Bikkit, Stacie and another other characters are made up, and are in no way related to any other real life people or characters. Any resemblances are purely coincidental.
'Didn't you say "Forever"?' is a short story telling the journey of Bikkit, a lonesome kitten who believes her owner discarded her into the world. She slowly changes to adapt, her soft sweet kitten personality changing to match the cruelty of the dark town she must now embrace as her home.
The kittens pounced around their mother on the soft green grass, trying to find a weak point to force her down from her proud upright pose. She forced one of the little kittens down with her left paw, keeping it down as she softly attacked the rest of her kittens with her tail, giving them the fight of their lives. They jumped, dived, sprang and hopped around her, but she never gave up her conflict-ready position. "Come to Mommy sweetie!" Stacie called, picking up her favorite kitten from the light dew-swept ground. Stacie was only six years old, close to turning seven. "I have something for you!" fumbling in her pocket for something. The kitten extended its head, gently bobbing it around as she tried to peer into the dark pocket to see what her owner had for her.
"It's a name tag!" Stacie smiled, finally retrieving the round metallic tag. It shone brightly as she held it up by the collar, swaying against the soft breeze, casting a sharp jolt of sunlight in Stacie's eyes. "It's for you! It says Bikkit!" she delicately held Bikkit's head as she entwined the brown collar around its neck, and with a small 'click!' sound, Bikkit was free to move her head once more. "Now you are Bikkit!" tenderly picking up the little kitten, and hugging her, the overwhelming kitten aroma filling Stacie's senses. Stacie had placed the collar securely around Bikkit's neck, bonding the tag to the soft grey fur that kitten was covered in. She pushed her head hard against Stacie's chest, relaxing in her unwavering embrace. "I will love you forever.." Stacie whispered, as she lightly planted a kiss on Bikkit's now slightly ruffled fur.
Bikkit fell to the ground as Stacie let her arms collapse. Landing gracefully on her feet as Stacie ran, her laughter spilling as she happily bounded against the firm ground. Bikkit was overcome with excitement, following Stacie, and hastily changing direction running in the opposite direction, trying to entice her to follow. Bikkit had to go further, so she dashed outside the pale white fence without looking back to Stacie, or Bikkit's mother, furiously licking the dirt tightly gripping onto one of the kittens tails.
Bikkit ran past high raised posts, past adoring children as they 'aww'ed at her, Bikkit narrowly evading their attempts to grab at her. She stopped and looked behind her, Stacie must have been hiding! She kept scampering across the hard concrete path, the small decayed holes slowing her down as she tried to keep her flimsy legs straight. She ran down a side road, finding shelter under a small box, where Stacie would never find her! Or even Bikkit's mother! She lay down, so that her eyes could see just through the bottom opening of the box. She readied her paw at the edge, waiting for the laced up pink shoes to pass by so she could attack them with her deadly claws!
An hour passed, and Bikkit hadn't let go of her stance. She had tensed at every step that went past in the street, until she finally had had enough of the waiting. She crawled out, the box lifting slightly as her belly dragged across the wet slippery muck on the ground. The alley stunk of dead cuisine, rotted food lying under more rotted food, rats circling the trashbins to scavenge anything that once breathed life, or was once considered edible. Bikkit sniffed hungrily, looking over to the stash the rats had gathered in a small pile, ready to be transported back to the family. A small deposit of blackened fruit, mouldy bread with unrecognizable spreads and stale meats lay idle, as the rats hunted around for more delectable treats.
The food sat there, a cautious kitten stalking it, licking her lips at the piece of raw beef lying dormant on the moist ground. Silently, her paws treaded the strong ground, making sure not to slosh in the small puddles formed by the previous night. Bikkit moved across the puddles, the reflection meeting the touch of her paw, following every step. Her nose trailed gently across the food pile, it smelled rancid, disabling Bikkit's senses as she hit the top food away with a swipe of her paw. Several large rats saw the movement, and met Bikkit's bright blue eyes, heads tilting as their tiny minds trying to comprehend the presence of their food's predator. Bikkit pawed into the food pile, scraping away the lesser foods to try and follow the wafting scent of meat. She continued prying away at the small food pile, cake icing and syrup making sure her claws couldn't be used. A large rat seemingly slithered over to her, his feet scuttling so fast that they nearly lit a fire against the resisting concrete.
