Masmavi gökyüzünün binbir çeşit yeşili ile birleştiği, ve güneşin battigi mavi yeşil, kırmızı sarı renklerinin bütünleşerek bir noktada dans ettiği Kızıllılığa doğru dörtnala koşuyorum. esen hafif rüzgârla ve koşmamın etkisiyle sevişen yelelerimin ve kuyruğumun arkaya doğru coşkulu savruluşlarını hissederken, ayaklarım dörtnala koşarak nefesimim çarpıştığı iten rüzgârın kuvvetine rağmen bu kuvveti yara yara gergin, kaslı, güçlü heybetli gövdemle hedeflediğin ufka doğru varma umudumun hazzını yaşıyorum. dağların çıplak vahşi azgın görüntüsüyle birleşen kement vurulmaz bembeyaz arasıra şahlanarak ve vahşi duaya doğru varlığımı haykırırcasına kişneyerek esir edilmez durdurulmaz ruhum, ve asil görünüşümle arsızca, inatla, umutla, var gücümle vahşi doğanın en özgürü olarak doğanın acımasız kollarıyla kucaklaşıyorum.

There are dollops of light prickling through curtains, blinds. Time for the morning meal. I have an ache in my belly and a feeling of panic. Nourishment is my sole purpose for existing right now. Nothing else crosses my mind except trying not to die.

Mom already went to the outer place. She will be gone until the sun is past the top of the sky, and we are heading towards darkness again. The Elders are on the sleeping rectangle, in their chamber. Aero and Petra sleep there too. They are the elder cats. It’s appropriate. They guard the elders at night. I guard and protect Mom. My brother Peanut, her favorite, also “guards.” But he’s no guard. He is soft and spoiled. I protect him too. He is incapable. My other brother Smokey is the weird one. Sometimes he sleeps outside. Sometimes he sleeps in Mom’s chair, sometimes with Peanut, Mom, and me. Sometimes he sleeps with the elders. He really has no direction.

I perch on the square by the sleeping rectangle, watching the Female Human. She wakes up earlier than the Male. I wish her to wake up with all my staring ability, my gaze unfaltering. We are in an urgent situation. The food bowls are empty. This is how we hunt. This is how we survive.

After a few minutes, Aero sits up and begins to watch too. Two staring is better than one. I see movement the corner of my eye. It’s my brother Smokey. He is across the room on the other hard rectangle thing where they keep their body coverings. Three watching now. So much power. It shouldn’t be long.

Petra continues to sleep. Useless old lady. She’s my grandmother but that means nothing in cat world. I keep her in line.

An eternity later, The Female Human opens her eyes. She shows her teeth but not in the aggressive way. It’s the way where I usually get rubbed and talked to in a soothing voice. I like it. She stands on her hind legs and picks up some of her human tools: The rectangle with pictures that she stares at a lot, the other rectangle with the things she puts in her ears, the thing she derives water from, and the black thing with little windows that go in front of her eyes during the day.

She heads to the food room. All three of us plop to the floor and follow. Four now. Petra has woken up and will reap the benefits of mine, Aero’s, and Smokey’s hard work. Of course freeloader Peanut comes scurrying in from Mom’s room. So five.

When all five bowls had been filled, I said “Oh thank you Mother Cat God. We will survive a few more hours.” The Female refills our drinking fountain and starts to brew that black horrible smelling stuff the Humans drink in the mornings. Then the best noise ever. Crack, swish. She has opened the wet, creamy stuff. My favorite. I can’t help but cry out over and over, “mou, mou, MOU!” We all do. It’s more excitement than any of us can bear.

The Female places a scoop into Petra’s bowl. Why her? I’m hungry too. So I push Petra out of the way and start to gulp. The Female sounds perturbed and says my name. Well it’s her fault for not giving me some of the good stuff. She continues to scoop, giving everyone some of the good stuff. I finish mine and start in on Peanut’s. The Female doesn’t see so I got about half of his.

I follow The Female to the couch. She sits, then rests her ugly white hind paws on the table. I sit on her belly and purr. I’m so full and happy and warm. She is ignoring me! Looking at the rectangle thing and not petting me. I knock it with my head. That usually makes her stop. But I have to do it a few times before I get my way. I rub my cheeks on it. It smells like her and I want it to smell like me too. I like her because she feeds me. She rubs me all over and it’s so nice. Ahhh, puurrr. Eyes are slipping closed…zzzzzz

Awake! I need to clean myself. I lick and lick. Eww, smells like Peanut. I must have bumped him when I was stealing his food. Lick that off. Gone. Good.

And now I sleep. Deep sleep.

