Midnight Moon stalked the driveway behind large thorny bushes. The tangle of green and the gray branches changed colors as the sun setted. The sun weaved through the crowds of rose red and amber orange. The sun’s brightness didn't affect Midnight, because he knew it would disappear, bringing the moonlight. It was what he was named for, after all. Midnight’s pale golden eyes gleamed at a cloudless night, and his crescent moon patch over his heart was silvery gray, like the moon itself. His brilliant, short fur was jet black, like an owl's eye. Midnight’s eyes, however, gleamed when they reflected the amazing aura of the sunset, one wonderful second at a time.
It’s beautiful. He thought. That opinion never changed, even if he saw the sunset everyday. Eventually, the sun dipped lower and lower into the sky. It was getting late, and Midnight needed to get inside. Yes, he hated the idea of going into a greatling's burrow. Their empire seemed to linger everywhere around Midnight, other than the forest. But, he didn’t want to sleep outside, with the risk of getting attacked, or just getting a dusty pelt in general.
It was strange that his owner had been gone so long, considering that he was in his burrow most of the time. Usually, Midnight’s owner let him inside to sleep, and fed him kibble when he was hungry. His owner assumed he was always that hungry though. It sounded nice in theory, but before it was worse. Way worse. But Midnight had a plan. A plan that would change everything for him.
Then, he smelled tar and gasoline coming his direction. He could hear the engine and the metalroller rolling it’s way, and by the sound of it turning and driving, he could tell it was his owner’s. Finally, a small red, gleaming metalroller returned to the driveway. It was his owner's transportation, because he was clearly too lazy to get around on his own, unlike Midnight. A true creature of the wild would know how to go long distances without help, but clearly his owner, along with many other greatlings, lacked that heritage.
When the metalroller neared closer, Midnight smelled and heard something unusual. He could tell it wasn’t another greatling, because they had a different odor. One that smelled like good greatling food, that Midnight knew from the start he would never have. But he heard a whimpering animal, one with a different stench, that smelled like an animal from the shelter.
Was this animal the replacement for him? That thought brought back a distant memory.
It was a damp day, with the sun barely hanging over the clouds. Midnight was out and about, of course. He padded along the beige, dirty sidewalks that the greatlings had made, and stopped by a building with an extreme stench of gasoline. It was hard to keep Midnight’s eyes from watering, but he tried his best. A constant amount of metalrollers rolled in and out of the area. On the corner of the sidewalk, Midnight saw another cat, who happened to be alone. Curiously, Midnight went up to the old cat to see what had brought him here. Midnight remembered the sound of metalrollers swaying all around him, as fast as his eyes could see. Different odors surrounded him. He mostly smelled the foul stench of gasoline and greatling foods, but sometimes he would even smell animals. Dogs. Cats. It was hard for Midnight to really believe that any of them would go into a metalroller under their own will, but it wasn’t like Midnight could persuade them.
By then, Midnight was already very close to the old cat. Midnight saw his ragged pelt and he could smell the disgusting odor from the cat as well. His eyes were teardrop blue, and he had a charcoal gray coat. His ears and body were scarred and he looked extremely gaunt. The cat’s eyes were focused on the paths that the metalrollers took, but his ears perked straight at Midnight. Midnight knew he didn’t have the helpful art of suprise that most cats had, but he knew when he was full grown he would become as elegant as one.
“Hello, young one.” His voice was deep and harsh, like his looks. The old cat turned his head to face Midnight. His eyes were reserved. He looked Midnight in the eye and studied him contently. Midnight hesitated, wondering if it was a bad idea to come to this cat in the first place. The old cat was far bigger than Midnight, even though Midnight was still growing.
“H-hey.” Midnight managed, hoping the older cat wouldn’t harm him.
“Don’t be afraid of me. I am older than I look, and I don’t need to hurt another cat.” The older cat must have smelled Midnight’s fear, but his last words seemed to make Midnight more afraid. Midnight clinged onto the hope that this wasn’t a mistake.
I don’t need to hurt another cat? Midnight tried to hide his fear and seem confident, but his fear was still taking over. Does that mean he is really so bloodthirsty, since he has already hurt a cat?
