Welcome to Gaia! ::

((Word Count: 722))

Dogs…. Feh! Who needs them? They were smelly disgusting creatures who did nothing but drool and bark. And bark. And bark! How was a cat meant to get a nap when the damn dogs wouldn’t shut up! Like seriously? Can’t a cat get a single moment of peace? A quiet nap in a tree or a sunny spot? Why must one’s nap or snack always be interrupted by dogs? Stupid mutts! Stupid, stupid mutts.

The guardian cat kept his internal muttering to himself as he made his way through the city. His last spot had been interrupted by a dog, a leashed one at least so he wasn’t chased, but he was still pretty salty about it. Oooooo salty! Like a pretzel or fries. Good fries of course, not those soggy limp fries that people always throw at the pigeons. Pigeons are mean too! They can be just as butts as dogs! Mel’s mental rambling that had somehow completely left dogs and yet still ended back on them continued until a rather low rumble, a hair raising growl, came out of a shadow. It was night so of course there were shadows but shadows shouldn’t be growling like a hungry stomach…. Or a pissy dog.

With his fur standing on end Mel hissed back only to have the shadow bark, he of course jumped and took off running. He knew what was happening. He was being chased. Again. By a stupid dog. Except it wasn’t just a stupid dog because every time he was about to take a corner or dodge towards human civilization another growl or a bark or a shape came out of a shadow right by him. Mel of course shied away, he did every move he could think of to stay away from those barking shadow dogs. Like seriously who let loose these creatures? Why were they after him? What did he ever do to them?

Yeah ok so maybe he enjoyed tormenting them too. Maybe he liked making fun of them and getting them in trouble with their owners. Maybe there has been a time or two where he framed a few dogs for things he has done. Or that one time when he kicked a mutt out of the primo napping spot. But the hatred is totally mutual. It goes both ways. But still why was he the one being chased this time? Mel couldn’t think of any reason why a pack of shadow dogs were after him this time. He couldn’t! Nor did he notice that he was being driven deeper and deeper into the darker side of the city. The parts of the city where light was infrequent. Where shadows ruled at night. He was being led into the void. Guided violently by the baying, snapping, hounds.

Mel scrambled away faster, further, as it seemed that more and more dogs were chasing him. He needed to get away. Had to find a safe haven. His breath was coming in gasps and it felt like his lungs were going to explode. He was going to die! Could one die from running? It would be a horrible way to go! He just knew it. No more naps, no more fish, no more pizza or video games, no more tv or movies. No more fun. Awwwww that just stinks!

His paws slowed down as he struggled to breath, the shadow mutts snapping closer and closer but he just couldn’t do it anymore! Just as he was about to give up, just collapse on the broken pavement, a door opened. A building door was thrust open and a drunk stumbled out, pushed by the very angry occupant. The pusher was yelling about something to do with drinking and money and rent. The pushee just wobbled away. Mel didn’t care. He just slumped into the flood of light, missing the sounds of the shadow dogs fading away. His ordeal was done but he just didn't care.

“Awe poor kitty! You look positively bushed! Let's get you inside for the night, ok?”

He didn’t even move when he got scooped up and brought into the shabby and sad building. He was fast asleep, snoring away in his rescuer’s arms, already dreaming of fish and games and pizza and pretzels and all the good things. Definitely not about dogs.

Or pigeons.

The kids giggled as they ran up to the door, rang the doorbell, then ran away laughing. This was the third time since he had gotten there. Mel watched all of this from his hiding spot under the neighbor’s front porch as the homeowner opened the front door, looked around, and cursed ‘those damn kids!’ before slamming the door shut. From what the guardian cat had overheard the man had a reputation for being ruthless, soulless, and just downright mean but Mel didn’t get it. It was totally not the human that he knew. Around Mel, and other strays, he was someone totally different.

The first time he had run into the ‘grump’ Mel was cold and shivering, huddling in a winter bare bush trying to stay warm. He had ended up in this part of town after being chased from his typical haunts by others. So he had yet to find the best, and warmest, spots to hunker down in order to survive the bitterly cold winter nights. Mel sneezed and that was the only reason that the hulking, scary looking civi walking past even spotted him. The first time the cat spotted his bald head covered in scars peeking at him through the bare branches he was too startled to move, instinct doing its best to help him blend into the dirt brown branches and bare dirt that he was on. It didn’t work. The guardian was ready to book it out of there if the giant was going to do something skeevy but he didn’t do anything other than look at him for a moment before moving on. Mel figured that was it, no need to move or worry about the hulking human.

