Owner: ivyy.
Storage Link: the abandoned orderName: Prince --> Steeldawn
DGAB: AMAB
Origin: previous cottage kitty (kittypet)
Prompt: Slinking through the garden, a fidgeting ball of delicious feathers darted to and fro as the tom sat crouching waiting for it to focus solely on it's breakfast of beetles and worms. Stomach gurgling quietly, he unsheathed his paws and prepared to leap, excited of the aspect of the hunt. Bunching his muscles as he prepared to intercept the bird's upwards escape, screams of people and loud booming noises scared the finch into flight, his hackles rising and fur twitching. The cottage had been his home since he was found hanging around the garden when he was a kit, his mother had left him for the kind older twoleg that lived there alone, knowing she would raise him well and pampered- it showed in the way his belly fur hung lower than the other loners he had come across before.
The sounds echoed over the stout brick walls that surrounded the garden. The small finch he had been stalking lifted was long gone, barely a speck against the wide scene of blue and lazily drifting clouds, undisturbed by the abnormally loud and sudden noises. Humans seemed to be distressed, wherever they were. Lifting himself over the top of the wall, he sat with his tail draped behind him, interested to see the cause of the noises and why he had never heard anything like it before. His human had been acting oddly these last few days, disappearing into the forest where the cottage faced now and returning many, many hours later. She always brought back metal cans of beans and bottled water- sometimes she even brought him a can of sardines or old cat food, things that the other humans must've left behind.
He kept her company when she was home, usually she spent her time sleeping or placing flat wood against the windows and even his cat door despite his protests. Lately, he had needed to climb the thick ivy growing along the walls to get to the attic and down stairs to the first floor. Ears flicking as the noises grew sharper, he shivered. Something was wrong- very wrong. Heart beat quickening, a sudden sense of doom shadowed him, his eyes reflecting the fading sunlight. Where was Ella? The elderly woman took a long time to return from her voyages, but it had been over two days since he had seen her. Bunching his muscles, the large tom leaped off the short brick wall and towards the looming forest that grew darker as the sun had begun to set, casting silhouettes of the towering oaks over him.
Shaking out his fur and the apprehension that lingered in his tense limbs, he stretched and carried on through the undergrowth, determined to greet his person when she would return. Ella would return, she would never leave him alone. She cared very deeply for her and he was her only company. They were each other's only company.
---
The sun disappeared behind him, tail dragging through the dirt and mulch as he continued through the forest, determination still lingering in his exhausted gaze. Although he liked to explore, the tom wasn't at all used to non-stop treks like this one. Sighing, he caught a sharp scent of rot and flesh, causing him to take a disgusted step back. In front of him, ferns covered the body of a long dead deer, sharp gashes in it's flank, tongue lolling as death still lingered in it's glassy eyes. It looked as if an animal ravaged it. Shaking, he took a step back slowly, who had done this? There were no predators for miles all around- he would've scented them if they were nearby. This deer was... His thoughts broke off as a almost human scent hit his nose sharply, whipped around and was greeted by a horrifying man covered in blisters and gaping wounds.
A mix if blood and frothy saliva formed a stream along the corner of his gaping maw, his eyes locked on him but seeming as though the human's mind was elsewhere, his eyes glassy and bloodshot. A sickening gurgling noise escaped its throat as it wandered closer to him, the young tom frozen in place as the horridly smelling creature staggered towards him. Was this the human that had sounded distressed earlier? A soft gasp escaped the tom as it inched closer, the creature perking somewhat upright and reaching out it's gritty, bruised hands towards him before lunging.
Squeezing his eyes shut, he prayed that Ella wouldn't worry about him. The claws of the humanly creature grazed him and it reached for it's prey. Except it didn't. Flicking his eyes open, a crashing sound alerted the prescence of another creature. No, Ella! The older woman was wrestling the half-dead human, pressing it to the ground and attempting to pull something out of her pocket, her pants torn and ragged as they scuffled. Still frozen in place, the older lady yowled at him, the only word he understood being "run" and his own name, the rest having been drowned out as the creature overpowered her and forced them rolling backwards into the undergrowth. Heart pumping wildly, the tom obeyed and leaped away, heart aching as he realized how cowardly he was running from the creature that was most likely mauling his person by now.
Veering far from the direction of the cottage, he sprinted away, the rickety house presumably falling behind him as he didn't stop. How could he have left her? Tears welled in his eyes as he heard another yowl of pain echoing through the trees before silence stretched, only the occasional boom coming from the city echoing through the valley as he broke through the thick oak trees. Muscles aching, he knew one thing to be true when he could no longer hear his person's howls.
His old life would never be real. Ella was dead.
[978 words]
