Not the soil that big trucks shoveled into your habitat, they called it. But this wasn't your habitat. Cages aren't homes. But one day a phone rang at the main office, and you were to be shipped to another zoo, relocated since they offered a whole chunk of money. Of course, you didn't know. No one can understand the gibberish the humans speak. A needle-like bullet pierced you, causing barely any pain. You just felt sleepy at first. But soon your paws dragged and it was hard to keep your head up. You decided a quick nap would do some good. When you awoke, there was only darkness.
But maybe that wasn't your story. In a zoo one moment, into the city the next. You escaped either by gnawing the weakest point for moths, wearing it down thinner and thinner before you created a hole in your cage, and squeezed through before being detected by the humans. You bolted. Whether they found you in the city or you managed to retire to a more natural place like a forest, they still captured you. First aimed with an odd rod, then you felt something almost like a pinch. You fell sleepy and your eyes closed. When you awoke, you found yourself unable to see anything other than darkness.
But you heard the sounds. Boots clomping a metal floor, people shouting, and things moving like the ropes being pulled, and especially the sound of the waves. Where were you? On sea, on a large cargo boat carrying cats just like you. Maybe of other species, but still like you. Each were put in wooden crated, barely big enough for you to sit up in. There was no food, and no water in the crates. The journey was expected to be only one day long, but you didn't know that of course. But after hours of panic, you heard something more alarming than the screams of men. I happened.
A giant crashing sound slammed your ears and your crate filled with water. First you were annoyed, you had your paws wet! But soon that anger twisted into fear. The water rose higher. Somehow you knew what was happening. The water would fill to you head and you knew you couldn't breath underwater. Would you die in this horrid place?
You slammed your body on the side of the crate, pushing it over. The thud it made was nothing compared to the groans of metal splitting as the ship cried in agony, as if the ocean tearing it apart hurt it. But it hurt the humans more.
The most terrifying shrills sliced the air, and small splashes into the sea. The men were falling off board, clinging onto the deck desperately, and on the railings. The wave was gone, but you toppled in your crate as you felt the ship rock harder than it had before, loosing your footing your crate slid to the edge of the boat, nearly sliding into the ocean where the crate would fill with more water and you'd drown. The only sound you could hear now was the creaking joints of the ship. The screams had died off, same as the people. But of course you could also hear your heart pounding in your ears. Everyone was scared now, no soul could stand the torture of having to go through this. The water in your crate is getting higher... Will you survive?
