Kitty 7

I am participating in NANOWRIMO this year. I will attempt to post my daily ramblings in the hopes that eventually it will become a book which will entertain you as well as myself…

This is a work of fiction. No real people, places or events were used. Copyright ã 2011 Plot Roach.

Kitty Part 7

By Plot Roach

The humans rushed through the rest of the day’s chores while the animals whined in frustration at not being able to see the new tenants of the pound. Night came too swiftly for the dogs that thrust their noses in between the wire mesh of their doors in vain to catch whatever wisps of scent that the slight breeze could carry.

The lights were shut off at the end of the night, all cages checked to ensure that the animals had adequate water and that their cell doors were locked. Mitch bid them farewell for the night, and Kitty paced the floor of her cage three times before settling into her usual stance of tight ball of fur with her nose tucked snugly under one paw.
Even though the room was dark, it did not mean that the inhabitants were asleep, nor would they be with such excitement. Some raced up and down the lengths of their cells while others howled at the sliver of the moon which could be spotted through the dingy windows of the pound.

“Kitty. Psst! Kitty!” Grimy whispered.

“What is it Grimy?” Kitty asked, raising herself up from the floor to face the little dog in the near darkness of the room.

“Did the All Mother or the Dark One tell you anything about me by chance?’ he asked.

“No.” Kitty said. “Should they have?”

"It's just that..." Grimy said. "If the two gods spoke of US out on a journey..."

Then he would be spared from death in this place as well, Kitty thought. It had never before occurred to her that he counted himself as her companion in her "quest" set upon her by the Dark One, or that it was anything more than a fanciful dream until the old hound had confirmed that she had, indeed spoken with the gods.

So if I have been gifted with such a task it meant that I will not die until it could be fulfilled, doesn't it? she asked herself. But did the gods take human action into mind when planning fate? For humans ran the world were the dogs roamed. And they did not seem to be a species that could be counted upon for intelligent planning.

"If I speak with the gods again, I shall ask them about you, Grimy." Kitty sighed.

"All this talk of gods..." The Dalmatian mumbled, chewing at a flea on his back leg. "It doesn't get us out of here now does it?"

"Snappish young brute." The old hound said, pulling himself up off of the floor. "It is thoughts like those that invite the trickster gods to make trouble in your life."

"They're just a myth, old one." a Husky said in the cage next to him.

"A myth, you say?" the old hound laughed with a wheeze. "Well, did you ever do something foolish, something you knew was wrong, yet you could not help yourself?"

"Like what?"

"Chewing on your master's shoes, chasing after something when you knew you could not catch it -or that it should not be caught."

"Oh, shoes are my favorite..." The Chihuahua whispered before curling up into a ball.

"What kind of things should not be caught?" asked the Husky.

"Skunks for starters." said an Akita a couple of cages down from Kitty.

"And don't forget porcupines." added a German Shepherd.

"As I was saying." interrupted the old hound. "When you feel the overwhelming urge to do something that you know that you should not, it is because of the trickster gods Chase and Chew."

"Never heard of them." Grimy said.

"But doubtless you have felt their power." the old hound said. "For they are here in this world as a punishment, and here they will stay until they have learned their lesson and are forgiven."

"What did they do that was so bad?" Grimy asked, yawning and settling down for the night.

Kitty had already curled back into a ball and was drifting off to sleep as the old hound began his tale.

"They tricked their brother into a trap, and when he died, the hounds of the Celestial Packs sent them to our world to be rid of their trickery."

"Once when the world was new, all of the animal kingdoms were equal, even humans..."

Kitty felt herself drift into a deep sleep, pulled into the world of the old hounds words.

She saw a beautiful place, much like the forest of the Afterworld and the beach where the All Mother dwelled. The hills were covered in great green foliage, the water of rivers ran clear and deep. The flowers were bright, their heady scent filling the air with an irresistible perfume. Animals bustled about in the undergrowth and prey lived beside hunter with no fear, for all of them consumed plants.

The sun was golden and showered the packs of dogs with warmth and love as they dozed upon a hill. Two dogs, barely out of their puppy hood at the time, tugged at the ears and the tail of the third until he woke and raced with them. They were brothers and were inseparable.

The oldest was Chase, as he loved to run as swift as the wind. He had a thick pelt of long fur and a tail hat streamed like a banner behind him as he ran. He was the color of a dark cloud bringing rain and thunder. And his temper was as cruel and quick to anger as a raging volcano.
The next brother was named Chew, for it was said that his teeth were as sharp as daggers and as strong as the mountains themselves. There was not a thing that he could not chew to pieces, if he put his mind -and his teeth- to it. He was the color of hay bleached by the summer sun. His temper was skittish and fearful, always sure that others were somehow plotting against him.
The last brother was named Hunt, for he could track any animal by land, water or air. When his brothers hid from him, he could find the every time. He was the color of brightly polished gold. And of the three brothers he was brave and bold. He knew no fear, and that was his folly.
On this day the three brothers took to the woods as the Celestial Packs slept peacefully upon the hill. And just as all the animals had their place in this world, so did the species that was called man.

The brothers slipped from their golden realm into the world of the humans, their minds set to make mischief.