The rat nudged Bikkit in the side, and she ignored the sharp jab of it's pointed nose, resolute in her attempts to unclothe the meat from it's cover. The rat grunted angrily as it rammed its flat head forcefully into Bikkit's side, staggering her slightly. She hit him gently on the head, and tried to go for the food again. The rat glared at her as she passed by, and bit her foot, making her hiss softly, backing from the rat. She sunk lower to the ground, and flipped her ears back, proceeding to snarl faintly at the looming beast. The rat was nearly the same size as her, and had an extremely bloated belly. His head was only a quarter the size of his body, and his nose appeared scrunched up, as if he had run into walls in frequent occasions. The rat lurched forward at Bikkit, biting her on the nose. Bikkit flung backwards, bounding off as the rats swarmed the food, feasting on the foul fodder that law scattered in the alley, that Bikkit refused to glance back into, as she darted out into the open street.
The night was approaching, several stars making appearances as the sky was veiled with the dark blanket, the sounds of the city dying to, to let the exhausted blue drift off into a nocturnal slumber.
Bikkit toddled through the dark street, lamp posts flickering as their spotlight faded gently, casting not enough light for the people walking by to see the young kitten. Bikkit saw a park up ahead, and the kind memory of Stacie's playful games amongst the trees filled Bikkit's mind, and she focused on the park, not noticing the gentle trickling of rain coming from the clouds above. The large metallic gate lay infront of her, locked tight to prevent people entering at the late hour. The closest lamp post omitted just enough light for Bikkit to see a small dug-in hole tunneling under the steel barrier, and she squeezed under.
The park didn't contain the same feel she experienced when she was last there. Bikkit stopped to look, peering around her as confusion filled her mind. lifting her right leg, she turned as far as she could to the left, looking back to the fence. It was the same fence. These were the same trees, and this was the same dirt path. Forgetting the moment, Bikkit ran into the trees, dodging around, imagining the laughter of Stacie's attention filling the atmosphere. She ran across, to the next set of trees, and saw Stacie lying down near to the big oak, a few metres from where she stood.
Bikkit made her way, gleefully sprinting to reach Stacie. The joyous cries dominated her mind, the dark night dissipating against the happiness Bikkit felt. As she got closer, Stacie appeared to be bigger. Bikkit inspected the body, smelling strongly of Stacie's Dad when he returned late at nights. The body belonged to a man, with a scruffy beard and dark brown hair, appearing black at the night that had returned to her vision. Bikkit had seen this man before, Stacie called him 'Homeless Man'. Bikkit walked around to his face, nudging him, quietly meowing into his face, the sound carrying to meet his ears with no response. Bikkit's hard rough tongue crossed his beard, the faint taste of food painfully reminding her of food, her silver food bowl coming to mind. As she continued to lick the man's face, he stirred, as the continuing rain became stronger.
"What's this?"
He awoke to Bikkit's bright blue eyes so full in the night, that they brightened up the few inches infront of her. "A sweet kitten" scratching beneath Bikkit's chin, the cat experienced the feeling she had missed for her few hours alone, affection. She purred vigorously, creating a smirk from Homeless Man. "Bikkit. Cute name" he whispered under his hoarse throat, stirring small parts of his neck about. They shared the single beautiful moment before a large lightning bolt cracked, illuminating the entire park, which was followed by the rolling of thunder. Bikkit was terrified, and fled away from Homeless Man, leaving him cold and alone once more.
Several days passed, and Bikkit was left to the cruel world, sharing beds with bugs and dead mice, living off the hidden remainders of rat-cleared trash. Bikkit learnt to watch for the rats, they kept a looped schedule of bins they marched to, wiping them clean of food, so they thought. Bikkit had become dirty from the consistent downpour, mud forming hard in the skin, then loosened by the rain, then hardened once more. She never gave up searching for Stacie, holding onto the knowledge that she too would want to find her, to hold her in her arms once more. Bikkit had found that she could easily sneak up and eat happily from other cat bowls within the large spacious city. Bowls of fine quality were overflowing with cat meat, biscuits or fish, and adorned the back steps of most houses. She was able to eat every night.
