Hello! I'm Ryan and this is my cat story. I'm pretty much posting it as I'm writing it, so I wouldn't be surprised if you found some grammatical and spelling errors. I tried to create a realistic cat culture; I even devised a language for my cats called Ailurian. If you have any questions about the story or cat culture, or anything else, feel free to ask.
-R-
A quick guide to Ailurian pronunciation:
Vowels:
A Pronounced “ay†(way, gray)
E\tPronounced “eh†(sell, pen)
I\tPronounced “ee†(sing, free)
O\tPronounced “ah†(off, clock)\t
U\tPronounced “uh†(up, sun)
\tSo “Meldaiguman†is (mell-DIE-guh-mane)
\t “Tetu†is (Tetta)
\t . . . And “Adugu†is (Ade-uh-guh)
Other Vowel Sounds:
Ai\tPronounced “eyeâ€
Ie\tPronounced separately (Gelmien = gel-mee-en)
Ou\tPronounced “ow†(down, out)
Ia\tPronounced “yay†(Hathia = HAYTH-yay)
Ae\tPronounced “ay-eh†(deity, layer)
Consonants:
R\tIn Ailurian, this letter is pronounced with a soft, purring trill impossible to reproduce in a human throat. For humans, the “R†can be trilled with the tongue as in Spanish, or (preferably) it can be a breathy, glottal scraping in the back of the throat as in French.
Ng Pronounced as in "young." The "G" is almost unvoiced.
The Parking Lot Cats
by Ryan Dawson
One
Flight
The door was open. Roger stood alert, tail swishing, and sniffed curiously at the warm breeze blowing in. The wind carried fragrances heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d never known, fragrances that were at once alarming and alluring. The burning reek of car exhaust, the subtle sweetness of crushed crabapples on the blacktop, the ammoniac tang of tomcat spray; all these smells tugged at Rogerâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s curiosity. His whiskers danced. He moved forward slowly and stuck his head out the small opening between jamb and door. It was bright out; an azure sky stretched cloudless into the distance.
The door had never been left standing open before. In times past, Rogerâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s approaching the door while it was open had gotten him hastily swept aside and scolded. Though he had learned to stay inside even while The Caretakers had the door open, Nemelixâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s stories about the world outside had kept his curiosity alive. Now there was no one to scold him. It seemed too good to be true. Roger put one paw through the door and onto the patio.
“Whatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re you doing?†A voice asked from inside the apartment. Roger started up, ears pricked. He turned around wide-eyed to see Austin behind him.
“Youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll catch hell for sure if you go out there.â€
Austin was sitting back on his haunches, his fur shone in the fluorescent glow of the two Gro-Lights which were bolted to the walls on either side of the living room. As usual, Austinâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s black and white, non-agouti coat was slicked back meticulously. It almost looked painted on.
“The doorâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s open,†Roger said, “No oneâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s here to stop me.â€
Austin looked once over each shoulder. Roger was right. Save for the sleeping Shi-Tzu is his blue sweater, the apartment was empty. The Caretakers hadnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t been there in a long time. When they were around, they seemed distracted.
“The rules still apply,†Austin snipped, “You know the outside is forbidden to us.â€
Rogerâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s will steeled. He grew tired of Austinâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s overcautious ways. Whenever something new came into the apartment, Austin cowed.
“Maybe they left it open for a reason,†Roger said, “Maybe theyâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re outside waiting for us.â€
Austinâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s yellow eyes narrowed.
“It could be a test,†he said.
“They arenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t that smart,†Roger replied, “The doorâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s open and Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m going out. Ma-Ou has smiled on us.â€
Austin blinked. Rogerâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s faith in the old Ailurian deity was naïve, albeit well-meaning. Austin knew he could never expect one as young as Roger to fully understand the nature of Ma-Ou.
“Donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t bring Him into this,†Austin said, “His law is the law of The Caretakers.â€
Roger stared at Austin a moment; he knew the futility of debate in this situation. Without another word, Roger turned and slipped outside.
\tAustin sighed, staring after Roger. Things were changing in the apartment. Furniture was being taken away, things were being put into boxes, and a new Caretaker had been coming in and feeding them during the original Caretakersâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji] long stints of absence. Austin guessed that it was she, the Other Caretaker, who had left the door open. He looked from side to side, sniffing the air. The Other Caretaker had come and gone once already, but she would be back later in the evening. Fixing his gaze again on the open sliding-glass door, Austin made his decision. He would go out. He would find The Caretakers, and he would keep Roger out of trouble.
