The Black Cat

Chapter 2 Erin

My left eye opened as a ridiculously loud door slammed. My right opened after something rudely tugged at the tip of my tail extension. I yowled and hissed at a young hand belonging to a boy inches from me.

I restrained myself from clawing him, but I did flick him with my tail. "Have you no sense boy!" I lurched forward and hid myself among the hedge branches near the porch of the house. From there I saw the source of the noise. The scene in the driveway was almost painted into the memory of my mind.

"Are you sure you have everything?" a quick and frantic voice hissed lowly. "Clara?"

"Yeah." A woman ducked inside of the car and turned around. "Wait...where's Renold?"

Once again the baby crawled into view and pointed at me. He laughed and stuck his hand into the bush. I pushed his hand away from a thorn . "Little one! Go to your mother!" I backed away as the father approached the bush and picked up the boy. The baby cried loudly and kicked meaning for it to hurt.

"Hey!" the man shouted. "We are doing this for you! Do you want a family? Do you want a mother? Do you want to have to grow up a thief and be sent away?"

The boy he was incriminating was less than a year old. Barely able to speak, the boy called for his mother who treated him far nicer than he did. "Ma ma."

I purred as I evaluated the scene carefully. The man's voice was diffidently the thief from yesterday. He had a wife and a son; Why would he steal knowing if caught it would cost him dearly? He seems like the type to just leave the child somewhere and never come back.

I watched the grey car wheel out of sight without a second thought. "Why leave so quickly Thief?"

"Thief?"

I turned around and glared at a orange tabby cat. "What do you want?"

The tabby's green eyes fixed on me. "A black cat." The cat snickered and flicked his orange tail in front of my face as I climbed out of the only thorny hedge bush. "How odd. I haven't seen you here before. I've seen you up town before though. I believe they called you...Emily?"

That's right. The Cleverlands did call me that. Hmm, I haven't been to them in a while. Besides, I am hungry.

I began to quickly skip down the side walk, but the orange tabby joined my side. "Mind if I come too friend? My name's Oliver."

"I'm-."

"A stray I know-," he said a matter-of-factly.

"No," I said with a slight grin. "I'm feral."

"Oh a feral kitty! Tell me missy, why are you tagging? One family here, another there- I couldn't handle it. Tell you what, come with me for the rest of the day. My owner is far much better from your- the lower class."

I stopped at the last sentence he said. "Owner? How is it even okay with you! To have a permanent label on you? Disgusting!" I nudged him with my paw. I couldn't even stand him being next to me.

"It's better than being a shared girl among all."

I tensed up and Oliver purred as he began to cross the street. "I will kill you if you dare disrespect me." I hissed and glared at him with my shiny blue eyes.

He turned back and looked at me. He gave a very small grin. "Tough and innocent huh? You're a pure fighter? Yes ma'am, innocent too! Follow me Snowbelle." He finished crossing the street and he awaited me eagerly.

"Don't call me that!" I snarled.

"Then what's your name?" He watched me curiously as I quickly dashed across the street. He kept walking, but slow enough for me to catch up.

Once I made it to the side of the tabby, I figured up a random, but respectable, name for me. "Call me...Erin."

"Tough girl Erin," he flicked me with his tail and purred, "has a bell to it don't it?"

"Little hellions! Kill the child! I don't care anymore! Drown him! It's getting on my nerves. These kids...they are connection to the strings of the heart. Cut it and the person is either relieved or dead!"

I looked at Oliver as I followed behind him and dropped down to the ledge outside of an open window. "Who's that?" I whispered afraid. I crept along the building only looking at the orange tail that danced around dangerously.

"My owner, Marcilo Delic." Oliver slipped in through the window and yowled. "He's a sweetie Erin, come on it. My invitations."

I slowly turned the corner and rested my eyes on a slender Italian man still dressed in his work suit. He had menacing black eyes and slick demeanor about him. He looked harmless, but it changed when I looked at the walls of the room. "Oliver-."

"Oliver! You devil! Where have you been?" The Italian snatched Oliver from the floor and cradled him closely. "We are nearing are days here Olive, meaning you shouldn't go as far from now on."

"Oliver," I cried again only louder. The walls were littered with high profile guns. Unlike anything I have ever seen before. They were all types of colors and sizes. "Oliver!"

Oliver turned to me and purred. "Look human, I brought a friend." Oliver wiggled from his owner's hug and climbed to the window sill. "See? Harmless.  Marcilo, this is Erin.  Erin, this is Marcilo." Oliver jumped from my side to the zig zag black and white carpet. "Come down Erin! Nothing to be afraid of."

Marcilo chuckled as he stood up and walked to the window. "Aw, you brought a little one? Is this to whom you've been going to?" Marcilo gently stroke my neck and lifted my head. "No collar either? Oliver, did you bring in a stray?"

"No Marci, she's feral." Oliver sat on top of his owner's desk and watched Marcilo carefully. "Get on with it Marci, the night is young. Erin, come in."

Marcilo lifted me up and shut on side of the double shuttered window. He set me on the floor. "Well, as far as I'm concerned, she can stay. I have better things to attend too. "

Oliver purred and leapt towards the door. "Come on Erin, have you ever heard of television?"