Abrupt wake up again. The Female is rising up from the couch. In the middle of my nap. Something about “Sorry.” Then something about “coffee.” I don’t know what those mean but I’m done with her today. Incredibly rude.

I go in the little house Mom got me and snooze until the sun has moved almost to the center of the sky. I’m hungry again. And I see a bug. It’s the good tasting kind. I will play with it and toss it around first because I am a wild animal, top of the food chain, I open my mouth to roar. It still sounds like a “Meow,” but it feels roary. I feel roary. I am the Queen of this Castle. I am Zora.

Rain dazzled the cobblestone road; the tall buildings above stretching to the sky. You can hear the rumble of cars as they rush past, dispersing the small puddles on the side of the road. Ears pricked; a cat jumps over a small, iron fence into a lush green garden dotted with irises. It looks down into a patch of daffodils; gaze serene and pelt unruffled against the falling rain.

		You’re in the cat’s place now. Looking down at those vibrant, yet droopy flowers. 
What do you think? Are you calm, unaware, distressed? No matter. You know you’re safe, at least now you are. Breathe in the dreamy scenery sprouting around you, nothing can harm you now. 

Your paws are tucked over the sides of the flower bed, looming over like a hungry hawk. Your nose is filled with the scent of blossoming flowers and rain that was begining to thrum in your ears. Every flicker of aloof has died away from your pelt, you close your eyes, trusting the scene around you to keep you guarded. 

Your whiskers twitch, and the faint sound of a door opening and closing distracts you. You better go now; those kids that live here have returned from wherever they’ve been. You rise and shake the rain from your whiskers; quickly padding towards the other side of the yard. 	
You leap over, shaking your pelt out as you reach the shelter of a tall, pine tree. You shift onto your hind legs and leap up onto the rough bark, clawing your way up to the nearest branch. You stretch out over the branch, yawning and letting your fluffy tail droop over the side. Your mind settles for a peaceful conversation to yourself; what had you done that day?

Walking, eating, resting, walking, searching, resting, coming across the garden you usually sleep by, and now you’re here. It went quite well as always. You think of what you’d do the next day- oh no bother. Let the future worry for itself. You do, however, want to head back to that girl’s house, she’s quite friendly and gives you something to eat every other day.

But deep down you wish for something more. You can’t hook your claws into it, but maybe it has to do with the fact that you have no one to talk too? Your ears droop, that’s why. 

You adore the place you live in, plenty of kind people and hundreds of places to stay. But yet, could leaving be for the best? No. Absolutely not. What if you met danger or even worse, no friends? For once you’re nervous. No way would you leave your home. Not now, not ever. 

You yawn, maybe it was time to rest. Carefully climbing down the pine tree, you leap back over the fence and duck into one of the bushes surrounding the garden. You’d made your own little makeshift nest the day before, a few small, sturdy sticks keeping most of the rain out. Finally, you lay your head down, tail over nose. Maybe tomorrow you’d decide what to do.

(This is centered around Lou!) ———

Some may find Lou’s ability as useless or a little strange, but she loves them.

Speaking to animals opens up the world in a way that no one else has.

They often are better conversationalists than people which is why you can often see her with at least three animals by her side. Usually cats. Many, many cats.

That’s why she was nervous to start at a new school for high school. No animals, just humans.

Animals never judge. They rely on instinct and do what is in their nature. They don’t hide behind masks. Whatever they say to her, they mean.

While her first day wasn’t what she originally expected, she made some human friends, so that’s nice.

They didn’t shy away from her animal friends and appeared to welcome her powers.

Roman was a bit peculiar. Maybe the first day was particularly bad for him or something preoccupied him. Or maybe Lou just couldn’t read people that well.

He was quiet and contemplative, like a lot more was going on than anyone knew. Much different than when they first met in the hallway.

The next day, she found out why.

With hands clasped together, Roman and Jeremiah walk into school together. They declare to Lou and the rest of their friends about their soulmate connection.

“So when did you realize it was Jeremiah?” Bell asks, positively beaming. It amazes Lou how supportive Bell and Cross are when they are soulmateless. One would think they could be bitter, but they looked like they couldn’t be happier for them.

“Umm…..I had a bit of a crisis yesterday morning when Jeremiah bumped into me, but we figured it out,” Roman explains, a bit sheepishly. There is something in that story that Lou doesn’t understand. He’s not saying everything. It’s not her place to question. They present as a happy couple, so what’s there to question anyway?

Everyone is buzzing about them. Apparently it’s been a while since the last paired soulmates.

She goes to her locker and unload all the textbooks and folders she needs for the day.

“Hey Lou,” Roman stops at his own locker. Theirs are close together with their last names being close.

“Hi Roman. Congrats on your relationship!” She greets.