\tAt this, Nemelix came sliding into the apartment. The Caretakers called him Hershey, but his litter name was Nemelix. Given him by his mother, Rulain, a few weeks after his birth, Nemelix meant “black-crouching.†Nemelixâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s forest-cat coat –long in the winter and short in the summer- was deep black on the head and shoulders and faded ever so slightly to a rich caramel color down at the back end. His pipe-brush tail curled around him as he sat down in front of Austin.
\t“Itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s safe out there,†Nemelix said, “Rogerâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s already come out.â€
\t“I know,†Austin replied.
\t“Weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re all waiting for you.â€
\tAustin blinked. Looking over Nemelix, he saw Roger staring back at him with curious eyes. To Rogerâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s right sat Nemelixâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s sister Aichel. Austin moved toward the door, keeping his head low. His body was sleek and muscular. When he crouched like this as he walked, the predator in him was plainly visible. Nemelix followed Austin as Austin stepped outside. Nemelix revered Austin, and now he trailed behind like a sycophant.
\t“Itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s alright,†said Roger, “Come out into the grass.â€
\tBut Austin would not approach the edge of the patio. He crouched on the concrete, front legs folded beneath him as if in thoughtful repose. The outdoors was certainly louder than the apartment. He heard winter birds chirping, and numerous human-sounds heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d only heard muffled through a window.
\t“Let him stay there,†Aichel said, “Heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll be fine while we eat.†With this, Aichel and Nemelix ran into the apartment to get at Roger and Austinâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s food bowls. Roger bounded along behind them, leaving Austin alone in the big outside.
\tA catâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s life is a strange, dichotomous thing. Cats live in curiosity and in fear. Austin crouched now in utter terror, but his curiosity held him on the patio. He moved his head fervently, wide eyes darting toward every sound or movement.
The lawn beyond was thin and wide, stretching all the way to the end of this part of the complex. Tall bushes girded the outside edge of the little lawn. The parking lot was now on the cusp of autumn and winter, and these bushes were almost totally bare; countless spiky branches stretched from half a foot of slick-barked trunk. What few leaves the bushes had were tiny and stained a deep maroon by autumnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s paintbrush.
Austin found that he adored the smell of the earth, that wet and muddy smell which permeated the outside world. He let this aroma soothe him as he stood up slowly and walked to the edge of the patio. Heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d not felt grass in ages, and the touch of it was strange and unpleasant. The grass was a little wet and it pricked his sensitive toe pads. For a few feet, Austin walked on the grass like a desert lizard on hot sand, lifting his paws higher than usual before putting them down in the grass again. At last, Austin made it to a large, bare-branched crabapple tree, one of two which grew on this strip of lawn. The trees had big white blooms in the summer but died early in autumn, leaving only gnarled branches while other trees exploded with color. There he crouched again, his front paws folded, and closed his eyes. The warmth from the ground was calming, and he allowed himself to drift into sleep as Roger, Aichel, and Nemelix came once more out into the yard and ran by him as if he had disappeared.
\tAll day long Austin slept like that, getting up only to evacuate his bowels and bladder. Just after dusk, Nemelix brought him a tiny brown mouse, but Austin had seemed confused about what to do with it. He batted it around a bit, tried to bite it, but eventually resigned himself to creeping back inside and eating from his food bowl. As night fell and the stars began to wink in the sky, Austin sat awake and watched them while Roger, Nemelix, and Aichel slept in the grass. Austin stared up at the stars for a long time before he realized that another cat was sitting beside him.
\t“The darker the night, the more beautiful the stars,†the cat said, “Itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s a lesson from Ma-Ou we should all take to heart.â€
\tIt was the odd, lilting voice of Meldaiguman, “bird-callsâ€, cousin to Nemelix and Aichel. Meldaiguman was a small, black cat with staring, almost vacant eyes. Much of his fur was matted and oily, and it tended to fall out in small clumps. Sometimes he drooled, thin strings of saliva hung from his face and he seemed not to notice at all. Tonight though, his face was clean. He was crouched beside Austin with his nearly bare, rat-like tail stretched out behind him. His staring, stoic eyes were turned toward the star-specked sky.
\t“We will leave here tonight,†Meldaiguman said, “Gelmien has been walking our borders since the gloaming.
