Disclaimer: I don't really own anybody in this one.
Author's Note: Second chapter. Poor Lex.
Chapter Two: Survival
Panic began to take over. He tried to squelch the feeling, but it was a fight he wasn't sure which side he was on.
He was a cat. A small, hairless cat that was probably the prey of around twenty percent of Kansas wildlife. In the middle of nowhere. Where no one was around to help him; to even know he was here.
He was going to die.
'No; get a hold of yourself, Lex! Just think! There has to be a way out of this mess. Get a plan; set priorities. It's worked for all your other problems; this one should be no different.'
Gradually, his panic was forced down to a worry and from a worry to an anxiety. His self-control nearly returned, he steeled himself. Now wasn't the time to panic- it would only hinder his efforts towards what was necessary: surviving.
First: identifying his location. He looked around, but all he could see was grass. A tree was some distance away; he guessed around ten feet, by human standards. His sharp feline eyesight allowed him to see the leaves fluttering in the breeze, each movement standing out and drawing his interest. The cat mind at work, he imagined. A dark mass of cloth sat behind him- the bag, or whatever he was in when he first woke up. That was about it.
The strategist in him began to work, and he walked off towards the tree. Greater height meant greater visibility; if he could see more, he may be able to identify his surroundings. However, he wasn't sure he'd be able to actually climb it. He had climbed trees a couple of times when he was a kid- his father didn't approve, but Pamela was all for it; she let him climb sometimes when Lionel wasn't home. But he wasn't a cat exactly- he was a human mind in a cat's body; a human mind that had no idea how to use what it was equipped with. Climbing would be risky at best.
But it was a risk he was willing to take. Especially since his survival required it.
It took him several strides to adjust to the new movements. He then increased his pace to a trot, receiving a slight thrill from how fast he seemed to be going so close the ground; the grass tickled his chin as he passed. He wasn't even running yet; he found himself looking forward to the experience.
He reached the tree and slowed to a stop. It looked even taller and more foreboding than it had in the distance. He suddenly began to doubt his small claws were going to be able to hold his weight on a vertical surface. The tree forked about three times his height up, but he doubted he'd be able to reach that far. He felt his hope deflate.
Then he noticed the tree stump five feet away.
He hurried towards it, stopping a foot away. From what he knew about felines, this jump should be no problem. It was well over his head, but perhaps if he backed up a bit…
He took a step back, then, with the brief thought that he'd only seen cats do this and didn't really study to see how, launched himself up with his back legs.
He never would have guessed that something that small could hold such a feeling. The moment he tightened his hind legs… it was unlike anything he had ever felt before. The unrestrained grace and agility, the perfect balance and confidence…
… The untapped power…
Later on, after the whole ordeal ended and he managed to return to his human form, he would try to accurately describe what that moment felt like. Each time he would deem it incorrect and discard it.
All four feet landed on the edge of the stump, his precarious position still affording him the balance he needed to remain standing. Two dainty steps (he shuddered to think his steps "dainty", but nonetheless that's what they were) forward with his front feet allowed him to turn to see the area behind him, where he had been. And felt his little kitty heart stop.
Oh no. No no no no no.
His expression translated onto a cat's face would have been almost amusing to almost all cat lovers everywhere. The wide-eyed shock was plain as could be, his dilated eyes huge as he took in the scene illuminated by the pale light. He now recognized the cloth, but he didn't want to believe that that was what he was seeing.
Without thinking, he jumped down and hurried back to the "tunnel" exit, almost sliding to a stop as he neared. His mind running ahead at the complications this would cause, he sniffed the fabric. It was still there; that unknown yet comforting scent he first smelled when he woke up. He circled the rumpled fabric counterclockwise, stopping every few steps to smell it again. Same scent, this time with the slightest taint of something else. The taint grew stronger and stronger as he moved, until he reached the knot that told him what he had found. Here, the scent was at it's strongest; there was no mistaking it now. He felt all his internal organs drop as he took a few steps back.
He smelled his cologne. On his tie.
These were his clothes.
No no no no no…That meant that what he smelled when he first woke up was him- that was why it had comforted him, since cats are comforted by their own scents. Never mind the fact that the smell came from his clothes; that he wasn't even supposed to be a cat…
He had to get out of here. Find people that could help him; people he could trust… But how would they even recognize him? He was a hairless cat, for God's sake! Unless he could find a way to pick up a pen…
He turned back towards the stump, making his way towards it again with the intention of jumping up to further identify his surroundings. Chances were pretty good he was in the middle of a field with no one around for miles, but he still wanted to find people; perhaps something to eat as well. He wouldn't go hunting for mice. Not a chance. Even though he was in a field full of them…
With his previous grace he jumped up onto the tree stump, this time facing the direction opposite of his suit. It was a stunned surprise that first struck him as he looked at what he saw. He couldn't believe his luck. Just when he felt everything was going wrong, fate threw him this. An ecstatic whoop escaped him as another meow at the sight.
There, sitting in the not-too-far distance, was the Kent farm.
To Be Continued…Author's Note: Wow, you guys really do like this story! Thanks for the reviews, and feel free to tell all your Lex and/or Smallville-loving friends about it!