Written for QLFC, Round 4- Pet Me.
Arrows, Chaser 1.
Prompt: Write from a pet's perspective about mistreatment or abandonment (of pets or people)
Additional prompts: 9) (dialogue) "Who's a good boy/girl?"
11) (sound) bark or mew (doesn't necessarily have to be made by a dog/cat)
13) (object) stick
Word Count (without A/N) : 1247
...
the world may change
but I have lost my faith.
…
Humans are, Evelyn believes, bodies of bones clad with skin. Mean-spirited and cold-blooded. Evelyn has a whole lot of other reasons to believe so too. It is better to die from starvation then to be brutally murdered by your supposed caretaker, she reasons. Sometimes in the grim alleys, when the kittens would fight for the already meager meals available, Evelyn would hear the older cats disagreeing with the very fact that humans could be that dangerous. 'Free food,' they would say and Evelyn would try to kindly remind them of her past. 'Humans are the only species that try to kill one of their own kind,' that's how brutal they are. The newcomers ask her what has made her so paranoid (fearful, her mind provides), the latest had been a two year old and whose owner had accidently misplaced him. Evelyn has seen accidents like these in her 10 years life-span enough to know that they are not accidents.
She doesn't blame them though, even if she wants to believe that the entire human race is nothing but filth, Evelyn knows that many are not, but the ratio of those intending harm to her kind, to any kind is big enough for them to stay away. Especially the humans with those sticks to wave around. As if the sticks and rocks people threw at them weren't enough. No matter how fascinating those magical humans are, she knows exactly the kind of dark side they hold, she has seen it with her own two eyes, and she'll be damned if she forgets what happened with young Maria.
Seven years ago, Evelyn was picked up a seven year old girl during a particularly stormy day. Evelyn considered herself lucky back then, she is thankful to the girl, Maria, her rescuer. She was sure to meet her death, if it wasn't for little Maria to scoop her up in her arms and take her home. It was the day Evelyn was introduced to magic. Something awfully dangerous and amazingly wonderful. That day was the start of a new life for Evelyn. Sure, the start was not marvelous or princess-y type that most of the older cats think it will be like. It was difficult, like most of the new beginnings are. There were restrictions to be kept in mind, no matter how confusing and rules to be followed, even if they annoyed her.
It was Maria who gave the name 'Evelyn' to her, who cried, pleading to her parents, blubbering 'to let her take the cat home.' Maria, who tended to her bruises with her unexperienced hands when Evelyn shied away from that stick trying to heal her, who tended to her back to health with patience even though she was being difficult. The more time they spent together, the more comfortable she got and as days passed away, Maria became an irreplaceable piece in Evelyn's life and she can only hope that it was a mutual feeling.
The fact is, that she does know that not all humans are perilous. What makes humans 'humans,' Evelyn believes, is their ability to express themselves more freely than any other species. Their capacity to show kindness, to love, to look above all their differences and mingle with each other, to care about their own (that definitely other species ignore), even in dire circumstances. Evelyn had the unfortunate fate of meeting someone, exactly the opposite of the above.
Evelyn always managed to wriggle her way in Maria's bed, whether she liked it or not. Maria had in fact tried many times to get her to sleep in the customary 'cat bed.' The plush fabric and cozy pillow were just tempting enough for her to lay down, but somehow the bigger bed above her with Maria to cuddle with was far more appealing. Evelyn was always for look out for that loose quilt to make a running leap for, and more or less to settle herself onto the bed in the five minutes Maria disappeared to go brush her teeth.
Maria would find her later when she pulled away the sheets and would scold her with pursed lips.
"No, Evelyn," Maria would huff, grabbing the cat off the quilt. "One should sleep in their own bed, Mother would never forgive me if she found you on my bed ruining her sheets. Besides I don't want to squish you when I roll over or something."
Evelyn would then let out a small purr, mewing at Maria with wide brown eyes with what looked like betrayal. It was a perfect strategy really, Evelyn could feel her owner's resolve breaking in the very moment.
"…Maybe just for tonight," she would concede, holding Evelyn to her chest, petting her until both of them drifted to sleep.
'It's just for tonight' became a near nightly mantra. Occasionally, Maria dropped the pretense and let the cat cuddle, pouring out her thoughts to her. Treating her like a real friend. Sometimes, she would cry, holding Evelyn close as she would whisper words like 'magic', 'school' and other humanly concepts that she never understood. She would then gently lick the girl's face, nipping at the long fingers to comfort her. And it worked usually, Maria would give away a wavering smile and nuzzle with her little closure.
"Who's a good girl?" She would murmur and no matter how ridiculous that question would sound, Evelyn would answer it with a soft 'mew' forgetting about the tears that she had shed just few seconds ago.
Maybe that's where Evelyn made an error. Perhaps she should have paid more attention to the reason behind the tears, or maybe she should have noticed it when Maria would have another spat with her parents or the bruises she would sport after that. Or maybe tried to understand the reason why Maria would flinch away from the magic stick just like Evelyn. But before any kind of realization could dawn to her, Maria's parents had long before abandoned the little girl, (just like a nursing cat who abandons the runt of the litter) like animals. And the reason behind it all? Just thinking about the petty reason makes her so so angry. They abandoned their offspring just because a dratted letter didn't arrive when she turned eleven.
Inhumanity is, Evelyn believes, to look down upon someone even when you don't know your own worth. Having indifferences and different races, forgetting all of them are from a single human race. It is the keynote of stupidity in power. Evelyn had the firsthand experience, she witnessed what those biting words from her parents did to Maria. The way their disappointment became a burden too large to bare. Until they prodded those invisible barrier of self-control Maria tried to hold on to, and pushed and pushed and pushed till the wall shattered and left the little girl in pieces. Just because their child could not have a magic stick to wave around. Evelyn saw the same child taking away her own life finally collapsing under the suffocating pressure.
Somehow Evelyn knew in her heart that Maria was not the only one suffering through this. And that made Evelyn fearful of humans. They had the ability to make someone stand on line between giving up and seeing how much more they can take.
(It was a clear decision) When Evelyn saw the Maria's parents take the news of the death of her child without blinking an eye, Evelyn decided to stay away from humans, altogether.