...I'll miss your calls tonight [c]

If his dad said he knew an easy score, who was Louse to refuse to be educated? Perhaps this score would be fresher than the usual slop he and his siblings dined on, the thought caused his whiskers to twitch and his belly to grumble. He hadn’t had a decent meal in a while, and their little field trip was no small feat, especially when some of his siblings were real slowpokes. Couldn’t they shift their behinds into action? Move like they meant business. The tom huffed, but kept all mean spirited remarks to himself, his siblings were his favourite cats to tolerate after all. His dad too, when he’d started appreciating the greasy dumpster-diving oversized rat he wasn’t sure, but Louse had come round to him. In his own way. Grub was certainly better than their mother. He actually cared for them, even if that quality of care wasn’t great. There had been attempts, and over the months they had gotten better. This was one of those better attempts.

The farm, the young calico was somewhat familiar with. This was where he’d helped Maggot with one of their experiments. Part of him wanted to know how it was going, though he wasn’t sure he particularly wanted to see the current state of Maggot’s test subject. The thought actually made him feel slightly queasy, his sibling’s habits perhaps were not welcome thoughts at dinner time. Grub was rattling away, some of it useful, most of it stuff Louse had worked out before his dad had decided to be more present. His tail swatted the muddy ground as he lay on his belly, watching the tortoiseshell eagerly. For all his chatter, i think it would be funny if dad missed.”

Much to the tom’s disappointment, chickens were even stupider than Grub. He snorted, rising to his paws, ready to enjoy a meal he hadn’t particularly earned. His dad’s success had some benefits. Louse’s tongue slid across his maw, hardly masking his excitement, until a sudden loud bark ruined the mood. He froze, spoke stiff and pelt rising. This trip was proving to be such a waste. He was so hungry and now the stupid mutt was running towards them. As much as he wanted to bring the chicken with him, he also didn’t want to be bringing up the rear. Someone else could be the pup’s snack, not him though! He liked his siblings, but he wouldn’t die a gruesome, but brave death for any of them. There was still things he wanted to indulge in, and dying wasn’t one them!

Louse skittered into action, tearing through the mud and grass after Grub. He could tell the others were running too, Fish was in front of him, looking as petted as usual. His ears fell back, torn between wanting to reassure his brother, but also to tell the runt to get it together. Crying and wailing would just make him run out of breath, couldn’t he hold it in? It was also such a gyrating noise, maybe Grub had been so distant because he was waiting for them to grow out of their crying phases. Though, Louse had never had a crying phase, was that odd? he didn’t dwell on it, the gate that seperate the farm from open grassland was rising up before him, and that required his attention. The oily tom squared his shoulders and sprang upwards, claws scrambling for purchase as he hauled himself up and over. He ran a couple of paces, just to be sure they were clear of the dog.

His chest heaved, but they were all okay. Now they just had to wait for the canine to go back to sleep and they could go back for their dinner. Most animals knew when to quit, when their catch wouldn’t be worth the energy, but this stupid mutt…

…It didn’t know that.

Louse wasn’t sure how the dog had gotten around the fence, but it had. He was running again, hard paws peeling against the earth. Every intake of air into his lung seared, a mark of exhaustion. He’d never ran like this before, nor for this long. He tried to stretch his legs, tried to keep pace, but he could feel with every second that he pushed himself that his stride was getting shorter and shorter, and his legs were moving slower and slower. For all his adventures, and confidence in his ability, the calico was lacking. By this point, his dad was ahead by quite a distance and the soft earth had given way to sharp rocks and smooth pebbles. Louse slowed even more, he could almost feel the dog’s breath on his nape. A wave of panic surged through him, his mortality suddenly becoming apparent. All of this for a chicken.

The adrenaline urged him forwards, but it seemed the encroaching likeliness of an early death hadn’t occurred to his siblings. They dawdled still, their inexperience evident. Their Dad saw it too, suddenly and inexplicably launching himself past Louse in a moment of emotional clarity, racing for Jr. A yowl of fear came from his dad’s maw, not for himself, but for his kits and it left the rogue rooted, tantalised by the display of care. His Mother wouldn’t have yelled like that, let alone squared up like that. Why now? Why couldn’t Grub have cared like this earlier. It made him sick. Sick in the way that there was a bone stuck in his throat, or a predator bearing down on his chest, like Louse was curling in on himself while remaining perfectly still. He didn’t like this feeling. It was alien, it scared him.

The tortoiseshell was back in there face again, barking orders desperately. For the first time in his life, Louse really wanted to beg for his Dad to stay. He wanted them all to stay together. He wanted to be eating garbage slop instead of chicken. But… He was still selfish. He was still the son of his mother and father, and so Louse ran. He jumped from boulder to boulder, and grated his teeth as his claws screeched on the smooth surfaces. He climbed higher and higher, until the mouth of the cave rose up in front of him. There was a slight hesitation as he moved to step inside, his amber gaze finding Fish who clung to ground, unmoving watching what happened below.

It was a split second decision, but he chose to join him on the cliff edge. Their pelts brushed together, and he could feel his brother shivering in fear, his pupils were blown and Louse knew he probably looked not to different from him. In a moment of lapse, he gently placed his bushy tail over Fish’s more slender one. He wasn’t sure if the anchor was more for his brother or himself. He was enthralled unable to take his eyes away from their Dad’s mad run. He was winning, making the stupid creature run loops upon loops, tying itself up. Louse smiled, sniffling, everything would be okay. Grub always escaped, he always got away, nothing could catch him. Except himself.

That’s when he saw him slip, saw the chain coiling, loose then snapping tight around his neck. Louse stood. The dog still ran, and then the boulder teetered forward and he watched it crush his Dad’s body. He inhaled sharply, but he didn’t move, didn’t even notice that Fish had removed himself. Louse was transfixed, watching the mutt as it whined and scrambled trying to free itself. Anger was rising in his chest, his Dad was dead and the stupid creature that had caused this was complaining. The noise hurt his ears, he should kill the dog. He should silence it. Who would miss it? He wouldn’t, he would be glad it was gone. His chest heaved, and he leapt down a boulder, and then another and another. He was going to kill it.

Louse was going to do it, until he glanced back up and saw his siblings huddled together. He paused, paws on the edge ready to drop another level. It became more apparent than ever that he was just a little different from them. They had gone to one another, tears in their eyes, and he had silently descended a mountain to take another life. A life that would be taken by the elements anyway, if no one came looking for the dog. He might stay and watch, perhaps taunt it and mock it. Would his siblings join? Maggot might, but Louse knew Jr and Fish wouldn’t be interested in that sort of thing. The dog would be here for days, but his siblings were in the cave and that’s where his Dad had told him to go, so he began to climb back up.

At the summit once again, Louse stood, watching his siblings for several moments before finally joining their little huddle. Things would never be the same again, but he hoped that those that remained would stay together, just for him, and he didn’t care if that was selfish.