Chapter seven
Can I have a cat?
Shadow was sitting up the desk in the classroom with a distant expression as his human tutor related information from a text book about the anatomy of the body's organ functions, bones and nervous system. Shadow had one elbow on the table with his head in his hand while looking out of the window and lightly hitting his pen on the exercise book that was open in front of him. He wasn't really paying much attention but just enough to get him out of trouble if he so happened to be asked a question to see if he was paying attention. Even though he was only nine years old he was at a much higher level, equivalent to a mid high school students work.
"Master Shadow can you tell me where you will find the Musculocutaneous nerve?" The tutor asked when he looked up at Shadow.
"That would be in the shoulder area of the body Mr Roberts." Shadow answered as he never stopped looking out of the window.
"Correct and would you be able to tell me what function the Integumentary System has?" The tutor asked next as he felt Shadow wasn't really paying attention and just guessed that answer.
Yes of course it was true that Shadow wasn't paying his full attention and his mind was half else where but he didn't just guess that answer. He knew it as well as the next question that was asked.
"The Integumentary System, or the skin in other words, is the body's largest organ. It protects us from the outside world and is our first defence against bacteria, viruses and other pathogens. Our skin also helps regulate body temperature and eliminate waste through perspiration or you can use the term sweating. In addition to skin the Integumentary System includes hair or fur and nails." Shadow sighed as he gave his answer with a monotone voice as he just wasn't feeling his lesson today.
"Again correct, is everything alright Master Shadow?" Mr Roberts asked with a concerned tone as Shadow would usually be more energetic with his lessons.
"Hmm? Oh yes everything is fine." Shadow turned his head to look at his privet tutor, forcing a smile on his muzzle as he replied.
The lesson lasted another two hours before it was finally finished with for the day. Shadow walked out of the classroom with a frown as he was deep in thought about something he has been meaning to ask his parents about but never got a chance to as of yet. He wondered down the corridor aiming to go no where in particular when he bumped into his father.
"Sorry dad didn't see you there. Is everything alright?" Shadow forced a smile up at his father when speaking to him.
"Yes all is fine, how was your lesson?" Collin warmly smiled down at his son then motioned Shadow to follow him.
"It was…interesting." Shadow grinned a little as he lied, for all he knew it could have been if he paid full attention to it that is.
"I'm happy to hear you are still enjoying classes son and I hear you are doing remarkably well. I hear very good things from Mr Roberts." Collin beamed out with pride as he glanced down at his son.
"Yeah can I ask you something?" Shadow said as he paused in his walking and looked a little serious up at his father, who also stopped walking and faced his son.
"What is it Shadow?" Collin replied as he gave a slightly concerned expression upon how serious his son had now become.
"I'm just going to ask outright…Can I have a cat please?" Shadow said with a pleading look in his eyes.
"Excuse me?" Collin widened his eyes as he was not at all expecting his son to ask that.
"A cat, can I have one?" Shadow asked again as he gave an innocent smile up at his father.
"Where has this suddenly come from?" Collin asked as he was unsure how to answer his sons pleas for a pet.
"Erm…" Shadow went as he tried to think of the answer without getting himself into trouble.
Two days ago, afternoon…
"Ok I have an hour before I really need to make my way back home." Shadow whispered to himself as he exited a tunnel that had bushes and plant life around it from walking down the secret passageway system.
He walked out, parting the bushes carefully, and found himself near the city park area with trees and other plant life surrounded him. His ears perked up as he could hear laughter and chatting from others and followed the noise until he walked out of the mini forest of trees. He smiled as he could see the play park in the near distance with children happily playing while their parents sat and spoke to one another.
"Right I don't think it would be wise to go anywhere where it is crowed, someone will recognise me and then game over." Shadow thought then decided to walk away from the park and down a path that was in-between trees and such.
Lets just say he never got very far in his walking before he was caught out.
"Shadow!" A voice called out from behind Shadow making him freeze in his walking and stand completely still.
"Does mum and dad know you are out here?" Tanya asked as she walked right up to Shadow and made him turn around to face her and her friend.
Tanya was at the park, not in the play area for she was too old to be playing there, with her friend Danny. She so happened to have looked around and saw Shadow walk out of the trees then walk away. She wasn't all too sure if it really was him or not from the distance she was and had decided to investigate if it was him or not. Turns out it was her brother and not someone who looked like him.
"Pass next question?" Shadow innocently smiled up at his sister, hating the fact he was caught but very glad it was not someone who he couldn't bribe into being quiet if he needed to.
"I'm calling dad to come and get you." Tanya grinned down at a now panicked Shadow then got her mobile phone out of her jacket pocket.
"N-no don't." Shadow fearfully said then unintentionally called upon his gift.