The scarred cat gave him a reasonable look, almost like a parent. Midnight looked at the cat, and decided it was alright to speak.
“I was just curious about you. What are you doing out here, so close to greatlings?”
Midnight asked, forcing his fears aside and settling back into his confident self.
“I do not fear them. If they take me to their shelters, I can accept that. I’m too old to live alone. I used to live with my mate and my many kittens, but this neighborhood is too rough.” The old cat looked down at his paws. Midnight saw how they were battle scarred. His claws were also very rough.
Maybe he wasn’t lying about the neighborhood being rough, or that he didn’t want to fight other cats. Maybe this cat really just wanted to be taken away from his old life.
“But now I live in the streets.” The old cat continued. “It’s hard to take care of myself, with my weak body. I usually just await the greatlings to come and take me, so I can be brought back to a shelter. There, at least I can be fed, and maybe even await a nice owner, who can take care of me until my death.” The cat mewed, now looking back at Midnight.
The idea that this cat would even want an owner bubbled rage within Midnight.
How could you even want to have an owner, or be put in a shelter? Midnight wanted to growl this to the foolish cat, but instead was forced to think it to himself. Doesn’t he realize the terrible life ahead of him, if he chose that path? Hasn’t he heard the terrible stories to cats like me, who had to spend months within a cage? Or maybe, has he seen the terrible food the greatlings give to us, while they chow on their own tasty rations? Or how we’re always confined to small spaces, even after we get an owner? Midnight flicked his tail in anger.
The old cat sensed this. “Maybe life with a greatling isn’t fit for you, young one, but it is fit for me.” Midnight started to get a strong disliking for the old cat whenever he called him “young one.” Sure, he was young, but he was as smart as an adult! “I do not have the energy I used to. I used to be raised by a greatling, and I must have hated it as much as you. As I recall, he had a striped collar. He wore it all the time, wherever he went.” Those words shocked Midnight to his core.
Did we have the very same owners?Am I destined for the same reality as this cat, to be replaced as soon as I escaped? Or as soon as I’m dead?178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3AKcI1vmSb
“When I finally escaped,” The old cat mewed. “I was so much happier. I found a mate, my dear Cassidy, and a nice place to sleep in, under the stars. We had a whole litter of kittens as well. When we tried to train them to hunt for their own, and when we tried to hunt ourselves, it was very hard. With kittens to keep track of, we used to have to take turns hunting and guarding them. One day, a wolf attack came. They sprang on our family, and murdered our own kits right in front of us. They killed Cassidy with their long teeth. I tried to talk them out of it, but the wolves wouldn’t even tolerate it. I remember their words. “You have disturbed our land and stolen our territory. There is no mercy for you.” I was lucky to escape them. They were faster than me, and I had to think fast in order to survive. When I had finally left the forest, I strived on my life as a loner. I was practically isolated, with no one to talk to. Sometimes I would get into fights because of my own anger. I wounded many cats. But I remembered why I was loved by my family in the first place, and I decided to be that cat, the best I could. I became more friendly, and more generous. I still live that way now, but with my weak body, it is hard to find food. That is why I wait here, where all the greatlings roam, so one day I am taken from here, and brought to a better life.” The old cat finished, as he shed crystal tears. His harsh voice started to choke up, revealing a much sadder and shattered side of the cat.
Midnight was in awe that the old cat would even tell his whole entire story, especially one that's so dark and disturbing. But Midnight had never heard of these “wolves” he spoke of. What type of being is so menacing and powerful?
“What are wolves?” Midnight asked, but was hesitant as well. Sometimes it is better to know less about certain things, especially ancient forest monsters.
“Wolves are…” The old cat was lost in thought. “It’s difficult to explain them. I had heard of them before, some of the cats on the street shared stories of them. When I saw them for the first time, they were huge. Bigger than any cat, or even dog, that I had ever seen. They were shaped like both dogs and cats. They had ears stuck high in the air, like us, and a thick coat and a bark rather than a meow, so they were different from us. The stories I had heard of wolves, they were obedient to each other, protective, and had extremely close bonds. They were excellent hunters, who had an extreme sense of smell. They were smart as well.” The old cat was breathing hard then, as if he was scared of his own words, or reminded by the horror of the wolves. Midnight knew to trust him and his knowledge of the wolves. As much as Midnight was curious about them, he knew best to stay away.