\tAustin knew of Gelmien. Gelmien was a big, yellow tom; all the parking lot cats were afraid of him. His face was angry, his flesh was scarred, and his coat was thick and healthy, the sign of a cat who had not lost a fight in a long time. Austin had never had dealings with Gelmien, but he found himself unafraid at the thought of meeting the bully tom.
\t“Where will we go?†Austin asked, at last. Meldaiguman lowered his head and stared straight forward. He spoke as if he was alone.
\t“Through the woods to Capgaw Mound, and on into the northwest from there,†Meldaiguman replied. He pronounced Capgaw in the bird tongue. Capgaw Mound was a nesting ground for killdeer and crows, and their language had named the place. Austin knew none of these things; he knew only that Capgaw had a foreign sound. He imagined the Mound as someplace far away, and he wondered at the size of the world which had existed so long beyond his sight.
\tLater that night, Austin was awakened by a gentle nudging. It was Rulail, mother of Nemelix and Aichel and matriarch of the parking lot cats.
\t“Wake up, NemMrull,†she was saying, calling Austin by his Ailurian name “Gelmien has come to challenge us.â€
\tAustin sat up and looked around. Meldaiguman was nowhere to be seen, but Nemelix and Roger were crouching fifty feet away, staring at the massive form of Gelmien hunched down on the asphalt between two parked cars. Nemelixâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s fur was spiked, his ears were flattened against his head; but Roger was standing calmly with slitted eyes staring at Gelmien, sizing him up. Gelmien was a coiled spring. His muscular body was bunched up and nearly shaking with pent energy. A long, low growl thrummed from deep within him. Austin knew Nemelix would avoid a full on encounter, but feared for Rogerâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s safety in the clawed paws of this hulking tom.
Austin approached cautiously, ready to bolt if the need arose. He knew Gelmien saw him, but Gelmien reacted minimally to Austinâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s presence. Gelmienâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s mind worked calmly and quickly, figuring Austin into his precise calculations.
\t“Roger,†Austin said, “This fight is well beyond you. Back down!â€
\tRoger glanced at Austin, then back to Gelmien. He appeared about to hold his ground when another cat materialized from the shadows beneath a car with a cover over it.
It was Adugu, “silver tongue,†a smaller tom than Gelmien but equally loathed as a bully. Silvertongue was spotted black and white with a long, thin, black tail. His eyes were blue and his whiskers were long. He was known to refer to himself as Kenaid, “cut fang.†Only orphaned or runt cats gave themselves their own names. As he approached, Roger began to slink away, his tail rigid as a plank.
\t“Back down,†Silvertongue said, “We are taking this territory for ourselves.â€
\t“We have marked your perimeter,†Gelmien hissed, “Leave now in peace.†His voice had an almost musical quality to it. It flowed and rolled and was actually quite beautiful. In most Ailurian mouths, the language of Ma-Ou, handed down from generation to generation, fell into debasement. But Gelmienâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s Ailurian was flawless –a historianâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s voice.
\t“We wonâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t leave,†Nemelix said. There was fear in his tone. At this, Gelmien sprang. His speed and grace were awesome. Hissing and baring his teeth Gelmien lunged forward and swiped at Nemelix. Nemelix dodged, coming dangerously close to losing an eye to Gelmienâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s hooking claws. In a flash, Nemelix dashed toward Austin and leapt up into the dogwood tree, climbing frantically to the highest branch to look down at Gelmien and growl. \t
Gelmienâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s sudden attack had created confusion and panic among the smaller cats. Silvertongue used this to his advantage, bolting full-bore out of the shadows beneath the covered car and bridging the distance between himself and Roger in three bounding strides. He caught Roger behind the ear with one paw and sent him tumbling. Roger was stunned, but he reacted quickly, striking out in desperation and hooking a claw into Silvertongueâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s lower lip. Silvertongue howled in pain and fell back, crouching and spitting. Roger stood up and ran toward Austin and Rulail, not interested in fighting any longer.
Rulail gave him a quick once over.
“You are lucky,†she said to Roger, “Silvertongue once lived in the house of a Caretaker –he is selhan, clawless. Youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d have had quite a gash had you been caught by the claws of Gelmien.â€
As Silvertongue began to creep toward the three cats, his shoulders rising and falling beneath his thick coat, Gelmien stood with his two front paws on the dogwood trunk and looked up at Nemelix. Never before had any of the parking lot cats known two toms to work together like this. They could not contend with this new threat.
