The Run

Chapter One~

Feeling miserable, I lean against a tree, feeling like I can’t support my own weight while I sit on the wet forest floor. I stretch my legs out, laying my son on them so that he will not become cold. I wrap my hands around the hot mug of tea, and blink back the tears that were always there, thinking about what had happened earlier.

~Flashback to three hours ago~

Wiping away the tears with the back of my hand, I dig a new section of ground up, right next to the last one I was forced to make only half an hour ago. “This can’t be happening” I whispered, dismally. Leaning down, I carefully lay a small, soft bundle, wrapped in an old rag into the hole and gently cover it once more. There were now five, newly turned graves. I hadn’t even had time to clean up yet, it had only been three days since I brought them into this world, and already I only had one child left. The blood had stained on my shirt, but my pants were still clean of it-not that I cared- I had placed them in the truck when I felt the pain of the birthing, knowing that it was going to start.

I wanted nothing more than to be home again, as a little kitten, with my parents and siblings, all of them. Back into the bush in Australia, to laugh and explore, when life was simple. I hated America, and its new land. I hated not having any friends, or family, and not knowing any of the creatures that were here. ‘This is the law’ I think to myself, too tired to be sad about it ‘I am too old to be living in the paws of my parents, I have to move.’

My kind are loners, they didn’t live in groups, or in packs. As soon as the child was deemed strong enough, they were sent off, to fend for themselves in the wild. Thankfully my parents had given me the Ute, a horrendously huge monster of a truck. It fit all of my belongings, and the things that I need; my clothes, the huge water tank in the back, blankets, towels, rope, knives, my toiletries, and even my beloved cello and flute.

I sigh, hearing my only son mewl from behind me on the blankets that I had laid him on. Removing my shirt, I use the material to sew him a jumpsuit, taking the remaining ragged towel, and cutting it to make two more cloth diapers, as I had buried my other children in the ones I had made.

~End Flashback~

Now, I was close to my son, possibly for the last time. ‘I will not cry, not anymore. Waterworks won’t fix anything.’ I think to myself. Finishing my cup of tea, I stand and place my little one into a sling. Moving over to the Ute, I unlock the door and turn on some music, packing up my belongings to The Human Abstract. They were coming, and I wouldn’t be allowed to sleep here tonight, there would be no point leaving things around for me to forget, or for the wolves to steal.  ‘They are really stupid creatures’ I think to myself, it had been so easy to fool all of the others that I had passed. I quickly cover my body using tricks that I had been taught when I was still a kitten. To them, I would look and smell just like a rouge wolf. After I place the sling in the passenger seat of the car, I find myself with nothing else left to pack away, so I stand still for a moment; wondering whether or not to hide my kitten or to keep him close to me. ‘It’s not worth the chance of losing him. I know he might not survive, there’s only one type of gene in his body. I will have plenty more, I know this. Mother had explained it to me when I was younger. Female cats began to form kittens in their belly without the help of a male, after they reach a certain age. It was supposed to help with continue our race... There would be plenty more kittens... But I couldn’t lose them all, he was my child. I couldn’t leave him to die, I just couldn’t. It already hurt too much, having them all in my arms, watching them breathe their last breath. It wasn’t meant to be like this, they were to visit my grave, I wasn’t meant to dig theirs’ I sob, trying to calm myself down. The clone-type babies were weaker than normal kittens at birth, I had already lost so much this week.