Cat Tale

How in the world had I ended up in this situation? Nothing as bad as this had ever happened to me in my fresh, young life before.

It was a horrible feeling. How coul I be desperately lonely, even though I was surrounded by millions of other cats?

They bustled along the notoriously busy roads, their hurried pace turning their moods sour and spiteful. How torturous, to know each of them knew exactly where they were going!

An tall, sassy-looking albino brushed up against me by accident, part of the never-ending clutter.

"Watch it, kitten!" she hissed, flicking her long tail indignantly. Her darkish blue eyes flashed with dangerous anger. I stuttered, but said nothing, and she moved on.

Panthera, the capital of Abyssinia, was no place for little kittens all alone.

I narrowly avoided being run over by a large black and white tomcat, who was no kinder than everyone else had been to me. His sharp teeth jutted out from his monstrously proportioned mouth.

"Out of my way, you kindle reject!" He would have bitten my paw if it had gotten in his way. I was sure of it.

I struggled to rise from the dusty ground once again, my dark golden coat covered in dirt. I could only hope there would be an end to the unforgiving streets.

I'm not a kindle reject, I told myself, I'm just lost, and I can find my way...I think. I hope.

I had no idea how I'd gotten seperated from Mom, or even as to how I'd left the house. All I knew was that I was lost and lonely.

And then, my thoughts were interrupted as I saw an unusual visitor coming towards me. He was a frightening, scaly, dark lizard, maybe from Klugetown. I'd heard so many scary stories about Klugetown.

"Someone, help!" I screamed. My high-pitched voice drew the cats' attention. I started running for my life, looking for a place to hide, any place, anywhere...

Oh please, oh please, oh please-

A market vendor's stall! Thank goodness I had found it! I scampered underneath its red tablecloth. I gave a small sigh of relief, but suddenly, I felt a...warm breath of air tickling the fur on the back of my neck. I slowly turned, fearing the unknown.

Oh, if only I could be back-

My heart paused.

Another pair of eyes, icy blue, was penetrating the darkness to gaze back at me. There was nothing between us but a small patch of light.

"Don't hurt me, please!" I squeaked.

"Why would I do that? You're the scary one!" answered the voice belonging to the one who also owned those unsettling eyes. Unexpectedly, it was equally terrified.

"Are you lost?" I said. "Are you looking for your family, like me?"

"It depends," said the voice, tinged with sorrow.

"On what?"

"Oh, uh, well, how you think about it. You're really fancy. Where'd you learn to talk like that?" The voice remained timid, but I could tell the fear behind it was slowly receding.

"My mom is really eloquent," I boasted. "She taught me - I and my siblings how to speak with grace."

"What's eloquent? Sorry, I'm just a little kitty living by myself." The voice's owner finally revealed itself, stepping into the light. There stood a small grey and white tabby, the light filling his big, entrancing eyes. He seemed very downtrodden.

"I'm Chummer. I'm also all alone. I don't know if my parents left me. I think they did - I'm not sure."

"So you are lost? Let's be friends. Let's be lost together. You be my chum, I'll be your pal." I held out my tiny tan paw to Chummer, who only turned his back to me.

"I don't know. You're a stranger."

"Look around, everyone's a stranger. If we don't stick together, how are we going to survive until our parents get back?" I could have sworn this made Chummer think of his mother and father finding him dead, for, when he turned around, his eyes were filling with tears. They reflected his colorful irises, making his melancholy expression overpowering.

"All right, I'll do it. But please don't be mean. I've met enough mean guys."

"Me, too."

And with that, we were lifelong friends.

I stand in shock as I watch the airship crash and explode into a shattered skeleton of what it once was. My friend was inside. My poor, dearest friend.

How could I have taken all this for granted? Why didn't I accept every moment and not let it pass me by? He's gone, and far too soon for me to do anything but grieve.

There's no point to keeping up a mask now. I was never totally eloquent, so I forced myself into it. Now, it's time to let go.

Maybe, just maybe, if I scrape the very depths of my soul, banishing all superficiality, I can let go of him and free my mind.

Everything we've been through - the laughs, the jokes, the struggles, the excursions, the food thefts, even finding a home just a few days ago...

It's all over.

And the massive debt he left behind will haunt me forever, a memory of his pleasurable company and the source of his death.

When I pay it off (if I ever do), the scorching pain won't go away.

Because he...he was a friend. And not just any friend, at that.

A comrade to lean on in hard times, and to share the wealth with in bountiful seasons.

An amigo to cherish, and a cat to help in return. After all, he deserved it, even though his motives weren't the best at times.

A soul who cared, for however short a time, about someone else in the world, and that is something worthy of praise.

An ambitious, daring and hopeful soul he was, not showing these specific qualities when I first met him. He feared I would hate him for it.

A cat to be remembered, for all eternity.

He was the friend I needed.