“Come inside, quickly,†Austin said to Rulail. He took off for the open door and slipped into the apartment. Rulail and Roger followed, and Aichel was not far behind him. During the fight, she had cowered behind the big, grey air conditioner. Now, only Nemelix was left outside to fend for himself.
Still standing at the foot of the dogwood, Gelmien called up to Nemelix.
“Come down, Numeldai! Little bird! Your nestlings have deserted you!â€
“So this is your peace offering, Hunt-eye?†Nemelix called back, “I shudder to imagine your acts of war.â€
“You denied peace when you denied us,†Silvertongue mewed, sauntering up to stand beside Gelmien. Gelmien seemed to take no notice.
Suddenly, there was a loud sound and bright light seemed to flood the world. A car was coming. Gelmien and Silvertongue turned and looked -eyes wide, bodies frozen in horror. The car pulled in and parked and a woman got out. Gelmien and Silvertongue started to flee when the woman saw them and began to yell. She clapped her hands and called out in the human language; Gelmien and Silvertongue raced off into the night and Nemelix sighed relief.
Watching from inside the apartment, Austin, Roger, Rulail, and Aichel heard the woman calling to Nemelix as he clung to the top branches of the dogwood tree. As Nemelix began to claw his way to the ground, Austin heard the woman call him “Hershey.â€
“We have to leave now,†Austin said, “Thatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s the Other Caretaker come for us!â€
“Those two toms are still out there,†Rulail said, “Theyâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re waiting until sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s gone and then theyâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll be on us again.â€
“The Other Caretaker brings food,†Roger said, “why should we run from that?â€
\t“How do you know she hasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t come to take us away?†Austin replied, “They took Tetu from me before. Itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s happening again now.â€
Roger remained silent. Tetu had been Austinâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s son. One day, Tetu fell ill. He was put in a cage-box and taken away and never returned. Since that, Austin didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t trust outsiders. In a situation like this, with The Caretakers gone for long periods and the inside environment being packed into boxes and removed to parts unknown, Roger was inclined to agree with Austin.
“Where will we go?†Aichel asked.
“To Capgaw Mound,†Austin replied. Heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d spoken without thinking, as if Meldaiguman had spoken for him.
As if on cue, Meldaiguman appeared in the doorway. He stuck his ruffled face in and said, “We have time. But we must go now. Follow me.â€
With that, Meldaiguman turned and ran. The cats followed him, adrenaline coursing through them and making them act on impulse. Nemelix, now safely down from the tree, fell in line behind Austin as the group of cats darted across the lawn down toward a path that lead into a wood behind the apartments. As they ran, they could hear Silvertongue and Gelmien giving chase. The two toms were fast, but the troupe of parking lot cats plus Austin and Roger were far ahead of them. As the cats disappeared into the wood, Silvertongue and Gelmien gave up and walked back toward the patio. The territory was theirs now.
The wood was a long bar of scrubby underbrush, nettles, and towering birch and hickory trees. Many broken stumps rose out of the ground; this old wood had seen its fair share of battering storms. Most of the trees on the outer edge were bent over as if frozen in some ancient recoil.
Once they were well inside the darkling coppice, the cats stopped to rest. Dawn was coming, and the urge to hunt would soon be upon them.
Lying down beside the tangle roots of a fallen stump, Austin spoke to Meldaiguman.
“Where were you?†He asked.
“Scouting ahead,†Meldaiguman replied, “The way is safe for several days. Capgaw Mound is not far from here.â€
In the silence that followed, Austin cast his curious and frightened gaze around at the shadowed trees which rose like ancient sentinels into the blue night. The wind whispered through the leafless branches and the tops of the trees swayed gently –like praising hands. This place was a hunting ground for the parking lot cats, but Austin had never been in such an environment. The surroundings were alien. He could smell honeysuckle and fragrant forest flowers; but he also smelled danger and death. This was not his home, and he envisioned predators beyond count skulking in the underbrush and watching from the high branches of the trees.
“This is a secure place,†Meldaiguman said. It was almost as if heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d been reading Austinâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s mind.
“Few predators hunt so close to the domain of humans.â€
For some reason, the thought was not all together comforting to Austin.
“The two toms are gone,†Meldaiguman continued, “but we will see them again. Warm winds bring killing storms.â€
“Such encouraging talk,†Nemelix said.
