Started: 12th February 2023
Edited: 13th February 2023
Finished: 14th February 2023
72 days,
Unknown Street, Hollywood, Kanto.
15th February 1990. 16:22pm.
He munched down on the rice happily, he was trying to savour it– he really was, it was just so tasty and it filled a nice hole in his empty stomach, he couldn't help but eat it so quickly.
He knew that he didn't want to hurt the little purple creature from yesterday for food but when he saw a young human walk past with a pale coloured box that smelt wonderfully of the small tasty grains he just knew that it was the perfect opportunity for food.
It made him feel a bit bad when the strange-looking boy started to cry but it's not like he had another option other than to take it from him. Meowth didn't really know what the consequence of not eating was but it hurt his stomach badly and he didn't like that.
Meowth only actually knew what a human was because Sakki told him when one would occasionally walk past the cat-gang's hideout. He missed Sakki a lot, and the other kitten too. Daiya was funny and she was very close to his age too so they would play when his momma would leave.
Daiya was different to him though, she had pink fur on her back paws and the end of her tail when he and the other Meowth had brown. He asked her why her fur was like that but she just laughed and said that was how she was born.
Speaking of Sakki and Dai, momma called Sakura 'sister' once. He wasn't fully sure what that meant but apparently it means they are close like a 'family.' That just confused him, the cat-gang were family, were they not?
So how come no one else called each other 'sister'?
He sighed as he remembered the two and his mother.
Shivering, he jumped into his box and curled into a tight ball– well, tried to. He hissed and quickly uncurled when a sharp pain stung through the paw that he fell on the day before.
Curiously, he lifted the paw and raised it to his face. His eyes widened and he tilted his head, watching the red liquid ooze down his arm. Meowth stuck out his tongue, disgusted and wiped the paw against the bottom of the box, wincing at the pain shooting through his limbs.
He gazed at his paw again and was satisfied to see that the liquid had slowed, he looked closer and spotted a cut on the bottom of his paw in between his paw pads. He gave it a quick lick, settling it down on the bottom of the box next to his other paw and laying his head on top of them.
Huffing and shuffling, trying to get comfortable in the old cardboard box, he closed his eyes— sighing.
Then a realisation hit him and he quickly sat up. He didn't know why his momma left him…but Sakki, Daiya and the other cats probably want him.
Eyes lighting up for the first time in his short life, he jumped on the side of the box and it toppled over. However, this time, he was prepared for it and he managed to stay on his four feet— stumbling around the corner, out of the alleyway.
He instantly froze in wonder. He hadn't left his alleyway from the safety of being next to the old building since his mother had left him.
There were so many humans!
He had only seen a few in his life alone but this time there were multiple together— not as many as Sakki described to him but still more than he had ever seen before.
Then he felt something grab his tail.
Immediately, he yelped and jumped forward, managing to escape the sudden grip. He looked back and seen another small human— this one was a girl.
"Kitty!"
What? He…he understood what she said? He started to panic, was that normal? She wasn't speaking in pokémon though, he could tell.
Then his mind went back to one of the things that Sakki had told him about the intelligent creatures and felt his mind relax in relief.
'Oddly, we can understand them— even though they don't speak our language— but they can't understand us…well…they can't understand most of us anyway…'
He tried asking her what she meant but his mother said that was enough of that and dragged him away.
Huh.
Maybe when he found his momma and the others again he could ask what she meant.
Anyway, back to matters at paw; the little girl had reached out to him again and so instinctively he scratched the air in front of her face as a warning. However, it seemed the child had no sense of danger.
Thankfully though, the mother seemed to. So as soon as she noticed her kid with the cat-pokémon she ran over and dragged her away, muttering something about staying away from 'flea-bitten muddy rabies-infected stray cats'.
Huh. He didn't know what most of that meant but that sounded a bit rude. Well, humans will be humans.
72 days,
Hollywood, Unknown Street, Kanto.
15th February 1990. 16:43pm.
The kitten's search came to a halt when he heard music coming from a building and being the curious cat that he was, he moved closer to investigate.
The building was red with pink and white patterns on it— flowers and some weird shaped thing with laces. It had big scrawny words on it that he couldn't read but it seemed that the place would be associated with everything pretty.
He grabbed onto the windowsill and gazed through the window in wonder which formed into confusion as he watched the humans jump around oddly. What were they doing?
It looked very strange…maybe it's a culture thing…?
He continued to watch for another minute or two, trying to figure out what they were doing but didn't get very far. He realised that one of the patterns decorating the outside of the building they were…wearing on their paws?
That must be uncomfortable, pink lace things weighing them down whilst they were standing weirdly. He hoped this wasn't a place to hurt people, if so, why was it so appealing from the outside?
Meowth sighed and turned around, remembering his mission and picking up the pace. He offered one more look back to the strange building— where he got even stranger looks from humans walking past and spotting the cat at the window.
Welp, humans will be humans.
72 days,
Hollywood, Unknown Street, Kanto.
15th February 1990. 17:41pm.
Did momma think he was stupid and wouldn't be able to track her scent or was this a confirmation of one of his theories that she just wanted to play a scary game of hide and seek?
He wished the second one was the truth with his whole small heart.
He re-traced his mother's and the other cat gang cat's scents with more difficulty than expected but he still managed it. It got stronger near the territory as expected but it wasn't as strong as he thought it would be.
When he turned the corner and walked down the alleyway, entering the territory, it was all made clear.
There was no one there.
Not a single cat.
Still however, Meowth had hope. Maybe…maybe this was part of the game as well…?
72 days,
Hollywood, Unknown Street, Kanto.
15th February 1990. 18:16pm.
He looked everywhere and realised what was odd with the scents, none of them were new. The kitten knew for a fact that this was their territory though so why was no one there?
He sat down next to a pile of old blankets that various Persian and Meowth would lounge in during the day.
They were gone. He was abandoned. Again.
Why does everyone keep disappearing?..Does this mean Kuro, Sakki, Dai, Hanni, Kazzy and Kae and the other cats he was learning to love didn't want him either as well as momma?
Once again, he was openly sobbing now. This was even worse than when momma had left him because now he had no one. Everyone his mind was relying and wishing on was gone.
Remembering events from earlier that afternoon he found one recurring thought ironic and decided to mould it into something new.
'Cats will be cats…right?'
