Chapter 11:
Dawn stretched high and mighty through the sky, illuminating all corners and hideaway spots in the densest part of the denning place. Where the dens were tall and square, sometimes pointed at the top, and pressed so close that sometimes there was barely enough room for a mouse to pass between.
Warm rays crept in upon the dead end of an alley, surrounded on both sides by red brick and blocked behind by a tall wooden fence. A cat stirred from where he slept within a pile of tires stacked in a corner. Cold eyes blinked open in the light, and a large smile stretched across his face, causing his eyes to squint in a friendly appearance.
Ivan leapt to the top of the tires, stretching and shaking his thick white fur to rid himself of the lingering sleepiness. Yawning loudly, the large cat jumped to the ground with a heavy thud that shifted the tires next to him. He eyes the lightening sky above, a few puffy clouds stained orange and purple as they drifted lazily along.
Time to grab some prey. The tom commented to himself as began to exit the alley. Until something caught his eye.
A few pieces of chicken, entirely whole and still on the bone, lay undisturbed next to his nest. The happy cat's smile brightened immensely.
They left me food!
Bounding over, Ivan grabbed one of the pieces out of the pile and set to furiously tearing at the meat in order to fill his starving belly. The chicken was still warm and soft, meaning some cat went through the trouble of stealing from Nofurs to get it.
I can't believe they would go through all that trouble just to reward me! I mean, it wasn't even that big of a problem. I handle stuff like that daily. Seems like taking from Nofurs would be more of a problem than that dog was.
But he put such criticism out of his mind. If they wanted to give him such a lavish gift, who was he to stop him? And it wasn't the first time. He almost got gifts like this daily. Rewards as thanks for solving problems other cats in the alleys were too weak to solve themselves. A strange glow warmed in Ivan's stomach.
Maybe… maybe they'd want to be friends? He questioned hopefully.
But a rock of doubt immediately crushed it. He thought this every time a cat brought something for him. That it was a gesture of admiration and friendship, that they wanted to hang out more. But it was not so. If anything, it was meant as a gift of appeasement. So that he would not turn such strength on them.
"U-um, sir?" A quivering voice sounded from the mouth of the dead end.
Lifting his head, Ivan spotted the one cat who was, I guess, "close to him." In an incredibly loose sense of the term. A smile graced his features, and his eyes squinted in the she-cat's direction.
"Why good morning, Stripe!" he called to the tabby.
The she-cat squeaked and averted her gaze, dropping slightly to the floor. As Ivan got closer, he saw shivers racking her body.
Oh, no. He sighed. Not again. Not today. Come on, Ivan, concentrate! Be friendly. Look friendly. Stop doing… whatever it is that scares them off!
But no matter how Ivan searched himself, he could find nothing to suggest why he was so off-putting to others. He spent days at a time at the water puddle practicing his smile until his expression rivaled the friendliest guy on the street. He studied how other cat's interacted, memorized dialogue, and how one cat greeted and talked to another. Everything he did practically radiated friendship. But still they cowered in fear at his paws. He always addressed them as equals, never slaves or non-superiors, and always offered to share with them in whatever he had. What more could he do?!
But Ivan never stopped trying. He sat back on his haunches and bid that perfect smile to come back to his face, and he spoke quietly and gently to Stripe.
"So, what do I have the honor of seeing you on such a lovely day for?"
Stripe, still shaking, turned her head slightly to look towards him, green eyes filled with anxiety.
"W-well, I was wondering if you were enjoying the chicken."
"You were!" Ivan could not contain the scream of joy the words came in. She wondered about me!
But immediately he regretted it, as Stripe yelped and pressed closer to the ground, shaking even more and averting her eyes once more.
"I-I'm sorry, sir! Please don't be angry with me for asking!" A pit opened in Ivan's stomach.
"No, no, no. Please, stop quivering. I didn't mean to scare you!" And though the she-cat straightened a bit, she refused to meet his gaze or address him as anything other than sir.
"The group from yesterday brought them." She remarked, voice quiet and unassuming.
"Yes, I suspected that. Did you thank them for me?" She squealed again and dropped into that submission pose.
"N-no, I didn't. Please don't be angry!" Ivan sighed in frustration. He was done trying this morning.
He stood and Stripe cringed slightly, fearing his paws. Ivan paced towards the back of his alley, towards where a black metal stairway led to the top of the den beside him.
"I'm going out for a run." He mentioned casually, not giving away any of his feelings. "Stripe? Feel free to have some chicken while I'm out." At that, he leapt up to the first landing, and continued upward at a brisk pace.
Stripe's gaze followed him in wonder at his strength and speed. Any other cat would be panting for air at the top, but Ivan, not missing a beat, turned on a dime from the landing and launched himself to the roof on the other side, traveling from den to den in this manner. A shiver of excitement and fear ran through her. She feared that cat's cold eyes and huge stator immensely, but it was his captivating power and stance that kept her close to him; he would always be a source of protection, even if he was unbelievably scary.
The she-cat turned to the pile of chicken, and greedily bit into the warm flesh. That wariness of his eyes faded from her mind just a bit as food filled her belly.
Ivan raced from platform to platform, using roves, window sills, rooftop gardens, more metal stairways; any perch his paws could grasp to run above his territory. All former regrets and worries were forgotten as he stopped on a particularly high roof.
The sun had risen fully now and illuminated the landscape bellow him. The world was glowing in yellow light, and he could see the cats of his alleys beginning their day. Ivan let out a powerful yowl that could rival a lion's. All this was his. The streets, the dens, the cats that lived in it. All respected him as the strongest of the alley cats. Any food or thing he wanted within the borders was his. This was his kingdom. Who cares if he had no friends? No one to talk to… or to relate with…
Ivan sighed. Who was he kidding? He cared. He wanted nothing more than to share this view with someone, someone who would look at all he had with awe, and laugh with him and ask questions about it, who would come over every day to hang around, perhaps even be brave enough to stand beside him in battle. He had tried several times to get Stripe to run with him… but it never worked. She always acted submissive and refused adamantly.
Now crest fallen, Ivan followed the edge of the roof to the far side of the den, dropping then to a window sill bellow. The den now blocked his view and most of the sunlight, leaving Ivan in shadow.
Alone in the dark… Like always.
Though lost in his pitty party, Ivan saw a flash of fur just outside his field of vision. Craning his head in curiosity, he spotted two cats walking side by side down the alley. One was a calico, the other a cat with bright yellow fur which curled oddly around his body.
A cat with curls? Never seen that before. He commented to himself.
In fact… he had never seen these cats before, he was sure of it. And that was odd. He knew every cat that lived in his alleys, every kit, every elder, simply because he liked to know who everyone was, even if they didn't want to be his friends. But these two… he had no idea who they were.
The cats continued onward in step, heads bent close as if they were talking about something important. Eventually, they came to a point where the alley split off into another pathway lined with wooden fences and trash bins. Taking a moment to consider, the cats turned and walked into the new alleyway, and Ivan gasped as a rock hit his stomach.
In a flash, he was on his paws, racing across the buildings as fast as he could towards where the cats had entered.
Those mouse brains! He scolded to himself. Don't they have any idea what lives in that alley?
Letting a stream of curses fly as he ran, Ivan pushed himself harder.
I just hope I'm not too late…