I was two months only- a weakling under the rain. Two slender hands that snatched me up from the pavement that night brought me home and gave me food.. warmth.. and company.

Today I’m just five months old, quite small right? But the room isn’t quite okay right now..

The angel who saved me is crying as I curl into a ball at her feet. Her parents had quarreled and she has cried behind closed doors. They didn’t come for her.. Just like my parents.

Are all the grown ups like this? Crazy? Self centered?

“Ivy”, the little angel smooths my fur and sobs some more.

I hide my tears as I remember the time I was kicked out by - ...

I don’t want to remember those stretches of insecurity I’ve been through.

What if my angel suffers the same? I peek up watching the tears stream down her pretty face.

Loud voices filter through the walls again..

″ Fine. I’m going to sign it. Just bring it..” Angry murmurs drift through the hollow night as my little angel clasps me to her heart.

"They're signing it.. NO."

Another sniff. I try and look up.

"Ivy, it's the divorce papers. They're signing it. They won't be together anymore.."

My small furry head starts working.. I can't explain how.

I know I have to stop this.. But how? How?

I can't let another child be distressed for the thoughtlessness of parents.

I was a stray kitten because of that. I can't let that happen again.. Not to my little angel!

The time is crawling away... How do I stop it...?

It’s a tough, tough task, but I have a strong will,

Gotta roll this ball, up that steep, steep hill

It’s a big, big ball from a fresh, fresh, pile

Of smelly, smelly poop below a black and white cow.

I‘ve pushed it up five times... this doody that I found

But near the tippy-tippy top it always rolls back down.

It’s a crappy, crappy job, one I wouldn’t give to you

But it needs, needs done, so I won’t shoo-shoo

I‘m an itty-bitty beetle with some strong, strong lungs

whether from the exercise or from the stinky, stinky dung.

Don’t hate your job, it could always be worse...

Flying around a dusky sky, I spot a human-house with a shiny object inside.

Perfect, a new addition to my collection.

I glide through the square opening, eyes on a golden stick with a feather (like mine?) attached to it. Just as I land on the wooden surface it lies on, a man enters the room. I squawk in annoyance, retreating to the entrance’s edge.

    He glares back at me, taking the tool and dipping it in a glass container with a feather-black liquid inside. Paying no more attention to me, he then produces a white, flattened strip of wood and begins scratching the object’s point across it. 

    I watch closely as the black water collected by the stick is focused on a metallic tip, tracing out an unknown alphabet. 

    As soon as he had begun, the man stops. Glances with gloomy eyes from the top of the room, to outside, then to me.

   He arcs his mouth downwards, deep in thought.

  “Nevermore, nevermore...” he seems to be repeating what he had scrawled, as if searching for more to it.

What an interesting sound, I ponder what such a word could mean in my tongue.

   I decide to echo it: “Nevermore!” I caw to him.

  He drops the golden tool and stares at me. Is that fear in his eyes? A man, afraid of a bird?! How fun!

    “Nevermore,” I continue, gleefully tapping my talons on the frame of the entrance. 

    Those wing-black eyes of his spark with something else, and before I can process it, he is back to etching black on white. 

Inspiration, I realize as he straightens his legs and rushes out the room, wielding the writing and a contained light. Did I help him get an idea?

    I would later learn that, by repeating his speech in the dead of night, that I had done something special for him and many other humans. 

    (And I got the shiny stick; a price for my assistance, of course.)

It is dark, prime time for feeding and I am nocturnal and I am hungry.

I sit crouched on this barren slab, motionless so my position is not discovered until it's to late. The slight wind might carry my sent, but that's a chance we all allways take.

My form is haunched, belly barely scraping ground, my powerful back legs ready to propell me at lightening speed in any direction my agile body needs to go. There is a light rain starting to come down, I love it as it will help to dampen my scent and any sound that could give me away.

The anticipation kills me just sitting here waiting, all stealth-like. The rain might also be a deterant for my prey, but wait, there in the cloudy mist I can see a shape, it is hurtling right at me, oblivious of my presence?

Nope, damn Hawk tried to eat me but this frog just hopped away.

The world seemed to be crashing around Dear.

Her alpha was pinned to the ground, bleeding to death.

"Alpha..." Dear whined. "Alpha!"

"Dear!" Someone hollered. It was her mate, Aqua. "Dear, help me!" He was pinned down by a thick, muscular tabby tom, who was leaping for his throat. "Help me," he hollered.

Dear switched directions, not being able to abandon her love.

By the time Dear reached the tabby tom, Aqua was gone.

Dear saw him near Alpha, and she was releived he could escape.

Thank goodness Alpha had been freed, too!

However, that joy didn't last after Aqua lept onto Alpha, and pinned her down. "It's over," Dear heard him say. "You won't survive, I'm taking this pride."

