Kitty by the seaside that is approached by an undelightful guest.
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I yawned and streched by the seaside, lousily flexing and unsheathing my claws.
The sun plastered its warm rays on my orange fur, and I couldn't help but purr.
I watch a swarm of seagulls dive for their food. Something must have caught their attention– and appetite. Their insistent squacking and fighting indicates a good find.
That, or they're starving.
I saw some signs scattered on the boardwalk telling the humans off for feeding them. They do it so often, I wonder if they look for trouble on purpose. Don't they know seagulls always come back for more?
I hear something approach me from behind; I quickly get up and turn to the source.
A dog. A mountain of one, definitely. My heart begins to hammer inside my chest.
Its body looms over mine. *I let him get too close while I was distracted.*
I let out a low growl.
His beady eyes stare at my shaking form. I hiss out a warning; he cocks his head to the side. Presumably to hear it better, since he didn't heed my warning the first time.
his tail swishes back and forth behind him. He's angry. Of course he is. He's looking for a fight.
I hiss and claw at him again, arching my back to appear bigger and stronger.
He bows and… gets to my level? Letting out an irritatingly loud bark, he briefly reveals his sharp teeth. He opens his maws again, and lets his tongue fall. His upper canines are very clear to me– they're sharp. His gaping maw would surely swallow me whole.
The bystanders witnessing our encounter simply chuckle and let out noises of endearment. They pass us by.
Sadistic creatures, humans are.
I keep my wits about me, tearing my thoughts from the crowd and focusing on the threat in front of me.
He barks a couple more times, swishes his tail back and forth, and gets closer to me.
His body overshadows mine. My limbs shake and my breathing tightens. Should I attack? No, he could kill me. Run? He might give chase.
I Freeze. I give one final hiss and bare my teeth.
He starts down at me. His figure completely obscures the sun from reaching me. His maw is now closed, indicating that he is finished with his displays of power.
I swallow my anxiety and let out a series of my own defensive mechanisms. I jump at him and back away multiple times, swatting my paws in front of him as if he were a pesky fly. He bows to my level again, and even tries landing a few swats of his own.
I flatten my ears as best I can, take a deep breath, and let out a roar.
That should have been enough to send him on his way. That should have been enough to send a *clear* message.
But this beast before me simply stares at me and comes closer.
Before he could truly reach me, a whistle interrupts him. Immediately, he withdraws and stumbles towards… a human.
I stay frozen for a bit, a witness to their interaction.
The stupid beast jumps on the human, swishing its tail. The human simply laughs and… pets it. In return, it demands more. But the human ignores it and attaches a thick line to the dog's neck. Finally, they walk off together.
Discomfort settles in my stomach. The concept of ownership… the human tells the dog what to do. And it just listens. Those things should already be given. The man takes it from the dog very… freely. But why does the dog obey for a price?
After they disappear, I am left to come back to my senses. I blink a few times slowly to readjust to the sun's rays. I sit and curl my tail over my paws. I lick my chest, the laborious thumping within it gradually fading into its normal pace.
A small group of seagulls gather at the shore. A human feeds them scraps of food from her plate. They squack in the pestering way only seagulls can, and manage to knock the food from her hands.
She tries shooing them away, but they insist on swallowing every last bit of food. Eventually, she gives up and moves her things elsewhere.
The seagulls stay for a while in the same place.
I get up to find somewhere to sunbathe. I tread onwards until I spot a bench. It's a considerable distance from the crowds of humans. This side of the shore is barren; I wonder why.
Either way, the bench feels warm from being out in the sun. The noises fade into the background, and I enjoy the kind, gentle strokes the sun gives me. I close my eyes, drifting off into a peaceful sleep.
