Chapter 19
Hey, guys. Thanks for the reviews that you guys gave me,and for Strongheart,
We're being invaded!
INVADED! (Drake&Josh reference)
BUT ON WITH TEH STORY!
I lay on the ground, coughing. Crap, I thought. An invisible fence?! That's just what I need! I sat up, groaning as my back clicked a few times. I looked down at my fur. If Fluffy had thought my pelt was ragged before, she would be shocked now. Some of the hairs were smoking!
Fluffy looked to busy laughing to worry about me being electrocuted to worry about my pelt. She was literally laughing herself to death. I could see her gasping for air!
"Do you really think this is funny!?" I snarled as I looked over my pelt again. Thankfully, I didn't look cooked, just slightly roasted. I wished there was a puddle I could look into to see what my face looked like.
Fluffy finally seemed to have caught her breath. "Wow, I have never seen a tom so stupid that he didn't realize there was a Paincollar on him." She smirked, and I soon saw a small emblem on her collar. The invisible fence company's logo.
Assholes, I thought. I padded over to the side of the house and jumped on the windowsill. Fluffy followed me, but I realized there was nothing I could do about it. I stared at the reflection in the window. I saw my face; it looked fine. But what worried me was the collar. It looked pretty tight, and I realized that I wouldn't be able to get it off alone. If I asked Fluffy, however, I knew how she would ask for payment.
Out of options again, I thought. I sighed and jumped down from the windowsill. Fluffy leaped down next to me.
"Where are you going?" she asked. I looked back at her, smirking.
"I'm gonna run through it."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Fluffy warned, but it was already too late. I ran at the fence at full speed. One second, only one second of blinding agony... I thought grimly. I tore across the line, feeling the electric current swirl through my body. I thought it would stop when I passed the fence, but instead I kept on feeling the pain. I blindly ran back, tearing on to the yard before I could black out.
Fluffy stood over me. "The fence works after you cross it," she explained.
"OH DOES IT?" I shouted, trying to shake the new pain from my limbs. I kept my goal in mind. I had to get out of here before. The unimaginable... I shuddered.
Fluffy looked back at me. "You know, I can help you with that," she meowed. I looked back.
"And what do you want in return?"
Fluffy looked at the ground. "You know what I want."
I snarled. "Then I don't need your help."
Fluffy shrugged. "Suit yourself. Just remember my offer... when you're being neutered."
I flinched at the word. As much as I despised her, Fluffy had a point. She was my only way out of here, my only ray of sunshine. A ray of sunshine blocked by the clouds of sexual desire. Darn it, I thought. I can't do that and act like it never happened! I sighed wearily as I stood shakily. I managed to pad back inside, after seeing that it was already sunhigh.
I only had twelve hours left to get out of here. I had to think of a plan.
Suddenly I had an idea. The trees! I could try to climb over the fence. I looked for a tree that stood inside the borders of the fence. There was one, a birch, that had high branches entangling with another tree. I quickly climbed up the tree, and, steadying myself, took the leap of faith.
The collar sprung to life.
The shock threw me off balance, and I fell from the tree. I remembered Cinderpaw, who had broken her leg after falling from a tree. I also remembered one of my human friends, who had broken her arm after falling off a ski lift. I winced. Either way, it had to be painful.
However, I managed to land in a pile of leaves, which broke my fall. I couldn't believe my luck, and for a second I almost forgot the pain of the collar. I scrambled back inside the fence, thinking to myself. Crossing the fence directly and climbing over it were my only two options. I was completely lost.
It's over, I thought. They're going to neuter me. Then I gave myself a mental slap to the face. I couldn't give up yet! I was Jaggedscar, The Fourth! I could do this!
"I can't do this!" I wailed, slamming my head into the ground. I had gone through every plan in my head, from slowing down time to covering the collar with a plastic bag. They had all failed.
Curse you, technology, I silently seethed. Because of YOU, I have to say goodbye to my... you know...
I bit back another curse as the person, Bob, I had come to call him, poured some more cat food into my dish. I could eat a dead mouse, but brown pellets? That's where I drew the line.
I sighed as I got up. It was almost 10:00, and I was already out of ideas. I couldn't escape; this place was like a fortress!
A little voice whispered in the back of my head. There's still one thing you haven't tried. I sighed again. It looked like this would be my last shot. I padded around the house until I found Fluffy, sitting down by an open window. I jumped up next to her.
"Okay, you win," I said. "If you help me get this collar off, I'll do whatever you want."
"Really?" Fluffy asked; her eyes seemed to sparkle.
I growled to myself. "Really."
Fluffy let out a little squee of joy, and immediately grabbed the back of my collar, loosening it up until it fell off my neck. I stared at her. I thought she would have made me do what she wanted first?
Fluffy looked me up and down. "You are a true warrior," she meowed. I felt a shock go through me. How did she know about warriors?
"I have met a few wild cats before," Fluffy meowed. "Many toms have been brought here, but most of them would rather be neutered than be forced to give up their dignity. You are one of the first."
I stared in awe. Fluffy wasn't some bumbling Mary-Sue, she was almost a secret agent! I listened as she went on.
"I have always looked for cats who would do anything to get home," Fluffy meowed. "Now, go. Go home."
I stared for a moment longer, then straightened myself out. "Thank you," I meowed.
Fluffy nodded, then heard a noise behind her. "You're welcome," she hissed. "Now hurry!"
I didn't need a second invitation. I leaped down, out of the window, and began sprinting towards the road. From there, I could see the fence I had sat on just a day earlier. I looked back, thanking Fluffy again, silently.
Then, I turned and ran, jumping over the fence and into the forest.