"Hey, boss, look!" Roach called out over his shoulder as he moved to the vehicle warehouse. Ghost rolled his eyes behind the tinted glasses, but followed the direction of the younger man's pointed finger. A small creature was wandering across the dirt road that lead to the warehouse, and from this distance, Ghost guessed that it was some kind of feline.
It was small, with a sagging stomach and pointed ears, but through the dust and distance, Ghost could not distinguish a color. Although he couldn't have cared less, the younger soldier couldn't have expressed more enthusiasm. Roach had recently been making efforts to remain more stoic and composed, keeping a professional military attitude, but he must have been holding his breath too long. Before Ghost could utter a word, the dusty-haired boy had taken off across the space at a jog, going after the creature. With a disgruntled sigh, Ghost walked after him.
It was a surprise that the sounds hadn't scared the feline away, and as Ghost and Roach neared, it was apparent that this was a very large cat. Swollen stomach, dragging tail, ears swiveling like satellite dishes, and eyes that peered at the approaching men, wide and scared. Of course, with another step from Roach, the cat bolted and ran past the warehouse, into the dust and shrubs.
Roach looked after it with a longing in his eyes, but Ghost merely sighed and walked back to their destination, pushing the cat out of his mind. There were lots of animals that wandered on to the base, and from the size of that cat's stomach, it had to be well taken care of, somehow. Not like there were any nearby establishments, but animals had ways of travelling substantial distances. But it was of no matter to the soldier, who was cold to most emotions that Roach expressed.
The younger had to have known that it would be clever to keep his mouth shut, as he followed Ghost without another word. They had things to do, like selecting the vehicle that they would use in their next mission, and getting back to the mess hall before lunch. Ghost had his priorities straight, and thought nothing more of the seconds-long encounter with a small cat.
Thank you for taking the time to read the first segment of "The Kitten," which is going to be a short story presented in a few segments (longer than this!). Feel free to review or message me any suggestions, critique, or other words on this story. Thank you!