Dear spun around and raced towards them, but the tabby tom pinned him down. "Your not going anywhere, Dear," he whispered.

Dears head spun. She knew she couldn't escape the tom without gettting hurt, but Alpha would die. She had to trick this ragged-claw.

Ugh, ragged-claws. Not part of any prides. All of them, attacking these cats- No, don't think about them. Dear told herself. Think about Alpha, and think... how can you trick this tom?

"No need to pin me down," Dear snarled. "You think I don't know about this plan? I figured it out long ago, flea-face. I did nothing to stop it. I love my mate, and he loves me. I fell into his trap- on purpose. Can't have anyone calling be disloyal."

The tom pushed more wait on her. "Liar," he snarked. "Filthy, week liar."

"Did you just call me a liar?" Dear hissed. She jumped out from underneath the tom, and ran into the battle.

By the time she reached Alpha, she was dead. "Aqua," she wispered, turning to her mate, still acting. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"You wouldn't understand," he replied.

"Oh, Aqua, I do," Dear used her most loving voice. "Your quit a tom, you know. Just call the meeting. Your the new leader of PantherPride- no AquaPride."

She mustered a look of disgust as she looked and Alpha's body.

***

"You will listen to me!" Aqua hollered at all the cats gathered- the eager ragged-claws, and the horrified pride warriors.

"I was the runner up. Now I'm the alpha. You know the laws. I say these ragged-claws are now my warriors. Oh, and these warriors, they'll kill you if I ask," Aqua- no Alpha adressed the cats. "My runner up will be Dear."

***

It was so hard to, pretend to be Aqua's mate- she only felt discust towards him now.

It was even harder to act so ruthless, but she knew it was worth it when she became Alpha.

She was glad she could right her pride, and even more happy it hadn't gone to the tabby tom- Berry.

That evil cat would have only made things worse. She was almost glad he died in that battle with TearPride.

I wake up. It’s bright outside. Holy shit! I love waking up!

I run to the big bed. Two-legged, hairless, weird dog isn’t awake. Holy shit! I love the two-legged, hairless, weird dog! I wake them up, because I love them so much!

Hairless dog makes me food. Holy shit! I love when I get food!

Mutated weird dog talks to me. Holy shit! I love when they talk to me! “Blah blah blah good boy?” Holy shit! That’s me! “Blah blah blah walk?” Holy shit!!! I love when mutated, weird dog walks me!!! I tell them so!

Holy shit! I love running! Holy shit! I hate squirrels! Must kill! Can’t, mutated hairless dog has rope thing that I can’t escape. I will escape. And I will kill vicious squirrel!

Holy shit! Neighbor cat! No looking… no looking… when I look, she pokes me with pointy feet. I hate pointy feet, but holy shit, I love neighbor cat!!!

Two-legged hairless mutant takes me home. Holy shit! I love home! I look for intruders, and I tell mutated hairless dog that home is safe. Holy Shit! I love weird hairless dog! I tell them so.

But then weird hairless mutant goes outside without me. I sit at window. I don’t see them. I sit, because I am a good boy. If I am a good boy, they will come back. Holy shit… I don’t love sitting like when hairless mutant leaves… but I am a good boy… and I will sit…

I go to sleep. Holy shit! I love to sleep! I dream of killing squirrel.

I hear a noise. Holy shit! Intruders! I love to kill intruders!

Holy shit!!! Even better!!! Two-legged mutant came back, because I was a good boy! I love when two-legged hairless dog comes home! I tell them so.

More food! Holy shit! I love food! Two-legged mutant dog pets me! Holy shit! I love petting!

We sit on the couch to watch the magic window. Holy shit! I love watching magic window with weird hairless mutant!

I look at two-legged, weird, hairless, mutant dog. Holy shit! I love them! They are asleep. Holy shit! I love to sleep, too! I sleep next to hairless dog so that they aren’t cold. Holy shit! I love my hairless mutant dog!

Hello everyone. I am snow, don’t be shocked at my name. I am tiny miny dark, my heart is pure white.

My owner-friend may be color blind like me, I think.

My favourite pass time is sleeping. I hate walks.

I love chewing everything….ear phones, paper(important ones), comb, bed, table, plastic, socks, shoes, rubber bands, lipstick, balms, tennis balls, laptop wires, pens, tiffin, bags…..and I can’t remember.

When I am angry I pull bedsheets and tear them, then there is lot of shouting ….blah blah blah. I hide well to save myself from reprimands.

My biggest talent is that I can smell tasty food from far far distance. My nostrils enlarge and stomach twist and turn.

I hate barking, also who understands my language. So I save energy.

I am a very sweet animal, I hope you like me.