“It’s getting late,” the old cat mewed, as he looked into the clouds. The sun was definitely not visible, but Midnight could see the clouds changing the sunset colors of scarlett red and golden yellow. “Because you are not a loner, or planning to be one at this moment, I suggest you go back to your burrow with your owner. Maybe tomorrow, if you are up to it, you can come again. If you do, however, I hope you bring food for me. I may be lazy, but it is hard for an old cat to find food, especially with all the metalrollers blocking the way of the forest. The best I can usually find is a rat or two.” The old cat’s fur got darker as the sun setted.
Midnight mewed goodbye, but was about to leave when a thought hit him.
Why hadn’t this cat shared his name yet?
“Excuse me, sir,” Midnight turned back to meet the cat's pale eyes. “What is your name?”
“My name is Oscar. What about you?” Oscar asked.
“My name is Midnight.” He answered.
“Midnight.” The old cat mewed quietly to himself. “It suits you, because of your glowing eyes and crescent shaped patch of fur.”
“I suppose it does.” Midnight spoke.
Midnight then turned away from the cat, and safely crossed the metalroller path. He managed to make it back home to his owner, determined to speak to Oscar again. The old cat had much wisdom to share.
So, the next few days, Midnight would come to Oscar, who was always at the same place at the same time. Midnight brought him his water bowl from his owner’s burrow, determined to keep the old cat alive. He had also bought mice and rats for them to share. Midnight talked about his past, and both cats just talked together in general. About the greatlings empire, about the toxins that were so easy to sniff in the air. But something that Midnight had really been moved by, was when the cat once gave him some life advice. Oscar had said, “Sometimes, the only thing you don’t give a second chance to is yourself. If you never give yourself a second chance, you never change, and you're stuck hating yourself forever. Take my advice, young one.” It was one Midnight always had to stick to, to always give himself a second chance, and not just others.
Days after they had first met, Midnight came back to the same spot, expecting the old cat. Instead, he found nothing, barely even a whiff of Oscar’s odor. Instead he smelt the stench of greatlings. Midnight tried to assume the best, but it was really hard for him to. That cat could have been taken away, or even worse. But eventually, Midnight got over Oscar, and went back to his old routine. Even so, Midnight always found it boring without Oscar. Oscar had been insightful, and worst of all, Midnight had never even said goodbye to him. There was never closure between the two of them.
But the memories of Oscar the cat started fading away, as Midnight was snapped back into reality with the sound of the metalroller getting closer.
Midnight’s ears twitched as he heard the metalroller coming, and just some of the other sounds in general. Other metalrollers that were farther away, the sounds of greatlings speaking in their sophisticated language, squirrels crossing the branches of large oaks, and even the birds soaring through the air, with whimpering prey. Midnight even heard the rustle of the evergreens in the wind, which was by far his favorite noise. He loved to hear it’s soothingness. Not even birdsong was very enjoyable to him, or the rhythmic ocean waves that were barely hearable.
Midnight caught the sight of the metalroller, scarlett red with black wheels. It veered into the driveway with ease. Midnight knew it was time to be at the entrance of the burrow. He quickly padded away from the bushes and next to the entrance, which was closed. Midnight knew it was impossible for him to even open it. The lever to open it was higher than his height, and it was extremely slippery.
Midnight cautiously watched as the metalroller suddenly veered to a stop on the driveway. The smell of gasoline and toxins still lingered in the air, but they were no longer produced. Midnight could hear the continuous whimpering of the animal his owner had brought. It was easier for Midnight to smell the animal, because most of the gasoline in the air had faded away. He was almost sure it was not a cat, but he still couldn’t tell. All of a sudden, his owner moved and opened the entrance of the metalroller, yabbering his confusing language. He had a carrier, with something alive inside. Midnight still couldn’t see what his owner had, but he was sure of it’s scent.
What is that? Why has my owner brought it? The cage was probably no bigger than Midnight, so whatever was inside of it must have been small and young. Midnight could see small colors of dandelion yellow, but it was mostly covered by the bars of the cage
Poor animal. Midnight thought. From what he could see and hear, it was shaking intensely. He even heard it bang on the bars of the cage it was carried in.
