A Way Home

Angel sniffed the ground. He'd been here before. He lifted his small face to look at the split path in front of him, trying to decide. He'd been gone for two weeks. He missed his home, the warmth, the free food, the affection from his human housemates. Life on the road was fun, and for an alpha cat like him, it was a part of life. Angel lived for adventure. A lone traveler, despite sharing a house with two other cats, both bigger and stronger than him. Neither of them had more experience though, being five years younger and infinitely more spoiled, and it was that experience that would help Angel choose a path. Ever the wise old man, he knew he had to choose carefully. For one path led straight home, with no danger or obstacles to speak of. And the other... Well the other was different.

It was all instinct really. There was no way to know for sure. In the end, Angel had only his gut to listen to. The thing is, he'd been down both paths before, and recently too. His scent trails ran all over the place, he was an adventurer after all. Finally, after concluding that there was no easy way to make the choice, right or left, he chose right and made his peace with it. 

The problem was, both paths began about the same. They ran for two whole miles, these well-maintained trails through the fields, separated by a thick layer of trees. The safe path let out near the highway and straight home. The other led to the river, where Angel wasn't the most welcome cat. If he made a mistake, he wouldn't know until it was too late to turn back. But there he went, trotting along the path he'd chosen, head held high and confident, sniffing periodically, shifting his gaze in all directions, remaining vigilant. He was on the path home, and that was all the encouragement he needed.

He chose the wrong path, of course. There wouldn't be much of a story if he didn't. And he realized it as soon as his ears perked up to the sound of water trickling over rocks in the distance. The river. More of a stream really. But to Angel, it was a mighty, flowing signal of danger. He froze for a moment, his padded feet stuck to the grass, his ears high, listening for anything, everything. He felt his resolve start to slip, but then just as quickly, he gathered himself, stowed away all fear, and resumed walking. He knew what this meant for him. A rough night. Maybe he should go back? Travel the two miles in the wrong direction and take the other path? But that meant another night out, and he wouldn't be home until the next day. He was so sick of hunting, eating in the fields, as much as he enjoyed it. Hunting was one of his greatest pleasures. But when the thrill was gone and he was tired, he just wanted the free stuff from his food bowl, and the feel of gentle hands on his fur. He wanted heated rooms and the guaranteed safety of being indoors. Could he do it? Sure. But did he want to?

The river was flowing faster than normal. The recent rain made sure of that. Angel approached it calmly, but without letting his guard down. He lowered his head slightly, just enough to get a quick drink. Another two miles home. All was quiet. Just the occasional bird overhead. He continued along the river a bit longer, thinking that perhaps there would be no trouble after all. But then, from behind a brush, they appeared.

Angel had met these cats before. No good hoods who like to lurk in this part of the woods. These cats weren't like Angel. They weren't domesticated, had no homes, no family or love. Only each other, and a penchant for trouble. It was a gang of five, as always. And they knew Angel as well as he knew them. They slowly and confidently surrounded him, as he lowered himself into a defensive stance. It was almost as if they were laughing at him, the way they circled and hissed, waiting for an opportunity when his guard was down, when one could get the drop on him. Angel wasn't an easy mark though, and he was familiar with their tactics. The gang puffed their tails, lowered their ears, and continued to circle Angel while hissing threatening words at him, trying to intimidate him. But Angel stood fast.

Growing impatient, one of the weaker cats lunged at Angel from behind. Angel saw it coming, ducked and rolled with the cat, and sent him flying over him with a fresh set of scratches deep in his face. One down, four to go. Two others leapt onto him, pinning him down. Angel caught one with a swipe as he was coming in, and bit the other one hard on the leg before finishing him with two quick swipes with his one free paw. They backed off for a moment, adjusted their strategy, and came at him again, this time with a third friend. Angel was outnumbered and had to think quickly. He turned to his right and ran up a nearby tree with all three cats hot on his tail. He made it to the lowest branch and went out as far as he could, forcing the pursuers to come after him in a single file line. They approached cautiously. The first one got within swiping range. He hesitated, and then swiped twice, attempting to hit Angel in the face, missing both times. Angel countered and knocked the cat over. The cat caught himself and dangled from the branch as his friend behind him took his spot. He came in fast and caught Angel three good times, almost taking him out. Angel recovered quickly, and caught the cat with an unexpected right, knocking him clean out of the tree to hit the ground with a sickening thud. Angel then struck the dangling cat, finishing him off. The third cat chose not to approach, and instead went back down, joining the others in escaping. Angel leapt to the ground in victory, but to find the fifth cat, the leader, who had been watching the whole time, waiting for him.

They stared each other down. This was the only cat who had ever beaten Angel in a fight. Angel lost a small chunk of his right ear in that scrap, but left a mark of his own, a scar over the cat's eye. This was the only cat in these parts besides Angel who once had a home, and Angel had heard his name being called once upon a time. Memphis. A big broad, darkly blue-coated cat. A natural leader, and Angel's nemesis. Memphis must have outweighed Angel by seven pounds, and had a tail twice as long as Angel's. He was meaner, and older by a year. But Angel had something Memphis hadn't known for a long time. A home to fight for.