“Thanks….”

Her smile falters when he trails off.

“Everything ok?” Lou asks, concerned. She knows she isn’t an expert on people but, he’s hesitating, and she has literally no idea why.

“Yeah, I just wanted to make sure we’re friends.”

“Of course. You’re ok, you know, for a person.” She stops before wondering out loud, “Is there a reason you thought we wouldn’t be cool?”

“Well, I-“ he gets cut off by a book that was being moved through the air from someone’s powers. It smacks Lou in the head.

The impact knocks her into her locker, pain exploding in her temple.

She can vaguely hear her stuff falling from her arms and Roman cussing and insulting someone, assumedly the person who hit her with it.

“Lou! You ok?” She nodded, leaning heavily on the wall, her eyes screw shut. The pain is pulsing through her head.

A warm hand touches her arm and the aching quickly fades. Like it was literally sucked out of her. When she feels good enough to open her eyes, she realizes that’s exactly what happened.

She remembers now what Roman said his powers were yesterday at lunch. Pain transference.

“Thank you,” she murmurs gratefully. His eyes are shut but he rights himself faster than she would have thought. “Are you ok?”

He nods, “Yeah, it doesn’t affect me as much as it does the person I’m taking the pain from,” he explains.

Collecting her stuff from the ground, she notices how his books are also on the floor. He must have dropped his stuff to help her. The same green notebook from yesterday is among the folders. She grabs it for him.

She takes one of her colorful markers and doodles a tiny cat on the cover. “That’s an immaculate portrait of one of my kitties, Ajax.”

“Incredibly detailed,” he comments with a grin.

When she is about to close her locker, she sees a green tail sticking out of her bag. “Hey, you were supposed to stay home!” Roman’s gaze bounces between her and her locker, probably wondering who she is talking to.

“But it’s boring at home,” her little lizard complains, crawling into view. Scooping him up and cooing at him, she brings her lizard up to Roman’s eyesight.

“Roman, this is Greg. Greg, this is my first human friend Roman,” she introduces.

“Umm…do I say nice to meet you to Greg? Will he understand?” He inquires, eyeing Greg. “That’s rude. I am a highly intelligent reptile,” Greg retorts, whipping around to face Lou.

Giggling, she slips Greg into her pocket. “Now you stay in there. You aren’t supposed to be here,” she orders her pet.

“Did I offend him?”

“Maybe. You’ll never know.”

OoOoO

“The importance of soulmates. Who can tell me a bit about the importance to them?”

Lou sighs, waiting for her lunch period. Someone is answering the question, but she doesn’t really hear any of it. She can’t wait to break out of this class and be outside with her animal friends and her new human friends.

“Lucille, can you share your perspective?” She wants to say “no” but alas she knows she cannot. Looking around, everyone is staring at her. Great.

“Of course. Soulmates are fine, I guess? I’m ok if I meet my soulmate, but I’m also ok if I don’t.” People start to whisper but that’s ok. Lou knows her view isn’t the most conventional.

Most people fully endorse soulmates and everything about having one is great. Or the other side which is people who are very against the idea of soulmates.

Lou’s just….indifferent.

“I don’t like the concept that you need someone else to live a good life. I love myself and my animals. I don’t need someone else. If that person happens to come along, I’ll see, but I don’t need them to be happy.” She finishes and pats her pocket where Greg is cheering her on.

“Will you just be an old cat lady then?” A boy, whose name she doesn’t know, jokes with his friends laughing. The teacher snaps at the boys, but they continue mocking her. A girl, Lou thinks her name is Amelia or something like that, gives her a sympathetic look. Not exactly happy but like an understanding.

“That’s the goal,” Lou shoots back with a genuine smile.

People can think what they want. That’s why she perfers animals.

—— (Dedicated to AJ Kit for her character, Lou! I love the innocence of Lou and her dynamics with her animals. I think being friends with animals give Lou an interesting view on people.)

It was a dream. Certainly, it had to be.

I had woken in a spot of tall grass, in the center of what had to have been the largest meadow I’d ever seen- which was saying something. I stretched and stood, but it felt odd.

My body felt entirely too heavy, and I wasn’t nearly as far from the floor as I should have been. Looking down, I saw it.

Large paws, covered in long grey fur. As I moved, so did it. I made the movement of lifting my hand, and it lifted in place of it. Below the massive paw, which I had then begun to realize really did belong to me, was an inch deep print.

The ground was soft, far softer than I would have expected otherwise. It smelled different too, muddier. Other scents mingled with that, like the pine carrying downstream from the mountain, and the wildlife that neared it.