Midnight’s owner walked toward the entrance. His hairless head did not gleam in the night sky. His skin was peach colored. He was overweight, from Midnight’s perspective, and he wore a strange object on his face. His outfit was a striped jacket, and he wore a sweatshirt in the brisk weather.
A rush of wind passed through Midnight’s pelt as he waited for his owner. Midnight turned his head back to the entrance. It was red, unlike most of the burrow. The burrow itself was bright white in the day, but it looked unclean. Midnight would see mold on the burrow’s exterior as he trotted by. But at night, the burrow looked horrifying. It's large walls seemed to get more gray every second. The light’s near the entrance of the burrow would flicker unexpectedly, making Midnight jolt when he waited to get inside.
The scent of the gasoline was gone, so Midnight could depict the smell of the animal in the cage. It was in fact, a dog. Midnight sighed in relief.
At least it isn’t a replacement for me. Maybe this dog can befriend me, and we can make a great team trying to do my new plan. Midnight thought excitedly to himself. He had actually seen his owner get strange packages full of food, and even a bed. Midnight had thought it was for a replacement, or maybe a second cat. It was hard to tell.
After all those years of torture, and just waiting for a companion like the cat’s at the shelter, Midnight’s plan could finally work.
Midnight’s owner was practically at his side, opening the entrance and letting Midnight in. Midnight tried his best to look convincing, by purring with delight. His owner smiled, which made Midnight feel terrible about himself. The carrier his owner held was pebble-colored, with a strap that Midnight’s owner held it with. Midnight could hear the poor dog whimpering. By now, Midnight could smell that it was a female, and that it had been to many places. A lot of mysterious odors were all over the dog, some of which Midnight couldn’t even identify.
Hopefully, this new dog would like to escape. He thought to himself. If not, maybe she can try to help others.
Midnight trotted to his owner’s new location, which was in the food maker area. The smell of different gourmet greatling foods wafted in the area, but mostly the scent of new foods were stale. Midnight’s owner was not at his burrow often, but when he came back he usually smelled of greatling food, which led Midnight to believe that his owner ate elsewhere.
“Get me on the ground!” The puppy in the cage barked in fear. Her voice was high pitched, like a young greatling. Slowly, Midnight’s owner set the cage down and opened it's entrance. A small, bright yellow puppy dashed out of it. Midnight could barely see her. She was running through the whole burrow. Midnight tried his best to keep up with the quick beast. Her tongue flipped wildly.
Midnight could hear the greatling in the background, whose complex sounds were getting louder and louder. Midnight decided to join in. Tonight, he and this new puppy were going to cause mischief, for all the things his owner had done. Midnight took a different route than the pup, to try to catch up to her more easily. His route worked, and he was able to catch up to the pup, but barely. Thousands of different smells were wandering into his nose. The wind blowing in Midnight’s face made a loud, heavy sound, which Midnight enjoyed. Different colors and objects passed by him. His owner's speaking became more like background noise, as he and the new pup ran together. Midnight’s adrenaline was rising, and his heart was beating faster than he ever thought it could. A large sense of joy overwhelmed Midnight.
Midnight was having fun, which was a feeling he hadn’t gotten in a long time, and a feeling that was always welcome.
“Hey! Wait up, you're going too fast!” Midnight addressed to the new puppy.
“Sorry!” She called back, not looking at Midnight. She slowed her pace down so that Midnight could catch up.
Suddenly, both of them were being lifted in the air, by his owner. Midnight hated being picked up, but he wanted to hold on a bit longer so that he and the new puppy would be set down at the same time. Midnight’s owner yelled at them furiously, with shouts that made Midnight want to burn his ears out. Midnight could tell his owner wanted them to both stop the mischief, and because of that, Midnight knew they were going to get punished. Midnight felt nausea as his body was lifted up and down as his owner walked on his two legs. Midnight could barely open his eyes without feeling even more sick. But the feeling didn’t last forever. Now, the bobbing and moving had stopped, but Midnight was being lowered to the ground. Behind him, he abruptly heard the back entrance of the burrow slam shut.