“We should try and get some sleep,†Rulail said, “Tomorrow we travel.â€
MORE TO COME . . .
-R-
A quick guide to Ailurian pronunciation:
Vowels:
A Pronounced “ay†(way, gray)
E\tPronounced “eh†(sell, pen)
I\tPronounced “ee†(sing, free)
O\tPronounced “ah†(off, clock)\t
U\tPronounced “uh†(up, sun)
\tSo “Meldaiguman†is (mell-DIE-guh-mane)
\t “Tetu†is (Tetta)
\t . . . And “Adugu†is (Ade-uh-guh)
Other Vowel Sounds:
Ai\tPronounced “eyeâ€
Ie\tPronounced separately (Gelmien = gel-mee-en)
Ou\tPronounced “ow†(down, out)
Ia\tPronounced “yay†(Hathia = HAYTH-yay)
Ae\tPronounced “ay-eh†(deity, layer)
Consonants:
R\tIn Ailurian, this letter is pronounced with a soft, purring trill impossible to reproduce in a human throat. For humans, the “R†can be trilled with the tongue as in Spanish, or (preferably) it can be a breathy, glottal scraping in the back of the throat as in French.
Ng Pronounced as in "young." The "G" is almost unvoiced.
The Parking Lot Cats
by Ryan Dawson
One
Flight
The door was open. Roger stood alert, tail swishing, and sniffed curiously at the warm breeze blowing in. The wind carried fragrances heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d never known, fragrances that were at once alarming and alluring. The burning reek of car exhaust, the subtle sweetness of crushed crabapples on the blacktop, the ammoniac tang of tomcat spray; all these smells tugged at Rogerâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s curiosity. His whiskers danced. He moved forward slowly and stuck his head out the small opening between jamb and door. It was bright out; an azure sky stretched cloudless into the distance.
The door had never been left standing open before. In times past, Rogerâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s approaching the door while it was open had gotten him hastily swept aside and scolded. Though he had learned to stay inside even while The Caretakers had the door open, Nemelixâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s stories about the world outside had kept his curiosity alive. Now there was no one to scold him. It seemed too good to be true. Roger put one paw through the door and onto the patio.
“Whatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re you doing?†A voice asked from inside the apartment. Roger started up, ears pricked. He turned around wide-eyed to see Austin behind him.
“Youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll catch hell for sure if you go out there.â€
Austin was sitting back on his haunches, his fur shone in the fluorescent glow of the two Gro-Lights which were bolted to the walls on either side of the living room. As usual, Austinâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s black and white, non-agouti coat was slicked back meticulously. It almost looked painted on.
“The doorâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s open,†Roger said, “No oneâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s here to stop me.â€
Austin looked once over each shoulder. Roger was right. Save for the sleeping Shi-Tzu is his blue sweater, the apartment was empty. The Caretakers hadnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t been there in a long time. When they were around, they seemed distracted.
“The rules still apply,†Austin snipped, “You know the outside is forbidden to us.â€
Rogerâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s will steeled. He grew tired of Austinâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s overcautious ways. Whenever something new came into the apartment, Austin cowed.
“Maybe they left it open for a reason,†Roger said, “Maybe theyâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re outside waiting for us.â€
Austinâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s yellow eyes narrowed.
“It could be a test,†he said.
“They arenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t that smart,†Roger replied, “The doorâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s open and Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m going out. Ma-Ou has smiled on us.â€
Austin blinked. Rogerâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s faith in the old Ailurian deity was naïve, albeit well-meaning. Austin knew he could never expect one as young as Roger to fully understand the nature of Ma-Ou.
“Donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t bring Him into this,†Austin said, “His law is the law of The Caretakers.â€
Roger stared at Austin a moment; he knew the futility of debate in this situation. Without another word, Roger turned and slipped outside.
\tAustin sighed, staring after Roger. Things were changing in the apartment. Furniture was being taken away, things were being put into boxes, and a new Caretaker had been coming in and feeding them during the original Caretakersâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji] long stints of absence. Austin guessed that it was she, the Other Caretaker, who had left the door open. He looked from side to side, sniffing the air. The Other Caretaker had come and gone once already, but she would be back later in the evening. Fixing his gaze again on the open sliding-glass door, Austin made his decision. He would go out. He would find The Caretakers, and he would keep Roger out of trouble.
