Paws

Chapter 2

 When I came to, I found myself lying in the bed that I have come to know so well. I was confused because I had lost consciousness outside with another cat and now I am in Mr. Brun's house. I looked around to find that Henry was sitting at the table munching on a sandwich. I sniffed the air and smelled only his scent. Slowly, I jumped off the bed and leaped onto the kitchen table. I stared at Henry for about five minutes, before he looked up from his sandwich. We had a nice staring contest, but of course me being so skilled, I won. I watched his every move as he went to get the cereal from the cabinet. Placing a bowl with milk in front of me, he filled it with Lucky Charms. I quickly started to devour the cereal. My head was almost all the way down in the bowl. My fur was damp from the milk that surrounded the food. 

When I finally came up for air, my gaze fell on Henry who was trying to hide the fact that he was laughing. The key word is "trying" because he was doing a horrible job at it. Not only was his chuckling loud, he was also about to fall out of his chair. I gave him my best glare that silenced his laughter and I could see him gulp in fear. Giving him a little hiss that made his flinch, I leaped over to the window. I sat there cleaning my fur and smoothing it. As I cleansed myself, I thought about the male cat. Was it a dream? And if not, how come I never smelled his scent anywhere in the cabin? How did I even get back to the cabin? I might be smaller then him, but not small enough to carry by the scruff of my fur all the way back to the cabin. My thoughts started to trail off thinking about his pelt and how soft and silky it was. The color of the fur really made his eyes pop! Oh his eyes, how they shine like the stars- wait a minute. Wait just a minute. I don't even know if he is real, much less one of me. What if he was just a regular cat? The worst would be if he were a figment of my imagination. Oh my god, What if I had dreamed him up? I would hate that because then I would have just made an imaginary friend.

My brain-ramble was cut off, when Henry cleared his throat loudly. My head snapped over to the door where he was standing. He stood there with a clean outfit and an axe. I realized that he had taken a shower, while I was in thought. He gave me a small wave and then left, locking the door on the way out. I guess I wasn't going to work with him today. I watched him through the window as he departed into the woods.

Once he was out of sight, I jumped down from the windowsill on to the soft plush grass. My bones shifted a bit as my tarsal bones fall into place, giving me a type of shock absorber. My claws unsheathed themselves, tearing through the bandages as I gripped the earth beneath me. Since I was not an ordinary cat, my ability to heal was a lot faster. Therefore, my claws had grown back, and I had no traces of cuts on my paws. Looking up from the ground, I scanned the forest around me. I could smell multiple scents, but one that I inhaled was the essence of pine that had a tang of cinnamon. My nose twitched a bit as I drew in the fragrance. It was captivating and I just couldn't get enough of it. I wanted more and I needed to know who or what produced this scent. Unconsciously, my feet started to move on thier own accord. I followed the trail of pine and cinnamon through the forest. I started to walk faster as the smell became more intense. I was leaping over branches and rocks that got in my way. In front of me, I could see an opening to the forest. I was at a full out sprint as I came to the edge of the clearing.

The sun shown bright in the sky as it fell upon me as I emerged from the dark forest. The field was littered with roses of all colors. Blues, reds, whites, and yellows all popped out making the sun seem even brighter. The perfumes that came off these flowers over powered my scenes and made my head dizzy. Carefully, I walked through the maze of roses, trying not to trample them. My tail was swishing back and forth, catching some of the pollen that rested on the inside of the flowers. Luckily, I was just tall enough to see over the flowers' heads. If I wasn't, then I would have gotten lost in the field of roses.

I reached the center of the clearing and I could smell the mystery aroma was all around. Surprisingly, I could smell the scent over all of the fumes that came from the floras. The odor had changed into one that was filled with a type of aftershave that smelled of apples. It smelled manlier then before. I knew it was the same scent because it had a trace of pine and cinnamon. I inhaled deeply once again to figure out which way the trail went. Leading me in the opposite direction that I had come from.

Leaving the clearing, I tracked the scent further into the forest and away from home. I trekked through mud and bushes blindly trying to find the source of this intriguing scent. I was like a cheetah going for the kill as I continue to search. The trees were no match for me, I just bounced off of them and continued on. My claws came out to grip the ground as I sprung from the dirt, just to land on another chunk of the earth. My ears twitched as birds cawed from behind and in front of me. My head bobbed from side to side as my legs carried me across the forest floor.

When the forest came to an end, the sun was low in the sky. There was no clearing this time. Right in front of me was a stone house that was about two stories from what I could see. The stones were multiple greys. There were windows that were wielded into the stone. The doors were made of glass and in the same design as the windows. Some parts of the outer wall had ivy crawling up the side. On the right side of the house, I could see stairs that led to a porch. There was a ford explorer vehicle in the driveway, informing me that someone was home.

The scent led straight into the house and being curious as always, I headed to the front door. I knew I should have just turned back and went home, but I was far to in my investigation to let this go. I had to know who owns this intoxicating scent. Reaching the door, I peeked in and saw a hallway with some pictures of people. There was a small table by the door that harbored some car keys, finger-less gloves, and a beanie. The hallway had doors along it. They were all closed, so I had no clue on what was behind them. The hallway opened up into a room. I couldn't tell what room it was from how far I was.

I used my heighted hearing to listen to what was going on inside. It was silent except for the sound of snores from the second floor. I looked at the sky to see the sun was gone and the moon was slowly rising. I could tell it was well past dinnertime, so it was not abnormal for this being in the upstairs room to be snoozing away. I wanted to know who had the scent that I didn't pay attention to the time. My stomach grumbled at the thought of dinner and my eyes drooped at the thought of sleep. I had worn myself out with all the exercise.

Why am I standing there just thinking about me? When I should be thinking of my new friend, Henry. Oh Henry must be so worried. I was not there to greet him, when he got home nor was I there for dinner. I should have stopped when the sun started to set. That would have at least given me enough time to make it home for dinner. I should have turned back at the clearing. I had to get back pronto before I fall asleep out here.

With that lost thought, I turned around and dashed home.