The Cat

Allies come at the strangest times in the worst of times. They can be gargantuan or minuscule. You may not know their name or you could have known them since you were in diapers together. No matter what happens when those allies show up, you treat them respect and honor their memory.

I thought I was finally over my trauma from the experience a few months back. The woods behind my house was pulling me toward them and I figured it would be relatively safe to take a walk. I grabbed my naturalist bag and took to the deer trail.

I wound through the tall elms and maples like old friends at a reunion. The sky was clear and blue. The wind was a gentle push and the sun a welcome friend. Several days of rain had left the ground muddy and the dead leaves slippery. I was enjoying myself when I started to notice the deer trail had broken branches that deer could not have broken.

I picked up the end of a tree that should have been standing tall and mighty. Red dripped from the end of it in an ominous rhythm. I cleared my throat and gathered my thoughts. I possibly could die. What if it was a bear? Oh lord.

I heard the growl emit from the surrounding vegetation. I pressed myself against a wide tree trunk. I held my breath and wished I had worn more greens than the bright orange shirt I had on. The international space station could probably see me in all this muted color.

Footsteps barely quaked the ground, the impending doom shook me from my thoughts. Whatever this thing was coming from behind me. I pushed out from the tree to get ahead of it. Do not ever run when a predator is stalking you, especially if he is faster.

I could hear the beast's snarls behind me. From the beats of the impact on the ground, it was bipedal and massive. I ran to the creek bed, hopefully, the width would throw it off. I ran along the embankment until I found a tree leading across. I was halfway to what I hoped was safety when it grabbed the roots and shook.

The tree gave way and I fell in the water. It was a short drop but still hurt. I pushed myself to my feet and grabbed at anything that could possibly help me get up the 4-foot embankment. Damn rain! Everything ripped from the ground at my touch. I finally managed to get a hold of a sapling and swung my legs over the edge. I laid on my back trying to get the strength to run again.

I saw it. It stood snorting from the other side. The width of the creek seemed like inches. The creature was beautiful in a way. White skin with dark patchy fuzz. Feet as wide as my torso is long with equally scary claws protruding from four toes. The claws on hands, that reminded me of a raccoon's, were covered in a dried rust color. I assumed it was blood and the way it acted, was still hungry.

It leaped effortlessly over to where I was laying. It leaned forward. Its face was stretched skin over an elongated skull. The fangs were dripping with hunger. I knew I was going to die. I closed my eyes and prepared for the painful fate.

A yowl from above my head caught me off guard. The creature made a horrible noise as something yelled as it flew over me and onto the beast. I opened an eye and stared at an orange cat latched onto the face the creature. Fur was flying as it clawed at its eyes and bit at its face.

The horrible screeching that came from the creature as it threw the cat into a tree made the traumatic experience all the more sickening. I knew the cat was dead. Nothing could survive that. The creature turned back to me. I couldn't run. I couldn't move. I was too scared. When it reached its long claw at me, an orange blur latched itself onto the creature's arm and tore into its flesh. Black blood started sprinkling the ground.

I crawled back from the fight in my face and pressed myself against another tree. I pulled myself up and was praying my legs would start working. The cat jumped from the creature's arm and landed on the ground between me and it. The creature let out a blood-curdling roar and charged toward me and the cat.

I stared awestruck at the tiny body going against something 50 times its size. I grabbed a shredded branch and anchored it into the ground. If a cat was going to defend me, I was fully capable of helping myself. I scooped up the cat and let the creature make it to where I stood. It impaled itself on the branch and yelled in my face. The cat attacked from my arms and tore with all four paws into the creature's body. I wiped the drool from my face and pushed harder on the tree branch. If I can kill it, I will get as close as I have to.

When it stopped moving, the cat jumped to the ground. I let the creature fall to its side with a sickly thud. I stared at its dead face. I rummaged through the undergrowth looking for a sharp weapon. I found a piece of sheet glass from an old broken window. I stabbed the creature in the side of the head, just in case.

I fell to my knees and threw up my breakfast. I had survived the horrific event. Relief set in as I leaned back on my heels. I glanced at my savior. The tiny cat sat cleaning itself, purring over its conquest. I reached out to give it a pet. My hand went right through it. Green eyes blinked at me as if saying "You can go now."

I blinked as it just vanished, faded away into air. Shakily I got to my feet. I retraced my steps and made it back to my yard. That yellow house had never been so welcoming. Before I took my final step from the woods, an eerie meow purred from behind me. I whispered my thank yous to the guardian of the woods.

From that day on, I put out an extra bit of special food for my very special savior.