A smoky shadow creature zipped through the air and smashed into Tanya's phone, making her gasp and drop it as the phone sparked with static electricity. The phone was cracked and broken way before it hit the ground by her feet. Tanya looked at her brother with shocked wide eyes as this was only the second time she had witnessed him use his gift.
"I-I'm sorry I didn't mean to do that, I swear I didn't." Shadow whispered with slightly watery eyes as his gift scared him and he was still trying to understand it and control it.
"Shadow it's ok really, no harm done. I can always get a new phone." Tanya said in a soft tone as she tried to get Shadow to calm down, knowing if there was one shadow creature more will soon follow if the welder did not calm down quickly enough, well that is what happened the first time Shadow got majorly upset.
"Say Shadow want to meet Biscuits?" Danny asked with a smile down at his future ruler, hiding the fact he was feeling a little nervous on what Shadow had just done.
"Who's Biscuits?" Shadow asked as he looked at Danny with a slight tilt of his head.
"Why don't you come back to mine with your sister and meet him. I know for a fact he would love meeting you." Danny winked at Shadow as he began to grin.
"I don't know Danny, Shadow shouldn't even be out and no one knows he is. They all probably think he's in his room or something." Tanya said with an unsure expression as she looked at her wolf friend.
"Oh please I want to meet Biscuits, I promise I will go straight home afterwards." Shadow pleaded with begging eyes up at his sister now completely calm from his little episode with the phone.
"Oh fine but we say nothing to mum and dad about this. I never saw you and you never snuck out, got it." Tanya seriously said with a semi firm look in her eyes at her little brother.
"Hay I'm not stupid, why would I say something when it will get me into big trouble? We both know what dad can be like and mum for that mater." Shadow huffed with crossed arms and a small pout, feeling offended.
"See he gets it Tan, come on I'll make a portal to my place." Danny said with amusement as he watched Tanya sigh then pick up her broken phone, putting it back into her jacket pocket.
Danny made the portal and Tanya made Shadow hold her hand when they walked through it. They came out of it and was in Danny's back garden, the portal closed behind them. Danny led the way into his home and closed the back door when the two royals were in.
"Biscuits…we have a new friend for you to meet." Danny called as they stood in the kitchen, knowing his parents weren't at home so no one was going to be aware of Shadow being there therefore no one is going to get into trouble.
Shadows ears perked up as he could hear light footsteps coming closer along with a bell sound that jingled softly. Shadow tilted his head when a small fuzzy light brown creature came strolling in on all fours. The creature stopped in front of Shadow and sat on the floor while looking up with its light blue eyes.
"Shadow this is Biscuits, my pet cat." Danny said with a smile as he spoke over to Shadow.
"Can I touch him?" Shadow asked with a huge smile on his muzzle, never breaking his gaze from the cat then gasped out in shock as he suddenly heard a voice in his head saying, 'if you like, I like being stroked it is so relaxing'.
"Did he just?" Shadow whispered as he slowly looked over at a now grinning wolf.
"Yep cats are telepathic, didn't you know that?" Danny chuckled at Shadows shocked expression.
Shadow soon composed himself then a very big smile spread across his muzzle.
"That is so cool." Shadow said with a very bright tone then looked back at Biscuits adding, "You are so awesome."
Back to present time…
"Erm…I read about them and I really liked what I found out." Shadow smiled up at his father innocently.
"Shadow, son. I don't think it is a good idea for you to have a cat. You are only nine years old and too young to take up that much responsibility." Collin softly said as he tried to let his son down gently.
Shadow did not like that answer and frowned unhappily up at his father with crossed arms.
"I am not too young to be responsible of owning a cat. I do my homework and always hand it in on time without anyone having to remind me, I get up and ready for my classes without having to be nagged or escorted there and I can work the washing machine too." Shadow protested as he was becoming a little on the angry side, which was never a good outcome.
"What does knowing how to use the washing machine got to do with being responsible?" Collin raised a brow at his serious looking son.
"Name a nine year who can do their own washing without breaking the machine or overloading it? Yeah I know I don't do my own washing personally but I still know how to if I ever needed to." Shadow matter-of-fact said with a slightly smug grin.
"Yes ok granted you do, do all of that but Shadow it will only end up as a distraction and you will start to drop grades in your classes. Sorry but my answer is no, maybe when you are older." Collin semi firmly said as he was trying to keep a calm atmosphere.
"No it wont, I wont allow that to happen." Shadow fought back as he slightly narrowed his eyes that were starting to glow red.
"I said no and that is the end of it. I know for a fact me and your mother will end up being the ones to look after it, feed it, brush its fur, take it to the vet for check ups, clean up after it, train it…No!" Collin now fully firmly said as he slightly raised his voice at his stubborn son.
"It is not fair." Shadow shouted out, getting the attention of some of the nearby palace workers doing a spot of dusting on the picture frames on the walls.
