The AHJ Origins: Caramel

Chapter l

Stream was fortunate enough to be rescued by a kind hearted women, under the name of Ms. Owens. She remembered being trapped in a cold, fresh room, where tall men in white gloves put a silver pin to her leg. That dreadful night was followed by many, before her rescuer came back and brought her to her new home.

She was greeted by a large house-cat christened Pumpkin. Like her name, she was fluffy, red and round, with wide green eyes and a bushy tail. Although she was sweet and kind, she gave Stream the unexpected feeling of Flurry. The red cat was also strange in many ways. For one, she seemed to disappear in the blink of in eye, but come back before anyone else grew suspicious. Pumpkin was also relatively younger than Stream, and was excited to find out that the latter was expecting kits.

Stream soon gave birth to a single she-cat: it was a brown tabby with a heartbreakingly similar appearance to Chestnut. However, she carried Stream's hail blue eyes and for surprisingly, Pumpkin's long fur and bushy tail. Stream allowed Ms. Owens to name the kitten, and the she-kits name ended up being Caramel. 

Soon, Stream became restless and yearned to go outside again. She loved Ms. Owens and Pumpkin as a den-mate, but she knew she was a wild cat at heart. 

One stormy day, when Ms. Owens was taking out the trash, Stream darted from the opened doors to the wild.  Her pale gray pelt blended in with the rain, so Ms. Owens wouldn't even know her beloved cat had gone missing. Stream decided that she would go back by night. Ms. Owens would notice her  departure by than, and was bound to keep the windows open, in case her cat came back. 

Stream had negotiated her escape with Pumpkin the day before, and the latter had promised to take care of Caramel while Stream explored the outdoors. Her tabby kit was already two month old. Not completely weaned, but okay to be away from her mother for a few hours. 

Stream walked a little longer, before settling down under a tree. It was still raining hard, and she was cold to the bones. Her legs felt stiff and hurt. She began grooming them, trying to warm up. 

"It's been a while since I've seen you, you imbecile." A voice made Stream's fur leap out of her body in shock. 

"It looks like mommy cat's had her kittens now." Flurry slunk slowly towards her. Her acid green eyes were flashing dangerously. "But where are her little weaklings?"

Stream fluffed her fur so that she appeared bigger. "Get away from me!" she hissed.

"Flurry sniffed the air and raised her brows in mock. "Oh, looks like you've been spending time with my worthless niece. Thriving as a house cat, huh? Too bad mommy cat won't be going back tonight."

"Your what?" Frozen with shock, Stream couldn't think properly. 

Flurry pounced on top of Stream, who crumbled beneath her. Stream could feel her hot breath touch her skin. "You will not hurt my kit!" she struggled to talk as Flurry pinned her down on the neck.

"For now." Flurry mewed. "What's worse than growing up with no parents, especially when one presumably left their kit." Her voice had became dangerously sweet.

Stream never thought there could be a cat more evil. 

"Goodbye mommy cat!" Flurry hissed, raking her claws across Stream's neck. Stream felt a scorching pain as she collapsed onto the bare earth, blood was bubbling around her mouth and nose. The last thing she thought was what Caramel would think when her mother didn't come home.