Kael

The inner world of Tomcat has no concept of togetherness.

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“Daryl”!!! What have you done”? A few fluffy yellow feathers tumble from Kael’s bloody fangs while he wonders at the pathetic stupidity of humans. “Sherril has never learned my true name. She probably never will. She doesn’t understand much. She thoughtlessly left the door of the birdcage open, ‘Chirpy’, as she calls the silly bird, flew out into the room beyond.

I ate him. What’s not to understand? I’m a cat.

“I am, Kael, Tom of all the lands onto the boundary of my enemy, Scar. It was he who killed my Father, Asis. Before my Father died, he gave Scar a slash that cut from top-of-head, to eye, to throat. One-eyed Scar will carry this mark of my Father for the rest of his life. One day, I will kill Scar and become Tom of his lands, as well.

Sherril knows nothing of this. She only knows what ‘Daryl’ allows her to know. She is fooled when I rub against her leg and purr. It’s just business.

It may seem I dislike Sherril. I don’t. She’s not very bright, but she’s always treated me well. She reminds me of the mother I never knew. Could I remember my mother, I imagine she would be as gentle and nice as Sherril. Maybe Sherril thinks she is my mother.

After the bird incident, Sherril was very angry. She kicked me out of the house, then spent days mulling the complexities. “I guess Daryl was just being a cat. It’s my fault . . . I left the cage door open . . . and now, Chirpy is gone, and so is Daryl . . . oh dear, oh dear . . . he’s probably cold and hungry . . . I must call him home”

She opens the door and sees me at the far end of the yard. She calls, “Daryl, oh Daryl - kitty, kitty, kitty”! “I stand up, stretch and yawn, then sit down again. After a long pause I walk, slowly, toward the door”.

“I am Kael, Tom of this land, I will not be hurried”.

“Oh, poor baby, come in . . . come on in. . . Mommy will fix you a nice dinner”. “I knew it, she does think she’s my Mother”. Sherryl opens a can of Kitty Favorites - chopped liver & salmon. “Smells good, tastes good too. I finish it off with my usual efficiency. We walk away to the living room. Sherryl sets on the couch. I hop up beside her. Sherril strokes my fur and sighs, “Oh, I feel much better now with my Daryl snuggled up beside me”.

“I wonder if she has any more of that chopped liver & salmon”.

Of course, Sherril is mistaken about my being cold and hungry. I am Kael, master of my domain, I have many secret places where I’m safe from wind and storm. Small meals of mice and chipmunks keep me safe from hunger. The only problem I have outside is Scar. He makes frequent incursions, spray-marking the fringes of my land. I do the same to him. It means nothing. Only battle unto death changes borders.

I am in my prime. Scar is old, and one-eyed.

Someday soon, I will kill Scar.

Then I will reign supreme – Tom of All”.

By K. L. Shipley

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