Mickey Du
The images were blurred and fuzzy before the newborn cat’s eyes, it was squinting madly to get a better view of the world it had never seen. Bright fluorescent lights and heads of strange looking people surrounding the cat looking on eagerly shocked the bright orange colored kitten. These people took the stunned cat back to their dwelling by car, the cat wrapped snugly in a plush blanket. Momentarily, the tired newborn fell asleep, its eyelids drooping in sleepiness to the faint sounds of, “Ooohs, and Ahhhs”.
When the cat stirred awake, he started roaming around in the odd house he was supposed to call home. He had found his ‘owners’ relaxing in the cozy lounge, next to a roaring fire already blazing in the fireplace. Then the people saw him; a boy named Karl got up from the fine grain leather armchair and went to pick up his new pet. The cat looked scared, not knowing whether to make a run for it or just stay there calmly. It did a bit of both, first using a foot to step away from the room then calming down and coming back, doing this while panic arose in his mind simultaneously. Then the boy gave a soft chuckle and picked up the cat and started to stroke it. The cat was purring contentedly and affectionately, satisfied with the way he was being cared for. Then Karl thought a bit and said aloud, “You know what, I think I’ll call you Zephyr, since you act like the gentlest breeze, yet capable of so much more”. Zephyr meowed, and gave Karl’s palm a soothing lick, both of them knowing they were going to be friends until the very end. And with that, they both fell asleep, rocking on the armchair, back and forth to the rhythm of the crackling fire.
Over the next few months, Zephyr and Karl had grown much closer and started doing almost everything together. Their loyalty to each other was unsurpassed; both of them knew that deep inside their mind. During those cold winter nights, Karl would rest in his homemade bed alongside Zephyr, who curled up in a ball next to him, his fur keeping Karl warm all night long. Then one of these cold, blustery evenings, Zephyr was awake on the bed, thinking about the long day he had had with Karl at the local carnival. And then he heard it, a soft meow like he had never heard before. Zephyr’s heart jumping, he knew the cat meowing was beckoning him to come to it. Zephyr thought about it, he had never seen many other animals of his same species, let alone talk to them. He finally to decided to stay here in the safety of his owner’s bedroom, who knows what lies out in the wilderness at night. It could be dangerous… With a lot of trouble, Zephyr finally fell asleep thinking about what he had heard that night.
Karl had begun to trust Zephyr almost as much as he put belief in himself. Zephyr could even roam around in the wild by himself, sniffing at the strange fruits that fell off trees occasionally and pursuing the pesky rabbits that were always bound to come hopping out of the bushes. On autumn afternoons, they would go for a walk in the woods, letting nature slip in a few of it’s own words. The serene environment was the perfect place to relax and was ideal for daydreaming.
Then as winter was arriving near the bend, Zephyr heard those strange meows again. Once again, he told himself that he should stay in the comfort and safety of his owner’s dwelling. But it came every night, more and more cats started caterwauling and it was pure torture for Zephyr just to listen to the melodious screeches and not be able to join in on the fun. Zephyr thought about it and decided next time he would just meet with the mysterious cats and see what it was all about. The next evening after Zephyr finished his homemade dinner, he trotted out the door and into the fresh breeze of the outside. He meowed softly, hoping his call would be returned. After awhile, there was nothing except the simultaneous chirping of crickets, Zephyr gave up hope. Just as he was about to go back inside, an echoing meow responded. Zephyr’s heart leaped with joy, he rushed over to the direction of the cry, dashing as fast as he could and came upon a site that made him feel at home.
Zephyr looked up and was startled but relieved to find three cats, a black as night cat with glowing yellow eyes, a snowy white cat with the softest fur and one that looked very similar to himself. Zephyr knew by instinct that these weren’t creatures that would harm him, and he also knew these were the critters that were calling out to him in the dark of night. Then the bright orange colored cat that looked like him motioned Zephyr to follow them, Zephyr couldn’t resist. It was one of the best times that Zephyr had in his life, nibbling at the wild berries, racing through the woods and knowing what he thought was his real family. Zephyr didn’t journey home that night, he was too exhausted and in a good mood to go back. However, he did think of Karl and whether Karl would be worried or not when he didn’t come back. He thought about this carefully, drifting off into deep sleep under the cool night and luminous moon hovering above him.
Meanwhile, Karl was in his bedroom yelling, “Zephyr! Zephyr! Where are you?” all the while getting no response. Zephyr’s keen hearing heard it but as he was already asleep, he thought it was only a dream. When he awoke, he didn’t recall a thing about what happened last night until he noticed three cats laying curled up alongside him. Zephyr tapped each one of them gently on the head telling them to wake up and they did, yawning and stretching at the same time. The routine continued each day, having all the fun he could possibly have, never getting bored. The routine continued for Karl too, never giving up hope on the fact that Zephyr might be coming back any day now.
Then winter came and the weather started turning from cold to freezing. All four of the felines stayed in a cozy cave all day, not daring to go out into the lifeless world or even eating too much of their little food supply available, nuts and berries. It was these lonely times in the cave that Zephyr thought of Karl and what would’ve it been like if he hadn’t stowed away. Then Zephyr made a bold decision to go back to Karl, it was the only thing his mind could think of at the moment. And off he went, trudging through the blizzard, shivering from the intense cold. He had no sense of direction, he only knew to go in the direction his heart told him so. During this long walk, seconds seemed like minutes and minutes seemed like hours. He climbed up an inert evergreen tree to rest awhile.
Karl was also out looking for Zephyr, thinking he couldn’t possibly survive these harsh conditions. Both made their way towards each other, Zephyr suffering much more. He started moving slower and slower, his heart was starting to slow down also. He dropped down into the ice-covered snow, still alive but barely enough to keep himself breathing. Zephyr gave a faint meow as he thought about what was to come next. Suddenly Karl came upon this scene and knew at once that this was his cat, the one lying down motionless on the snow. He quickly picked Zephyr up, wrapped him around in his fur coat and started racing home as fast as he could. Halfway there, Karl noticed there was no heartbeat left, even Zephyr’s eyes were glazed in fresh death. Karl, knowing there was nothing he could do, raised him towards the sky and said aloud, “Zephyr, fly like the wind as you were made for…” and tossed him up into the clear, blue sky. As he did, Zephyr seemed to vanish into the brisk air but Karl thought he saw what was a flying shadow of his cat, soaring high above the sky.
I am a thirteen year old currently living in the Big Apple that loves to write and is fascinated by all sorts of writing prompts and ideas. I get sparked by intriguing topics and just let my pen do all the talking. I hope that someday, I will have the opportunity to share my writing with the world.
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