Chapter 2

After eating and drinking his fill inside, Fluffy padded to his favorite spot in the garden, underneath the single tall tree. Smudge's words still weighed heavily on Fluffy's heart, but he tried to release them, settling on top of the leafy bed the tree provided. A balmy breeze ruffled his fur softly as he curled up, yawning again. The last thing he saw before he drifted off was the open gate that led into the street.

A sudden, loud sound woke Fluffy with a start, and he was on his paws in a heartbeat. The barking of a dog.

Oh stars, he thought, alarmed. It's coming this way!

And the gate was still open. The barking got louder, and Fluffy could smell the dog approaching. The way he saw it, he had two options: jump the fence and most likely get lost when the dog inevitably gave chase or climb his tree. The first choice wasn't a very good one, but then again, he didn't know how to climb trees, and, more importantly, how to get down.

So I guess I only really have one, he hissed inwardly, cursing his own cowardice. He scrambled up the low-lying fence the opposite side that the dog was coming from and hopped down the other side, wishing his owner had left the door open. He landed heavily on his paws, stumbling as he heard the dog break into the yard. Its yelps of frustration faded into the distance as he bolted away, marveling at his speed.

His paws barely touched the ground as he sprinted down the tough city-stone streets, his tail streaming behind him. He heard the dog's less than graceful paws skittering behind him, and his new fear gave him an extra burst of speed as he rounded a corner, hoping to lose the stupid beast. That seemed to confuse it, and Fluffy pulled ahead a bit, but he was tiring quickly and he knew he didn't have much time before the stronger dog caught up to him.

At the next possible turn, he feinted left, which sent the dog scrambling that way, but turned around and bolted to the right with his last bit of adrenaline. The dog turned its head to watch its prey as it barreled into a walking human, knocking both of them down.

Now Fluffy knew he was safe, and he hid behind another tree panting.

Any cat in his right mind would be scared half to death, but in that moment, Fluffy was happy. No, not happy. Elated. The whole experience had been exhilarating, and he wished he had a thousand dogs chasing him. He had never felt more alive.

And he made up his mind. Sure, he had basically the rest of his life to do so, and he really was a young little thing, but the dog had spurred him into action.

He was going to leave.

Really, he already had. He looked up at the tree above him, marveling at the beautiful autumn colors it was sporting. He knew he could live in a place full of them if he wanted now. Right close to home. Though that'd require killing things.

So maybe not the forest, he thought with a heaviness in his heart. From the little he could see from Smudge's fence, he knew the forest was a beautiful place.

He could live in one of the nearby cities, where already-dead things like human food-scraps could be eaten instead of cute little mice and squirrels.

Yeah, he thought dryly, his ears flattening at the thought of eating a squirrel, a city would probably be better. Well, I don't really…own anything to take with me yet. His whiskers twitched as he thought of the mouse toy back at home that he was constantly expected to 'kill.' Humans are sick.

So, he left. His soft paw pads were bleeding from the rough city-stone beneath them, but there was an unmistakable spring in his step as he headed north, the setting sun warming his thick pelt from the side.

He slept not far from home the first night, his thick fur keeping him warm as he rested under a tree. The brightness of the sun and the chirping of birds woke him early the next morning, and in the new light, he saw a blue colored sign on a post not far from where he had made his nest.

Weird, he mused, as he had passed an identical one the evening before. There were no human scribbles on it. It was a just a sign. Maybe I could count them. Not much else to do.

He traveled for a full two days, following the dark stone road that cut straight through the forest like a cat's claw. He was immensely proud of his endeavor, his braving of the elements despite the odds that were stacked against him. For a while, he could ignore the low grumble of his hungry belly.

Luckily, water was abundant in the rainy season, but all he could chew on were leaves. His nights grew more and more restless as he grew hungrier and hungrier, his dreams filled with images of wild-cats and an attacking Smudge. Struggling for things to keep his mind off his empty belly, he counted the colored posts that he came across every so often.

One, he had counted at the beginning of his journey, right after he'd left the small, house-filled area. Then two, then three, and on and on. By the end of the second day, he was at sixteen.

Yes, the lightness in his heart had fled as quickly as it had entered, leaving only a hungry void that threatened to eat him from the inside. But he couldn't turn back. Not now, after he'd come so far.

He slept in the open that night, the growling of his belly and the rushing of round-paws carrying humans somewhere important doing nothing to calm his nerves.

Once again, Fluffy rose early the next morning. Dimly, he noted that he hadn't dreamed at all, and wondered if he simply didn't have the energy. With the same lack of interest, he saw that his fur was matted and filthy, that he could count his ribs and that his pads were raw from walking, with small bits of stone from the road a few cat-lengths away embedded between his pads.

Funny how you find out what your priorities really are once you're dying, a tiny voice rang in his head. Appearance, that's all you are.

Am I dying? Delirious with hunger? he wondered. Three days without food …surely a cat could last longer than that.

The little voice, whatever it was, didn't answer and Fluffy let out a low growl as a round-paw whizzed past for the upteenth time. The white tom-cat barely even noticed them anymore.

He pulled off a bit of pine bark from a tree, chewing on it to give himself something to do as he continued. The trees and undergrowth began to thin out when Fluffy had counted twenty of the same-looking colorful signs. New signs were popping up, green and huge. The weary traveller knew they had to mean something.

Soon, the trees were gone completely, replaced by a grassy field. By twenty-three signs, Fluffy saw where all the round-paws had been heading.

The road led straight into a huge miasma of light and sound and scent and stone. Round-paws cried, each of their voices reaching Fluffy's sensitive ears. Giant buildings unlike any he'd ever seen rose like straight-edged mountains, lit and unlit windows lining their sides.

Sky-touchers, he thought, remembering a past conversation with Smudge. The word felt natural on his tongue as he mouthed it.

Bright lights shone everywhere, marking things only humans could understand. The assault on his senses was painful and unnerving, but captivating.

Almost beautiful.

Maybe he was a city-cat after all. Briefly, he wondered if the native street-cats felt the same. All he knew was that the energy he felt here was better than any forest. And he hadn't even entered yet.

A rumble in his belly brought the dazed cat back to the present. The city wasn't far, but he had to get there first. He was so ready for this, he was certain.

But he was so hungry, too.

It's only a little longer, he reassured himself. I can hold out for a little bit longer, easy.

He figured he did kind of have a point. Cats could fast for days upon end, using whatever food they had stored inside of them to keep them going. Those spindly, awkward looking humans had more brains than ten cats, but they just required so much food to keep them alive. Cats were smart, there was no question about that, but these enigmatic humans had built walls, running circles around the rest of the natural world with their opposable thumbs and superior mind-power.

Sure enough, however, the city came. The buildings loomed over him, touching the sky with their pointed pillars. More round-paws entered with each passing heartbeat, their bright yellow eyes slicing through the gathering shadows as dusk fell upon the landscape, blazing each sky-toucher a golden orange.