They stood facing each other, both prepared for the inevitable. To Memphis, Angel represented everything he once held dear before it was taken from him. To Angel, Memphis was just in the way. He didn't hate Memphis. He didn't want harm to befall him. But he would do anything to get home. 

Angel pointed his tail straight up and relaxed himself, hoping Memphis would take this as a sign of peace and call it a day. Memphis wanted no part of it and puffed himself up. He began to approach Angel, letting out a deep growl. Angel backed up and prepared himself for the attack. Just as Memphis was closing the last few inches of space between them...

"Aaawooooooo!!!! Yip, yip!"

Both cats started at the familiar sound. For a moment, they forgot each other. Their hair stood up. The blood turned inside their bodies. Every emotion felt between them gave way to fear. It took a moment for them to gather themselves and remember why they were there. They turned their attention back towards each other and made a silent agreement. Their confrontation would have to wait. They both had bigger problems now. 

Coyotes.

Memphis looked at Angel with a mixture of anger and amusement. Angel was lucky this time, but they'd meet again. Memphis backed away slowly, not taking his eyes off of Angel, and then finally turned to run into the brush from where he came. Angel was alone now, the confrontation finally over. But then...

"Yip, yip, yip. Aaawoooooo!!!"

Closer this time. Angel found the river again quickly. He could hear the breaking of twigs and the rustling of bushes. He didn't have long. He ran along the river towards his destination. Behind him, the rustling grew louder and louder. He ran faster now. The sky was getting dark. Padded feet landed heavy on the ground behind him. He stopped for a moment to look back.

Three coyotes emerged from the trees. Angel froze in fear. They locked eyes. The coyotes snarled and growled. Saliva pooled up in the corners of their mouths and dripped out. They took a few small steps forward, snarling harder. Angel snapped out of his daze and took off running. The coyotes took off behind him. They barked and threatened, gaining on Angel quickly. Angel ran as fast as his legs would take him. He was unsure about whether he was still following the river or not. He tried in vain to listen past the barking to find the sound of water. At that point, the only right direction was away from his attackers. He only hoped it would take him home as well.

The coyotes were just behind him now, and Angel was tired. His legs were close to giving out. If not from exhaustion, then from fear. It was wearing him out and he could hear the distance closing behind him. He might not make it home this time. 

"Bark, bark! Yip, yip, yip!"

He thought about his food bowls. How much he had looked forward to that free cat food. His humans always provided the good stuff. And that fancy water fountain. So cool on his tongue.

*snarl* "BARK, BARK, BARK!!!!" The footsteps were heavy in his ears.

He thought about all the nice warm surfaces he loved to sleep on. The space heater. The back of the couch. The bed where his humans slept. Ahh, his humans. They sure weren't perfect but they tried their best. They never appreciated all the mice and moles he brought them for dinner but that never stopped him from trying. He would miss them.

"BARK, BARK!!! *snarl* *growl* He could feel their breath on his tail. This was it.

Wait! What was this? A break in the trees? Could it be? Yes! The fence! Those big dogs couldn't make it over the fence!

But Angel could.

Just as those dogs were about to snap him up, Angel found new strength in his legs. His stride got wider, his breath longer and deeper. He was going to make it home.

He ran faster than he'd ever run before. He could hear the barks getting more aggressive as they got farther away. The coyotes took the challenge and started to speed up as well. They grew louder and closer once more. But it didn't matter. Angel closed the last few feet, finally leaving the jungle behind him, and leapt! He soared high through the air, higher than a normal cat, as if his larger ancestors caught him in the air and pulled him higher. He flew straight over the fence with two feet to spare and landed safely on the other side. He heard the coyotes smack into the fence and yelp, falling back. He turned and gave them the slightest smirk. They snarled at him in defeat and turned to run back into the trees.

Angel fell onto the ground, knowing he was safe. He rolled onto his back and looked at the stars for a minute while he caught his breath. "Next time, go left" he thought to himself.

Two weeks gone. He couldn't wait to get home. And he could see it in the distance. The brightly lit porch and the sounds of life inside. He jogged across the field, mice running in all directions at the sight of him. He continued through the front yard and finally made it to the porch. Everyone was inside and he could see his humans standing in the kitchen. He jumped into the rocking chair and stood up on the back of it so it would lean slightly forward and make a sharp *knock, knock!* on the window.

His humans turned to look out and nearly burst into tears when they saw his face. They rushed over and opened the window, trying to pick him up, blubbering about how long he'd been gone.

Angel ignored them, jumped down onto the floor and walked straight over to his food bowl and began to eat. He didn't see what all the fuss was about. He was a grown man. And he'd made a man's journey. The truth is, it didn't matter which path he chose. Each path lead to the same destination. He had no way of knowing which path would be easy and which path would challenge him. He simply chose a path and, like a man, met whatever trials he faced. And in the end, he made it home.