At least until he came back later with a rather ragged looking towel. The human shoved the cloth under a nearby bush and covered the whole thing with a burlap bag before heading back inside. Mel took a while before he drifted over to the makeshift, and much warmer, bush nest. A few hours later the man came back out and started to wrap the rest of the bushes around his house in burlap, keeping his last hiding bush for last. Mel caught the satisfied smile the guy let flash across his face when he saw that Mel wasn’t in that bush anymore. That was the first time the human did little acts of kindness for Mel. The guardian wasn’t even the only stray he was helping out, there were plenty of wild birds and squirrels, and even another cat that was roaming the area.

Mel kept coming back every so often, doing his best to avoid the other cat just to keep things civil, no point in having to pick a fight with a normal cat. He also wasn’t entirely sure he would win since the other cat was meaner, if much smaller. Why were shorties so vicious anyway? The man didn’t seem to mind really, he put out some food when he would spot them, while scolding both of them to leave the birds and squirrels alone. Water and shelter were also fairly standard, especially the shelter. He did these really nice plastic bin shelters that really, really helped with the cold, wet weather. Mel personally wasn’t going after either of them since they weren’t worth the amount of food versus the work it took to catch them. Chasing them for fun… No, that was a different matter. That was totally worth it.

ANYWAY… the scary guy might look scary but he was really nice, at least to the animals. Mel didn’t understand why the kids were so mean teasing the man. It was just not nice!

A feeling of calm spread over his whole body. A zenness that other places just didn’t impart. This place has always had that effect on him. A quietness that made him just want to nap and let all the thoughts in his mind fade away. What few thoughts there were. The large savannah cat squeezed through the boxes that were stacked everywhere and made his way towards the little nook at the back of the building. A hidden corner that let him nap in peace, bathed in the little bit of colored light that was able to filter through the grimy window.

He sneezed from the dust that was disturbed by his passage, a shake of his head sent the cobwebs flying. He really hadn’t been there in quite some time. Golden eyes surveyed the area, a frown crossing his face as he tried to count the benches, or what was left of the benches. Were there less boxes this time too? If someone had asked him about his little sanctuary a few weeks ago he would have sworn that it was full of boxes and benches and little speaker things. You know the boxes that people stand behind and talk to people at. Podiums! That's what they were called! He totally knew that!

Glad to have remembered the forgotten word, the giant guardian cat squeezed himself between two particularly tall towers of boxes and settled into his little nook, the space made even more private by the boxes that now blocked it from complete view. He circled the small space twice before flopping down, ignoring the dust he had kicked up, and started to doze, basking in the warmth of the light that fell just right in his spot. The quiet hum of the building a nice background noise to nod off to.

Mel was having a nice dream when the shocking loud sound of humans talking had him jerk awake. Humans? This entire building was empty. Why were there humans there? His ears flicked back and forth as he listened in on their conversations, chatter about how the space could be utilized as an open plan living room or something like that. They seemed to love the stained glass just as much as Mel did, which made him like them a little bit more than he had when they first barged into his sanctuary. A muffled screech had him getting up and sticking his head through the crack in the boxes. Golden eyes observed the humans, one a female, yelling about the mice that had also made the building their home. He didn’t really understand the problem but then again humans were strange sometimes.

The cat started back into his little nook when the childish yell of ‘kitty!’ had him bolting from the hidey-hole. He knew that tone of voice. He had been spotted by a little human. A little human that had grabby hands and sticky fingers. Most of the time he didn’t mind but right then he just wanted a quiet nap. One where he wouldn’t be disturbed. With a few claw assisted jumps he made it to the top of one of the box stacks where he was observed by the three grown adults and the child that was struggling to reach him even as she was being held back by the lady who didn’t like the mouse.

“Damn… that's one big cat,” one of the males muttered even as the other made a comment about needing animal control. That was Mel’s cue to get out of dodge since he and animal control didn’t have the best of relations. With a ‘harump’ of his own the guardian scrambled off the boxes, not caring that he toppled a few of them, and rapidly made his exit. He had a feeling that his little nook with its perfect light and quiet wouldn’t be so welcoming anymore. Shame really since it was one of the best spots he had found in the city.

If only that kid hadn’t spotted him. Now he needed to find another place where he could nap in peace. If only he remembered where the guardian’s hangout was. He had been there once before but completely forgot how to find his way back.

Sigh.