"Shadow do not raise your voice at me young man. I am your father and what I say goes, you have enough going on in your life without adding to it." Collin slightly growled down at his son as he was really losing his patience.
"No I don't care if you are my father, you treat me differently and why? Because I so happen to have this stupid dark gift everyone seems so damn afraid of. You know what forget it." Shadow cried out with small tears in his eyes then he barged passed his father and ran of to his room, a shifty looking shadow following along the wall then disappeared when Shadow ran around a corner.
Collin sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he calmed himself down.
"I'll give him an hour to cool down then I'll go and check on him." Collin thought then walked away to where he was originally going, to the lounge where his wife was sitting and relaxing in.
Shadow reached his room and slammed the door shut. He then ran up to his bed and jumped onto it belly down, burying his face into his pillow and growled with anger into it.
"It is not fair, I am sick of being treated like a child, yeah ok I am but I am way more mature than the average kid. I bet everyone else my age has a pet but no not me, I'm not allowed because I'm not responsible enough." Shadow ranted into his pillow.
Suddenly Shadow gasped as he had an idea how he could prove to his father he was responsible enough. He quickly got off the bed and ran out of his bedroom, making his way to the library to use the computer. When he reached there he dashed over to the nearest one and logged in, getting the internet up when he had.
"I'll do some research, take down some mental notes and fight my case. Maybe if dad sees I am serious about this he will change his mind. If not there is always wearing mum down on the subject." Shadow thought as he typed on the keyboard when he clicked on the search engine.
An hour after that little spat in the corridor, Collin was making his way to Shadows bedroom and completely unaware of his son being in the library still. When he reached the slightly opened door he pushed it open and walked in with a smile.
"Oh for the love of, he isn't in here. I swear if he has snuck out again he is in big trouble." Collin whispered under his breath and made his way out of Shadows room in search for him.
Shadow was just logging out of the computer with a grin on his muzzle, now knowing all there is to know about cats and how to look after them. He stood up and made his way out of the library to look for his father. He didn't need to go far for Collin turned a corner and both stopped walking and looked at each other in the hallway.
"Oh good he didn't sneak out." Collin thought as he smiled at his son.
"Brilliant I don't have to run about searching for dad." Shadow thought as he too smiled over at his father.
They both began to walk closer to each other then stopped a few feet apart in the corridor. Both having something to say to the other but one beat the other to it.
"Ok I'm ready to fight my case on having a cat. I've done my research and know all that needs to be known about owning a cat and how to correctly look after one." Shadow began with a cheerful tone as he grinned up at his father.
"Shadow it doesn't change a single thing, my answer still stands." Collin sighed with a shake of his head, not wanting to go there again and so soon.
"You are not even going to hear me out?" Shadow frowned with crossed arms as his father wasn't giving him a single chance to try and sway him to the yes-you-can side.
"Well like I said earlier there is always mum." Shadow thought as he kept his displeased expression on his face.
"And your mother agrees with me too, we both feel it will be too much for you to take on by yourself. Think about it Shadow, what would you do if lets say your gift suddenly takes over and the cat got in the way accidentally? You don't have control over it and it will all end in disaster and heartbreak. When you are much older and have control we will talk about you having a cat but right now it is not an option." Collin calmly said as he gave Shadow eye contact, seeing that his son was thinking very hard on it.
"Yes I understand where you are coming from but it is not like my gift is fully active yet and it doesn't surface all that much right now. Would you and mum prefer it if I have a Blood Snap for a pet instead?" Shadow smirked up at his father knowing the answer to that question.
"I'm not even going to humour you with an answer to that question, we both know what the answer will be." Collin dryly said with a raised brow
"But you do strike up a very good point son, your gift of darkness isn't fully active and doesn't show itself all that much at the moment. So maybe having a pet in the future wont be an option either, your gift I'm sure will become worse than the very mild episodes you have right now. Right then it is settled, my answer is now and always will be a no to any pets. I'm very glad we sorted all of this out my son." Collin smirked a little deviously at his now wide eyed and shocked son.
Shadow didn't say anything to that and just stared up at his father as he silently cursed himself for the mistake of mentioning his gift in that way. Collin chuckled lightly then guided his son with him to the dining room for dinner.
"This isn't the end." Shadow vowed in thought as he made it his mission to keep his gift contained and hidden the best as he could so his parents wont see how bad it could get in the future.
Not that Shadow was aware of how dangerous his gift of darkness was going to get, no one really knew but that lack of insight wasn't going to stop him from doing anything to keep his parents in the dark. Shame he didn't realise there wasn't going to be anything he could do to stop everyone from knowing or seeing, then again it isn't like it was fully active and he could see the future right now.
(Another chapter done and I do hope you enjoyed reading it. Next one will be up soon, just have to get typing first. Thanks for reading and please review...until next chap...)
