Swept

Chapter 1

So, I don't really remember much from my kitten-hood, and what I do remember isn't worth talking about. I remember when I met Mikey, though. He's a house cat, and he's always complaining about something or other. I know this because on the fifth day of every month I sneak over his fence and eat all the okra in the garden.

   In fact, that's what I'm doing right now. I'm perched on the top of a fence post while Mikey paws at the bottom. "Why can't I get up here yet? I'm already seven moons!", he whines. "All in good time.", I answer, jumping down from the fence post. I land in front of him in the garden. He flicks his tail at me indignantly. "Why won't you teach me how to do that?" "Your legs aren't strong enough yet, Mikey.", I answer, exasperated. "I tell you that every time I come." "Fine.", he grunts.

   All of a sudden, the sliding glass door opens, and Mikey's whackjob of a person comes out. She holds a broom high over her head, and she runs toward me and brings it down. It misses me by an inch, and I scramble out of the way as she swings it towards me again and again. In my frantic scrambling, I end up in front of the fence post that I jumped down from. My claws spring out, and I start to climb as fast as I can.

   Just as I reach the top, I hear Mikey yelp in pain. His owner is swinging at him, and he isn't as quick as I am, so the broom nips his tail.

   He screams and scurrys away from her. He looks up at me, his sweet green eyes filled with fear and pain. The woman walks up behind him, and he still just stands there, staring at me. "Mikey, use your claws!", I scream frantically. "What?", he says in a pitiful whimper. "Your claws! You haven't been declawed, you idiot!" And then, in the most gut-wrenching crack I've ever heard, the wooden handle of the broom hits his back paw. He screams again, and I see eight tiny gleams of white as his claws spring out. He immediately jumps onto the fence post, slowed by his injured paw. "Hurry!", I yell. He makes it to the top of the fence, and I pull him down with me as we jump off the edge. I land on my feet, but Mikey goes tumbling across the sidewalk.

   We walk a couple of miles, towards what I know will be my probable death. When we're almost to our destination, a dirty alleyway, Mikey collapses on the concrete. "Callie?", he whimpers. I turn to look at him. "My paw hurts. Real bad." He whimpers again as I nudge him up and into the alley, but he doesn't hear what I whisper to him. "It's okay. I won't let anyone else hurt you."