Gasping for his first breath of air,
A little black kit is born.
Sheltered in a safe home,
Surrounded by family.
Always pampered by his owners
Who never seemed to get enough of him.
The rustling of an apron,
The calling of his name.
These had always been
Sounds welcome to him.
The taste of warm milk
The flavour of fresh tuna.
These had always been
Tastes welcome to him.
His mother adored him
But his siblings detested him.
He was constantly being picked on
Because of his size.
He sees his mother frown again.
He hears her tell his brother to stop
He hears her scold his sister.
They protest that he was too weak for them.
Still he yearned for the outside world
A place so perilous yet so kind.
He longed to step into mother nature's embrace
Away from this artificial place
Away from this masquerade of emotions
And into the wilderness.
He heard that
If the humans didn't want you
Your future was dark.
Tales of horrible things done
To unwanted animals -
He would have nothing of that.
His heart thumps in anticipation
As he takes his first stride beyond the fence.
He has heard stories of the world out there
But has never seen it for himself.
He is filled with wonder.
A harsh slice to the ear,
The strong blow of a paw.
The last thing he expected
Was to be attacked for "invading".
Countless swipes were aimed at him,
All full of murderous intent.
Blood welled in the cuts
As he padded away from them in fear.
So those had been the infamous "wild cats".
If not for their blue-furred leader,
That brown tabby would have butchered him.
"He's just a kit! He can't do any harm! Let him go."
Those were her words.
The words which saved him from the clutches of death.
Just then, he remembered.
He recalled the stories
Of unwanted kittens
Thrown into the river.
No, that was not going to happen
Not to him.
Gasping for breaths of air,
He escapes from his life
The life before he was attacked,
The life in which no-one actually wanted him.
He runs into the darkness,
Never to see the light of hope again.