Odd Prompts: I really did NOT expect the cat to do that!
This week’s Odd Prompt is courtesy of Becky Jones. What might the cat do that is so unexpected?
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Jamal watched the black and white kitten roll onto his back, and swipe at the toy mouse, dangling on a rod. He grinned, pulled the mouse back, and then lowered it again, encouraging the kitten to leap. The adorable fluffy creature took a couple of jumps, bashing their paws against the mouse, but they could not quite find purchase. Jamal lowered the mouse a bit more, and this time, Castiel caught it, dragging it to the ground, pinning it with his front paws, and kicking it hard with his back legs. After a few violent seconds, Castiel released his ‘prey’, and Jamal resumed waving the mouse above the adorable little kitten’s head. Castiel bounced around the living room, nearly crashing into the DVD shelf, and rolling into the side of the sofa.
The feline shook off the momentary confusion, licked his paw a couple of times, and jumped at Jamal’s leg.
“Hey, not me, the mouse, the mouse!” Jamal laughed, and watched, through a wince, as Castiel hoisted himself up Jamal’s jeans, and up his t-shirt, leaving little marks with his claws. Within a few seconds, Castiel had perched himself on Jamal’s shoulder, and nudged Jamal’s face with his own.
“Aww, who’s an adorable baby?”
Castiel purred, and rubbed his cheek against Jamal’s. Jamal scratched the kitten’s chin, and could have sworn the kitten was ready to take off, such was the increased volume of his happy purring. His big round, green eyes gazed so lovingly at Jamal, that his heart melted a little bit more, and he resolved to make sure Castiel remained his constant companion.
“I will always take care of you, my fuzzy wuzzy boo-boo,” Jamal promised.
And I will always take care of you, Castiel thought. His words came out as a loud, seemingly insistent meow.
“Aww, are we hungry?”
No, but if you’re offering…
Castiel happily let Jamal carry him to the kitchen, where a succulent meal of salmon and tuna was squeezed out of a sachet and into his bowl. The kitten gladly feasted on his third meal of the day, pleased that life had brought him to a warm, happy, loving home. Once he had eaten, and once he had enjoyed a bit more playtime, Castiel curled up into a fluffy ball on the sofa, and watched as the human went upstairs to bed. He waited a few minutes, then crept up the stairs, and snuck onto the end of Jamal’s bed, snuggling up to his toes.
He awoke with a start, suddenly aware of noises and movement downstairs, activities that had no place in the dead of night. He trained his gaze on Jamal’s sleeping face, who showed no sign of awareness. Castiel cautiously jumped down from the bed, and onto the landing, where he peered around the banisters to look downstairs. He saw a figure, dressed in black, carrying a bin bag, skulking toward the stairs, and he hid behind the banister, afraid, not only for himself, but for Jamal. The figure did not look friendly, and Castiel had little time.
He made a choice, a pretty desperate choice, but the only one he could. He mewled, as loud as he could, and leapt from the top of the stairs, claws out, at the invader. His sharp claws caught the man in the chest, and he cried out, stumbling, and slipping down the couple of stairs he had ascended. Castiel jumped off the man, and ran back upstairs, where he now heard a confused and startled Jamal getting out of bed. Castiel wailed, and brought Jamal running, whereupon his friend saw the semi-dazed figure of the thief, who scrambled back to his feet, and ran out of the door.
After calling the police, and making a hot cup of coffee to sooth his nerves, Jamal grabbed the pot of cream from the fridge, and placed it in front of Castiel, who greedily and gratefully drank the treat.
“Ah, you saved me from a burglar. I didn’t know cats could do that, but you were very brave. You’re the bestest boy, my fuzzy boo-boo!”
Castiel purred. He slow-blinked at Jamal, who kissed him on the head. He was at peace.