\tAt this, Nemelix came sliding into the apartment. The Caretakers called him Hershey, but his litter name was Nemelix. Given him by his mother, Rulain, a few weeks after his birth, Nemelix meant “black-crouching.†Nemelixâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s forest-cat coat –long in the winter and short in the summer- was deep black on the head and shoulders and faded ever so slightly to a rich caramel color down at the back end. His pipe-brush tail curled around him as he sat down in front of Austin.
\t“Itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s safe out there,†Nemelix said, “Rogerâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s already come out.â€
\t“I know,†Austin replied.
\t“Weâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re all waiting for you.â€
\tAustin blinked. Looking over Nemelix, he saw Roger staring back at him with curious eyes. To Rogerâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s right sat Nemelixâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s sister Aichel. Austin moved toward the door, keeping his head low. His body was sleek and muscular. When he crouched like this as he walked, the predator in him was plainly visible. Nemelix followed Austin as Austin stepped outside. Nemelix revered Austin, and now he trailed behind like a sycophant.
\t“Itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s alright,†said Roger, “Come out into the grass.â€
\tBut Austin would not approach the edge of the patio. He crouched on the concrete, front legs folded beneath him as if in thoughtful repose. The outdoors was certainly louder than the apartment. He heard winter birds chirping, and numerous human-sounds heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d only heard muffled through a window.
\t“Let him stay there,†Aichel said, “Heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll be fine while we eat.†With this, Aichel and Nemelix ran into the apartment to get at Roger and Austinâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s food bowls. Roger bounded along behind them, leaving Austin alone in the big outside.
\tA catâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s life is a strange, dichotomous thing. Cats live in curiosity and in fear. Austin crouched now in utter terror, but his curiosity held him on the patio. He moved his head fervently, wide eyes darting toward every sound or movement.
The lawn beyond was thin and wide, stretching all the way to the end of this part of the complex. Tall bushes girded the outside edge of the little lawn. The parking lot was now on the cusp of autumn and winter, and these bushes were almost totally bare; countless spiky branches stretched from half a foot of slick-barked trunk. What few leaves the bushes had were tiny and stained a deep maroon by autumnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s paintbrush.
Austin found that he adored the smell of the earth, that wet and muddy smell which permeated the outside world. He let this aroma soothe him as he stood up slowly and walked to the edge of the patio. Heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d not felt grass in ages, and the touch of it was strange and unpleasant. The grass was a little wet and it pricked his sensitive toe pads. For a few feet, Austin walked on the grass like a desert lizard on hot sand, lifting his paws higher than usual before putting them down in the grass again. At last, Austin made it to a large, bare-branched crabapple tree, one of two which grew on this strip of lawn. The trees had big white blooms in the summer but died early in autumn, leaving only gnarled branches while other trees exploded with color. There he crouched again, his front paws folded, and closed his eyes. The warmth from the ground was calming, and he allowed himself to drift into sleep as Roger, Aichel, and Nemelix came once more out into the yard and ran by him as if he had disappeared.
\tAll day long Austin slept like that, getting up only to evacuate his bowels and bladder. Just after dusk, Nemelix brought him a tiny brown mouse, but Austin had seemed confused about what to do with it. He batted it around a bit, tried to bite it, but eventually resigned himself to creeping back inside and eating from his food bowl. As night fell and the stars began to wink in the sky, Austin sat awake and watched them while Roger, Nemelix, and Aichel slept in the grass. Austin stared up at the stars for a long time before he realized that another cat was sitting beside him.
\t“The darker the night, the more beautiful the stars,†the cat said, “Itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s a lesson from Ma-Ou we should all take to heart.â€
\tIt was the odd, lilting voice of Meldaiguman, “bird-callsâ€, cousin to Nemelix and Aichel. Meldaiguman was a small, black cat with staring, almost vacant eyes. Much of his fur was matted and oily, and it tended to fall out in small clumps. Sometimes he drooled, thin strings of saliva hung from his face and he seemed not to notice at all. Tonight though, his face was clean. He was crouched beside Austin with his nearly bare, rat-like tail stretched out behind him. His staring, stoic eyes were turned toward the star-specked sky.
\t“We will leave here tonight,†Meldaiguman said, “Gelmien has been walking our borders since the gloaming.
