On the Streets (part 2)
Title: On the Streets (part 2)
Author: charisstoma
Word count: 596
(Part 1)
Aubergine heard the small mew at his open office window, the Spring breezes were just starting to warm up and it was nice after the hard winter they’d had. It had accounted for the larger number of cats or rather familiars that had been being brought in lately. A small paw reached forward to tap on the screen but was interrupted mid tap by a rather large sneeze for such a small cat. He could swear that all the fur had inflated outward with the small explosion.
Looking carefully, he had his suspicions about the nature of the adolescent kitten, if it was a kitten and not more. “Alright you. Come to the side door and I’ll let you in,” he tried and watched as the kitten jumped down immediately. Sure enough, as he carefully opened the door so as not to squash anyone, there was the kitten waiting. There was a moment of indecision as the kitten eyed him before it walked over the threshold and Aubergine shut the door as quietly and carefully as possible. He’d been in charge of the Shelter long enough to not make sudden loud noises around the cats.
“Are you hungry?” he asked and the small face looked up at him like was he stupid or something. Aubergine grinned, “Of course you are. You’re young and your belly’s not bulging.” He was interrupted by another sneeze, “and maybe sick. You’ll have to go into a special room so everybody else here doesn’t catch whatever you have and there’ll be a doctor to see if he’s got something to make you feel better,” he continued leading the way to the quarantine room. “Have you had any of your well kitten shots?” Aubergine paused, “at all?” He stopped a moment gathering up a thick blanket and a dish and bowl and a few steps further opened the door to walk forward into the segregated room without looking back.
He had the cage door open and the blanket formed into a comfy rounded nest before the kitten finally came inside the room.
“I’ll be right back with the food and water. I’m going to heat them up a little bit, so they’re warm,” he said, carefully maneuvering around the kitten, “So I’ll leave the doors open but you have to stay inside the room. There are other cats who don’t want to get sick anymore than you want to be sick.” The kitten sneezed and Aubergine responded, “Exactly.”
Later in his office Aubergine made a phone call, “Hello Professor Maravilloso. I think I have a candidate for you but he’s pretty young, feral and has what I hope is only a cold.” There was a pause, “You’ll send someone to look at him? Tomorrow? Yes, I’ll be here.” He smiled, “Thank you Professor. He seems intelligent for one so young but I guess that’s to be expected living on the streets. It would be a shame if he couldn’t do better for himself. Goodbye then.”
Poof from inside his nest twitched an ear. The man had ratted him out to someone called a professor with a funny name. He wondered if he was strong enough yet, his mother had been, to take the blanket with him. ‘Tomorrow. Well that left all of tonight and he was warm, his tummy full, and maybe there’d be time for breakfast before whoever it was would arrive. Didn’t matter. He’d hear someone arrive before they got through the outside doorway and be outa here before they gotta a look at him. Until then, he was safe.’
(Part 3)
Author: charisstoma
Word count: 596
(Part 1)
Aubergine heard the small mew at his open office window, the Spring breezes were just starting to warm up and it was nice after the hard winter they’d had. It had accounted for the larger number of cats or rather familiars that had been being brought in lately. A small paw reached forward to tap on the screen but was interrupted mid tap by a rather large sneeze for such a small cat. He could swear that all the fur had inflated outward with the small explosion.
Looking carefully, he had his suspicions about the nature of the adolescent kitten, if it was a kitten and not more. “Alright you. Come to the side door and I’ll let you in,” he tried and watched as the kitten jumped down immediately. Sure enough, as he carefully opened the door so as not to squash anyone, there was the kitten waiting. There was a moment of indecision as the kitten eyed him before it walked over the threshold and Aubergine shut the door as quietly and carefully as possible. He’d been in charge of the Shelter long enough to not make sudden loud noises around the cats.
“Are you hungry?” he asked and the small face looked up at him like was he stupid or something. Aubergine grinned, “Of course you are. You’re young and your belly’s not bulging.” He was interrupted by another sneeze, “and maybe sick. You’ll have to go into a special room so everybody else here doesn’t catch whatever you have and there’ll be a doctor to see if he’s got something to make you feel better,” he continued leading the way to the quarantine room. “Have you had any of your well kitten shots?” Aubergine paused, “at all?” He stopped a moment gathering up a thick blanket and a dish and bowl and a few steps further opened the door to walk forward into the segregated room without looking back.
He had the cage door open and the blanket formed into a comfy rounded nest before the kitten finally came inside the room.
“I’ll be right back with the food and water. I’m going to heat them up a little bit, so they’re warm,” he said, carefully maneuvering around the kitten, “So I’ll leave the doors open but you have to stay inside the room. There are other cats who don’t want to get sick anymore than you want to be sick.” The kitten sneezed and Aubergine responded, “Exactly.”
Later in his office Aubergine made a phone call, “Hello Professor Maravilloso. I think I have a candidate for you but he’s pretty young, feral and has what I hope is only a cold.” There was a pause, “You’ll send someone to look at him? Tomorrow? Yes, I’ll be here.” He smiled, “Thank you Professor. He seems intelligent for one so young but I guess that’s to be expected living on the streets. It would be a shame if he couldn’t do better for himself. Goodbye then.”
Poof from inside his nest twitched an ear. The man had ratted him out to someone called a professor with a funny name. He wondered if he was strong enough yet, his mother had been, to take the blanket with him. ‘Tomorrow. Well that left all of tonight and he was warm, his tummy full, and maybe there’d be time for breakfast before whoever it was would arrive. Didn’t matter. He’d hear someone arrive before they got through the outside doorway and be outa here before they gotta a look at him. Until then, he was safe.’
(Part 3)