"A new one?" Putih murmured in astonishment. Her tail started to sway left and right, and her eyes widened, as bright as the beaming full moon in the dark night sky.
Hitam nodded eagerly, her eyes beaming with sparks of confidence. "I know how it feels, I swear. I'll help you."
Putih hesitated, thinking about her best friend living with humans in a home with a roof, a home with strange and unfamiliar scents, a home where a wall keeps him from freedom, a home that's not the island, a home that they don't share.
She almost hesitated, but her eyes darted back to the small brown shape in front of the window, Durian with his ears drooped down as if it was soaked with rain.
His reflection on the window was still as a rock, his expression was overwhelmed with shock, grief, and betrayal.
She immediately nodded her head vigorously, her heart filling with waves of determination to make her friend happy. It meant that Durian would not be close to her anymore, but at least he would be back to his usually bright, happy self.
She imagined him lying lazily on couches, his eyes halfway drooped, his tail curled around his body, slowly falling into a welcomed, peaceful sleep. He would enter a beautiful dream where he would eagerly chase friendly tiny humans, playing tag.
She imagined him gobbling up all the food he wanted, drinking all the water he wanted, eating up all his dinner in a heartbeat, his eyes filled with satisfaction. How he would love to sleep with a full stomach every night on human's laps, content and excited to start a new day.
How he would love to live in the city with humans who loved him.
Durian would be so happy.
That was all Putih needed.
*timeskip*
Putih walked across the road, her paws tiring her down, her stomach growling wildly it drove her mind crazy.
The sky had turned into a beautiful blend of pink, yellow, and purple, a marvelous painting spread across the air that left Putih in awe.
The clouds moved steadily in the air, like a feather drifting across the sky.
Putih wished she could fly, high and higher up into the air, floating around happily like a fish swimming in water.
She would leap up and jump from cloud to cloud, her paws sinking into it. And when it was night and the stars glistened in the sky, she would curl up in one of the clouds and fall into yet another adventure in her dreams.
Her wide eyes reflected the sunset, clouded with a vision of what it would be like if she had wings, living in freedom and joy.
She would never be hungry. She would be able to snore all day on clouds and knead the fluffy cotton underneath her every day.
She would stare at the earth underneath her, watch the humans laugh and talk happily. She would watch the smallest trees grow up into a magnificent palm tree with big, brown coconuts hanging on each branch.
She would watch every motorcycle and car, leaving a giant gray cloud of smoke behind as it dashed by. She would watch stray cats lie under the shade of house roofs and leaves of enormous trees, catching its breath from the heat there every day.
She would see dogs barking hysterically from gardens, yipping at cats whose eyes narrowed into slits and their expressions apprehensive, every hair on their tail standing up in fear.
Putih wondered if birds could jump into clouds. She wondered if they could live up there, in the sky, flapping around with their wings.
Putih shook her head vigorously, clearing all her thoughts. If they could have a home there, why have a nest in trees, where cats could attack them at any moment?
She looked at Hitam, who was leading the way beside Durian, talking to him, trying to keep him enthusiastic for the place the black cat would show him.
Sometimes Putih took a glance at the brown cat frequently, smiling to herself when she saw the brown cat chuckle at Hitam's jokes, his eyes drooped with weariness but happiness still sparking inside.
It was like a flame that would die down quietly with nothing to burn, but would flicker tiny bright sparks after you feed it firewood. The brown cat's mood was lighting up again once hope was planted in his mind like a small flower seed.
Putih bounded up to the two cats. "Hey, so, um, Hitam,"
"Where exactly are we going?" Hitam grinned back cat her, then mewed mischievously: "You'll see!"
As the sun slowly was swallowed by the waves of the ocean, only a single glimmer of bright light left visible, the three cats, black, white, and brown tabby ran across the sides of the roads of the city.
Zooming past the cars with blinding lights, feeling the wind rush through their fur, feeling their paws patter against the dusty road, and watching the moon begin to shine.
And yet again the dark curtain of night drew over the sky.
As the stars began to beam, Hitam skidded to a halt, her gaze glistening with emotion. The street was filled with street vendors with food inside.
Durian shuddered. "Are we going to eat that stuff?" He murmured, pointing with his paw at the dusty street vendors.
"No, of course not." Hitam chuckled, amusement glistening in her eyes. "Through that alley is the place with even more humans." Durian's eyes gleamed with excitement, his tail high up in the air.
As if Hitam read her mind through her eyes that were clouded with fear, she whispered to her: "Don't worry. They're friendly." Putih swallowed the lump in her throat, and followed the black cat through the alley with determination.
The alley was filled with rat scattered around the place, chewing on cardboard eagerly and hiding under metal boxes and tires.
The white cat gulped at the number of them. She knew they were heavily outnumbered. What if they challenged us?
Putih hissed and scowled at every rat she saw, her ears flattened, trying to hide her scent of fear drifting through the air.
Putih guessed she was the only one scared; Durian and Hitam seemed to not even notice the number of rats, their head and tail held high, their pelt smoothed. She could not even smell their scent of wafting fear.
As she slowly walked out from the alley, she found herself in front of a row of endless houses, moonlight sparkling on each roof.
"This is it." Hitam mewed.
YOU ARE READING
Stray Cats
Adventure"Beyond those waters, there's freedom. Nothing can hold you back. So why stay here?" The only land Putih had known was the island. The only land Hitam had known was the city. Stepping out of the familiar grounds was heartbreaking, but they had done...