\tAustin knew of Gelmien. Gelmien was a big, yellow tom; all the parking lot cats were afraid of him. His face was angry, his flesh was scarred, and his coat was thick and healthy, the sign of a cat who had not lost a fight in a long time. Austin had never had dealings with Gelmien, but he found himself unafraid at the thought of meeting the bully tom.
\t“Where will we go?†Austin asked, at last. Meldaiguman lowered his head and stared straight forward. He spoke as if he was alone.
\t“Through the woods to Capgaw Mound, and on into the northwest from there,†Meldaiguman replied. He pronounced Capgaw in the bird tongue. Capgaw Mound was a nesting ground for killdeer and crows, and their language had named the place. Austin knew none of these things; he knew only that Capgaw had a foreign sound. He imagined the Mound as someplace far away, and he wondered at the size of the world which had existed so long beyond his sight.
\tLater that night, Austin was awakened by a gentle nudging. It was Rulail, mother of Nemelix and Aichel and matriarch of the parking lot cats.
\t“Wake up, NemMrull,†she was saying, calling Austin by his Ailurian name “Gelmien has come to challenge us.â€
\tAustin sat up and looked around. Meldaiguman was nowhere to be seen, but Nemelix and Roger were crouching fifty feet away, staring at the massive form of Gelmien hunched down on the asphalt between two parked cars. Nemelixâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s fur was spiked, his ears were flattened against his head; but Roger was standing calmly with slitted eyes staring at Gelmien, sizing him up. Gelmien was a coiled spring. His muscular body was bunched up and nearly shaking with pent energy. A long, low growl thrummed from deep within him. Austin knew Nemelix would avoid a full on encounter, but feared for Rogerâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s safety in the clawed paws of this hulking tom.
Austin approached cautiously, ready to bolt if the need arose. He knew Gelmien saw him, but Gelmien reacted minimally to Austinâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s presence. Gelmienâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s mind worked calmly and quickly, figuring Austin into his precise calculations.
\t“Roger,†Austin said, “This fight is well beyond you. Back down!â€
\tRoger glanced at Austin, then back to Gelmien. He appeared about to hold his ground when another cat materialized from the shadows beneath a car with a cover over it.
It was Adugu, “silver tongue,†a smaller tom than Gelmien but equally loathed as a bully. Silvertongue was spotted black and white with a long, thin, black tail. His eyes were blue and his whiskers were long. He was known to refer to himself as Kenaid, “cut fang.†Only orphaned or runt cats gave themselves their own names. As he approached, Roger began to slink away, his tail rigid as a plank.
\t“Back down,†Silvertongue said, “We are taking this territory for ourselves.â€
\t“We have marked your perimeter,†Gelmien hissed, “Leave now in peace.†His voice had an almost musical quality to it. It flowed and rolled and was actually quite beautiful. In most Ailurian mouths, the language of Ma-Ou, handed down from generation to generation, fell into debasement. But Gelmienâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s Ailurian was flawless –a historianâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s voice.
\t“We wonâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t leave,†Nemelix said. There was fear in his tone. At this, Gelmien sprang. His speed and grace were awesome. Hissing and baring his teeth Gelmien lunged forward and swiped at Nemelix. Nemelix dodged, coming dangerously close to losing an eye to Gelmienâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s hooking claws. In a flash, Nemelix dashed toward Austin and leapt up into the dogwood tree, climbing frantically to the highest branch to look down at Gelmien and growl. \t
Gelmienâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s sudden attack had created confusion and panic among the smaller cats. Silvertongue used this to his advantage, bolting full-bore out of the shadows beneath the covered car and bridging the distance between himself and Roger in three bounding strides. He caught Roger behind the ear with one paw and sent him tumbling. Roger was stunned, but he reacted quickly, striking out in desperation and hooking a claw into Silvertongueâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s lower lip. Silvertongue howled in pain and fell back, crouching and spitting. Roger stood up and ran toward Austin and Rulail, not interested in fighting any longer.
Rulail gave him a quick once over.
“You are lucky,†she said to Roger, “Silvertongue once lived in the house of a Caretaker –he is selhan, clawless. Youâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d have had quite a gash had you been caught by the claws of Gelmien.â€
As Silvertongue began to creep toward the three cats, his shoulders rising and falling beneath his thick coat, Gelmien stood with his two front paws on the dogwood trunk and looked up at Nemelix. Never before had any of the parking lot cats known two toms to work together like this. They could not contend with this new threat.