Without my consent nor my approval, I had begun to actually salivate from the mere idea of the deer and rabbit whose scents I had gained. I felt the hair around my body shift, my… ears… turning. Before I had been given much warning, I had begun to race toward the scents until they became overpowering, eliminating any second thought I had to the idea.

The race to get to them felt like nothing else I had ever experienced- the speed, the power, the freedom that laid within it was astounding. Everything seemed different around me, taller and wider, to which I saw it all in higher definition.

My pace slowed after a long moment, as I finally took in how real it all really was. To start, I had no idea how it happened. What’s more… I had no idea how to get back.

I woke up- but went back to sleep cause I’m a sloth. I enjoy lounging in a tree and doing nothing. I cuddle my baby sloth, who is also enjoying doing nothing.

After a while we crawl down and I carry my baby on my back. We cross the road in slow motion, putting one paw ahead of the other. The cars just stop and wait, but no one rushes us. In fact, they take photos and videos of us.

“Here kitty kitty!” said my owner.

I came lazily to the kitchen and purred when my owner picked me up. Then I ate my meow mix and drank my water.

I curled my tail up in the air then ran off to my favorite spot by the window.

When my owner left for work, I ran and jumped at the door as she locked it. I curled up and purred myself to sleep. I slept two hours. Then I ran around the house chasing my catnip mouse.

I scampered down stairs and I found the bathroom for my litter pan and then found my blanket in a box. I slept for two more hours. I woke up to the mailman driving down the road so I went to eat more food.

I returned downstairs and watched my owner’s fish swim around for a little while then I curled up on the couch. I dreamed of outdoors and barns and a playmate.

Two hours later my owner drove in the driveway. I met her at the door and meowed.
She picked my up and cuddled me like a baby. It hurts my back when she holds me that way, but I can stand it for five minutes. Then she put me down to let me play.

Later I found my owner sitting down by the television, so I jumped in her lap and slept for thirty minutes.

To end my day, when she went to bed I followed her in, jumped on her bed and curled up for the night.

The day tired me out!

I had a beard, but never such long whiskers at attention from right under my nose. They have made me have one more sense, now six in all, as I slip between three elements. I slip and slide through air, earth and water, just as I glissade from reed glade to river current. Fire I do not need, as my fish are just fine cold from the water. The freshest sushi I’ve ever had, my sharp teeth and claws the only chopsticks I need. No worries, no hurries in the sun glistening waters or the shores’ shimmering shade. We play all day with cascade into wave or the tossing of pebbles from nose to nose or the twist of slim bodies in aqua dance. We wave with our webbed hands, no split five fingers.The idea of stress is long forgotten until that slip from furred otter back into human skin, so uncomfortable and tight held upright in the air, only feet touching the ground—-no belly caress on soft mud or wave. A beard is nice, but long whiskers much better!

When the pandemic started, I was feeling restless in the house. I had a lovely backyard and two friendly neighbors. I had a few visitors of the feline variety. They meowed at me and we had conversations. I tried to explain to them that I don’t have any cat food. They went to the neighbor’s house to eat then they came back to nap in my backyard. They came to visit which was a comfort in my quarantine days.

One day, I was sitting in my backyard looking at my plants. Suddenly I felt strange, I fell on concrete but I wasn’t hurt. I tried to call for help but I heard “meow” and it came from me. Impossible! I have turned into a cat. I sat in my garden with this feeling of freedom. I saw two familiar faces. The two visiting cats. They told me about their lives and I hung out with them. We went to different places to get a snack. It was so great to not have to pay for food. I didn’t have to get a job or pay taxes. It was such a chilled life. The cats said goodbye and I stayed in my backyard for a few minutes. I could live like this, I thought to myself. I went into my house and went to sleep. When I woke up; I was back to being myself but I missed being a cat.

Sniffing the air, preparing the next hunt From the den I hear my pups’ whines I bare my teeth and let out a grunt As in the sky the full moon shines.

Outside I join my faithful pack We howl to strengthen our bond Of our next prey we have found track And to our instincts we have to respond.

Off we run, fast as the speed of light To our prey our presence is veiled We ambush, tear down and bite Until its last breath is exhaled.

After we feed, it’s time to go back My pups need this precious food This wasn’t a relentless attack It’s all done for the common good.

As a new day dawns Now my pups want to play We’re tired and drowsy with yawns But for them we’ll go out of our way.

Suddenly I prick up my ears What’s that noise I just heard? I’m invaded by many fears Pups back to den, the pack is stirred.

A mother bear walks past with her little one We may be enemies but she’s now no threat Relieved I sigh, no reason to run They walk away and we soon forget.

Now I’m tired and need to sleep Later we can resume our play The forest plunges in silence deep As I let myself drift away.