Alley Cat (Ch 7) (Patreon)

I laugh while run from Fruit Man, fruit in backpack. Backpack bag on back. Bag also back, and on back. That why name backpack! Fruit Man yells, shaking fist. “Fucking Alley Cat! You won’t keep getting away with this!”

Fruit Man repeats all time. All time I catch fruit he has. Never stop, never catch. Fruit good! Not good like meat, but makes not hungry. But have eat more. Oh! I learn! Many fruit name fruit. But another name! Two names! Fruit name and fruit fruit name! I grab ‘Apple’ today! Many apple! Also know today word!

Much time pass. Not sure how much time pass, know a lot. Means I learn lots! Words hard, learning easy! Today is sun in sky! Tonight is moon in sky! Sun is big bright ball in sky, hurts when look! Moon is big dim ball in sky, not hurt when look!

Oh! Dim mean not bright, not dark. Ok word, almost dark. Dark good. Hope Dark visit, but Dark not visit. Me sad, but Dark busy lots. Maybe tired? Sleep lots?

Sleep good! Comfy. Makes not tired. Like eating makes not hungry! Good things! Comfy clothes also good things! Also blankets! Blankets big soft things. Warm at night, so not cold!

Cold! One time, cold so cold white things fall from big blue thing! Big blue thing is sky! Cold white things snow! Snow not much. Not much happen call rare! Snow rare! Snow cold, also soft! Likes jumping in much snow. Fun! New people not want know laugh when do, makes I laugh too!

Oh, oh! New people not want know strangers! Strangers laughs when see jump in snow!

Learning fun, learning easy. Remember learning things not easy. Hard. Remember new things learn hard. Not know why. Strangers sometime say brain damage, not say what brain. Know damage! Leg hurt bad when stranger wear clothes many strangers not wear attack. Bad stranger hurt leg bad. Make run hard. Get away still! When away, leg not hurt long. Not know word when leg not hurt and bend normal.

Normal! Normal is many people same thing!

Strangers wear not normal clothes heroes! Sometime villains. Heroes good, villains bad.

Not true. Sometimes heroes bad, sometimes villains good. Many villains bad, know few villains good! Give things no want. I always want! Like things! Things fun have!

Go to safe place, home, green thing name dumpster! Like dumpster home. None throw things not want in dumpster home like not dumpster homes. Many not know dumpster home. Strangers say dumpster home ‘haunted’. New word, not know mean. Know strangers not like haunted, so like haunted! Keep safe!

Hum is make noise in throat. Sometime mouth close, sometime not. I hum and eat Apple fruit, walk on bottom legs and arm not hold apple. Not know why strangers and Fruit Man walk legs only. Arms and legs easy walk. Leg only walk more hard.

See dumpster home and smile, eat last of apple. Ears twitch, I pause. Hear something. Someone. Crying? Maybe?

Sneak close, good at sneak! Dark help sneak, less noise, others less see me. Sound behind dumpster home. Poke head and look. New person! Hair yellow not-yellow. No things in hair like strangers sometime wear. Hair weird. Many different hair, color, and wear. 

Clothes normal for new person size. Tall strangers not wear same clothes as smaller people. Not know why. New person wear normal clothes for size, so not matter!

New person… girl? Girl and boy called gender, not know why. Girl and boy not have same parts? When I feel girl, lose part on bottom but get parts on top. When feel boy, lose parts on top and get part on bottom. Hair change too!

New girl person, I think, crying. Rat in hands, new girl person biting. Much blood on rat and new girl person face. I tilt head to show not know why. Strangers not seem like blood, so why new girl person want blood on face? I ask? But maybe new girl person bad person… Like Pain Eye Man. Not remember name Pain Eye Man name. Many days and nights pass since Pain Eye Man lie.

I shake head, try focus. New girl person in front! Ask! Maybe learn! I poke new girl person cheek. “Hi, Hi!! Why blood on face? Why bite rat?” I wait now. New girl person good, I get answer! New girl person bad, she try hurt. New girl person try hurt, I hurt back.

New girl person jump, hands grab rat tight. Squish noise, blood go between fingers. Leeeaakkiinng? Leaking! Blood leaking between new girl person fingers! New girl person look at me, eyes go wide. New girl person looks at rat in hands. New girl person throws rat. Not leave Hall to go to Hall Hall. Land on bag not move when I make dumpster home dumpster home. New girl person look at me.

“Uh, I wasn’t doing anything! I just… got lost! Yeah, that’s it! I got lost while trying to meet up with my friends! So, um, I’ll just be going now!” New girl person say many words, I blink. Not easy know all words new girl person say. But new girl person start run!

“New girl person! Wait! Blood on face!”

New girl person stop, not slow first. Not fun feeling. Fast, slow, stop. Good. Not get not fun feeling if that order! New girl person wipe face with arm part of clothing. Sees blood on it, turns to me. “Y-y-you saw?” New girl person eyes go weird. Smaller? Maybe? Strange. I nod.

“Yes, yes! Blood on rat. Blood on face. Bite rat.” I tilt head. “Why bite?”

New girl person move feet, not move from stand. Move arm part clothing to face. Try remove blood. Face less blood, but arm part clothing much blood! I shake head. Wave finger at new person girl. New girl person flinch. “No put blood on clothing arm part! Strangers no like blood!” I smile at new girl person. “I fix!”

I not wait. I jump in dumpster home, get new clothing for new girl person. Not bottom clothing, top clothing! No think new girl person want bottom clothing on top of body! Would be silly. Maybe yes bottom clothing on top of body? Silly fun, fun silly. I like fun and silly. I shake head. New girl person seem sad, so top girl clothing for new girl person!

