[Askoga]: 89.Snippets.Kiera's Accounts.27Dec08

December 27, 2008

Even though it was Saturday morning, I was awoken at dawn by the farmer and his preteen son in the barn. The two were feeding the horses, and chatting about the work for the day. I rose, stretched in the most wonderful way that only cats can do, and jumped down, twining myself around the boy's legs and purring. I felt bad about having to charm people like this for food, but it did seem to be a good way to get it. Having grass again wasn't all that appealing to me, besides which, cows are boring conversationalists.

The boy bent down to pet me, then lifted me in his arms, holding me close to his chest. He turned to his dad, pleasure in his voice as he said, “Look, dad! Isn't she pretty?”

The father glanced over and replied, “Yes, son, now put her down and finish your chores.”

The boy set me back on the ground, and gave me one last pet before turning back to his work. “If she's still here tonight, can we leave some food out for her?”

“Sure, son, but she'll probably be gone by then. Cats don't hang around too long unless they're cared for.”

I curled up in a sunny patch on top of the hay, but out of the way, and watched the two work. Eventually, I got up, stretched again, and sauntered out to look around the farm. I figured I could do the farmer a favor, and get some food in the meantime, by hunting mice for him. So, I spent most of my day hunting down the little rodents. I kept a careful eye out for Derek, afraid that he'd figure out where I'd gone.

While I was hunting, I glanced down at the white patch of fur on the back of my left paw and growled at it unhappily. Briefly, I focused all of my energy on it, on changing its color, but I couldn't get it to be quite the same color as the rest of my fur. It was a futile attempt, I knew, but I'd always tried periodically to get rid of my special markings. I also wouldn't be able to get rid of the “freckles” across my nose.

By evening, I had caught three mice, and I was feeling pretty satisfied with myself. I made my way back to the barn, where I found a dish of milk and a bit of fish left out for me. I purred as I ate it all up, then leaped back into the loft where I curled up once more to sleep for the night. I knew I'd have to leave the next day, and it made me sad that I wouldn't be able to stay anywhere for long.