Her fur had gone hard, waxed from the thick dirt hidden next to her skin, manipulating the appearance of Bikkit. Her whiskers were bent out of shape, and her kitten aroma was replaced by one of an offensive rating. Bikkit resembled a wildy tom cat, but smaller, and less menacing with her pure blue eyes, and name tag that represented her as a loved cat. Bikkit licked her fur, bobbing her head up and down as her rough pink tongue glided across her stiff fur. She tried hard to clean herself, but didn't succeed, even in the slightest. She began to wash her face, and her paw gently tapped the silver tag on her collar, the prolonged build up of decay finally giving in, and the tag fell to the ground, rolling slowly across the ground.
The Kitten growled at the coin, walking after it as it trailed on the slight downward slop. The tag rolled down to meet the gutter grate, and a paw slammed down to meet it, metal clanking metal as the silver tag was saved. Kitten lifted his grip, and the tag dropped down the dark whole, with a splash ringing out. Kitten meowed long and hard, the loss of her name being but another thing since Stacie, and her old life. Kitten curled up in a ball, and fell asleep as it was now early morning.
The dark afternoon sun was the first thing Kitten awoke to. The second thing was the view of a girl, it was Stacie! It had to be! Kitten followed her, and as they walked down familiar road, they passed the house with the pale white fence. She peered in, to see.. None other than Stacie.. The Kitten let out a small cry of success, and it sounded a lot like a dying pig. The noise attracted the attention of Stacie, and she poked her head over the gate. Stacie's face went from joy, to utter disgust. "Eww, get away stinky cat!" She cried, throwing a pebble down near Kitten's paw. She stood against the gate to look at Stacie, unsure of why she was gathering another pebble. "Scram!" Stacie screamed at Kitten, stepping back as she recognized the voice as a scold. "Get lost, filthy kitten!" She shouted, throwing a pebble that met with Kitten's face. The pain swept over her like a gushing hot wave, and she fled away from Stacie, into the life she had been living..
Several weeks passed, and Kitten has become a cruel, nasty kitten. She got rid of the large rat that intimidated her, finally tracking him by visiting the loop of points the rat-mobsters had hit. She discharged any desire to see her family again, and she gave up on herself, most of all. Kitten hadn't purred for days upon days, and she became feared by local animals for her ferocity.
It was a dark night, and Kitten strolled the streets of her city, receiving scared glances from passing animals, none that dared interact with her. She was in front of a large gate, and lowering her head, she found a small tunnel hole beneath it. She squeezed through, and strolled in despite the locked gate.
A migrating group of Black Birds inhabited the high Oak tree that was the centre of Kitten's loss. She climbed it with great skill, finding her way to the top, the tree softly swaying it's branches in the soft breeze that blew through the park. Several Black Birds spun their heads to see her, their beaks flying open to terrorize Kitten, and protect their litters. The force of their prodding beats killed any thoughts of resistance, being so sharp and pointed, drawing small amounts of blood. One of the larger Black Birds flew in front of Kitten, and screamed loudly in her soft grey face, making her topple over and out of the tree.
The world seemed to fall slowly with Kitten, the motion blurred world around her spinning as she dropped toward the widening ground. She attempted to turn so that her feet would meet it on impact, but it couldn't happen. It wouldn't happen. She imagined the warmth she felt playing with Stacie, the love Kitten took from her equally loving Mom. Stacie had moved on, and Kitten needed let go of the fast change of her short life; the brisk love and admiring touches of her friend. The last thing she had to lose was her life, and she was only metres away from the ground, seconds later she rapidly sunk into the cold hands, embracing what had come for her.
"I've got you Bikkit.. Don't worry.." the kitten let loose a soft purr in reply, pushing her head hard against Homeless Man's chest.