A sunny spot to stay in (Manxman)

Chapter 1

Kyle licked the last of the milk from the bowl, his tummy feeling comfortably full. After a quick glance around he decided on the sunny spot in front of the door to the patio as the most comfortable place for his nap. Curling his long tail around himself he settled in, relishing in the warmth.

He'd just dozed off when the front door opened and the pitter patter of small feet could be heard followed by a high pitched 'Kitty!'

Kyle sighed inwardly. The Peterson's were nice and provided really good food for the stray cat that had appeared on their doorstep, but the affection from their five year old was getting to him. Though love was an apt way to describe it and it required effort to suppress his instinct to scratch or bite. It was time to move on.

After having suffered rough pats and getting his ears pulled for what he deemed to be an appropriate amount of time he went to door and meowed to get the adult’s attention. As soon as the door was open he made a dash for the trees, ignoring the wail of 'No! Kitty stay!' behind him. It didn't bother him. He was a cat after all and quite self-sufficient.

Twenty minutes of creeping through hedges and crossing fields brought him to the abandoned shed were he'd hid his belongings. He shifted and stretched. Being back in his human form for the first time in a couple of weeks felt good. He dressed quickly and looked in the small hand mirror to check that he was at least mildly presentable. His black hair was shaggy and quite long, so he combed it quickly and pulled it into a ponytail. He checked his wallet and nothing was missing, showing that he'd been right in selecting this particular hiding place for his stuff.

Slinging the bag over one shoulder he started walking towards town again, though not in the direction of the Peterson's house. Instead he aimed for the bus station. He normally never stayed in one place for more than a month or so and then moved on, not wanting to become attached or dependent.

At the bus station he bought a ticket for another town, about an hour away. Settling in to wait he considered his financial situation. In his wallet he had enough to last him a couple week at least, assuming he could find a place to sleep in his cat form and not needing a hotel. Shouldn't be a problem as the nights were warm this time of the year. And a week should give him enough time to find someone to take him in. Preferably not a family with small children though. Unconsciously one hand went to lightly massage the tip of an abused ear. He shuddered. He'd be more careful with his next choice.

The bus came and Kyle boarded it. He found two empty seats next to each other were he curled up, ignoring the disapproving glare from an old lady sitting across the aisle. So what! It wasn't like she was using the seats, was it?

As the bus drove on he continued his musings. Probably would be a good idea to earn some money. Enough to last him some months and maybe a bit to put towards his bank account. You never knew when you'd need it. He'd have a look around to see what kind of work the next place offered. He preferred physical work where he could use his natural agility, but if that wasn't an option he was adaptable.

The bus soon arrived at his destination and he hopped off. He thought briefly about looking for a job centre or a 'help wanted' board, but decided against it. It was more important to find somewhere to sleep and store his things.

He soon found a suitable roof. It was flat and no windows facing it. He quickly climbed up, removed his clothes, shifted and settled down to rest. His cat part enjoyed roaming the night, but if he wanted to find a nice human to take him in, daytime was his best bet.