Middle Of Nowhere

Free meal

It was an unremarkable day, like every other day for quite some time. The wooden cabin stuck out like a firefly in a dark room. A clear night sky shone from the borrowed light of the natural satellite, the waning Gibbous and chirping crickets offering a satisfactory view, a soothing static frame to stilted expectations for anybody who were relatively new or if they cared.

Lee was awake, his world at its peak, brimming excitement as others curled into their sheets, following a routine which he couldn't comprehend. He was busy exploring the object of utmost curiosity that stood before him, tapping it and scratching to his content. He felt comfortable squeezing into that confined space while his comparatively king-sized bed was denied it's service. He knew he wasn't small enough for these difficult maneuvers, but he couldn't help himself. He could always alert his friend to get out of a sticky situation.

His triangular ears perked upright; his luminescent gaze patrolling the immediate vicinity as he heard approaching footsteps. Drawing out his claws, he half hoped it was a rabbit. He wasn't hungry but some reserves did not hurt. As he crawled, posed and launched himself near the door, he took a peek through the crevices in the door pattern. They looked like the children who had just fed him sometime back when he had taken an early-night stroll.

"I don't believe you," the tiny girl told the not so tiny boy, but somewhat tiny compared to the others he had seen. Not that he understood what they were saying. But they were looking at his general direction. "No cat can be that big. You can't fool me."

"Trust me. I and my friends saw it. It was so cool looking. I saw him go this way," the boy was again pointing at him. He felt stressed but not threatened. He knew they meant no harm. The children just waited around the door and the vicinity, searching around.

"Maybe it's not here anymore," The boy sighed.

"Maybe it was never there," The pouting was real.

"Wait, this might do it, I am so stupid," the boy took out the piece of meat, a part of which he had fed to this mythical existence of a cat from his sister's point of view.

Lee was absent mindedly watching this unfold grooming himself as he felt more at ease. He got a glimpse and the scent of deliciousness and contemplated for a moment. As if he thought why not, he turned the handle, unlocked the door which his friend graciously did not lock and ventured outside towards a free snack.

The girl gave out a small shriek and hid behind the boy. She tugged his shirt and said in a slightly muffled tone, "Is that a baby lion?"

"No, it can't be. That's not how a lion looks like. Even you can't be this stupid," He tried to calm himself as he was not sure if he'd be okay if the abnormally big cat came toward him.

"It looks like a cat to me. But it's weird," the girl backed off from her earlier hypothesis as she became calmer.

Lee just finished his snack, walked around the humans for intimidation or amusement and decided to end this unfamiliar errand.

"Come back you two, that thing is dangerous," Lee saw a large human approaching his food suppliers. "You must stop loitering around like this."

"I just wanted to see him," The boy said in hushed tone.

"I didn't want to go. He made me to," His sister's accusatory look made him lose himself in rage. She wasn't opposed to the idea after initial hesitation. Now, everything is on him. They fought sometimes. Not anymore.

"We'll talk this through," the father said firmly, approaching the children.

Lee was unsure what this was all about, letting out a snarl as the man came near.

The nightwatchmen got on this commotion as well, went past Lee and ringing the doorbell.

Kelvin got up from his bed hearing the buzz outside. He quickly changed his headset into transparency mode. Turning off the low frequency music, he answered the door, emerging from a brightly lit room which had the watchman perplexed.

"You know how it is around here, boy. Don't cause any more trouble. If that animal hurts the children, our benevolence which is your stay here won't last for long," He had heard much more outright warnings and this was a tame fizzle.

"Lee doesn't mean you any harm." Kelvin was trying to reassure the parent. "He is my pet caracal. We raised him from young. He is not violent. Unless threatened." The last part he dropped it like the fine print in an official document.

"Keep that thing inside and do whatever in your private time." The father, not amused.

Lee did not back down and gazed straight into the man's eyes, ready for any challenge. Despite being docile, he never backed from a fight. Kelvin knew it won't end well for either of them.

"Calm down boy," Kelvin said in a soft tone, petting Lee, trying to divert his attention from the hostile strangers. Lee hasn't taken to him well yet, was more receptive to his father when he was around.

With having to reassure everyone and finally sending everyone off to their respective ways, Kevin tucked the heavy Lee under his bed. "Stay here if you can, I'd like to have some sleep you know," He tried to reason with Lee who started back with blank eyes and he had almost forgotten why he was mad at him in the first place. He had treats basically whenever he wanted, yet all this trouble for some scraps. He only had himself to blame for not locking the door. But he wanted the sleep so bad. Last night unruly kids targeted him by turning of the power to his house from the main grid. They couldn't have known about his phobia. Well, the watchman does now. Nothing could be done about that. Kelvin tried to calm down and try to not to think too much. About his father. About the flood.