Midnight could tell where he was before he even opened his eyes. He heard the puppy prance around beside him, and smelled her now-familiar scent. He heard the branches of trees sway in the wind, and he heard owls poking their heads out of their tree holes to whistle their nightsong. Midnight was outside, exactly where he didn’t want to be. Midnight was expecting to be asleep in his cloth by now, plotting his revenge, like he normally did in the night.
At least I’m not alone, Midnight thought to himself, trying to make his thought process a little more happier. Just one mistake, and all of Midnight’s happiness was washed away.
“Hello?” The puppy called to Midnight, sounding confused. “Can you please explain to me what is going on?” Midnight turned to face the puppy, for the first time. She was slender, and surprisingly thin. Her face, like the rest of her fur, was yellow-gold. But her eyes. At first, Midnight thought he was crazy, but he swore her eyes were magenta, like the colors of a sunset. Midnight had never seen a dog with magenta eyes, or a dog with any color besides brown for eyes in general.
“Er- yeah, I can.” Midnight was so lost in thought he could barely give an answer. Everything was happening so quickly. One day he was the soul animal of the house, sleeping on his bed and plotting revenge. Now, he had a chance to start his revenge. It was a chance he had never had before, and a chance he could not waste. But even through all the calculative planning, Midnight had never been so afraid about what he was now going to do. It never scared him before, since he didn’t have a way of doing it, but now he did. Revenge scared him a little, but he knew he would be a better cat for doing it.
“So?” The pup cocked her head, and looked around at the burrow’s small outdoor backyard. Old chairs were stacked on each other, leaning against the burrow. Besides a tree or two, that was basically the backyard.
“I think you’ve found an owner, but that's not really a good thing.” Midnight started strong, but his voice eventually trailed off. Midnight became slightly mad. The introduction to her new life would be hard to start, but he couldn’t lose focus. He had to be in the moment! This was what he had dreamed about, after all.
“An owner!” The pup yipped, sounding angry and surprised. “But I’m a loner! How could a type of dog like me, who was so used to not having an owner, be with one now? And since when did cat’s have owners too?” Her angry comment turned into a question. Midnight was excited for her bias against greatlings. It was exactly what he needed.
“Since always.” Midnight admitted. “Even when I was born, I was born in a shelter. Then I was taken away, and forced to live here. The cats I had met at the shelter said that their parents had to go to the shelter, just like them.”
“Whoa. When I was at the shelter, the dogs said usually every dog was forced to go to the shelter at some point in their life. I guess I was early, or maybe even late.” The puppy looked down at her paws, and took a deep breath. Midnight sensed hesitation within her. “I-I used to live with my mother before I became a loner. I don’t think she was ever at a shelter. But she said my father was from a puppy mill, whatever that is.” The puppy looked up at Midnight, her eyes were bright with curiosity now. Midnight knew it was best not to ask about her mother, at least until he had gained her trust. But that would be easy, since she was just a dog.
“What is your name?” Midnight asked.
“Maggie May.” Maggie May responded. “But everyone I know calls me Maggie. What about you?”
“I’m Midnight Moon, but everyone calls me Midnight.” Midnight looked at Maggie. He was extremely excited now. This was a big moment to him, another friend that he made. Suddenly, Maggie started giggling to herself. She fell onto the grass and started rolling in it, making her fur dirty. Now, she was laughing harder and harder.
“What's so funny?” Midnight asked. Was Maggie alright? I wouldn’t be surprised if she was crazy. Dogs are strange creatures, unlike cats. Midnight thought to himself.
Maggie laughed so hard, Midnight was pretty sure the ground was shaking. She finally managed to stop talking, and was barely able to sit back up.
“I just think it's funny how we both have names with two words, Middy.” She started laughing all over again, just not laughing as much as the first time. “I love it! That's your new name!”
Midnight shrank in embarrassment. What type of name was “Middy”? Should he try to get back at her, by calling her Mag?
No. I’m here to make a friend, not lose one. After all, she is just a puppy, and puppies don’t know any better. Midnight assured himself.
“Are you an aggressive dog?” Midnight asked, because he wanted to make sure she wouldn’t attack him, even though he regretted it immediately. Of course she’s not aggressive, she hasn’t attacked you yet. Midnight thought.