I jump out of dumpster home, top girl clothing in hand. I look, see new girl person still here! New girl person head tilt, confused! New girl person confused! I hand new girl person top girl clothing. I smile. “Blood on you top clothing, use wipe blood. Wear new old top girl clothing!”

New girl person stare, then blink. Look at top girl clothing I give. Brown, open at front. Small things use to close front. New girl person look at me. “You’re… giving this to me? So I don’t have to hide the blood?”

I tilt head. Hum. I think. I nod. “Yes, yes! Strangers no like blood, so you not leave Hall or Hall Hall with blood!”

New girl person stare at me. New girl person eyes yellow, small black part line instead of circle. Different. Not normal. I like. Normal not fun! Normal hard! I no be normal, so I no like normal!

New girl person smile at me. “Thank you.” New girl person take off top clothing and put on new old top clothing. Know girl now! New girl person use not wear top clothing to remove blood on face. Look at top clothing not long, then throw at wall! New girl person take deep breath, turn to me.

“Thank you, for the clothes.” New girl person move hair away from face. Smile! “You won’t… tell anyone, about me. Will you?”

I tilt head. New girl person voice weird. I ignore. New girl person ask question, I like question! Mean learn! I answer. “No tell! No person tell! I alone!” I smile at new girl person. She blink.

“You’re… alone?” New girl person voice quiet. Sad? Why sad!? I give new top girl clothing! Maybe no like? But new girl person maybe word I hear but no have before…

I answer, ears tilt down. “Yes, I alone.”

New girl person hug. I tilt head, look at new girl person. New girl person let go. Little sad, I like hug. New girl person smile. “If you want, I can come visit you?”

New girl person visit? I like! I nod head fast, new girl person giggles! New girl person hold out hand. “I’m Himiko Toga, it’s nice to meet you!”

New girl name Himiko Toga! Remember important! I sniff hand, not know why she stick out. Himiko Toga giggle again. “You’re supposed to shake my hand! What’s your name?”

Oh! I grab Himiko Toga hand and shake around, she laugh. Himiko Toga want know name? Strangers give many name! I smile.

“I name: Urchin, Alley Cat, Thief, Little Shit, Villain, Fucker, Bitch, Cunt, Trash, Criminal Scum, Dear-”

“What the fuck!?” Himiko Toga yells, I stop talking. Lower head. No like yelling. Himiko Toga mad? No like mad…

Himiko Toga hug again, I perk up. Smile. Himiko Toga not mad! Hug good, so not mad! I happy! “Who would call you all those things!? If we’re going to be friends, I want you to stay away from those kinds of people!”

Friends? I happy! Himiko Toga friend! Friends good, strangers have friends, always look happy! Now I happy too! Hug Himiko Toga! Himiko Toga hug tighter!

Let go of hug, little sad, but not much. Because now Himiko Toga friend! Himiko Toga smile. “From now on, your name is Alley Cat! Got it?”

I nod fast, smile. Tail happy too! Does happy dance! I bounce, clap hands. “Yes, yes! I Alley Cat!”

`~`

In a realm of shadows, two armies clash. But they do not fight with traditional weapons, nor quirks. Instead, they fight with that which they are made of. Beings of darkness as varied in shape as shadows dancing in firelight. Beings of light all the same in shape, but brightened from a different source. They fight with a ferocity even greater than beasts, and yet no bodies litter the battlefield.

Even as a squid-like being of darkness tears into a being of light with the intensity of a roaring fire, neither appears to be truly wounded. Instead, they bleed into one another, the dark infecting the light and vice versa. Each being fights against it, but the being of light fails, and is engulfed completely.

The squid-like being releases its opponent, retreating until the light upon it vanishes into the depths of its own dark body. Meanwhile, the former being of light transforms; its human-like appearance gaining an additional two arms at the shoulders, horns erupt from the back of its skull and follow its curve. It shakes its head, taking in the battlefield around it with wide eyes before giving a war cry and charging at the forces of light.

Similar occurrences happen all across the battle, dark infecting light and light infecting dark. Those engulfed in light are compressed to a human shape, and charge the forces of darkness. But those cases are rare, and quickly overwhelmed by the combined might of the dark army. It is clear that the light is being overwhelmed.

 In a part of the battlefield both armies seem to avoid, two beings face each other. The first is a being of darkness. Her body resembles that of a human woman, if it were to be scaled to the size of a building. Her fingers and toes are tipped by curved claws, easily parting the ground she stands on. On her back are a pair of dark feathered wings, seemingly fluttering even in a place where wind does not exist.

Her face is half obscured by a bone-white mask, the hooked nose jutting a good foot forward. A luscious mane of hair trails down her back, nearly reaching her waist. Her eyes seem to glow with an unholy light as she glares at her foe.

“Cease your futile struggles. You know you can’t win.”

The being of light, also female in appearance and matching them in height, glows with the intensity of the sun. She gives a mocking laugh. “You overestimate yourself, Stygian Umbra Mors. After you fall, the shadows will be no more, and the light shall be ever reaching!”

Stygian sighs, setting herself to launch at the being of light. “Let’s get this over with. I have children to get back to.”

The being of light, enraged, charges at Stygian with her fist pulled back and a cry of anger on her lips. Just before they clash, Stygian can’t stop the worry she feels from launching one last thought through her head.

I truly hope the child is safe among the heroes now.