Nine Lives Away...

Chapter Two - The Jet-Black Tom

"I told you not to run away from our handlers! Now we're stuck in this stupid little kennel," came a furious, stinging remark. "And it is all your fault." The voice of the dog who had spoken was probably that of an older pup-still not fully grown, but definitely not a little one. Craning her neck to see, Kani glanced in the direction from which the noise came. Awe man. Bushes blocked her view of the creatures, which she could tell were a few houses down. Suddenly, she spotted an iron-link fence, and began to climb down the vines to inspect the inside of it.
Landing on the porch with a thump, Kani scented the air. Yes, there were definitely dogs nearby.. She leapt off of the patio and padded down to the end of the driveway, looking around cautiously. Slowly, Kani crept towards the source of the sounds. She dropped to the ground, ears low and tail swinging. Eventually, she approached the rusty chain link fence which the dogs were behind. She peered around a spot of brush, where she could see the canines arguing. They had on collars just like hers, but theirs were much bigger and shredded on the ends. They continued to quarrel with each other, and she leaped up, landing on the fence.
"Hey!" she yowled down to them. Both dogs' heads whipped around as they faced her. "What are you mutts arguing about?"
They snarled. "Who ya' calling mutt?" With a great leap, they both ran at her. Kani ducked, startled. Suddenly, their chains wrenched them back with a sharp metallic pang, and they whimpered slightly. "You're lucky you wasn't closer. We would 'ave torn you up!" called the older dog. Kani rolled her eyes. Sureeee... She looked around.
"So? What's the problem?" Kani asked. Both dogs turned, not willing to answer the new cat. With a slow shake of her head, Kani spun on her paws. She raced back to Mark's house, and clambered up the vines to the small hide-out area. With a sigh, she rested her head on her paws. It was so lonely..
Suddenly, Kani heard a twig snap. Her ears pricked in interest, and she peered over the edge. On the lawn, she spotted a black cat stalking a small wood mouse. Surprised, Kani watched. The jet-black tomcat leaped forward, reaching the prey before it could have even heard him. At once, Kani made her way back down to the porch railing, all of her weariness forgotten. The cat suddenly dropped to his haunches, alert and startled. Kani strode towards him, and purred a friendly greeting. This cat must not have a home, she thought, he's scrawny, and I can tell that he has hunted for a long time-he caught that mouse so effortlessly!
"Howdy!" Kani meowed in a friendly tone. The black tom relaxed his muscles, sitting up.
"Hello." He replied. "Can I help you?"
The tom was nice enough, so Kani tilted her head. "What's your name?"
"My name is Onyx," he meowed. "And yours?"
"Kani." She replied. It was nice to meet another cat; the only other pets she had seen since she had arrived were those quarreling dogs. Yet again, Onyx couldn't be a pet. He was not well fed, and his pelt was not as sleek and smooth as hers. "You can't be a housecat, so where do you live?"
The tom clearly thought this was hilarious. He chuckled for a bit, amused by her question. Why, Kani didn't know. "I live in the forest." He said at last. Kani was shocked. How could anycat live there? It was cold at night, and there were no humans to feed them, and there were wolves, and... Her eyes were wide, and Onyx looked her up and down. "Hello? Earth to Kani?"
Kani shook her head. "How can you live in the forest..? It's freezing, and you could starve!" Yet again Onyx burst out with laughter. "What?"
"Don't knock it 'till you try it, princess." He purred teasingly. With a friendly wink, the tom swiftly padded away from the house. "See you around!" He called over his shoulder.
Kani was still surprised-wouldn't Onyx much prefer to live in a house? She shook her head. To each their own. Kani's ears pricked. She heard Mark calling from inside the house, and whisked around. With a short, wistful glance at where Onyx had disappeared into the treeline, she darted inside. The warm air of her new home was cozy, and it smelled like cranberries. Mark's mom must be baking something!
Kani raced into the kitchen, purring and rubbing up against Mark's legs. He bent over to scratch her behind the ear, and she flopped to her back, letting him pat her soft underbelly. This was a magnificent new home, and she had a wonderful new family. Hearing Mark's mother call him into the kitchen, Mark stood and turned away. Kani followed him into the dining room, and saw that she had her very own bowl, right under the table. She ran forward and eagerly lapped up the food they had laid out for her. The meal must have been homemade-it was warm and crunchy, with little bits of blackberry and cranberry scattered in it, and it was delicious!
Kani paused when she had a few bites left. She glanced around, and rubbed up against Mrs. Heather (which is the name of Mark's mother), before snatching up her leftovers and padding to the cat door. Her step was bouncy and energetic as she made her way onto the porch. With a short glimpse of the street in front of her, Kani spun on her paws, and raced around the side of the house. Onyx's scent-she thought that it smelled like blackberries-led her to the treeline. Kani glanced behind her, before taking off into the woods. The grass was soft underpaw, and her pads were soothed by the cool dew which glistened atop the blades.
Following the sharp trail which Onyx had left, Kani darted over tree stumps and ducked under gorse bushes. She found that her body moved instinctively here, and she felt at home. Diving through the brush of the forest, Kani reached the end of the scent trail quickly. She spotted Onyx ahead of her, and rushed to climb a tree. She would surprise him, by jumping down when he walked under the tree. As Onyx walked her way, Kani squinted her eyes. There were two other cats walking with him. They were all laughing and chatting away, and Kani shrugged. They must be some friends of his.
When Onyx was underneath the tree branch which Kani was perched upon, she leapt towards the ground, landing gracefully beside him. The other cats bristled, and Onyx jumped in surprise. He chuckled slightly, and turned to talk with the two cats, but before he could say anything, they hissed.
"Housecat! What is it doing here?" The older, larger she-cat snarled. Her long, fluffy pelt was a smooth ginger, with darker stripes running along her sides. Small white spots socked her soft feet, and her tail was bushy and long. Kani ducked. Did I come at a bad time? Onyx started to speak, but the second cat cut him off.
"Why, that little kibble-kitty must be here to find food!" He spat. This cat was smaller, with a dappled gray pelt. A small nick was missing from his ear, and Kani assumed he got into quarrels often; she could practically smell the hostility radiating from the tom's body. She dropped to her haunches, glaring at him. "We have none of your rabbit-dropping food! Move along."
Kani stared indignantly. "Kibble-Kitty?" Her tone was icy and blunt, and her eyes revealed no emotion. Kani tilted her head. "Is a tiny little nickname supposed to scare me off? Not a chance, you must have bees in your brain!"
The tom bristled. Instantly, Onyx stepped between the two of them, intervening. "Calm your pelts. No-cat is getting anywhere until you both sit!" He retorted. Pointing with his tail, he gestured to the fluffy ginger she. "This is Copper, or Reed, and this," he redirected his tail to the gray tom, "is Aspen."