“Come inside, quickly,†Austin said to Rulail. He took off for the open door and slipped into the apartment. Rulail and Roger followed, and Aichel was not far behind him. During the fight, she had cowered behind the big, grey air conditioner. Now, only Nemelix was left outside to fend for himself.
Still standing at the foot of the dogwood, Gelmien called up to Nemelix.
“Come down, Numeldai! Little bird! Your nestlings have deserted you!â€
“So this is your peace offering, Hunt-eye?†Nemelix called back, “I shudder to imagine your acts of war.â€
“You denied peace when you denied us,†Silvertongue mewed, sauntering up to stand beside Gelmien. Gelmien seemed to take no notice.
Suddenly, there was a loud sound and bright light seemed to flood the world. A car was coming. Gelmien and Silvertongue turned and looked -eyes wide, bodies frozen in horror. The car pulled in and parked and a woman got out. Gelmien and Silvertongue started to flee when the woman saw them and began to yell. She clapped her hands and called out in the human language; Gelmien and Silvertongue raced off into the night and Nemelix sighed relief.
Watching from inside the apartment, Austin, Roger, Rulail, and Aichel heard the woman calling to Nemelix as he clung to the top branches of the dogwood tree. As Nemelix began to claw his way to the ground, Austin heard the woman call him “Hershey.â€
“We have to leave now,†Austin said, “Thatâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s the Other Caretaker come for us!â€
“Those two toms are still out there,†Rulail said, “Theyâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]re waiting until sheâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s gone and then theyâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ll be on us again.â€
“The Other Caretaker brings food,†Roger said, “why should we run from that?â€
\t“How do you know she hasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t come to take us away?†Austin replied, “They took Tetu from me before. Itâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s happening again now.â€
Roger remained silent. Tetu had been Austinâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s son. One day, Tetu fell ill. He was put in a cage-box and taken away and never returned. Since that, Austin didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t trust outsiders. In a situation like this, with The Caretakers gone for long periods and the inside environment being packed into boxes and removed to parts unknown, Roger was inclined to agree with Austin.
“Where will we go?†Aichel asked.
“To Capgaw Mound,†Austin replied. Heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d spoken without thinking, as if Meldaiguman had spoken for him.
As if on cue, Meldaiguman appeared in the doorway. He stuck his ruffled face in and said, “We have time. But we must go now. Follow me.â€
With that, Meldaiguman turned and ran. The cats followed him, adrenaline coursing through them and making them act on impulse. Nemelix, now safely down from the tree, fell in line behind Austin as the group of cats darted across the lawn down toward a path that lead into a wood behind the apartments. As they ran, they could hear Silvertongue and Gelmien giving chase. The two toms were fast, but the troupe of parking lot cats plus Austin and Roger were far ahead of them. As the cats disappeared into the wood, Silvertongue and Gelmien gave up and walked back toward the patio. The territory was theirs now.
The wood was a long bar of scrubby underbrush, nettles, and towering birch and hickory trees. Many broken stumps rose out of the ground; this old wood had seen its fair share of battering storms. Most of the trees on the outer edge were bent over as if frozen in some ancient recoil.
Once they were well inside the darkling coppice, the cats stopped to rest. Dawn was coming, and the urge to hunt would soon be upon them.
Lying down beside the tangle roots of a fallen stump, Austin spoke to Meldaiguman.
“Where were you?†He asked.
“Scouting ahead,†Meldaiguman replied, “The way is safe for several days. Capgaw Mound is not far from here.â€
In the silence that followed, Austin cast his curious and frightened gaze around at the shadowed trees which rose like ancient sentinels into the blue night. The wind whispered through the leafless branches and the tops of the trees swayed gently –like praising hands. This place was a hunting ground for the parking lot cats, but Austin had never been in such an environment. The surroundings were alien. He could smell honeysuckle and fragrant forest flowers; but he also smelled danger and death. This was not his home, and he envisioned predators beyond count skulking in the underbrush and watching from the high branches of the trees.
“This is a secure place,†Meldaiguman said. It was almost as if heâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d been reading Austinâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s mind.
“Few predators hunt so close to the domain of humans.â€
For some reason, the thought was not all together comforting to Austin.
“The two toms are gone,†Meldaiguman continued, “but we will see them again. Warm winds bring killing storms.â€
“Such encouraging talk,†Nemelix said.
“We should try and get some sleep,†Rulail said, “Tomorrow we travel.â€
MORE TO COME . . .