“Aggressive?” Maggie looked shocked, and heartbroken. She’s incredibly dramatic. Midnight thinked, almost rolling his eyes. “Middy, do you know a single thing about a dog? Dogs are never aggressive. They're all incredibly nice, if you ask me.”
How come she had never heard of an aggressive dog? How could she know so little about her species? Midnight thought to himself. Maybe it’s just a cat thing, since we are the dominant species.
“So, Mr. Middy, why did our owner lock us out? I thought they were better than the shelter,” asked Maggie.
Midnight couldn’t even control his rage and embarrassment anymore. He knew most of that rage was from his own stupidity, but he didn’t care. It felt good to get that energy out. “Do notever call me Middy, or Mr. Middy, ever again.” Midnight gritted his teeth in anger. He sighed, looking at the chaos his stupidity and anger brought him. Maggie looked hurt. Inside, Midnight could tell she was more confused. It’s too late. Midnight realized. I can’t fix this. I don’t know how to. I can only hope those hurt feelings are gone by the morning.“I’ll tell you about our owner in the morning. For now, let's just try to sleep.” Midnight was done with getting out his anger, for now.
“Ok.” Maggie spoke quietly. She sounded offended, but Midnight knew she would get used to it. All puppies get used to life, whether it's the easy way, or the hard way.
Midnight curled onto the blanket of cold grass and dirt. The temperature had barely even risen, and Midnight still felt chilly. He felt her eyes lay on him, but pretended not to notice. Midnight knew that looking back at Maggie would only cause another conversation. He heard her toss and turn. She was clearly not used to the outdoor ground, but so wasn’t he. Finally, the turning behind him stopped. He felt the ground shaking less and less.
Midnight looked up at the stars. He wasn’t in the mood for sleeping anymore. He was mad at himself. It was his big day. The big day he would impress and befriend a dog. It was the big day to introduce his plan, to...there wasn’t much of a point in thinking about it now. What's done was done, and he couldn’t stop it. Of course, his plan wasn’t done. He had multiple opportunities to do it in the future. Even with the rocky start, Midnight knew the future was better.
The stars were so bright, and it was impossible to sleep without complete silence. The crickets chirped extra loudly for Midnight’s enjoyment. Owls hooted. He heard rustles in the thickets of animals waiting to attack their prey, and prey waiting to be safe. A brush of wind made Midnight shiver. It was very cold outside. Normally, Midnight would expect to be inside. Although it was nice to be outside during a brisk day, being outside during a chilling night was unbearable.
Midnight decided to choose not to tolerate it, and that sleep was the best choice for now. He gently closed his eyes,expecing the dark embrace of slumber that led his consciousness down a smooth path. Abruptly, Midnight heard a piercing sound, followed by snoring. Midnight jumped in the air out of surprise.
Midnight frowned. He turned around, facing Maggie’s sleeping body. Her head was tucked between her front legs, and her tail was covering her face as well, most likely to keep warm. She also happened to be snoring very obnoxiously. Maggie’s puppy fur was probably thick enough for the cold not to bother her. Midnight sighed. A snoring puppy was not what he needed.
Midnight didn’t even bother trying to fall back asleep. He had been up for a while. Maybe when the moon was at his highest peak, he could come back. For now, Midnight wanted to have other things in mind. He climbed up the picket fence of his owner’s backyard, and leaped out onto the communal territory, where all greatlings were allowed to go as they pleased. Midnight found it strange. Just about no animals shared territory, especially animals that were the same species. Sure, cats and dogs made an exception, but Midnight knew that it was only because the fights between two cats or two dogs was easy to break up for a greatling. But Midnight still never understood how greatlings broke up their own fights. After all, they did still have territory, and the border fences were proof of it.
Midnight yawned. It was getting late, but he knew he didn’t want to just go back to sleep. He had a visit to pay. He crossed the black path, where the greatlings moved around with their metalrollers. Midnight bounded off into the moonlight. He walked for a really long time. His legs were achy after a while, and he was barely where he wanted to be. He followed the black path, but he was on the grass. The grass was cool from the most recent rain, but also a little wet. The wetness wasn’t overly stressful for Midnight. He had gone through much wetter grass before, and he made sure that only his paws touched the ground. Now, Midnight was passing large buildings. Greatlings were inside, speaking to each other. He trotted forward, until he eventually came to the shelter. The shelter was close to where many of the greatlings were.
