The first thing the kitten knew was Warmth
The kitten liked the Warmth. The Warmth was soft and comfy and made sleeping heavenly. Somehow the kitten knew he came from the warmth. Before the kitten even realised he came from anywhere, in his heart he knew he came from the Warmth. The kitten knew equally well that the warmth loved him very much.
The kitten could not yet see or hear. All he knew was touch.
Very soon the kitten learned the warmth had a smell. Whenever the kitten could not feel the warmth he could simply sniff the air and immediately know in which direction he needed to paddle his weak little limbs in order to feel the warmth again
Equally soon the kitten learned that the warmth had a taste. Whenever the kitten felt empty and weak he just needed to find the Warmth and he would have all his little heart desired.
Later the kitten learned he had a voice. Whenever he could not smell the warmth he could call out, and the Warmth would quickly come back.
When the kitten had all his little heart desired he would purr the way kittens do. Sometimes the Warmth would purr back at him and that made the kitten feel like he was just as dear to the Warmth as the Warmth was to him.
Soon the kitten learned that there were others like him who sought the warmth as much as he did. Other kittens. Sometimes he would push the other kittens away in his pursuit of the Warmth, other times the other kittens would push him away. But there was always plenty of Warmth for everyone
Sometimes the warmth would go away. The Warmth always came back.
Then one day something big changed. The kitten grew aware of a little white dot. A little white dot that made him aware that everything that wasn't the little white dot was darkness. But the darkness did not bother the kitten. Up until now the kitten had lived his entire life with his eyes closed and he had gotten along fine. The darkness had no meaning. It was the little white dot was new. New and exciting.
The little white dot grew and became a whole new sense. The kitten could now see the things it could previously only hear, smell or taste. And there was something else: the kitten could also hear the things it could not see. The other kittens had round, furry little faces. Two big eyes, two big ears, a little stump of a nose and a small furry mouth. The kitten figured that he, too, probably had a face.
The Warmth had a face as well. It was like the other kittens but a little different. It was sleek and smooth and beautiful. And the warmth had a name: Mommy. Mommy and her kittens lived in an alley next to a supermarket. There were always plenty of rats, mice and smaller animals so Mommy never went hungry. And because Mommy never went hungry, the kittens never went hungry, either.
If the kitten had a name, it was probably "Favourite" – that was how Mommy made him feel. That was how Mommy made all her kittens feel. Each kitten was Mommy's only, extra special little kitten, and Mommy was all the kittens needed. It should have stayed that way forever.
But it could not stay that way forever: When the kittens grew bigger, mommy did not, and Mommy was no longer all the kittens needed: The time had come for Mommy to teach the kittens how to hunt.
The other kittens got the hang of it quickly. Their limbs were short but powerful and they could easily pounce small insects and lizards. They always had enough to eat. But it was not that easy for the kitten. His little body was round and heavy and his limbs were thin. He always snatched his prey a split second too late. But Mommy was patient, and she did not mind hunting a little bit extra so the kitten also had food. She knew the kitten would eventually find his hunting legs. Eventually. As the other kittens became fierce little hunters, they soon went their separate ways, but the Kitten was not ready. Not yet.
Then one day something even bigger changed.
The kitten heard a faint scratch behind a rubbish bin and peered around it to see the perfect mouse. The mouse was fat and bulky. The kitten knew this mouse would not get away easily. This was the kitten's chance to make his first success of hunting. He lowered his head, took aim, loosened his limbs, and pounced with all his might, straight toward the unsuspecting mouse. This time, the Kitten would catch something for certain.
Again the kitten was a split second too late, and again Mommy had been watching all along. She flashed her son a loving glance and gave chase. Out of the alley, across the street, a short distance down a different alley.
The kitten could hear Mommy catch the mouse.
The kitten could smell Mommy coming back
The kitten could hear and smell something else. It was big and loud and foul
And very fast
The kitten could no longer smell Mommy, and she never came back with the mouse.
The kitten waited and waited, expecting the familiar scent of the Warmth to return to his little nostrils. Deep inside he knew something awful had happened and he would never see her again, but he still waited for her to come back.
The Warmth always came back.
The kitten waited. He grew very hungry, and very lonely. He called and then he waited some more. He grew very weak.
And then the kitten lay down.