little Rivers of thoughts

the beginning of everything part 1

No one really knows how it happened, one day we're all minding our own business then a blast that covered the globe for a week and afterwards we found our DNA changed and mixed with animals.

No one knew what animal traits their body would take or even how it was chosen but what we did know is we would never be the same.

After the big boom life slowly went back but with some changes, now the people with the rarest animal traits ruled while those who are more common tended to be middle and lower class.

This is where my story begins, lower class black cat traits are still seen as bad luck and it would seem I was for my family of 10, we were all cat trait but unlike my father and 3 older brothers I wasn't a pack lead cat (loins,cugar, cheetah) or beta lead (linx, Puma, lioness and leopard) like my sisters and mother, Nope, I ended up with housecat traits: A black housecat.

Because of me, my father was let go from his job and couldn't find another but my family loved me and were extremely optimistic people so they set up an everything gas station at the end of the bridge leading out of the city into the 700 mile desert, another aftermath of the big boom and if you weren't prepared before heading out, even driving, there's a good chance you'd never be seen alive again, we had rooms for rent, food and water, washing machines and dryers, everything someone would need before crossing and it was a very big success!

My father always told me, I was the best luck charm to the family but I still i hid my ears and tail when I leave my room to help customers.

As usual my day started with waking up and attempting to tame my curly black unruly hair after a quick shower then tying my fluffy ears in a bandana to hide them and wrapping my fluffy tail around my abdominal and pulling my pants up over it.

It wasn't comfortable at all and I had to be careful how I sat down and moved as it really messed with my balance and if I sit down wrong I can accidentally dislocate my tail, happened before.

Today I helped do the dishes, run the kitchen and helped fix one of our speed dryers, it will dry your clothes in 5 minutes!... if I can get the door to latch! It was one of three dryers and with how fast people moved through we needed all working.

I ran up the stairs to were a woman zebra trait was calling for assistance but I had to shake off my little sister first.

She and her twin were both pumas but they showed few traits being so young at the age of 4 and most traits solidify at the age of 7.

Nina had been uncharacteristically needy but only for me, she followed me since I woke up and kept grabbing my legs and crying when I told her to go play with Nani her twin who was currently playing with my older brother.

"NINA! I can't work like this! Wh-No no don't cry, why don't you go play with John? Or Zima? Where's mom?" I asked her as I placed the hamper of clothes down and picked up a hysterical Nina

"No leaf nus! Pretty yanyan take yu awe" Nina said and I was able to make it out as 'No leave us. Pretty YanYan(?) Is taking you away' I never figured out what a yanyan, was but I figured she meant my mated? But I'd never felt the pull nor had my first heat, my body just ignored its puberty so I stayed slender and short with an abundance of floofy hair.

I carried Nina down starts through the winding halls and cut through the market part of the gas station and up the stairs that led to our humble little apartment and into the kitchen.

"MOM MOOOOOOM! can you take Nina?" I asked as she pulled on my bandana while she cried for me not to leave.

I pushed the door open with my back talking about how Nina wouldn't leave me alone to work and not understanding why no one was responding till I turned around and was faced with my father looking horribly upset with my mother standing behind his kitchen chair staring at me in horror and across from them four armed men stood around a tall human looking man with long gray hair and beautiful features almost as if he was a mythical elven creature or Fae.

Did he not have any animal trait?! What was this extremely dangerous man doing in my house?

"Um m-mom?" I whispered but she shook her head in a short tense shake.

"He's a black cat?" Came a gravely voice that shook me to my bones... in a good way.

Fuck his voice is sexy.

Then without another word the tall man stood up and swept past me with his entourage of armed men followed.

" Can- can he do that?" My mother's shaky voice broke through the stuned silence as she slid to the floor

"What's happening?" I asked as I put Nina down.

"That-that man is a collector of those with unique traits, I suppose he's going through the desert and wanted us to sign a disclosure but then Nina had mentioned last night that you were a black cat" he sniffed as tears began to fall from his eyes as he looked at me "he basically said we had to sell you to him, we told him she was mistaken and we told her that if she spoke about you again he'd take you, he was ready to leave just now until-until you walked in and he saw your e- ears" he sobbed and so much made sense.

I was already asleep when the man had visited them to sign the disclosure and that's why Nina was so upset today, she knew that person was going to try and take me.

"can we just tell him I don't want to go?" I said as backed up

"No he could ruin us, have us all sent to the mines, we can all leave! Right now! Go tell your brothers and sisters to pack what they can carry" my mother shrieked with my father nodding in agreement but when I opened the door a tall armed man was standing in our hallway.

He said nothing but I knew he heard everything, so I slowly shut the door and whispered to my family it's OK, I'd go. They worked to hard for everything that we had and no one would hire my family with a black cat member.

This is my home but I'd willingly leave it to protect my family.

The next day I woke up and as soon as I left my room two armed me were waiting as my family stood on the other side side of the hall, my brothers both growled at the armed men blocking their path to me.

I gave them a sad smile and wave as I followed the men to a limo as Nina's crys filled the morning air.

End part 1