Midnight got on his hind legs, and leaned on the window sill. He saw the cats, all in cages next to each other vertically, sleeping. Midnight still remembered those days vividly. He didn’t want to be there. None of the cats or dogs inside did. He had heard of abandoned cats that greatlings found and rescued, and that they were thankful for it. But for cats like Midnight, who had been in greatling care their whole lives, and who hadn’t thankfully seen as worse as those cats, hated their life, with burning agony. And not everyone got the happy home, Midnight had proof of it. All those hours of sitting in a cage, exactly like the shelter. But this time, it was at home. Midnight was fed on a regular basis, with putrid food, but he wasn’t ever let outside of the cage. Midnight thought it was because he scratched some sort of furniture once. His own owner wouldn’t let him run free, until one day, a strange miracle happened. Midnight’s owner, out of nowhere, let him outside, to run free. Maybe it was a change in heart, but Midnight didn’t care. He only saw his owner as what he once did, rather than what his owner did to him now. So Midnight understood exactly what those cats were going through, and he thought about it everyday, and how to help them. The cats at the shelter were nice to him, they were the only home he ever had there. Even if most of his old friends were gone, Midnight had to make it up to them. He had to save the new cats from the torture, before they became as broken as Midnight. He had the power.
“I will avenge you. All of you.” Midnight mewed at the window, to all the sleeping cats.
Midnight stared at the window, looking at the poor cats. Suddenly, the cat in the cage next to the window sat up. Midnight must have awoken him while he was sleeping. Since Midnight could see his full colors more clearly, he could tell what the cat looked like. The cat had a long, bushy tail. His main colors were mostly pearl white but he had hazel brown and ginger red spots all over his fur. His amber eyes had sparks of yellow.
“Hello?” He asked quietly, looking over at Midnight. Midnight heard him move around a little, trying to get in a comfortable position to have a conversation in. Midnight could tell he wasn’t afraid, but mostly curious. Midnight guessed that he was about two annuals.
“I didn’t hear what you were saying, I was sleeping.” The tone of the cat's voice sounded light pitched, with a strong edge to it. The cat was looking at the night sky, and Midnight assumed that he was checking how high the moon was. It wasn’t far from its highest point, but definitely not close. Though the glass barrier shielded them apart, Midnight could hear the cat just fine. Midnight looked at the stars. They were close to each other, and incredibly beautiful. Different colors, purple and blue, made perfect companions to the compact night sky. Midnight saw sparks of orange in the dark sky as well. Midnight always wondered why the night sky was so bright, and full of color. Most importantly, Midnight wondered where the sky lights came from. He heard they were very rare, but he saw them year round. Midnight watched as they slowly moved. The sky lights were all sorts of colors, but mostly bright green. They only appeared at night though. Midnight was thankful for his beautiful night sky. Apparently, there were some places where cats couldn’t even see a single star at night. Midnight didn’t believe those old tales though.
“Don’t worry, I didn’t say anything bad.” Midnight assured the cat.
“Did you ever know anyone who escaped this place?” The cat asked. His ears perked sideways as he faced Midnight.
“No, even I tried. It's extremely hard.” Midnight sighed, remembering his personal experience. “It’s hard to be a loner these days. Usually a greatling finds you and takes you here, thinking that they “rescued you.” I had to learn that I should just stay around my owner, so another greatling doesn’t think I’m a loner and take me here again. Unless…” Midnight's voice trailed off. He wasn’t really sure about what he was going to say.
“Unless what?” The cat asked, perhaps looking for the one place he could be a loner without greatlings taking him.
“Unless you go into the forest.” Midnight finished. “B-but I don’t advise you do! It’s too dangerous. Predators lurk everywhere. For a cat as young as you, you’d be lucky you even lived there for a month or two alone. Living there would be like a whole new lifestyle, having to deal with lots of predators and food scarcity often.”
“Do you think there's another place a loner could go, besides the forest?” The cat asked.
