Always Know What You're Pouncing On
#1 of Misadventures of Joel
The story of Joel the kitten begins - where will his mischief take him?
The grass was tall and obstructed his view, but it didn't bother Joel. His prey's scent told him all he needed to know. He crouched low, every muscle tensed and ready. Carefully, he balanced his weight, shifting it from right to left and back again, ready to strike. His shoulderblades could be seen wiggling under his charcoal-grey fur. He had waited long enough. Releasing all his pent up energy at once, the kitten propelled himself forward above the grass and toward his unprepared target.
Naomi looked up in horror at the dark gray ball of fur sailing through the air with claws extended and teeth bared. Half way through his arc, her expression suddenly shifted to one of amusement. Too late to adjust his trajectory, she sprang straight up into the air, launching herself clear of his intended landing point on her back.
Once he landed, Joel looked up to see her coming down on top of him. Even if she wasn't silloueted against the noon sun, her jet-black coat rippled in the breeze as she dropped from the sky, her teeth and claws ready to hold him down. He dug his paws into the soft turf and tried to jump out of the way. Too late. She landed squarely on his back and immediately wrapped herself around him in a tight pin. Joel knew how this would end. Every time she got him into this hold, he was never able to escape.
"Say it." Naomi commanded, sinking her sharp feline teeth into his sensetive ear.
"No!" Joel yanked his head to the side, then couldn't help but give a pitiful mew as he felt her teeth tug at the soft fold of skin.
"Last chance," she whispered, biting harder and extending her claws so he could feel them pressing against his throat.
Joel swallowed hard and relaxed his muscles. His voice was barely a whisper. "Fine. It's yours."
Naomi jumped off of and walked over to the dead mouse, tail held high in triumph, leaving him to wallow in his shame. Joel picked himself up and began licking his paw and cleaning his head and rubbing his aching ear. While he tended to his wounded ego, Naomi sat and ate her prize.
"You know," she said, between crunching bones, "you're getting better. But I can still hear you coming."
"No you can't. I know how to stalk and pounce."
Naomi chuckled and coughed as she accidentally swallowed the tail whole. "Don't make me laugh when I'm eating," she said, looking back over her shoulder at him with narrowed green eyes. Joel finished cleaning himself off and laid himself down on the sunny grass, tail twitching hungrily as he watched Naomi finish everything.
"How come you always get to claim the kill, even though I'm the one that always does the killing?" Joel asked with a growl, narrowing his yellow eyes at her, the same way she did to him.
"Because," Naomi answered, sitting up and cleaning her whiskers, "I'm stronger. If you want to eat a mouse next time, kill two. Or..." she stopped licking her paw and looked back at him with a smile, "beat me next time."
"It's no fair," Joel whined, "I can't find two mice at once, and you're older and stronger. How come you don't help with the hunt? All you ever do is take my mouse or bird from me after I..." He was unable to finish his sentence because before he realized what was happening, Naomi had turned and pounced on him again. This time, she dove straight at his chest and knocked him backward, pinning him down once more.
"Joel," she said quite calmly and with a pleasant, but venomous smile, "If you don't stop complaining, I'll give you something to complain about. Do you understand me?"
"Y-yes, sis."
"Good. Now, go get yourself something to eat. I'll nap right here." She let him up and flopped over on the grass, letting the warm rays of the sun soak through the black fur on her belly and letting the cooler ground sooth her over-heated back. Joel, defeated for a second time, crept off into the tall grass hoping to find a grasshopper or cicada, since their tussle probably scared off any other prey already.
He hadn't gone far before he saw something moving in the grass. Just like he had practiced a hundred times with his sister, he crouched low, planted his paws, and sprang toward the movement.
"Hey! Watch it!" Yelled a very grumpy, very large badger, his teeth bared at the terrified kitten. Joel picked himself up. He expected maybe a small mole or even another field mouse... but he had horribly misjudged the size of his prey this time. He shook his head to get the stars out of the way and squeaked in horror when his vision only cleared to show him the snarling face of the old badger.
"I'm... I'm really sorry. I was just-"
"Go play somewhere else! Shouted the badger, snapping at Joel's nose. As Joel scampered off back into the grass, he thought he heard the old beast mutter "Stupid kitten..." after him. Joel kept running. His stomach was finally silent, at least for now. The only thing being communciated from his mind to his body was 'run'. And his paws obeyed. He awkwardly crashed through the grass back in the direction of his sister. Eventually, he came to a tree and stopped at the base of the trunk to look around and breathe.
There was no sign that the badger had pursued him. But there was also no sign of Naomi. He should have run into her by now. He looked up into the branches of the tree. It wasn't a tree he was familiar with. He must have gone the wrong way in the confusion. The branches were high up, but if there was something he could do better than his sister, it was climbing. All that eating and not enough excercise made her claws dull and gave her more weight to pull up branches. He started climbing, thinking from up there, he'd be able to see where he was.
Once he got to the lowest branch, he looked out at the ground around him. Tracing his trail through the grass, he thought he could make out the form of the badger, waddling off toward a rockpile. But he couldn't see where he came from before he collided with the badger. He thought it would be able to see his sister's sleeping black form against the green grass, but she was nowhere to be found. He couldn't even see the trampled patch where they had their fight a few moments ago.
He leaned forward and stretched his neck out as far as he could in an unconscious effort to see further. He must have leaned too far because he suddenly felt his paws slip away from the rough bark and felt himself begin to fall. Instinctually, he twisted his back around and managed to catch the branch again with his front claws. He dug them in hard and gripped the branch with all his might. He didn't fall, but he was now stuck there, having used up too much energy in the climb to pull himself back up.
He felt his claws starting to slip and gave out a mew for help. His small grey body dangled and swayed back and forth as he kept trying to get a better grip, or kicked to see if he could get his hind paws on the branch. It was all futile and he soon realized he would have to let go eventually. He gave one last cry for help as he felt the rough bark slip away from his claws again. His empty stomach rose to his chest as the feeling of weightlessness overcame him. He closed his eyes and arched his back so he'd land as all cats are expected to: on their feet.
Half way through his acrobatics, his cry of help turned into a scream of pain. Sharp, hot knives felt like they were pressed agains this body now and he felt a sudden change in direction. He opened his eyes to see that he was now clutched tightly in the tallons of a hawk. Its brown wings rushed him through the air as it maneuvered below the branches of the trees. Joel looked in terror at the hooked beak that would soon be stained red with his own blood. Without thinking, he bit and clawed at the tallon that held him.
The bird of prey paid him no heed as Joel fought for his life. Desperate, he bit down hard on the hawk's leg. He bit so hard that it hurt his teeth, but was relieved to be rewarded with the taste of blood. With a screech, the hawk threw Joel to the ground as though it was discarding a piece of trash. Joel flipped and turned in the air, unable to get his bearings quickly enough to compensate for his trajectory. He clenched his eyes and gritted his teeth as he prepared to hit the ground for the second time that short morning.
He landed hard with a thump that knocked the air from his tiny lungs. But it was much softer than he had expected... and warmer. Nevertheless, he felt the world continue to spin, even though it had stopped. His vision turned quickly to black, but not before he could make out a large canine-looking form standing over him with pointed ears purked up curiously and long snout leaning toward him. He could do nothing to prevent it this time, and he knew in his young heart that he would be eaten for sure.