There was only one other place Midnight was unsure of, but it was probably the safest option. The other options he thought of were originally made by greatlings, but then abandoned as they expanded their empire. There were usually tons of mice and rats there, but not much else. Of course, it was possible to climb a tree and get a squirrel, but that was about as big as the prey there could get. Midnight wouldn’t want to live there. The abandoned wastelands smelled terrible, and were sometimes even destroyed by greatlings. Also, once all the rats and mice were killed, there would be none left, and this poor cat would have to wander again for another home.
“The plains.” Midnight mewed. “It's a large area, with mainly tall grass, and a stream as well. It’s near the forest, so there are many trees there. Usually wild mice and sometimes rats are there. It's possible to get squirrels as well. Maybe even a bird, if you had wings.” Midnight chuckled at his joke. The cat gave a small smile. “But it's extremely unguarded. There aren’t any strong scents there, so a predator coming from the forest could sniff you out. Also, if you fell into the stream, or it happened to start raining, there wouldn’t be anything you could put yourself under, besides a lone tree. You would have a wet pelt. Also, I would advise you not to go that far into the plains. If you wanted, although there is never prey there, a flower field is close by. But beyond that, is a small greatling burrow. Their territory runs far. I’d advise you to stay away from that. There's also a mountain range if you want to take a multiple day trip to it. I don't know exactly what's on the other side of mountains, but I think it may be oceanside. Of course, I’m sure there's much more that is-”
“Is it possible for me to hunt fish in the stream?” The young cat asked, cutting to the chase.
“Possibly. I haven’t tried yet, but it's a good idea. The streams are most likely small though, probably with small fish and frogs.” Midnight answered.
“You make me hungry. The rations the greatlings serve look and taste like animal droppings. How did you make it through?” The cat asked, looking down at his pearl white paws. He sighed. “I miss the days when I was a happy loner.”
“I was born here. I have vague memories of my mother and my siblings, but we were separated when we were barely kittens. The cats here helped me stay calm. They're good friends. I eventually was given an owner. But, he wasn’t very nice. He still doesn’t treat me well.” Midnight answered. “But don’t worry, you’ll get out of here soon, trust me.”
“Great words of enthusiasm. But if you are right, I assume it's just luck.” The cat sighed, and moved onto his belly. He seemed more depressed as Midnight mentioned escape. Midnight didn’t want to let him down.
“I know you will. I’ll make it happen.” Midnight mewed.
“What? How?” The cat asked in surprise and a twinge of anger. Midnight had to convince this cat that he was telling the truth, and not just trying to amuse himself using this younger cat. He must have not really been expecting to escape soon.
“I have a plan. It involves your keys, and the dog that was adopted recently.” Midnight mewed.
“That dog? What was her name, Maggie May? Yeah, I heard her from all the way on the other side of the shelter. She would talk to other dogs all night. It drove me and most of the other cats trying to sleep insane. She was here for about one month or so. And when she was asleep, she would be snoring. That was just as annoying. I feel bad saying this, but I’m sort of okay with her being gone. I knew that I smelled her scent on you, though. How is she?” The cat certainly had a lot to say, just like Maggie.
“She’s good. She says she was a loner, but even I know that was never true. Maggie is sort of angry about being a pet, but she’ll be alright. I hope.” Midnight spoke.
“Before you go, what's your name?” The cat asked.
“I’m Midnight. And you?”
“Dakota.”
“Dakota, this is goodbye for now. I promise I'll rescue you, and you’ll never have to live this way again. I don’t know when that is, but I know it will be soon. And if you are adopted, I hope your owner isn’t as bad as mine. If you smell Maggie and me coming in, you’ll know that you're about to escape. It just would have to be quick. Then you can go into the plains. I promise this to you.” Midnight stated and put his paw to the window, as if trying to touch Dakota. He saw Dakota’s spotted front leg touch the glass just where Midnight’s paw would be. Dakota was still stuck in a cage, so it was hard for him to move there.
“Midnight, thank you!” Dakota called quietly. Midnight felt Dakota became confident, and more at peace.
Midnight heard Dakota shuffle back into a sleeping position as Midnight trotted next to the concrete path, on the grass. Midnight knew what he had to do, for all those poor cats and dogs. Midnight had a plan that would avenge them. He had the power. 178Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYvPXhQhNZF
